The big hiatus of 2020 has given the culture of the office chained to your desk a long overdue reshuffle. Combine that with a pent-up urge to travel and you’ve got the perfect recipe for an increasing movement of work from anywhere. With this in mind, Tara Cappel, founder of FTLO trip, a group travel agency for young professionals, launched Sojrn in April 2021 to inspire teleworking professionals to pursue careers abroad.

“I started looking at how the pandemic would change the way people live, work and travel because they could bring their careers with them,” Cappel explains. “More than that, I was so inspired by the people who chose hobbies and discovered dormant interests that really brought them joy and purpose during the lockdown.”

A fusion of working from home and studying abroad, Sojrn offers aspiring digital nomads a turnkey solution for living, working and learning on a global scale. With rates starting at $ 2,800, each Sojrn “chapter” lasts four weeks and includes workspaces with high-speed Wi-Fi, a local host, and a themed activity program to immerse you in your temporary home base. . Private accommodation, usually in a studio, a private room in a shared apartment, or your own room in a four-star hotel, is also included. The programming of Chapter 2021 – which is already selling at full speed – starts in September with Philosophy in Greece, followed by Wines in Tuscany, Mental wellness in Bali, and Spanish in Colombia.

While anyone The age of 21 and over is welcome, so far the average age of participants is around 34 years old. Most are Americans, but there are currently 2,500 future residents of 54 countries on the waiting list for 2022 travel dates.

No need to study abroad FOMO

Having studied abroad and lived in five countries, Cappel is no stranger to living and working abroad. But for tpipe that has not grown while traveling or that has not accessing study abroad opportunities at school, international travel can seem daunting and out of reach. With Sojrn, Cappel hopes to usher in a new kind of sustainable, immersive and meaningful travel while making the study abroad experience more accessible for those who missed out on college, even if they now have a full-time job.

“When you go on a weeklong vacation, you can basically leave your real life,” she says. “But when you go somewhere for a month, you take your reality with you and you experience it from a completely different perspective. It has a powerful potential to change perspectives and open minds. ”

Work-life balance

In addition to a workstation in the accommodation of your choice, Sojrn provides access to two additional workspaces including a coworking space and a partner café, both located a few steps from your home.

Because participants can commit to unusual working hours or international time zones, the Sojrn experience is designed to offer more independence than other group trips. You will have the option to connect with anywhere from 15 to 40 like-minded adults in your chapter if you choose to make new friends, but the a group activity included each week will provide at least two session hours to accommodate different schedules.

During the Wine in Tuscany chapter in October (which is already full for the dates 2021), participants will be based in the province of Siena and will have the opportunity to work in a Tuscan vineyard, learn to read a wine list, participate in a workshop of pairings and to have their taste profile analyzed by a professional sommelier.

The ethic of slow travel

Because awareness of the cultural and economic impact of travel is a fundamental principle of Sojrn’s philosophy, each activity is selected in collaboration with the locals. Not only is it important that local vendors take advantage of the dollars spent in their community, but they really look forward to welcoming new people to the neighborhood. “Our local partners are equally excited about Sojrn because these travelers are not just passing through,” said Cappel. “They join the community for a month.

In addition to learning new skills through the organized courses, Cappel hopes that every traveler will have time to slow down and enjoy the little moments abroad. At the end of their four-week program, participants should expect to know the name of the owner of the local cafe, navigate the neighborhood without having to go Google Maps, and ultimately become someone the locals will remember beyond. from another passing tourist.

“Sure Italy is great and the Colosseum is amazing, but I think you get more just sitting in the square and watching Italian nonni play chess,” she says. “This is where the magic is. It is these intimate experiences in other cultures that teach us that we are more alike than different and it is such a powerful lesson.

How to book it

Rates start at $ 2,800 depending on the type of accommodation chosen and do not include flights and meals. However, if you sign up with a friend or partner and share a room, you will each get 20% off the package. Although many inaugural chapters for 2021 are already full, Sojrn has started adding 2022 dates and has opened a waiting list for upcoming experiences like conservation in South Africa and technology in Tokyo.

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