5 ms·

What happened to the inaugural class of travel startup Remote Year

40 points by aaronbrethorst 11y ago

reustle 11y ago
It's amazing how much money these people are spending on this trip, especially with such inexperienced founders/staff. $3k down, $2k a month, and $2.5k to leave, while many don't have solid income streams in place? Unfortunately, after having been in this "digital nomad" scene for over a year and a half now, it is nothing new. I've lived across 14~ countries since 2014 and have met my fair share of people who dropped everything to come to Chaing Mai, Ubud, Saigon, etc to work on their next big company, only to end up struggling to make a living off a travel blog or affiliate marketing tactics. It feels like many don't make it past a few months, before it sets in that not everyone is cut out for it.
- soneca 11y ago
  I always assumed the term "digital nomad" would refer to a kind of stabilished digital freelancer that had relevant (if unstable) source of income. I indeed don't see it working for founders developing a company.
- kilroy123 11y ago
  There are lots with stable full-time jobs as well. I'm a "digital nomad" and working/living abroad. I have a normal full-time remote, software engineer job.
phantom_oracle 11y ago
for $2000, all they are getting is a workspace and shared-accommodation? That amount of money is a lot in countries like Vietnam, Thailand, etc. You could easily get yourself a 2-bedroom place and cooked-meals everyday for less than that.
- chrisfosterelli 11y ago
  Yeah, simply taking a bit more initiative to manage those things yourself could easily save you 75% of what they are paying... As someone who has done some travel while working, I'd say it sounds very cool in theory but the price you're paying to have them manage your accommodation and office space is way too high.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
- fudged71 11y ago
  I think you just discovered the business model ;)
- thaumasiotes 11y ago
  You can rent a 2-bedroom apartment and eat out every day in Shanghai for well under $2000 / month, and it's become known in China for "absurdly high" real estate prices. (I believe that's focused mainly on purchase prices, which I have never even looked at. But hopefully rents are related to purchase prices.)
sneak 11y ago
I heard through the grapevine that it was total amateur-hour, drunk American bro nonsense. This article doesn't really dispel that.
- HemanHeartYou 11y ago
  wouldnt be surprised by people that signed up for something called Under30Experiences
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

It's amazing how much money these people are spending on this trip, especially with such inexperienced founders/staff. $3k down, $2k a month, and $2.5k to leave, while many don't have solid income streams in place? Unfortunately, after having been in this "digital nomad" scene for over a year and a half now, it is nothing new. I've lived across 14~ countries since 2014 and have met my fair share of people who dropped everything to come to Chaing Mai, Ubud, Saigon, etc to work on their next big company, only to end up struggling to make a living off a travel blog or affiliate marketing tactics. It feels like many don't make it past a few months, before it sets in that not everyone is cut out for it.

soneca 11y ago
I always assumed the term "digital nomad" would refer to a kind of stabilished digital freelancer that had relevant (if unstable) source of income. I indeed don't see it working for founders developing a company.
kilroy123 11y ago
There are lots with stable full-time jobs as well. I'm a "digital nomad" and working/living abroad. I have a normal full-time remote, software engineer job.

phantom_oracle 11y ago

for $2000, all they are getting is a workspace and shared-accommodation? That amount of money is a lot in countries like Vietnam, Thailand, etc. You could easily get yourself a 2-bedroom place and cooked-meals everyday for less than that.

chrisfosterelli 11y ago
Yeah, simply taking a bit more initiative to manage those things yourself could easily save you 75% of what they are paying... As someone who has done some travel while working, I'd say it sounds very cool in theory but the price you're paying to have them manage your accommodation and office space is way too high.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
fudged71 11y ago
I think you just discovered the business model ;)
thaumasiotes 11y ago
You can rent a 2-bedroom apartment and eat out every day in Shanghai for well under $2000 / month, and it's become known in China for "absurdly high" real estate prices. (I believe that's focused mainly on purchase prices, which I have never even looked at. But hopefully rents are related to purchase prices.)

sneak 11y ago

I heard through the grapevine that it was total amateur-hour, drunk American bro nonsense. This article doesn't really dispel that.

HemanHeartYou 11y ago
wouldnt be surprised by people that signed up for something called Under30Experiences

deleted 11y ago

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