Working remotely and moving to Bangkok during Covid

Introduction 

I joined Agoda as a Product Designer in mid-August 2021 remotely from Singapore as part of the Core Accommodations (Hotels) team where I was in charge of the checkout experience, a.k.a the Booking Form team. 

Due to Covid-19 still running rampant across the world, there were restrictions which made entry to the country difficult. The office was closed for the entire year and everyone else was also working remotely until the end of 2022. 

The arrangement for me was to move over to Bangkok once the vaccination rates were higher and the rate of infection was lower—which was reassuring for me as I felt that it’d be safer as the pandemic situation continued to evolve with high uncertainty.

Remote beginnings

Coming from a medium-sized company, I was really excited to become part of Agoda’s large design team consisting of more than 50 designers! I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity in our Design Team where people came from all parts of the globe — Thai, China, India, US, Japan, Korea, Sweden, many more.. and even fellow Singaporeans! 

Onboarding for work was smooth with a full plan on what I should be doing and whom I should be talking to on a weekly basis. Not before long, I was already working on design tasks and helping to contribute to the product. 

However, doing it completely remote was tough because I couldn’t meet my colleagues in person. And since the nature of a designer’s work involves a lot of collaboration, there is no doubt that we have regular meetings. Communication tools such as Slack and Zoom/Teams meetings helped to bridge that gap but it was also hard to get to know my teammates outside of work. 

Moving to Bangkok 

Just as we thought the Covid situation was getting better, a new strain of Covid-19 (Omnicron Strain) was discovered in December 2021 and was spreading across the globe like wildfire. My move to Bangkok was delayed again as the office remained closed until July 2022. 

I eventually made the move to Bangkok a month ahead of office opening as the Covid situation across the world stabilized. The Onboarding and Visa teams assisted me throughout the entire moving process from arranging the visa application process to Covid-19 measurements to even securing my one month temporary stay. It was seamless for the most part thanks to their support and answering of my relentless questions. 

Before I knew it, I was already on the plane for the first time in 2.5 years — packed with my entire life in my 2 luggages. The feeling of boarding a plane again was surreal. It triggered a nostalgic and familiar feeling but yet at the same time foreign given all the Covid-related restrictions. 

On arrival, I had to do a 1-day quarantine via the SHA+ program (which is no longer required) during my temporary stay. I was brought to my accommodation and felt almost immediately at home. I knew that I was gonna like it here. Additionally, I had my laptop and my welcome pack mailed to my place before I even arrived (courtesy of the HR team)! 

I also finally met my team members that I haven’t seen in person for the past 9 months — in person! It felt strange that we’ve been working on similar projects and talked before but only got to chat in person after that long. It was also funny as everyone had different expectations of our physical appearance. 

My first few months 

I also started apartment hunting and within a week I found a suitable place thanks to my agent. It was going to be the place I’d call home for at least the next one year (I mean it’s a one year lease). And after a short while of buying groceries and other furniture, I was pretty much settled down. 

Not gonna lie, I do miss the camaraderie of working alongside a team and that holds true for going back to the office. My team made going to the office enjoyable—being able to collaborate in person and also hold meetings was efficient when we needed that face time and also we have a lot of post-work bonding like doing sports, having meals, or even going for a few drinks at the izakaya below.

While we speak English in the office, I’m still trying to pick up Thai for everyday use and to understand the culture a little more. Outside of work, my team would do activities like running, badminton, climbing, and even Muay Thai (Thai boxing).

As a foodie, I can say that there’s endless options here. There’s all kinds of cuisines from Thai, Japanese, Korean, Mexican to German all across the city. My saved places on Google maps have grown from the 10’s to 100’s in a couple of weeks and there’s still many places I’ve yet to discover. My usual would be the really affordable and delicious salads in Gourmet Market or when I’m missing home, there’s a Singaporean restaurant right in Centralworld mall (alongside hundreds of other options). 

My point is—Bangkok kinda has everything you need and more! I was afraid of initially taking that first step to move to a new city. Looking back, I don’t think I’d ever regret it. My journey has just truly begun.

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