Our biggest Chargetrip retreat yet!

Rosalind Anketell Nov 25, 2022 · 4 min read

Last week, the Chargetrip team gathered in Austria for our biggest company retreat yet! 32 Chargetrip employees gathered in the Austrian mountains for a few days of team-building, goal-setting, games and fun.

Coming from across Europe (the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, France and Austria), it was an opportunity for our employees to meet team members that work from other Chargetrip offices, or are new to our rapidly growing team.

“It always amazes me how seamless everyone fits together, even if there are new people joining. These are some of the friendliest and most open-minded people I’ve met, and conversations can range from serious topics to silly stuff very easily” Cristian Rosu, Back-end Engineer.

1: Our beautiful hotel in the Austrian mountains 2: (L-R) Tim Kuilman, Sanne Albreghs, Lorena Smienk, Laurens van der Maas, Sander Belaen & Jason Miller 3: Pieter Waller

Day 1: Monday - Cooking Class

The team gathered at Angerberg after travelling by electric car, plane and overnight train. Many of the team had only ever met online, and it was fantastic to finally meet in person!

After taking the morning to sort out room arrangements and catch up, the team took a cooking class in our huge hotel kitchen. We worked together to make a veritable feast for everyone to enjoy.

“We had a really great cooking class in Austria where we all got to work together to make some great dishes. I think it was a good way for us to work together and get to know each other better!” Lorena Smienk, Customer Success Manager

1: Slavik Pastushenko & Omar Mahili 2: Richard Corke & Lorena Smienk 3: Mihai Craciun (Ursu), Mitre Angjelkoski & Cătălin Ioniță 4: Cecile Post 5: Richard Gay 6: Doina Bulearcă, Sebastian Cretu & Alexandra Bulearcă

Day 2: Tuesday - Team Games and Music Night

The team split into four teams for team building activities, including some interesting new games such as; tennis ball slingshots, balancing nails and lowering an ice probe (which is harder than it sounds).

After our day taking in the crisp air and beautiful weather, we danced the night away with the help of our resident DJs Tim Kuilman and Richard Corke.

1: Learning about the local geography from our facilitator 2: Team games 4: Balancing nails 4: Resident DJ Tim Kuilman 5: Dancing 6: Mitre Angjelkoski & Cosmin Petrescu

Day 3: Wednesday - Hiking, Biking and Baking

Early on Wednesday morning, two groups ventured out for a bike ride and a hike through the beautiful countryside. The hiking team were joined by a very special guide, Yukon the Alaskan Malamute, who was thrilled to make so many new friends.

“Our company trip was an amazing chance to get to meet everyone I talk to [online] on a daily basis face-to-face! We shared serious ideas, but also had some great party nights, with music, games and cake! The nature walk was the highlight for me: relaxing and peaceful. Sharing it with all these wonderful people made it even better!” Alexandra Bulearcă, QA Team Lead

L: Sights along the hike. R: Yukon our hiking guide.

“We had an awesome bike ride to an old 13th century castle with fantastic views. I’m looking forward to the next e-bike ride, a Chargetrip tradition!” Ruben van Dijk, Product Manager

1: (L-R) Ruben van Dijk, Gideon van Dijk, Wouter van Kamp, Pieter Waller 2: Pieter Waller 3: Stopping to take in the view.

While some of our team explored the beautiful countryside, a special treat was in store for those who had stayed up a little late the night before. Omar and Mitre made some delicious lasagna for everyone, whilst Imre and Sanne baked up some incredible cookies!

L: Mitre Angjelkoski & Omar Mahili R: Imre van Teylingen & Sanne Albreghs

Day 4: Thursday - Heading Home

It was time to say goodbye to our beautiful hotel and head back home. Our Bucharest team drove back to Munich airport early, whilst the Amsterdam team split into cars and trains once again.

“What I liked the most about our company trip was connecting with colleagues from another office - we discussed topics we had never discussed before. In addition, it was enjoyable to do team activities outside and play board games in the evenings. Finally, it was a great way to feel part of the Chargetrip family and make great memories together.” Elena Osmekhina, Finance Manager.

The country retreat was a wonderful opportunity to connect with our fellow Chargetripers, set some ambitious goals for the year ahead, and reflect on the incredible impact we’ve made in 2022. We can’t wait to meet up again next year!

Huge thank you to Elizabeth Gascón for organising our retreat this year.

Interested in joining the team? Check out our current vacancies here: https://chargetrip.com/careers/