This March has been very special for us at Pueblos Remotos because we celebrated our second anniversary! We are thrilled to share this moment with you all, and we want to take this opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved and what we still have to do.

I started the year talking to you about purpose in this article I wrote: “ And you, do you live with purpose? ”. I mentioned that my purpose is very much aligned with the ultimate goal of Pueblos Remotos: to contribute to local communities in rural areas. We achieve this by carrying out the following actions:

1. Demonstrating , through our experiences, that there is another way to do tourism.

2. Giving visibility to rural entrepreneurs and the environments where they live

3. Creating connections that last over time, and therefore, generating Connected Rurality.

We have had to overcome many obstacles and challenges in these two years; it hasn't been easy, but we have done it with great enthusiasm and perseverance. Everything we have achieved has been thanks to the support of our collaborators and sponsors, the trust of the people who have made our experiences possible (rural entrepreneurs and local stakeholders), and the commitment that we ourselves (the internal team) have had to the project. 

There are still just two of us at the helm, Carlos Jonay Suárez and myself, but we're more committed than ever and fortunate to have wonderful people around us who have supported us from day one, getting involved and encouraging us to keep going. I'd like to share with you what this journey has been like over the past two years and, above all, express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has believed in our mission and helped us achieve our goals.

What we've learned along the way 

We've learned so much that it's hard to summarize. As we've mentioned before, this idea of ​​focusing on rural environments came about during a lunch break, and the first brainstorming session happened while we were writing on the windows of the Hamilton 66 coworking space, where we have our "office." Telling you this feels like it was in another life; it's all been so intense.

One of the first things we realized is that, as much as we enjoy working remotely, to create these kinds of experiences you have to be on the ground, you have to visit, and above all, you have to listen to the local people. They are the ones who know the challenges they face, what they need, and what they want in their town. Thanks to this active listening, we were able to gradually begin designing what became that first experience in Icod de los Vinos, which we later replicated in both Antigua and Fuencaliente. The initial analyses of the territory are key to making the co-creation of the experience work. 

What else have we learned? That we have to trust ourselves and truly believe that what we're "selling" is worth what it's worth. We often tend to lower prices and offer discounts for fear of not getting a purchase, but if we transparently explain the cost of participating in a Remote Villages experience , we should be confident that our target market will understand. Those who try to negotiate simply haven't grasped the concept behind the experiences we offer.

“It’s been two years of pure connection, and I think that’s by far the most beautiful thing about this project. I recently found myself explaining what makes everything we do so different, and honestly, I still get goosebumps when I think about certain moments, everything we shared, and the wonderful people who have been a part of it. Without a doubt, if I had to choose one thing to take away from these 24 months, it would be that.” – Carlos Jonay Suárez, Co-founder of Pueblos Remotos.

Reaching the community, that target market , has probably been the biggest challenge to date. It's a niche within a niche that we're trying to reach. To participate in one of our experiences, you have to be a remote worker, speak Spanish, and be willing to donate 2-3 hours of your time. You also have to be able to afford the cost of running these kinds of experiences, as they require a lot of effort and dedication on our part.

Ultimately, this is about managing people, building connections between them and with the environment, and continuing to grow together. The feedback and advice we've received from participants in each activity, along with the conversations we've had with collaborators, advisors, and friends, have helped us improve and, above all, encouraged us to keep going. 

If I had to highlight the greatest achievements to date, I would probably choose the following: 

• The three 21-day experiences we've been able to implement were: i) Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife in May-June 2021; ii) Antigua, Fuerteventura in November-December 2021; and iii) Fuencaliente, La Palma in June 2022. Each one has been completely different, not only because the settings are different, but also because the people who participated are different, and you know that for us, it's all about connecting people. However, there's something they all have in common: the best moment, for me, is undoubtedly the feedback session we hold at the end of each experience. That's where you can see, feel, and experience the magic of Connected Rurality, when everyone shares and opens up to the whole group. And what's more, that's when we learn the most and continue to improve.

• “The Break,” a European project for female entrepreneurship: our first European project, and we even implemented it in English. We opened a new market in the town of Agaete, Gran Canaria. We collaborated with new partners and added another layer with mentoring and support for the entrepreneurs, provided by a wonderful team of mentors. It all sounds great, but it was a learning experience that pushed us to the limits of our energy and mental health. We had two groups that came very close together, and once again it showed us that what we do is about people, and no matter the format, each experience will depend on the people involved. It was a fantastic experience that we're actually repeating this year, and we're looking forward to applying everything we learned and continuing to grow.

• Our first documentary: “Connected Rurality: For a Sustainable Future . What a beautiful and moving moment it was when, during those 40 minutes, you realize that all the effort and everything we're doing makes sense. The documentary, filmed entirely on the island of La Palma during the Fuencaliente Remote Villages event, represents a collective reflection on the urgent need for change in our society, in the way we consume, and in how we relate to our environment at all levels. The premiere took place at the Teatro Chico in Santa Cruz de La Palma on March 20th. We experienced that moment surrounded by several of the protagonists and about thirty attendees. It's truly impressive to see yourself on the big screen, but without a doubt, it was worth the effort, especially the incredible work that Dany Ruz of Imprevisible Films in to weave everything together with such precision. We will soon open it to the public and you will be able to see it on our YouTube channel . We hope you like it and are as excited about it as we are.

What we still have to learn

We understand that in projects like this, with social impact, it's essential to always have a long-term perspective to avoid discouragement and stay committed. There's so much we want to learn, and we know we still have a long way to go. That's actually the beauty of it—enjoying the journey and feeling that we're growing with every step we take. Falling, getting back up, pivoting, trial and error—these are all part of that growth, and that's the path we want to continue on. 

• One of our goals is to train people who want to join us on this journey. A kind of Remote Villages Academy where we can build together and help us reach more villages and rural communities where we can make a difference. If this interests you, please get in touch and join us in this collaborative learning experience.

• Another goal is to become increasingly less dependent on public institutions financially. Sometimes it seems that social economy projects like ours, especially in Spain, have only one way to survive: through grants and sponsorships from public bodies. With Pueblos Remotos, we want to continue building relationships with public institutions and apply for European projects. We are well aware of the need to invest and manage this money wisely to generate a greater impact on the local economies of the places where we operate. Furthermore, we are also committed to ensuring that the private market values ​​these kinds of initiatives and that both corporate teams and freelancers choose our experiences and services.

• Finally, we would like to dedicate more time to our community, to the people who have been part of our experiences and with whom we have created very special bonds. In fact, we are very happy to know that we will be celebrating this second anniversary with them and that a new tradition is beginning: The Annual Remote Villages Get-Together! We will be in Villarejo de Salvanés, a small village on the outskirts of Madrid, from March 31st to April 2nd, where 14 of us will be representing all the previous editions.

In short, this second anniversary is an occasion to celebrate our achievements and renew our commitment to continue expanding Connected Rurality. This commitment materialized two weeks ago when we became a Limited Liability Company! We want to continue with our mission and reach our goals, because remember, we set our own limits. We hope to continue counting on your support in this important endeavor. Thank you for joining us on this journey and for being part of this great family! Happy second anniversary, Remote Villages!