Post written by Carlos Jonay Suárez (co-founder of remote villages)

Sometimes it is difficult to write the first words you are going to write in a blog, especially in the first post that will come to light, but after living an experience like that of Icod Remote in the first person, I think I More complicated will be to stop writing. 

The days that passed between May 23 and June 13, 2021, will have a different meaning forever, because those days the first “pilot” project of Pueblos Remotos , our first step and a “test” of reality took place : Remote Icod.

Whether you have been following in social networks for a while, and if it is the first time you read about us, you will have realized that there is a term that we communicate frequently: the rurality connected . In this sense, Icod Remote has made meaning, and a touch of reality, to something that was only in our heads, and has done it in a fantastic way.

Last June we finished the first edition of Icod Remote, a trip in which we were very well accompanied by 10 teleworkors who gave everything, by 6 local entrepreneurs who made them feel at home and for an incredible environment. 

After this first step, I think that the most relevant question to answer is how has the experience been? 

¨Icod remote is for me the first stop of a long trip .¨ Raúl Navarro - Participant of Icod Remote 2021

Remote Icod are the people who form it

The initiatives come and go, the projects begin and end, companies open and close. In the end, the difference is made and the people make up. 

In this edition of Icod Remote we can be proud of many things, but from which we feel more proud is one of the people who have participated in it, from teleworkors, to local entrepreneurs. 

Human quality has been in the air and good vibes has been constant. And this is very important, because it was one of the main points that we were looking for with the rurality connected: unite and connect people with the rural environment as a backdrop.
Talking about Icod Remote is talking about Icod de los Vinos, it is talking about rurality, but above all it is talking about Alvaro, Raúl, Stephanie, Cristina, Bruni, Marco, Lucía, Bea, Sabela and Endre . These 10 remote workers were launched directly to the pool and were pioneers in our first edition, something that says a lot of their personality, their desire to collaborate and, above all, their intention to change things.

Participating in Icod Remote did not only live an experience, but to give knowledge, cooperate and help through challenges, and enjoy teleworking from a different perspective.
Of course, if we talk about people, we cannot stop talking about the 6 local actors who involved one hundred percent with the project, giving a particular and personal vision of the municipality, and literally opening the doors of their houses to all The participants. Víctor ( Bodega Cambium ), Natalia ( Ecoalpispa ), Kay ( Alberto Dorner ), Toñi ( Finca La Costa ), Juan ( Eco-Tienda Mama Tierra ) and Nacho ( the house of the Drago ), were the authentic protagonists, generating incredible activities and contributing all his desire, his passion and enthusiasm to all who were close to them.

Icod de los Vinos, a good place for a great beginning

In this type of activities there is a binomial that usually goes hand in hand: people-place. And is that the place where things happen marks an important part of the experience. 

In this sense, Icod de los Vinos was a discovery, even for all local people in Tenerife. Beyond the charming corners that are most visible in the municipality, such as the millenary drago, or some of its most emblematic parties, the tables of San Andrés, Icod offers multiple corners that enjoy, disconnect and appreciate the beauty of this corner from the north of the island. 

If we add the accommodation to all this: Alberto Dorner , a boutique hotel that bets on sustainability located near the coast of San Marcos, we have an unparalleled combination.

With Icod Remote we were able to travel all the neighborhoods of the municipality, from the coast to the summit, discovering all the contrasts offered by its varied landscape: beaches and natural puddles, pyramids, areas of mediations full of crops, a picturesque historical center and an area of forest belonging to the forest crown of the Teide.

The way of knowing the municipality was also different, and to a large extent, thanks to the activities proposed by local entrepreneurs:

• Prepare recipes, one hundred percent healthy, using organic products and local producers.

• Know how a hive works and what is the importance of bees for the planet and its pollination.

• Taste an authentic Canarian dinner and discover the secrets of the Guanches pyramids of Icod.

• Enjoy a brunch in a house with a lot of charm and all zero kilometer.

• Prepare seedbeds and know what is the importance of conserving local seeds (or local varieties) 

• See in the first person how the cultivation and production of completely ecological wine varieties works.

Next steps 

After validating the concept we had in mind and shaping what was Icod remote, the question that can come to mind is And now what?

The truth is that we have felt overwhelmed with the good reception that this project has had, as well as with the variety of proposals that have come to us from different corners of the planet. 

“Icod Remote What he has done is to connect to those who were already here and I hope this is the beginning of a window that opens to the world. I am super grateful because this is a gift ”Toñi - owner of Finca La Costa. 

As for the future, we can only tell you that we are already working on our next project (which we have already told you that it will be in the Canary Islands), as well as closing some collaborations with which we hope to build a better future, with the connected rurality by flag.