One of the best parts about working remotely instead of being in a traditional office space is that I can work from wherever I choose, whether that be the beach or, like today, from bed in my pajamas. But with the amount of options available to remote workers like myself, how can you choose which location will best suit your needs? To answer that question, there's a new app: Teleport promises to tell people working from home where they should live. How does it work? Teleport provides a search engine to help you narrow down what location will best serve your working style and lifestyle. Then, it gives you the vital statistics for living in the places you're matched to. If you're down to move to where they match you, it even gives you the option to speak with a Teleport scout who will help you with the process.
Freelance work and work-from-home options for employees are becoming increasingly popular — so much so that they're probably the way of the future. Think of how nice it will be to have your commute simply involve starting up your laptop, versus dealing with rush hour traffic twice a day.
I myself have been living in my current home of Columbus for a little over three months, but have been considering downsizing and becoming a nomad. I love the idea of taking full advantage of my telecommuting capabilities and exploring the world. So, I decided to try Teleport for myself and see how well it matches me to my dream destination.
After downloading the app — which, by the way, was created by some early Skype employees, so you know it's got some serious brainpower behind it — and creating an account, I was directed to fill in my personal data, including my current city of residence, income, and rent budget. Then I was asked about my living preferences and costs, which, oddly enough, didn't include a preference for a two bedroom apartment — but luckily I only need one bedroom anyway. I was surprised by the sheer volume of categories Teleport offers you to choose from, including factors like the job market and traffic, which will definitely make for what I anticipate to be a very accurate matching system; beware, though, that this does take some time to fill out.
The results? My best match was Singapore. I don't know much about this Asian island, but it doesn't strike me as a place I would like to move to. I scored a 66 on the match scale, though, which is only categorized as a fair level score; perhaps the best place for me that fits my wants and needs doesn't actually exist.
The app recommended that I scale back some of my preferences to get more match results. After removing my strong preference for clean water and little pollution, I was also matched with Austin, Texas — which, incidentally, has been an intriguing option to me for quite some time.
After then removing my Internet preferences, I found the holy grail and was matched to 12 cities.
My top match was now a four-way tie between Vancouver, Toronto, Singapore, and Melbourne. I was delighted by the amount of options I now had, but still disappointed that they scored only in the 50's in terms of matchability. I'd had to compromise on a lot of my preferences to be matched to them.
So what do I do with these matches? If I wanted to see about moving to one of them, I could talk to a scout (first time contact with one is free, by the way), set up an arrival kit, or use their local app to find the best neighborhood to live in within that city.
Overall, I think the app definitely is a good place to start if you're thinking of moving or to see what kinds of places best suit you if you haven't traveled much; however, I wouldn't use the app alone to make a decision of where to move. As for myself, since I wasn't matched very highly to any place and I am not moving to Singapore, maybe becoming a nomad is the best option.
Images: Zach Dischner/Flickr; Teleport
