Pre-Outpost

Outpost Agreement
Dear X-Teamer,
When you signed up for the outpost, you signed up for an unforgettable adventure. You signed up for a ton of new experiences you’ll love telling your friends, kids, and grandkids about. You also signed up for a trip with coworkers from all over the world, where everyone is still going to be working, however, which means that there are some things to be conscious of so everyone can have the best possible experience. By signing up to the X-Outpost, you agree to abide by this Agreement.
I) Respect
Everybody’s different, and we have to respect those differences. There is a saying that “one nation’s national celebration is another’s national tragedy.” This example can be generalized to many facets of life, and we have to stay conscious of that. Everybody should stay respectful of each other’s life circumstances. This doesn’t mean that you have to censor yourself or not turn working relationships into real-life friendships, but if you see that what you’re saying or doing is making someone uncomfortable, please respect their sensitivities and boundaries.
II) Work-related
Even though it’s an X-Outpost, if it's a weekdays Outpost, then people are still working. Please be mindful of this when interacting with each other. Everybody is living under one roof, which takes some accommodating to work out. If rooms are being shared, please try to coordinate with your roommate so that your respective calls and working hours don’t clash. As a group, try to plan activities around everyone’s schedules so that all can participate.
III) Finance
As a group, you will most likely be doing things together. This ranges from a simple street-food meal to epics. If you’re splitting the bill, please try to keep it as fair as possible. The preferred and default way is always for everyone to pay their own part, though it is up to you if you decide to split the bill evenly or use another approach. In either case, it’s everyone’s job to make sure that everyone feels comfortable with the bill-splitting approach. We recommend using an app like Splitwise to take care of the accounting if you’re not going to be settling up immediately. Finally, never forget that different people have different lifestyles and personal budgets, so try to keep those in mind when planning activities to do together. Ideally, plan high-cost activities as something you’d like to do and only invite others to join as opposed to starting out as something for the whole group to do.
IV) Activities
There will be times when several people will want to participate in some activity. That is great and it’s very much encouraged, just make sure that nobody feels pressured into participating. While you obviously wouldn’t do it on purpose, several people innocently going “Oh c’moooon!” can feel very much like pressure to some. Simply make sure that everyone knows they’re more than welcome to join, do your best to accommodate everyone’s work schedules, and leave it at that. If someone wants to go, they’ll let whoever is organizing the activity know.
V) Partying, alcohol, etc.
If you want to have a beer (or five) after-hours, that's your decision. It might be rare, but there are also people who are not comfortable with alcohol. Please respect their choices, don't involve them in purchases of alcoholic drinks, financially or otherwise.
VI) Fun!
Fun shall be had. Memories shall be made!
Pre-Outpost preparations
Prepare required documents
Passport with enough validity (usually >6 months)
Visas (if applicable)
​Emergency ICE info sheet (example from XO Thailand)
Travel insurance - double-check what it covers and the conditions (e.g. riding a scooter without a license voids the policy), you can use Unleash+ to cover this.
Driving license
International driving permit - check which version of the two you need (depends on the target destination), if any
Any other documents you may need (e.g. a doctor's note that you need the medicine you're carrying with you)
Instructions on how to get to your accommodation in paper form with addresses also printed in the local language if you'll be using not-uber.
2 sets of copies of all of the above - one for checked luggage, one for carry-on.
Health considerations
Get vaccinated: Go to your local travel clinic and get the required vaccinations for your destination, we especially recommend for COVID-19. 
Check what kind of health-care you can expect where you're going. If there are several tiers of medical institutions, make a note of the ones close to your destination you'd feel comfortable going to.
Prepare your travel medkit. It should include at least:
Medicinal carbon
Probiotic pills
Anti-acids
Painkillers that don't thin your blood (i.e. not-aspirin)
Fever meds
Bandages, band-aids,
Thermometer to check body temperature
Let the Guardian or someone else who's going on the X-Outpost know about potential allergies or other health problems you may experience and what they should do if something happens. Pay special attention to food allergies, since chances are good you'll find a distant cousin of some ingredient you're allergic to in your food, and you won't often find a waiter who can discuss your dietary needs in your language.
If there are going to be any activities you feel unsure of, talk to the organizer and/or your personal physician.
Safety
We generally try to organize X-Outposts in safe places, so even walking around at 2 AM shouldn't really put you in danger. There can be exceptions to this, however, so always confirm with the Guardian what is or isn't a good idea.
Cultural faux-pas
A Guardian will advise you on this, but it's a good idea to check them out yourself as well, as the consequences of committing them can be... problematic. You don't want to be the proud wearer of a visible tattoo of the Buddha in Thailand, for example, you shouldn't make fun of certain things elsewhere, or do certain gestures in other places. Read up on the target destination and ask the Guardian about it.
Travel arrangements
Doublecheck when you have to be where, triplecheck that your plane is actually leaving from Airport A and not B, and be there on time. When going somewhere as a group, be on time. Nobody likes waiting for people who're late. Let the group know you're gonna be late and offer to catch up to them, if it's unavoidable.
Exchanging money
Usually, it's a better idea to exchange money at destination, just make sure to check the exchange rate beforehand and make sure you got the right amount back. Another alternative is using local ATMs, which may actually be the most economic option. Always pick conversion by your bank, i.e. withdrawal processed in the local currency, and watch out for fees the local bank may tack onto the withdrawal amount. If you want to be sure you'll have something you can pay with, just bring USD with you in small notes.

How to Join an X-Outpost

Mid-Outpost

Last modified 4mo ago

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V) Partying, alcohol, etc.

VI) Fun!

Pre-Outpost preparations

Prepare required documents

Health considerations