You've volunteered to share some of the awesomeness of a place you love with the community, and we applaud you for that. It's one of the major contributions an X-Teamer can make, thank you! Of course, we got your back. That's why through years of doing outpost, we've compiled the following checklists that should make your guardian life much easier.
- the place is close to cafes/bars/grocery stores/attractions/gyms
- if the perfect place is too far away, there is a way for individual X-Teamers to get there and to the urbanized area without involving the rest of the group (scooters, taxis, uber) at a reasonable price
- the WiFi can handle 6-8 people working at once
- a common room for people to chill together
- a washing machine on premises or very affordable laundry service
- decent heating or AC, depending on the climate
- no noisy construction work nearby
- if several pieces of accommodation are booked, make sure they are:
- at the same quality level, and
- as close as possible
- Nice-to-haves
- cleaning service
- in the tropics/summer: pool or beach nearby
- check if the transportation to/from the activity location is included
- check how many people will be participating apart from the X-Team group (ideally it's X-Team-exclusive)
- do they allow cameras, are there any other limitations to the gear you can bring?
- what are the exact start and finish times
- if you are renting something (car/boat/bike) ask for pictures of the exact unit you are paying for
- ask about any additional payments that will need to be covered
- make sure you receive a confirmation and specifications of payment
- check opinions on trip advisor and/or other travel sites
- try to avoid tourist centric experiences tailored for tourists staying in hotels
- get a summary of the service on paper or email
- in case of troubles/scam mention the (tourist) police and call them if necessary
- avoid single agents, reserve through established companies
- pay with a credit card to make sure you can do a charge-back
- post accommodation details - especially the address and best way to get there from the airport - to the outpost slack channel
- make sure everyone is aware of the planned Epic
- start a WhatsApp conversation with all participants
- create and invite everyone to a Splitwise (expense sharing) app
- make sure everyone knows when everyone is arriving, so people can potentially meet up already at the airport and share transportation to the accommodation
- once everyone is together, post in #xhq that "IT HAS BEGUN!" and add a photo or two
Click here for a description of guardian life mid-outpost.