If you could choose without limits, which work environment would you choose? Formal, home office, remote work? Maybe a cozy villa in the mountains or a sunny house by the beach?
We discussed the future of work several times: Freelancework, digital nomad lifestyle, remote work. Many European countries like Croatia, Italy, Spain, Greece, Romania, have already established themselves as one of the top destinations for remote workers and digital nomads. But where does Bulgaria stand on the global remote working map?
With the project Nomadic BalkansPlamen Ivanov and Veselina Vasileva are on a mission to create authentic, unique and sustainable travel experiences for remote workers in Bulgaria. Plamen is an entrepreneur by spirit, a traveler by heart and passionate about working with purpose. Veselina is a travel connoisseur and interested in meaningful experiences and sustainable living. After more than 10 years of living, working and studying abroad, the two co-founders met in their home country to give birth to Nomad Balkans and create a new way to travel and discover the Bulgaria.
In an interview for Trending Topics, Plamen Ivanov, co-founder of Nomad Balkans, says more about the project. Appreciate!
What is the story of Nomad Balkans?
It all started when Veselina and I met online after an introduction by a mutual friend. We discovered that we had a lot in common and had similar backgrounds: we both studied tourism and worked in Spain for many years. At the time, we were both working on our own travel-related projects in Bulgaria. We share the same values and the same vision of a more sustainable tourism sector in Bulgaria.with alternative and more authentic travel proposals linked to our beautiful nature, our fascinating culture and our history.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and we experienced its impact on traditional means of transportation, we decided to reorient our direction and integrate into our travel concept another element that we are passionate about: remote working . This is how Nomad Balkans was born, with the idea of organizing retreats and corporate internships, bringing together teams and individuals working remotely in inspiring locations in Bulgaria.
What are the main problems solved by Nomad Balkans?
There are critical issues on both sides of the equation, demand and supply, that we are addressing.
On the client side, remote working has posed many challenges for individuals. Some examples are difficulty setting work-life boundaries, inability to disconnect, increasing loneliness, and risk of burnout. Many teams face communication issues and weak ties due to a lack of personal connection.
On the supply side, we see the problem that Bulgaria is still mostly known as an affordable place to go for a beach or ski vacation, and is really underrated as a tourist destination. We focus on promoting a sustainable product, which can help accommodations and other service and activity providers have more customers in the off-season. We offer urban and rural destinations around Bulgaria to develop rural and alternative tourism and help local communities and businesses benefit more from it.
Most travel agencies in Bulgaria still operate in the traditional way. They strive to bring large groups during peak season, organizing round-trip trips across the country, visiting the same popular destinations again and again. We questioned this assumption from day one. We wanted to get people to stay longer in one place to feel the atmosphere and experience it like the locals.
The remote working revolution – accelerated due to the pandemic – makes it easier for this type of travel to flourish. It seems difficult to be one of the pioneers working in this new emerging niche, but at the same time there is a lot of excitement.
Who is Nomad Balkans for?
We are targeting businesses with fully remote or hybrid work models and a distributed/remote workforce. As in most cases they do not have physical offices, we facilitate the process of bringing together their teams in a Retirement from workcreating lasting team bonds and strengthening their corporate culture.
In the private sector, our Workation experiences are aimed at remote employees, freelancers and entrepreneurstravel alone, as a couple, with family or friends.
Geographically, besides Bulgarians, we mainly focus on companies and individuals based in Central and Western Europe, in locations with convenient air connections to Bulgaria.
What are the benefits and challenges of working remotely?
The recent massive transition to remote work has happened at such a scale and pace that most people have not been able to adapt to it the way freelancers, entrepreneurs, or remote employees have. distance. Certainly, COVID-19 makes it difficult to overcome the challenges of working from home, such as social isolation, difficulty setting boundaries, and maintaining healthy habits. However, at the same time, it has prevented most people from realizing the freedom that comes with it. Remote work represents a fundamental change not only in the way we work but also in the way we spend our time. in a more productive and fulfilling way.
What does Bulgaria offer remote workers that other destinations can’t?
Bulgaria still remains a hidden gem, including for most globetrotters who combine remote work and pleasure, the so-called Digital nomads. Our country has all the ingredients to become a must-see destination for remote workers. Among these are the high-speed Internet network, the growing number of coworking and co-living spaces, proximity and accessibility from major European cities. In addition to this, we have a four-season climate to enjoy diverse environments all year round, fascinating culture, magnificent nature, organic food, a place to enjoy an excellent work-life balance.
Aside from Bansko, which is a well-known hub for remote workers, we believe our cities have a lot of potential to accommodate these types of travelers looking for a combination of great work environment, fun and entrepreneurial communitylike Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo and certainly Sofia.
Our main objective, however, is to draw the attention of our audience to lesser-known destinations – in rural and mountainous areas. Such places offer a peaceful environment close to naturethe ideal escape from the hectic pace of urban life while still enjoying a good internet connection.
Why is it important to make Bulgaria a remote working destination/digital nomad hub?
Work is a new type of travel – a combination of work and vacation – suitable for anyone who can work remotely. Until recently, taking such extended trips was considered a luxury available only to a lucky few able to work from anywhere, such as Digital nomads.
NOW, remote work is becoming a permanent reality for more people. Becoming an attractive destination for digital nomads can bring many benefits to our country, beyond economic aspects. These are people who deliberately choose which country to live in and spend their money. They do not compete in the local labor market, but rather bring their labor with them. Most of these people have an entrepreneurial spirit and often start local businesses, creating opportunities, nourishing the ecosystem and giving back to the community.
Looking at the latest trends and developments in the tourism sector, do you think that alternative tourism and remote working are the future of this sector?
Absolutely. Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the Bulgarian economy, accounting for around 10% of the country’s GDP. However, the way the industry has grown in recent decades has mainly been linked to increasing our productive capacity (more beds) to accommodate as many tourists as possible during peak season, rather than increasing the quality of our offering, diversifying and creating a strong brand identity.
Alternative tourism – as opposed to the traditional “sun, sand and sea” model – focuses on attract visitors because of our distinct cultural and historical heritage, a diverse natural environment, unique traditions and customs or exquisite cuisine. This is where the real opportunity lies for everyone to innovate and create engaging products and services that lead to happy, loyal visitors.
I firmly believe that remote working will open up a wide range of opportunities in the tourism sector. It will also make travel more sustainable while seasonalizing demand. This will also extend the travel season in some of our beautiful seaside and ski destinations, beyond the busy summer/winter periods, contributing to a better service proposition.
What are your plans for the future? Where are you going?
We will continue to work on developing creative travel packages for businesses and individuals working remotely. Basically as a travel agency, our main goal is to introduce our customers to Bulgaria in an authentic way. At the same time, we also strive to deliver great value to the businesses we work with, helping them stand out from the competition by create unique benefit programs including regular team retreats and working sessions for their staff, as a powerful tool for talent acquisition and staff retention.
We wish to position ourselves as a reliable partner for organizing memorable work retreat experiences. This is a growing niche with huge untapped potential.
Where can people learn more about your current remote working destinations and retreats?
The best way to find out more about what we do and where we go is to check out our website. We are continually working to add new destinations to our portfolio and include hidden gems not known to the general public. Our destinations are suitable for international and local customers.
From the beginning, our goal is to develop our concept here in Bulgaria. Once we have established high standards, we aspire to replicate the model in neighboring countries as well. We believe that there is a Huge potential in the Balkans as a destination for remote workers and digital nomads of tomorrow, which would have a lasting impact throughout the region.