In the modern world, more and more people are finding themselves in a situation in which they are able to work on a remote basis.
This means that they are no longer tethered to their office environment, and they can also travel at the same time.
While this may well seem like it is a dream come true, it can also become something of a difficult juggling act to ensure that the two different elements are working together in harmony.
So, this guide is intended as a helping hand that will ensure you can do remote work while still being able to travel at the same time. So, without any further ado, let’s get started with a few useful tips and tricks that you can put into practice for yourself.
Keep Planning Out Your Daily and Weekly Schedule
Keeping a comprehensive online calendar is going to be so important when you are trying to work remotely and travel.
Essentially, this means that you are fully organized and can also let your clients and work colleagues know exactly when you are available.
You can also plan out the days in which you are going to be moving from one place to another.
Not only this, but you will also be able to schedule the time in which you can enjoy yourself, which is obviously why you want to do this in the first place.
Therefore, its sheer importance cannot be overlooked.
Outsource Where Possible
When you are trying to juggle a few different balls in the air all at once, it is important that you make the most out of any outsourcing activities that are going to help you out along the way.
For example, if you need to sort out an abundant amount of data in excel while you’re busy, traveling, and working remotely at the same time, it’s important that you seek some help from data outsourcing agencies or virtual assistants.
This way, you can get your time-consuming work done by professionals rather than time-wasting and failing to get down to the more prominent job that you have to focus on.
There are lots of sources these days where you can find a great number of skillful virtual assistants, such as freelancing platforms (Fiverr, Upwork, etc) or remote job boards. You may also want to capitalize on the giant talent pool of social media like “Facebook groups” or “LinkedIn“. It’s full of wonderful people that can help you out at an affordable rate, especially from the Asia Pacific regions, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.
Little tips for you – How To Find VA (Virtual Assistants) Using Facebook:
Source: Facebook.com There are a whole lot of awesomely skillful virtual assistants, especially from the Philippines. Most of them have a good command of English in terms of business communication. And it’s pretty easy to find them from Facebook community groups. Just type “Virtual Assistants” or “Remote Work” in Facebook’s “Group” category.
P.S. Check out this remote & freelance group board that we run on our own: https://www.facebook.com/groups/globalremotefreelancejobs
Look for Coliving Spaces
If you have never really considered coliving spaces before, they are certainly an excellent place to go that will ensure that you are surrounded by many like-minded people who are all in the same situation as yourself — being a digital nomad that works remotely and travels.
The idea of coliving spaces is not new. It has been around for a while and it is gaining great traction in recent years along with the rising popularity of the digital nomad lifestyle. The idea behind co-living spaces is to provide a place where people can live together and share their living space with other people. Nevertheless, what people you are surrounded with is crucially important to keep yourself motivated while you can be all alone in a foreign country or somewhere far from the home. #homesick #burnout
On top of that, there are some other neat advantages of staying in a coliving space:
- Affordable: a lot cheaper than having a rent to stay
- Convenient: Everything is in place under one roof. Such as wifi, electricity, gas, utensils, and the basic furniture for a hassle-free stay.
- No Separate Bills: Mostly, it’s a flat rate for your use of electricity, water, or gas, and all are included in your monthly cost of a coliving space.
- Flexible Home/Work Culture: As most of your housemates are digital nomads just like you, they value the sense of freedom. And you will be well understood for being a night owl or working random hours days and nights.
- Easy Location: Coliving spaces are located in the most of famous travel destinations. It’s easy to find a place and get in. Another benefit you might enjoy is relatively good public transportation that coliving spaces located in famous cities worldwide have.
Make Sure to Learn the Art of Packing
If you are going to be moving from one place to another on a regular basis, ensuring that you pack up your possessions correctly should become something of a second nature to you.
Essentially, this means that you use the necessary space-saving techniques. You should also ensure that all of your valuables and work essentials are kept in a separate bag and easily accessible at all times.
After all, these are the items that make up your livelihood and need to be treated with the level of care and respect that should clearly be afforded to them.
On the other hand, if you have a ton of items that can’t be easily moved, using a relocation service is a way to cope with it. You can just search “relocation services near me” and there will be several options popping up. Make sure to compare the prices between services and find the best rates for moving.
Choose the Places That Are Conducive to Remote Work
There is no doubt that there are some countries and cities of the world that are conducive to remote working more than others.
Therefore, you should always be thinking about doing enough research on them, putting yourself in a situation in which you are more likely to pick places that are good for your job or business.
For example, you should check out the overall affordability of the places, as well as ensure that you are going to be able to access enough high-speed internet to make the whole process as worthwhile as possible.
Of course, there may well be times that you want to venture further afield into more remote areas, but you should be fully prepared for the challenges that may be coming your way.
Little tips for you – How To Check on The Cost of Living of Other Regions:
Source: numbeo.com - Numbeo is a wonderful free resource to figure out the cost of living of nearly all the major cities and every country on the planet.
- NerdWallet can also help you do an estimate of what it might cost to live in your new place, based in the US.
