🏔️ Peak remote flexibility | Destination Chile OoO

Hey – Welcome Back!

What does it mean to be able to work from anywhere?

I made it! I’m in Santiago, Chile this week – a land of eclectic traditions, rolling deserts and incomparable mountain scenery.

🤩 Wow do I have an amazing guest for you today.

He left his homeland and found himself an immigrant in Chile.

If he hadn’t embraced remote flexibility, he might still be landlocked, driving a taxi, unable to enjoy his new life.

Thanks to remote work, he’s travelled to dozens of countries all over the globe. It’s completely opened the world to him!

This is episode 34, and I’m in the final country on my South American leg of the trip. I’m here to take today’s guest on a picnic he’ll never forget.

Let’s get to the summit of the story –

Conquering Travel: Santiago, Chile  

Landing in mountainous Chile was a nice change after the tropical cities of Brazil.

And while you may have heard that Chile is known for its Easter Island heads, the island itself is 2330 miles away from Santiago.

🗿 That’s another six-hour flight to somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!

For now, I was happy to be on dry land in one of the largest cities in the Americas. It was founded in 1541 by a Spanish conquistador and named after the Patron Saint of Spain.

Thanks to COVID-19, 90% of large companies adopted remote work in Santiago. And other studies have said that 95% of smaller companies implemented some kind of remote work too.

🦥💤 So, in a move that surprised literally everyone, Chileans took to remote work like sloths to a siesta.

What was it about Chile that made remote work so popular? I was dying to speak to a local who could fill me in on their life as a flexible worker in Santiago.

That’s when I met Xavier –

Xavier Villarroel: The Height of Flexible Living

I met him en-route to a special interview experience I’d organized for the two of us. He had no idea what was coming! Xavier wasn’t a native Chilean, he was actually a Venezuelan living in Chile.

But due to the civil unrest there – like many locals – he left and made a home in Santiago 5 years earlier. It occurred to me that the Andes mountains connected Venezuela and Chile.

🧗🏼‍♂️ So that’s where we were heading. Sometimes you have to acknowledge the climb to greater heights, right?

Working & Traveling: A Boulder Remote Lifestyle

Xavier told me all about his globetrotting – the man travels, a lot.

🤘 This year he plans to go to a nu metal concert in Vegas to see a selection of his favorite bands.

But when he travels, he’s also working! His job allows him to work from anywhere, and he does – even when he’s in front of the Eiffel tower. Crazy!

Xavier has been to about 15 different countries over the last 5 years, with no signs of slowing down.

From the US to Colombia, Spain to France – he’s only just begun.

A Picnic in the Andes: The Most Remote Worker

I casually asked Xavier if we should continue the interview somewhere more remote. Like on the top of a mountain peak in the Andes. He was pumped!

It’s not every day you get to see the world from a helicopter cockpit. Then dropped 8000 meters up in the middle of nowhere with bubbles and charcuterie. 🥂🍡

Title for the most remote workers in the world goes to…us.

Our stretch of mountain put us between Chile and Argentina. Now we were ready to crack into the heart and soul of his story.

High Risk High Reward

Xavier works for Trilogy in the Customer Support Department.

Like most applicants, he was nervous about applying and could scarcely believe an opportunity like the one on offer was available to him.

🚀 He was used to risk, and so he didn’t hesitate.

 “I don’t even believe I’m here, this looks like a dream. I came here just like any other immigrant.”

Chile has welcomed him with open arms. Before landing his job working remotely, he did a lot of things. Some he liked less than others.

🚖 Despite his qualifications and extensive experience, he even drove a taxi for a short stint.

His cousin told him about Trilogy, and the rest is history.

💻 Fully remote

🤑 High pay

🗺️ Travel all you want

The snag? “It’s only for people who like to challenge themselves. There’s no such thing as a comfort zone.”

Getting a Double Promotion in Five Years

For Xavier, adjusting to remote work was fast. The job was related to what he studied in University, but not directly - so the learning curve was steep.

He began as a level two Support Architect and was promoted to Product Knowledge Curator shortly after that. Then, he became a level three Customer Support Agent.

The Best Thing About Remote Work

✈️ Be anywhere you want (no more waiting for vacation time)

🌎 Work in another country anytime (zero restrictions on where you are)

💸 Get paid really well (First 8-1, then 16-1 after promotions)

Xavier spends about 15-18% of his pay on technology - the rest goes to travel and concerts.

Talk about flying high!

View from The Top: Embracing Change

We ate, drank and chatted until sunset – and what a view.

As the sunlight faded, we caught a ride back to the city, filled with elation from such an incredible experience.

And as it dipped low, I thought about immigrants like Xavier.

Instability became his greatest ally, because it drove him to reach for something that seemed completely unattainable – yet had been waiting to change his life forever.

☀️ Xavier didn’t need to be convinced to do his best. That was his default.

When it counted, he aimed high. And now the view from the top is 8000 meters from the struggles that came before. Nothing is more stable in today’s unstable world than the freedom that comes from being able to take your work with you.

Because let’s face it, the best of life doesn’t happen in one place.

📣 Ready to Aim High? Feature on OOO!

Do you have a unique remote work story to tell? I’m looking for the next story to feature on the show.

And I want to hear from you, especially if you’re from Europe or Asia! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be choosing who to interview and take on an exciting local experience – for our next on the road series.

If you have an amazing remote work story to tell, and something unique for us to do together in your country, apply using the QR code below!

🔥 Next week - we’re nearly back to our normal scheduled programming, with me at my home office in New Zealand. Tune in for a recap of our adventures on the road.

That’s it for this week – and remember – the future of work is Out of Office.

Andrew