World travel; You imagined it, daydreamed about it, envisioned it, but have not taken the leap. In today’s on-the-go world, it’s hard to take a break from your daily tasks, office responsibilities, and everyday pressures. In fact, a recent study shows that more and more Americans are forgoing their vacation days, because they want to be responsible, work hard, and build up their career. While this may seem ok, it is likely taking a toll on your mind, body and soul. The Framingham Heart Study found that those who traveled less, were more likely to suffer from heart attacks, due to increased stress and anxiety. Adam Galinsky, a professor and author at Columbia Business School, ran studies that concluded that “Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and integrativeness of thought”. This essentially means that by traveling, you can be smarter, be healthier, and live a happier life. Don't you want to be healthy and happy? More companies are adding remote working options by realizing the benefits of opening their talent pool globally, and getting better work results from happier employees. You no longer need to choose between work and travel. Special Trip is here to guide you to a happier life traveling, without sacrifing your career goals.
Special Trip is a group of fascinating adventurers, traveling and experiencing the world, while working remotely. Adventurers will travel together on an epic journey, living in 12 different destinations throughout South America, Europe, and Asia, for one month each. While residing in each destination, adventurers will be able to live as a local, and fully immerse in the world of the other, to understand the social dynamics, history, customs, and traditions. Traveling along with adventurers of different professional backgrounds, will also provide an unrivaled opportunity for business development, immersive networking, and career advancement. The opportunities to build meaningful relationships, to grow personally, and professionally, are only limited by your imagination.
You only live once, so enjoy life’s experiences!
With time spent at four other early-stage startups, Ryoma brings a wealth of experience to Special Trip. He was most recently the VP of Product at Specialdeals. Prior to that, he was employee #1 at YC company Mertado, where he co-invented an ecommerce technology that was a notable consideration in their acquisition to Groupon.
Special Trip resulted from his experiences managing remote workers, where he saw an opportunity to merge professional development with cultural experiences.
In his spare time, he likes to travel, play soccer, and stuff his face with tasty foods.
Hailing from San Francisco, Mina has spent the better part of her career, dealing with people. As a former recipient of the Miss Popularity title in the Miss Vietnam of Northern California pageant, Mina was actively involved in community charitable events, public speaking events, and volunteering at elderly homes. She loves interacting with people, and will continue to do what she does best, at Special Trip.
When not getting to know you adventurers, she enjoys photography, sampling different types of foods, and watching movies. She's also an avid social media junkie that has amassed an impressive 11k Instagram followers.
We are always on the search to find unique talent to join the team. If you're excited about travel, and feel you have something special to contribute to the Special Trip team, reach out to us.