Trek The Planet

With Abby on spring break from school, we're taking some time and getting out of Lima for a few days! We hopped on a Cruz Del Sur bus late last night and woke up in the Huarez region. Well, more accurately we woke up many times between the two but overall the bus was a good way to get here and we were both surprised at how much sleep we did actually get. As soon as we got off the bus in Huarez there were guys looking to sell us tours. We probably made a mistake by going this route but we did get a 5am tour to Lagunda 69 which by all accounts is a beautiful but challenging hike. So the tour guys shuffled is into a cab, promising us a ride to Lazy Dog Inn, our hotel for the next few night but first they brought us to a hostel and tried to upsell us on everything tour related. 3 day tour, 4 day tour, bus tickets back to Lima for the end of our stay? We declined all but the one day tour and they grudgingly took our money. But that's how we met the grumpy cab driver. The fir...

Being in Lima, Peru: 3,870 miles, one timezones and a hemisphere away from my team at Portland Webworks in Portland, Maine takes the definition of remote work to a new level for me. I've had opportunity to work remotely for an extended period on two other occasions in my career and had great results, but I've also seen people struggle when the distance became a liability. Over the years I've identified some tips that have helped me. The debate over remote workers is hotly debate these days. Pros and cons on productivity, teamwork and accountability are touted on both sides. Large companies like Yahoo and IBM make the news by oscillating between policies promoting remote workers then reversing position, but companies of all sizes grapple with finding the best balance. Overall I've found my times working remote to be both my most productive periods, as well as my most isolating. I've found that reduced distractions allow me to focus and better structure my ti...