It was a dream come true last year. In December 2021 we signed the contract for the Nekst IT apartment/office in the south of Spain. The goal? Let our team enjoy remote working in a different place than home. The first Nekst IT’ers have now returned from their ‘workation’ and they are more than happy to share their experiences with you below.
But before you read about the adventures of Bram, Martijn and Peter, we have to get something off our chest first: these are strange times, we don’t have to tell you that. We are grateful that we can still do our work safely – and with pleasure. We realize that working abroad is an unprecedented luxury. A luxury that we appreciate more than ever before. It is therefore great to hear that our team members who left for Spain enjoyed their stay immensely: they’ve seemed to get the most out of it both personally and professionally. That’s what we’re all doing it for in the end.
Peter Dam, Test Consultant
“COVID-19 taught us a lot. One of those things is that we really only need a good internet connection and a working laptop to be able to do our work properly. As far as I’m concerned, remote working is here to stay and I was very excited to test that principle. So at the end of February I boarded a plane to Marbella with my colleagues Martijn and Bram: on my way to the Nekst IT apartment. Every Nekst IT colleague gets the chance to work from the Spanish office and the plane ticket is paid for too. It was pure coincidence that Martijn, Bram and I were the first to go to Marbella.
Once we were there, I really loved it. It’s a three bedroom apartment and there is enough space to work secluded and not to disturb each other during a video call. Every morning I got up early to enjoy a coffee on the balcony, thinking ‘I could get used to this’. It really is a great space to rewind and recharge. Everything has been thought of: the apartment complex has an indoor and outdoor pool, a sauna room and a fitness center. I must confess that I saw little of these facilities: together with Bram I went out almost every day to discover Marbella after work. I highly recommend the cold Spanish beers.”
Bram Nijhoff, Test Automation Engineer
“One day Peter asked: ‘Hey Bram, would you like to come with me to the Nekst IT apartment in Spain and work from there for a week?’ I thought it was a great idea, so I immediately said ‘yes’. So there we were, one February afternoon, side by side on the plane heading towards the sun. I was very curious about the house; I had already seen some photos and heard stories from André and AnneMarie (the Nekst IT founders, red.). I was very much looking forward to it!
So we exchanged the rainy Netherlands for sunny Spain, where a few hours later we drove through the dark in our Nekst-car to the apartment. It wasn’t until the next day that we saw how beautiful the area around the apartment is. Mountains, palm trees, typical Spanish streets: you know the drill. It was great to work alongside my colleagues again. When I had had a meeting, or ran into a problem, Martijn or Peter were only a room away from me for advice. In addition, Martijn and I regularly talked about a certain solution and he showed me the framework he had built for a customer of ours. All in the warm, afternoon sun of course. All in all it was a really great experience and I am grateful to work at a company that makes this possible for its employees.”
Martijn van der Zalm, Test Consultant
“Going out with Bram and Peter can only go well. Together we decided to go to Marbella to work remotely for a week. I packed my laptop, mouse, keyboard and some clothes and off we went. While we were there, I received countless nice reactions from colleagues and customers. I suspect some of them were even a little jealous that I was sitting in the Spanish sun for lunch. I don’t blame them. It was wonderful to enjoy the outdoors in February, something that’s a lot easier to do when it’s 20 degrees outside.
I haven’t seen much of Marbella itself, by the way: I was extremely busy with my work. But I’ve heard good stories from Peter and Bram. The last day I took a walk through the city. I was amazed: many Dutch people spend the winter here. For colleagues who also want to take a trip to Spain, I’d like to advise them to enjoy it. It is a lovely place and there is something there for everyone. Either you spend your free time in one of Marbella’s many cafes, or you go for a run on the beach and do some laps in the pool. Either way, I would love to do another workation sometime this year. It gives me a lot of energy.”
