1xCAMP Tarifa 2026: Team Gathering at the Edge of Europe

The annual 1xCAMP is an integral part of our remote work culture, bringing together team members from our six office locations and from across Europe for an in person meet up. After a year without a camp, this year’s gathering was eagerly anticipated and it was the first meet up as a company since React Online merged with 1xINTERNET. We headed south to the charming town of Tarifa, a wild and windy stretch of coastline close to our Spanish office in Conil, where Europe and Africa face each other across the Straits of Gibraltar, for three days of collaboration, work and fun together.

Together Again and Celebrating

Of our 85 strong team, 75 colleagues made the trip to Tarifa, a great turnout for this long awaited reunion. We were joined by colleagues from our new Dutch office in Eindhoven, and for many of us it was the first time meeting in person the 9 new colleagues who are now part of the 1xTEAM.

We had exclusive use of the hotel which really gave us the space to bond as a team without interruptions. During our days together we celebrated 3 birthdays, singing “Happy Birthday” in multiple languages as is our 1x tradition - it sounds much better in person than online! We also celebrated 2 work anniversaries, 11 and 5 years with the company.

Tarifa  “The wind capital of Europe” is famous for being wild and windy but we got lucky our few days were calm, sunny, and easy, perfect for everything we had planned.

Company Presentation & Workshops: Strategy & Collaboration

We kicked off the camp with a management presentation, transparent as always and straight to the point, making sure we were all on the same page. We then moved on to workshop sessions, making the most of having everyone's brains together in the same place to tackle how we can keep improving and how we want to keep building 1x together. 

The overarching goal was simple: to find solutions to the challenges facing us and our customers, and make the business better for both. The energy in the room said it all, this collaboration was real, grounded, and energetic, and it's exactly why these in-person sessions matter so much.

Team Building Activities at the Heart of the Camp

Between the structured sessions, many of the best moments happened in the gaps, in the long conversations by the pool, in our meals together and on slow walks through Tarifa's old town. Speed presentations, People Bingo and social activities were fun and got everyone mingling and talking. 

The group split into smaller groups for a range of activities: surfing and stand-up paddleboarding, a bike ride in the surrounding hills with incredible views, a guided tour of the old town, and for those after something calmer, a spa session. Working as a team to support each other with plenty of laughs and bonding along the way. 

Red and White Themed Roof Terrace Party

One evening we threw a special 1xPARTY with a red and white dress theme. On the roof top terrace bar with spectacular views of Africa, the sea and surrounding mountains, we played music bingo and danced the night away as the sun went down. Diego Costa not just COO of 1xINTERNET but also our 1x resident poet and he treated us to a poem he wrote about the camp, something that has now become something of a camp tradition.

1xAWARDS and the 1xLEGEND

This year we hosted a 1xAWARDS ceremony, a chance to vote for colleagues in categories that were equal parts silly and sincere, from "most likely to become an author" to "most likely to open an animal shelter", celebrating our people and the many other talents we hold as a team.

Building on the spirit of our first-ever 1xAWARDS, we also launched the 1xLEGEND challenge. While the awards celebrated the unique personalities and hidden talents across the team, 1xLEGEND recognized something different: making a lasting impact through code. Colleagues were invited to find and fix a small bug or improvement on 1xinternet.com, with the winning contribution earning a special release, the coveted Certified 1xLEGEND status, and, of course, legendary bragging rights.

Different Locations, One Team at Heart

It was a camp full of catching up, new faces becoming familiar ones, and the kind of shared time that's hard to replicate over a screen. Tarifa turned out to be the perfect place for it. We left better connected and charged with energy for the tasks ahead.  

A big group will reunite at DrupalCon Rotterdam in September but we won´t meet together as a whole company again until 2027. Where will the next 1xCAMP take us?