- SpeedTest.net is a helpful reference to check the average internet speed of where you would be thinking to go to.
Do Not Forget to Factor in Time Zones
Source: dateful.com When you are traveling from one place to another on a very regular basis, there is no doubt that the situation regarding the time zones can quickly start to get overwhelming.
Therefore, you need to have done the proper research and had the forethought to not schedule any meetings at times that are not going to be altogether suitable for what you are doing.
There are even plenty of specific apps or websites that have been designed with the purpose in mind of not letting you miss that all-important meeting.
Be Well-Prepared To Work Remotely and Travel
If you aren’t well prepared with things that you need, the entire journey of your working remotely while traveling can be ruined, or less productive at work.
Being well-prepared is not only important for your work but also for being able to enjoy your time abroad too.
For example, if you ran into some kind of accident or an emergency situation during your stay abroad, your travel insurance can be your lifesaver that would save you from unnecessary additional costs that you are never pleasant to encounter. And it would easily turn your journey into a disaster if you had to hospitalize somewhere out of nowhere on the planet.
Below is your checklist that is necessary to prepare with or can be additional help for your remote work and travel adventure:
- Laptop and Smart Devices – such as a smartphone, tablet, or all the tech you might need for work and travel.
- Sim Card – that enables your phone to be connected to the telecommunication network during your stay overseas.
- Portable Hotspot – that will help you stay stably connected anywhere in the world.
- Portable Backup Battery – for a situation where you can’t charge your devices with no electricity.
- Noise-Cancelling Headphones – in consideration of how noisy it might be for the place you work and stay. (many digital nomads and travelers come in and out)
- Passport – No doubt it’s essential when it comes to traveling overseas.
- Laptop Stand – Back pain isn’t a thing you would love when you are unable to use a work desk.
- Eye Mask – if you have trouble falling asleep when there is a lot going on in the background.
- Travel Insurance – totally worth the fee, considering all the risks that might stand your way during your travel — e.g. loss of your items, car accident, etc.
- And More – More of what you may need to help your work and travel go smooth.
Capitalize on Mobile Apps Made For Digital Nomads
Time to use tech and life convenience!
Without using mobile apps, you can have a hard time and struggle with things that are actually easy to deal with.
There are many apps that can help digital nomads and those who work remotely and travel somewhere in the world with their day-to-day tasks, such as finding a place to stay, booking flights, or even finding remote work opportunities from the locality. These apps can also make it easier for people who want to live this type of lifestyle but don’t know where to start.
Some Picks of Useful Apps When You Work Remotely and Travel
- Airbnb: Not to mention, the world’s most known app for finding a host that lets you stay together.
- Couchsurfing: A social networking service that helps connect to local hosts for your accommodation as well as to meet other travelers and digital nomads.
- WorldPackers: An app that helps you find a work exchange opportunity. For example, volunteer work for a hostel in return for free accommodation. (technically it isn’t a free thing though 🙂 )
- Google Flights: A necessary app to search for the cheapest airfare or compare prices between airlines.
- SafetyWing: It’s a Travel & Medical insurance service specifically designed for individual digital nomads or digital nomad teams. They have a huge coverage in their travel-medical plans. That said, you still need to do your own research and find one that fits the best in terms of your budget and particular coverage level.
- EverNote: An useful digital notepad app to help you stay productive on the go. With this app, you can organize all the little things in one place such as every little note and document, photo, file, and all.
- Trello: Many of you would already know it if you regularly work remotely and travel. It’s one of the best task management and co-working apps that makes your life easier.
- Google Drive: Cloud storage comes necessary if your work requires a lot of data to store such as videos, images, and other types of space-consuming files. There are also a dozen of alternatives that are equipped with competitive functionality and reasonable pricing — for example, pCloud Review
- NomadList: Last but not least, this isn’t technically a mobile app, but an online resource on the web created for digital nomads. This site is real terrific and you will love how easily you can look up a comprehensive overview of the destination you travel to, in terms of cost of living, weather, safety, crime rates, internet speeds, and literally all you may need!
Make Sure to Enjoy the Remote Work and Travel Experience
While working remotely and traveling can be a dream come true for many people, there is also the chance that one side of things will start to bleed into the other too much.
For example, it could well be the case that you are simply tethered to your phone all the time and you are not enjoying the amazing parts of the world that you are visiting in their full glory. Ultimately, you want to be creating many amazing memories that will last you for a long time to come, and this is something that you should not forget about for one reason or another.
By using a combination of all of these different tips and tricks, you can help put yourself in a situation in which you are fully enjoying work and travel to their fullest degree. Ultimately, the best overall message to take away from all of this is that you need plenty of planning and foresight to make the most of both.
SWH Editorial Team
SmartWorkersHome.com was born to the world under the slogan:
"Work Anywhere In The World, Remotely".
At the core of our slogan, we tirelessly and wholeheartedly work to make Smart Workers Home a hassle-free place for remote job seekers worldwide to find the right job that they are eager to find.