Remote Year has launched a membership platform called the RY Nation Hub that caters to the evolving needs of remote and hybrid workers. Jenny Southan reports
The leading provider of “work from anywhere” trips to over 80 destinations around the world, Remote Year has evolved its offering to focus on community building with the launch of a dedicated membership platform.
Membership includes access to a newly designed virtual RY Nation Hub serving as a “one-stop-shop” for connecting, learning and sharing for remote workers. It is complemented by travel passes with savings and perks that scale based on travel frequency.
Three membership levels are available ranging from US$19 to an introductory US$99 a month. All memberships levels include:
- Access to the RY Nation Hub, which connects with Remote Year’s community of professionals who are living, working and exploring the world. The community is over 4,000 strong, ranging from people aged 23 to 71 years old, and of all backgrounds.
The platform includes resources such as destination guides, job boards, apartment rental boards, and 150 curated work and travel resource groups related to location, identity, interests and profession.
It will also host digital series and workshops with subjects relevant to travelling professionals, like how to lead a remote team or manage finances on the road.
- A central RY Travel Marketplace from which professionals may select one month at a time or longer trips to over 80 global destinations, with over 200 local experiences and side trips at the ready.
The marketplace also includes services that make international travel easy, such as airport transfers, SIM cards, apartment cleaning, gym passes, language classes and Covid testing.
- Access to inspiring in-person experiences to foster face-to-face connections just as much as digital ones, from informal local meetups to global adventures timed to cultural events (think Oaxaca’s Day of the Dead) or with access to unique locations.
The company will also offer RY Nation Festivals for the community to come together, meant to be held quarterly around the world in destinations like Morocco, Greece, Brazil and Thailand.
Remote Year’s CEO, Shaun Prime, says: “The new membership offering, RY Nation hub and our Travel Passes, are designed to address what we’ve learned from our customers. There is strong demand for community building amongst remote and hybrid workers, as they seek out shared experiences to combat the isolation that independent work can create.
“Our travellers are professionals first and are looking for flexibility and value in a work-from-anywhere experience, as are the companies that employ them, which are exploring recruiting and staff retention tools that will attract an evolving workforce.
“Ultimately, we see that remote and hybrid workers want to diversify where they work, slow down and to dig deep into a place where they can live and work at their own pace, and so the evolved Remote Year experience addresses that demand.”
Catering to a variety of differing travel paces, Remote Year now offers three membership options with tiered pricing, which are also available for companies to purchase as a perk for remote or hybrid employees:
- Community Membership, at US$19/month, is designed for the beginner anywhere worker interested in Remote Year’s curated resources, events and community connections.
- Explorer Pass, at US$49/month, is ideal for someone looking to travel one to three months of the year, perhaps because they have a home, a partner or a hybrid job anchoring them elsewhere.
Work and travel rates start at US$2,050 per month, with over 80 inspiring destinations to choose from and include a private room in a shared accommodation, 24/7 access to a workspace, locally designed experiences to make customers comfortable in a new city, expert local staff and more.
Additional perks include three-day advance access to book new destinations and experiences ahead of the public plus several additional event and partner perk discounts.
- Nomad Pass, at an introductory rate of US$99/month, is designed for the person that lives and works on the road all the time or much of the year, enabling them to travel for the cost of their rent.
The biggest advantage of the Nomad Pass is the even lower work and travel rates – starting at US$1,535 per month.
Nomad Pass saves an additional 25 per cent off one-month trips on the Explorer Pass. Travellers can still choose from over 80 destinations and all the work and travel trips are inclusive of the Remote Year programme elements expected on the Explorer Pass.
Additional perks for this tier include even earlier – seven-day – advance access to book new destinations and experiences ahead of the public plus several discounts and freebies, including one free RY Nation Festival that brings nomads together.
Prime says: “The launch is a giant leap for Remote Year. The three tiers of the Remote Year Membership Platform meet professionals where they are in life, whether they’re curious and just starting to explore the benefits of travel while working, or they are lifestyle nomads looking to immerse themselves in new cultures.”
Existing customers of Remote Year will be gifted either a Community Membership or a Travel Pass based on their level of travel with the company.
About the Remote Year travel and work experience
Travel experiences are one, four and 12 months in length, focused on slow travel and productive work time for today’s remote or hybrid workforce. Travellers spend one month in each country they visit, and central to the Remote Year trips are five key elements:
Community – Professionals are placed in groups of 25-40 people, with opportunities to meet virtually in advance.
On-site Support – City and community leaders are stationed in each location to greet professionals, guide them and organize experiences for the group. They are supported by full-time local staff that are experts in the area.
Private Rooms, Shared Apartments – Professionals get the privacy they need in comfortable and modern shared apartments that are set in a region’s best neighborhood, ideally placed for exploring.
A Place to Work – Around-the-clock access to beautiful workspaces with powerful Wi-Fi ensures remote professionals can get the job done, whatever and whenever that may be.
Experiences – Local staff are tapped into the region, and curate excursions for the group to help them explore like an insider.
For travelers ready to put work aside for a spell and connect with new people, leisure programming is also available, like weeklong Wellness Retreats.