Did you know that 50% of the workforce will be remote by 2020? And no one would know the term ‘gig economy’ if 1 in 3 workers weren’t freelance. Our favorite statistic of all is that remote workers are more productive than their in-office counterparts.
As a group of remote professionals who work, live, and adventure differently by moving locations together every 1-2 months, we at Hacker Paradise are constantly on the hunt for the best tools for a location independent professional. And because sharing is caring, we want to show you ours, and we’d love if you could share yours with us on social media, so we can become the productivity powerhouses we all know we can be.
Slack (app)
Each person our our team has no less than 4 Slack Workspaces logged in at all times. It’s the best way to attempt inbox zero by eliminating the unnecessary ‘running 10 min late, can we push our mtg?’ ‘Sure!’ ‘Thx.’ emails. And by not pushing those messages to text, it also keeps your professional and personal life separate. You can share files, create different groups for different topics or segments of your team, integrate it with your calendar, do video calls (video calls!) and more. The same way ‘Google it’ is now synonymous for “look it up online”, ‘Slack it to me’ now means ‘it’s not 2012, what is this two sentence inter-office email?’ and we are here for it! It’s also the fastest growing SaaS in history, so grab your team and hop on that Slack train.
Express VPN (extension)
It’s technically a bazillion times safer (technically not a real number) to use a VPN when accessing any password protected website, especially when you are buying anything online or checking an account. But let’s talk about the real reason most people bite the VPN bullet — to watch our beloved shows when out of our home country. VPNs can bounce your location back to your home state so you can fly halfway around the world to binge watch Handmaid’s Tale on someone else’s couch. We like Express VPN for their reliability and pricing.
Upflex (website/app)
Ever found yourself looking up something as simple as “coworking near me” or “coffee shops with parking and wifi” and 5 hours later you have 30 tabs open, and are nowhere closer to finding a quality place to work from? Upflex has you and your company covered with over 3,000+ partner workspaces around the world. Bonus? Many of their spaces are pet friendly and through the end of May, Hacker Paradise members can get a discount!
Wifi Map (app)
Are you running out of data on your Croatian SIM but leaving in a day or two and don’t want to top up? Then Wifi Map app is for you. Find where the free wifi is located and fast. Bonus – they use their own VPN for a little more protection.
Google Translate (app)
before you roll your eyes, have you used the photo function yet? We’re a bit embarrassed to admit we had used the app for MONTHS, copy-pasting, before fully utilizing this feature. You can translate menus in seconds, the back of fun-but-questionable-amounts-of-acid facial peel bottles, and subway directions.
XE Currency (app)
unless you can mentally divide by 7 or 3.5 without batting an eyelash or loosing the carried 4, XE Currency is a total must have. If you’re switching countries often, it’s hard to keep track of whether or not you’re getting a deal or ripped off. It also makes paying other people back a breeze, as they might have booked the Airbnb in USD, but you bought all the flights in PEN.
Hacker Paradise (service)
Working from home is great if you have people in the home that depend on you like a kid or parent, but what if you want to work AND see the world? We handle the logistics of doing so and provide the community to do so with. We chase summer weather and are on two continents at once year-round, moving every 1-2 months, so there are plenty of locations to choose from. If the thought of exploring a new location with a group of like-minded professionals sounds appealing — all while not having to forfeit comfort (private room) or productivity (lighting, wifi, and coworking space) — chat with us here.
FIO (Figure It Out extension)
Lastly, there are plenty of free extensions that help you figure out when to schedule a call between three time zones, but FIO is the most aesthetically pleasing add-on we’ve seen in a while. And damn, good design is pretty.
Some of these you may already use, so if anything, consider this our endorsement. If there’s a tool you think we’ve missed, let us know below and we will be sure to check them out — we’re always on the hunt!
