Tips on How to Work Remotely and Travel - At The Same Time!
Posted by Desiree Ras on
Have you ever dreamed of traveling the world while working remotely? Or maybe you've already started your journey, but it's not going as planned. No matter what your situation is, this blog post is for you! In today's post, we'll be discussing tips on how to work remotely and travel. So, whether you're just starting out or need some advice on how to make things run a bit smoother - keep reading!
1 - Join a travel and remote work program such as Remote Year.
As a first-timer to international travel, navigating flights, coworking spaces, and living arrangements can be overwhelming.
This is where Remote Year comes in handy. Remote Year provides everything you need to work remotely and travel. The convenience of having a coworking space and apartment waiting for you as you change destinations every 4 or 5 weeks is a dream!
We highly recommend checking out Remote Year if this sounds interesting to you. It’s a way to confidently travel with a group of diverse individuals from all over the world as you explore new destinations, work in coworking spaces and travel the world.
2 - Create and stick to a remote work schedule or remote work routine.
While working remotely from beautiful countries, it is so tempting to go lounge on the beach while you’re on the clock. However, it is important to not give in to temptation and instead think of sipping on that coconut cocktail on the beach after your shift. Before you set out on your nomad adventure, it is crucial to ensure you give yourself the tools to create a remote work schedule that you can keep up with. With remote work, you don’t have colleagues or bosses physically looking over your shoulder at what you’re doing, so distractions are plentiful. No one is immune to distractions, which is why discipline is a key aspect of remote working. It’s easy to sleep in, and it’s somehow even easier to stay up late; however, when you have set your working schedule accordingly, such as a 9 – 5 or 8 – 4 shift, you’ll find yourself being much more productive than without this schedule.
3 - Subscribe & Save To A Cloud Service
When you travel while working remotely, you’re ultimately moving around a lot. To avoid missing documents, adopt the strategy of saving EVERYTHING on a cloud service. Cloud note services like Evernote are perfect for smaller notes but services such as Google Drive, or Dropbox are best for larger PDFs or files. You could also subscribe to One Drive from Microsoft.
You don’t know what you’ll need while away, which will always surprise you. You somehow always end up needing what you don’t have. So, save yourself in advance and get into the habit of working on the cloud. If the cloud is too far out of reach, opt for an external hard drive that you can keep close by.
4. Pack appropriately for remote work and travel.
If you’ve hastily packed for a remote work trip and forgotten a few crucial things needed for work rather than vacation, don’t worry. It happens more than you think. Being true lovers of the chill-and-work lifestyle, we created this list so you never leave behind your laptop and pack too many different colored flip-flops. Working remotely while traveling is a different world on its own, as you must take along things that make working possible.
When packing for remote work long-term trips, keep this skeleton list of essentials in mind when packing the standard ‘vacation stuff':
- Super important – Your laptop!
- A slim laptop sleeve for traveling with a laptop.
- A small-size wireless mouse to avoid hand cramping.
- Noise-canceling headphones for taking video meetings and audio calls.
- A laptop stand. One that’s smaller enough to fold up and fit in any suitcase or bag.
- A super-slim external keyboard
The above items are all things that can come with you when you choose to work in a café, which is almost the go-to if you’re out and about working from different areas.
Bonus items: Zoom shirts & decent professional clothes (if needed)
This is the ‘just in case’ we love to talk about. Spontaneous meetings, quick calls, and even meeting clients on your trip can happen. So, if you’re lounging in a chair somewhere and your boss asks you for a quick chat, you’re prepared! So pack some business attire, like a suit, a Zoom shirt, or a decent outfit, just in case.
5. Understand time zones and use them to your advantage.
If you've ever worked in a global remote-first firm or with clients or suppliers across seas, you're already familiar with time zones. Working with firms in Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe may directly impact how and when you and your colleagues can organize meetings.
If you've only worked in your native country and time zones and haven't harmed you yet, congratulations! You're in for some amazing surprises. Working overseas or across time zones familiarizes you with how time zones contribute to asynchronous contact! Does your country's time change during Daylight Savings? Will Daylight Savings Time impact your client or remote team meetings?
We suggest looking at World Time Buddy; it makes tracking time across the globe easier, making sure you and your colleagues are at least on a similar page.
6. Determine the cost of living or the cost of travel where you want to work remotely
Money exists, and you may have a certain amount saved up for the three days or three months when you wish to do your remote work vacation.
Do you have an unlimited budget? Is there a specific amount? Do you plan on budgeting one month's pay? Are you planning for the cost of your rent on your house or apartment now that you have a subletter? There are various travel expenses worldwide, and if you're just beginning touring your own nation or over the world, you'll need to do some research!
Common ways to calculate the cost of travel or cost of living in a travel destination are by:
- The cost of a night in a hotel or the cost of a week/month of rent
- The cost of a mid-range meal
- The cost of mass transportation or a car rental
- The cost of a beer (it can vary greatly!)
- The cost of a cowering space, either for a day pass, a week, a month, or a year
But we won’t leave you with just that sliver of information. We’ve looked at some of the most expensive places to work remotely and some of the cheapest places to work.
The most expensive places to work remotely and travel:
- The Netherlands
- Singapore
- San Francisco, California
- Tokyo, Japan
- Seoul, South Korea
- all of Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden
The cheapest places to work remotely and travel:
- Hanoi, Vietnam
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Medellin, Colombia
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Prague, Czech Republic
- The American Midwest and South
7- Find the perfect long- and short-term housing.
When traveling while working, it is important to choose a budget-friendly living arrangement. If you aren’t part of a travel/work program or have a café or workspace set out for you, your accommodation also has high-speed WiFi.
There are great options (besides camping) to live your best life while experiencing the world!
Firstly, you can look at hostels, since they are generally cheaper.
Hostels are perfect for short-term stays in locations on our list of most expensive
countries. You can start your search for the perfect hostel at HostelWorld. Alternatively, Booking.com offers good deals on the most popular accommodation types, such as hostels, hotel rooms, and entire holiday homes. Airbnb is also a great place to look since it tends to be a cheaper alternative to Booking.com since you often find private rooms, apartments, and more listed by private owners.
The other option is also to rent directly from locals; however, the language barrier can sometimes make it hard to get your foot in the door. This could be a better option for a longer-term stay. Also, digital nomad organizations like Remote Year and WiFi Tribe provide various possibilities in various locations at seasonal times of the year. They are somewhat more expensive than the previous alternatives, but you must reserve your space, and everything else is taken care of for you.
So, if you're looking to travel more and work remotely, we hope that some of the tips in this blog post will help get you started. Of course, there are many other ways to work and travel simultaneously, but these are a few methods that have worked well for us. What about you? Do you have any tips or tricks for working remotely and traveling? Let us know in the comments below!
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