A Team Workation in Idukki: How a Small Team Can Work from the Hills

Remote teams can go months without sitting in the same room. A few days working side by side, away from the city, can do more for a project than weeks of video calls. This is how a small team can do that at Work From Village, a small house on our family spice farm in Pachady, Nedumkandam, Idukki.

Who a team workation suits

The house is small on purpose. It has three private bedrooms, so it suits a few people who already work together rather than a large company offsite. The teams it fits best are:

• Founders and co-founders who need time to plan the next stage
• A small design, product or development team on a focused sprint
• Freelancers who often collaborate and want to work in the same place for a while
• A remote team meeting in person for the first time

Tell us how many of you are coming and we'll tell you how the rooms would work for your group.

What the house gives a working team

• Desks and quiet call corners. Proper desks and chairs for full working days, and tucked-away corners so one person's call doesn't break everyone else's focus.
• Internet with backups. Fibre broadband as the main line, AirFiber if the fibre drops, and mobile internet as a third backup, with speeds of up to around 90 Mbps.
• 24/7 power backup. Hill-country power cuts happen, especially in the monsoon. Backup power keeps the router, the Wi-Fi and the workspaces running.
• Meals taken care of. Home-cooked Kerala food made in the farm kitchen with spices from the garden, so nobody on the team has to plan groceries or cooking.

If several of you will be on video calls at the same time, or your work involves large uploads or live streams, tell us before you book. We'll tell you honestly whether the connection fits. There's more detail in Internet and Power in Idukki.

A simple shape for a team week

A team workation works best with a little structure and plenty of quiet. A shape that suits most small teams:

• Arrival day: travel up the hills, settle in and have dinner together. Plan to arrive in daylight and keep work light.
• Mornings: everyone's longest focus block, while the house is quiet. Tea and a walk through the spice garden before the laptops open.
• Early afternoons: pairing, reviews and planning sessions, after a home-cooked lunch.
• Late afternoons: calls with colleagues and clients in the UK and Europe as their working day begins.
• Evenings: log off and walk down to the Kallar river or through the village. Some of the best conversations about the work happen away from the screen.

For a team, the view from the desk is part of the point: misty mornings, green slopes and quiet. Follow @work_from_village on Instagram to see what a working week here looks like.

One weekend, four viewpoints

If your team stays over a weekend, a shared day out is a good way to end the week. Four viewpoints make an easy day trip from the house. These are approximate road distances:

• Calvary Mount: 25 km. A hilltop view over the Idukki reservoir.
• Chathurangapara: 25 km. A rocky ridge with wind turbines and long views east.
• Idukki Dam: 27 km. The arch dam between the Kuravan and Kurathi hills. Public visits are only open at certain times, so check before you go.
• Vagamon: 53 km. Rolling meadows, pine forest and a cool climate.

Closer to home, Thooval Falls is 3 km away and Ramakkalmedu is 21 km. Hill roads are slow, so allow extra time. The nearby page has the full list and travel routes.

Planning checklist for teams

• Who's coming: the number of people and how you'd like to share the three bedrooms.
• Dates and length: we'd suggest at least a week, so the journey up the hills is worth it. Longer stays are welcome.
• Calls: agree core hours with colleagues in other time zones before you travel.
• Internet needs: tell us about simultaneous video calls, large uploads or live streams.
• Food: let us know about dietary needs for everyone in the group.
• Travel: Kochi airport is about 113 km away (roughly 3 to 3.5 hours by taxi). From Bangalore or Chennai, overnight buses run to Cumbum, 39 km away. Aluva railway station is about 114 km away and Kottayam about 128 km. See How to reach for every route. Try to arrive around the same time so the team travels up together. Our guide How to Plan a Workation in Idukki covers seasons and packing.

Same team, same work. A quieter room, and the hills outside the window.