Working on the road with the WoW program

Imagine traveling through Europe in a van, discovering new cultures without giving up your job.

This is exactly what Camilla Ragazzi, Senior Contract Specialist at Growens, started doing in January 2024 thanks to the Way of Working (WoW) program, which enables Growens employees to work from anywhere, whether it’s home, the office, or “elsewhere.”

Camilla chose “elsewhere,” and in this interview, she takes us along with her through the landscapes of Puglia, the coasts of Sardinia, and the hospitality of rural England, while sharing challenges, benefits, and tips for anyone who wishes to live a similar experience.

What is your role at Growens?

I work in the Legal Team at Growens, where we support the Group’s Business Units with all legal, compliance, and privacy matters.

How have you taken advantage of Growens’ WoW program?

My partner and I decided to plan a year of van travels across Italy and Europe. 

So far, we’ve spent April in southern Italy, specifically in Puglia; in May, we moved to Sardinia; and during the Summer, we traveled between France and England. In particular, since we both love the English countryside, we stayed in Hampshire from June 27 to September 1.

As for Autumn, we haven’t planned it yet!

As a Senior Contract Specialist, did you face any work-related difficulties during your stay?

The main issue was definitely internet connectivity, which can often be unstable, especially in remote or rural areas. We had to move several times to find a signal.

Additionally, balancing travel and work requires a great deal of flexibility. We mostly traveled early in the morning or in the evening, but it wasn’t always easy to coordinate our movements with both of our work schedules.

Lastly, living on the road demands adaptability: a place may not always be as expected, and the constant change of scenery might make it hard to feel at home.

We’ve learned to manage our travel better by aligning movements with our free time and maintaining a sustainable pace of change. Condensing many experiences into a short time can be exhausting.

Did you find it challenging not being able to interact with your colleagues in person?

Let me start by saying that I am a full remote worker even in normal times, so I usually work from home anyway. I didn’t particularly miss direct interaction with my colleagues. The company retreat in June was a wonderful experience to reconnect and feel closer to the people I work with.

I believe that few high-quality opportunities to be together and collaborate in person are far more valuable than seeing each other every day in the office.

Moreover, my work often requires me to isolate myself and concentrate for hours. There’s a reason for the popular saying about lawyers being “glued to their chairs”!

Did you live any particular experience that enriched your work or personal life during your stay in England?

It wasn’t England itself that enriched me, but the experience of living on the road. Being far from your comfort zone – family, friends, and familiar places – opens your mind and shows you how every interaction can teach you something.

Specifically, the experience that enriched me the most was the opportunity to balance work with immersive and continuous volunteer work, not just limited to weekends. I managed to balance my personal life and work, achieving all my goals without having to sacrifice any of them.

I met many people who live on the road and have had the most diverse experiences. I had the chance to volunteer at an animal sanctuary, helping with care activities in the mornings and evenings. I learned how to play bocce with the English locals and visited more than 50 places, including cities, hamlets, and natural parks.

Do you feel that you’ve developed any new skills from this experience?

I definitely improved my adaptability. Now I can quickly find the information I need, even in a new context. These soft skills are essential for being responsive and always ready in a flexible and dynamic work environment.

Do you have any advice for anyone looking to have a similar experience?

I think the first thing to do is plan your trip and figure out your “can’t-live-without” items. For example, I “can’t live without” books, nature and animals, and the ability to play sports.

Each of us has basic needs—those things or activities that make us feel good. It could be your favorite mug, an electric toothbrush, or simply having the right space to feel at home. These are the things that make the experience positive and less stressful.

From a practical standpoint, I’d recommend having an internet connection with good roaming included. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself ‘disconnected’ every time you cross a border until you find a local SIM card.

Would you recommend this experience?

Absolutely. Maybe not exactly as I did it—on the road in a small van—but anyone can have an exceptional experience if they can identify their own “can’t-live-without” items.