Digital Nomad – Two Years In, and Still Going

By Andrew Foy, O3 Solutions VP of AWP & Construction

This will be the third blog post in the digital nomad series, documenting my (well, let’s just call it “unconventional”, shall we) career with O3 Solutions.

Our first adventure was in North America, getting to explore the USA and Canada. Long road trips, crossing mountain ranges while pulling a fifth wheel trailer, and some wonderful months by the ocean

We then moved on to Europe for the second phase of our trip, travelling as far south as Gibraltar and as far east as Turkey.

When we last checked in, we were island hopping through Greece. Since then, we had a long trip back across the continent to England, which I guess would be considered something of a home base when we’re in Europe. (Even though, ironically, the UK is not in Europe any more. Luckily, my dad is Irish so I hold three different passports).

So after six weeks across places like Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria, we finally got on the Channel Tunnel and found ourselves back on the banks of the Thames.

Then it was a hop across the Atlantic for some time with family in Canada, with a side trip down to Houston for O3’s annual AWP xChange event. It was great to have a chance to meet so many people in person who I had been digitally meeting for the previous year, and the event was a huge success.

Early summer was spent in England, seeing family and enjoying a titanic battle for the Ashes. (For the North American audience – that’s cricket!). We hit the road again after that and headed for Scandinavia, which is a region I had always wanted to explore.

Denmark and Sweden were lovely, but I have to say that Norway is unreal. One of the most incredible places I have been, in terms of pure natural beauty. For those of you familiar with the drive from Jasper to Banff, through Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies, this was every bit as stunning but on a much bigger scale.

As usual, all of this is made possible because of the flexibility of my work with O3. This wasn’t a vacation. I was working everywhere we went. Often, because of the time zones, my meetings were at odd times of the day. But it is so much easier to smile your way through an early evening meeting when the background is the sun going down over a Norwegian fjord or Croatian beach.

Our last main stop in Europe for 2023 was in France for the Rugby World Cup, where we were lucky enough to have tickets for all of England’s games. Based in Cagnes-sur-Mer, just outside Nice, we saw the team surpass all expectations. And yes, we were there in the rain that night to witness the heartbreak against South African.

And in the middle of all of that, I had a quick trip to Houston for the AWP Conference, which I managed to squeeze in between the last pool game and the quarter final.

Now, after spending Christmas in Canada, we are back at it again. I recently got back from a work visit to Kuala Lumpur and am now sitting at my desk in an apartment in Haro, which is the capital of the Rioja region in Spain. After this we are heading for Portugal, and then back to Houston in May for our next event.

And for those of you who read the previous posts and are wondering: yes, Bob (our cat) is still with us and still reluctantly ‘enjoying’ the ride. Portugal will be her twenty-ninth country. That’s not a spelling mistake by the way – Bob is a girl. Blame that quirk on Blackadder Goes Forth.

I have no idea how long we will keep this up, or what the future holds. All I know is that this craziness is only possible with the support and flexibility of the amazing team at O3, and their modern approach to working life.

If any of you are interested in joining the team, we would love to hear from you. And hopefully I will see many of you in Houston in May for the 2024 AWP xChange.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024.

Yours, the digital nomad.