Remote YearReviews of remoteyear.com

Remote Year Lima was a great experience, mainly thanks to the people I met and the structure provided by the Remote Year team. The team - in particular our Community Leader Ari - went out of their way to create opportunities for the group to explore, bond, learn, have fun and get stuff done. There was always so much happening, and we made memories and friendships for life. Accommodation was great, and the weekend trips were full-on but gave an opportunity to see so much in a short space of time. I would definitely do another Remote Year.

My daughter was in Peru for the month of October, and on the trip to Machu Picchu she became seriously sick and ended up in the ICU in Cuzco. This is when Ariana and Francisco became the greatest people on the planet. They provided constant updates on my daughter's condition while she was in the hospital and they postponed Ariana's flight back to Lima on a couple of occasions so that Ariana could remain in Cuzco near my daughter so that I could get updates in real time about her condition. My communications with Ariana were daily, at all hours of the day, and I always got detailed responses to my questions about my daughters condition. Including what the doctors said about things like improvements in oxygen saturation levels. But even most telling were the reassurances I felt in tone of her communications. These got me through a very tough time. Their level of caring would rate a 10 stars if I could do it.

I spent the last month in Peru and what a month it was! I met a community of like minded travellers with who I got to experience the amazing Machu Picchu, Huacachina, and Lima! We were led by Arianna, who went out of her way to make our experience incredible. Her and the rest of the Remote Year team provided us with one of the most memorable months of my life. I will be eternally grateful for the friends and memories I made.

Just completed my first remote year, in Lima Peru. I signed up so I could travel in a supported environment and while the whole Lima crew was awesome, Ari really made the experience stand out for me. She really cares about making the experience special for every individual, from lending a supportive ear, to making amazing food, restaurant, and activity recommendations, as well as organizing and joining in herself! She even created an impromptu drawing and picnic event by the water for me when I casually mentioned I missed having creative time. She went above and beyond to make us all feel welcome and comfortable in the city she loves so much. Lima and all of Peru are fantastic (the food, the Amazon, Cusco and Machu Picchu are all next level amazing) but my experience would not have been as amazing as it was without Ari curating awesome experiences when we logged off work everyday. Her energy, compassion, and knowledge were a blessing this month.

Lima is absolutely amazing!! To be honest - I went to Peru for Machu Picchu but it was so much more than that! Every aspect of Peru is spectacular and Remote Year highlights that in the best ways. Our leader Arianna was incredible! She genuinely loves her job & makes us feel so welcome in her home country that we seriously didn’t want to leave!! It’s a must-do location remote year & you’ll fall in love with Peru and Ari!!! And make sure to spend an extra few days in Cusco!!!

This was one of the most special and memorable months of my life. The RY team, especially our Community Leader Ari, made a welcoming, fun and safe environment for everyone who participated in the trip. The community fostered by her was one where everyone felt supported in their growth and adventure. The sense of community we formed will extend far beyond the 4 weeks we spent in Lima and we couldn’t have done it without such special leadership. The confidence and ease in which they shared their love and knowledge for Peru made us all fall in love with everything the country has to offer, causing many of us to extend our stays and others to make plans to come back. Thank you RY and Ari for this experience which will hold a special place in my heart for a lifetime!

There has been a sharp drop-off in customer service from the first program I did with Remote Year in 2018 (which I very much enjoyed), to now. For trips of one month or more, RY states in multiple places across their website that participants will have 24/7 access to a coworking space with hi-speed internet. However, for the program I participated in (as well as others, according to conversations with RY staff), the company is no longer actually providing this access. For example, in my program, participants only had access to a coworking space from 9am-9:30pm, M-F (although on some days, individuals were kicked out earlier than the published closing time). This issue was then compounded by the fact that the internet speeds at the apartments provided by RY was incredibly slow, causing issues for several participants who needed to work during later evening hours. The response from staff was also disappointing. Some messages and emails were ignored entirely, others took days to get a response. One staff member even asked me repeatedly if I wanted to leave the trip early, which came across as implying that participants aren't welcome if they call out discrepancies between the advertised and actual experience. The benefit of RY programs that I've done in the past has been that, for an additional cost, I don't have to worry about a lot of the logistical pieces of planning a longer stay in a foreign city. However, based on my most recent experience, the company is no longer providing value that is anywhere close to what they charge for their programs. And they seem very unconcerned with the impact that their false advertising has on their customers' ability to work effectively while traveling.

Loved it! I did my very first trip via Remote Year to Lima and it was amazing. I met the most incredible people. The add-on trips/activities/excursions were well-curated and unique. You could engage as much or as little as you wanted. And we were basically all housed in apartments in one of two buildings, and the neighborhood we were in was very very walkable, which made it easy for us to coordinate and socialize. I highly recommend this program and I'm excited to do another one.