Are you tired of the mundane office life? Do you often find yourself fantasising about working from a serene beach or a cozy cabin in the woods?
If you're seeking a skilled workation specialist with years of experience in the tourism industry, look no further than Gina Schinkel. Gina is the founder of Driftawave, a new venture that we had the pleasure of learning about at Web Summit, Lisbon. Having spent years elevating workations for various companies, Gina has honed her expertise in creating productive and inspiring remote work environments. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at Gina's background, her approach to workation planning, and how she can assist your company in achieving new heights of success through remote work. With Gina's unique touch, get ready for an unforgettable workation experience!
1: Gina, it was great meeting you at Web Summit, Lisbon, 2023! How was Web Summit for you?
Incredible! Love how startups are given a stage, and do they flourish!! It was great to see so many thought leaders on stage. AI was talk of the town and I would be curious to see where we are headed! Will productivity output be the new currency over hours? If you haven’t started your AI learning journey, a year from now you will regret you didn’t start yesterday for many reasons.
2: We were so impressed by your work as female founder of Driftawave, and we'd love to hear more about how you spice up ‘Workations and what even is ‘Workations’?
A workation is to combine work and travel whilst working remotely. The growth in popularity has accelerated tremendously as result of the pandemic. I come from a background of worldwide adventure travel and growth explorations. About 2,5 years ago I have started a hybrid career in tech
sales, and this is exactly where my different worlds meet. By founding Driftawave I’m aspiring to help professionals to achieve beyond both in their career and personal life aspirations. I do so by
creating workations that include adventure (sports), incredible nature, culture, high energies, and networking opportunities. You owe it to yourself to manifest. In the era of AI human connection
and creativity will be the two things standing out.
3: Gina, reflecting on your experiences as an expat working across New Zealand, Latin America, the Netherlands and many more, what would you say is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout your international journey?
JUMP. You will find that you can always come back home, to realise the one thing that has changed is you. No one will ever be able to take that away from you. Opportunities, support, connection, manifestation, and belief have been flying through my window ever since.
4: You have done incredible stuff from living on a Caribbean island to living & working on a boat on the Great Barrier Reef and assisting hundreds of job seekers build their travel dreams! Can you share more?
Wauw where do I start haha. I stopped telling people when we meet because the list goes on with ski resorts, being a cowgirl in the Wild Wild West of Australia, accidently becoming a bungy model in Australia and a worldwide ‘yachty’ by surprise. I like to take life experiences as they come or go after them when they spark an inner light of curiosity, opportunity, and taste of adventure. A. J.
Hackett’s quote comes in great here: “Fear less, Live More”. I find a lot of joy and passion in helping other travellers to get out there and live a life beyond imagination. There is so much magic out there from major inner growth breakthroughs up to living in dreams. From being on an overnight boat,
exploring the corners of the GBR, night dives, shark feeds, and the Coral spawning in Australia. To waking up besides the ski slopes diving into the gorgeous nature whilst sharing passion and being active. The energetic spark from meeting a local and leaning about their culture, language, habits, and cuisine. My gratitude is huge, and I would like to pass on the legacies.
5: What advice do you have for fellow females who wish to embark on a life of international work?
DO.IT. You would be robbing yourself if you don’t. If something is holding you back speak with people who are doing it. Your close network is caring a lot about you and can speak out of fears.
6: What has a been your biggest challenges to date personally and professionally? How did you overcome them?
The most important thing we can ask ourselves is “what do you want”, and sometimes also the hardest one to figure out. Many times, I have plotted forward on my journey by speaking with people and getting myself out there. Opportunity after opportunity have presented themselves ever since I made the choice to go after what I wanted to do. Once something sparks a light inside of you, go after it with the biggest urgency one can have as there is no time for a life of regrets. If you would have told me 13 years ago I was going to be doing all the things I’ve done I would have laughed .. And probably straight away asked HOW?!
7: Can you explain more in depth about how you help clients overcome their challenges to achieve their business objectives?
Every business and person will always have their goals, challenges, and things outside of their influence affecting that. Wouldn’t it be a great if you could help achieving those goals by limiting or overcoming those challenges? If you’d like to learn more, I encourage you to take a look at my LinkedIn profile. I would be happy to connect with anyone that has made it this far.
8: What strategies do you use to maintain inspiration and keep up-to- date with the latest innovative trends within your industry?
Stay in touch with my network such as mentor, business partners, industry peers, colleagues, and friends. LinkedIn for thought leadership, community, and learnings. Attend trade fairs and join industry groups and communities. Leverage tools to work smarter and quickly address opportunity;
ChatGPT, Bard/Gemini, Bing, Feedly. Global and industry specific trends that are backed up with data such as; Forbes, McKinsey, Harvard Business Review, Josh Bersin, Bloomberg, World Economic Forum and more. But also, newsletters and blogs that could be of interest.
9: Where do you see yourself retiring to and why?
This made me laugh. I don’t even know where I will live next year. Love Southern Europe for the food, culture, and climate. Latin America is where I feel in my natural habitat. Australia is where my outdoor tiger comes out. When winter hits I dream about fluffy snow piles, fresh mountain air and a strong well-spirited body and mind.
Which brings us to my favourite quote:
“Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave but not our
hearts” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
10: What has been the ultimate motivator propelling all of your achievements as an expatriate?
Curiosity, growth mindset and putting words/thoughts to action. Go after your goals 1 step at a time, and you will be amazed what magic you will find.
Connect with Gina:
Website: Driftawave | Your Workation Partner
LinkedIn: Driftawave: Overview | LinkedIn
Youtube: (207) Driftawave - YouTube
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