Koen Blanquart starts off talking about growing up in Belgium and giving some travel tips for people that want to spend time in Belgium. He then talks about his entrepreneurial trajectory and his transition into the digital nomad lifestyle. Koen then reflects on his world travels, including his love for New York City, the time he took the train from London to Singapore, and his most epic travel memory of all time: Sailing to Antarctica in a 54-foot sailboat. He then talks about his travel photography journey, including multiple trips to Alaska to photograph Grizzly Bears and Bald Eagles in the wild. Koen shares his tips on how to take better travel photos. He also talks about his love for coffee and shares his most memorable travel experiences involving coffee. Next, Koen discusses his new book “The Suitcase Office: What Digital Nomads Can Teach Us About Location Independent Work”. He shares his vision for the future of work and then gives his tips on managing a fully distributed team, building company culture in a fully remote company, attending to the mental health challenges of a remote work environment, and sustaining the digital nomad lifestyle over the long term. Koen then talks about his love for scuba diving, his journey to becoming a scuba instructor, and his most memorable dive of all time. And finally, he shares what travel means to him and talks about his upcoming trip to sail around the world. FULL SHOW NOTES AVIALABLE AT: www.TheMaverickShow.com
Episode #205: The Suitcase Office: What Digital Nomads Can Teach Us About Location Independent Work with Koen Blanquart
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Koen Blaquart
Koen Blaquart is a location independent entrepreneur who has built and sold numerous companies. He operates at the crosspoints between business development, technology and organizational models. Koen is a photographer, Scuba-Dive Instructor, and the author of 3 books including his latest work entitled “The Suitcase Office: What Digital Nomads Can Teach Us About Location Independent Work.” Born and raised in Belgium, he has been a full-time digital nomad since 2011 and has traveled to over 60 countries.
What You'll Learn
- How to Manage Fully Distributed Teams and Build Company Culture in Remote Companies
- How to Attend to the Mental Health Challenges of a Remote Work Environment
- How to Sustain the Digital Nomad Lifestyle Over the Long Term
Links From the Episode
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ORDER KOEN’S BOOK
#1 BOOK THAT KOEN RECOMMENDS
#1 PERSON WITH WHOM KOEN MOST WANTS TO HAVE DINNER
TOP 3 FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
TOP 3 BUCKETLIST DESTINATIONS
LOCATIONS WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Alaska
- Antarctica
- Baltic States
- Beijing
- Belgium
- Cambodia
- China
- Costa Rica
- Europe
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- London
- Mongolia
- Moscow
- New York City
- Paris
- Poland
- Russia
- Singapore
- Switzerland
- Tran-Siberian Railway
- Thailand
CONTACT KOEN
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[2:32] Growing Up in Belgium and Starting to Travel
[3:39] Things to Know About Visiting Belgium
[7:36] Koen’s Entrepreneurial Trajectory
[11:09] Koen’s Transition into the Digital Nomad Lifestyle in 2011
[12:35] What Koen Loves About New York City
[13:35] Taking the Train from London to Singapore
[17:55] Sailing to Antarctica in a 54-Foot Sailboat
[20:00] Koen’s Travel Photography Journey
[22:11] Photographing Grizzly Bears and Bald Eagles in Alaska
[24:40] How to Take Better Travel Photos
[26:15] Koen’s Top Coffee Experiences While Traveling
[28:39] The Suitcase Office: What Digital Nomads Can Teach Us About Location Independent Work
[30:34] Koen’s Vision for The Future of Work
[32:25] Koen’s Top Tips to Managing a Fully Distributed Team
[33:40] How to Build Company Culture in a Fully Remote Company
[35:36] Attending to the Mental Health Challenges in Remote Work Environments
[39:19] How to Sustain the Digital Nomad Lifestyle Over the Long Term
[43:08] Koen’s Scuba Diving Experiences
[48:29] Koen’s Upcoming Trip to Sail Around the World
[49:52] What Travel Means to Koen
[50:45] The Lightning Round
[52:41] Follow and Connect with Koen