Traveling And Working – How To Make It Work

It isn’t so far fetched now for millions of people to be enjoying working on the road. From solo-travelers to full families. It is now possible to travel and work. In fact, it has never been easier than it is now. Making it work for you might not be something you have entirely worked out yet, but here are some tips, suggestions, and tricks to help you make your nomadic lifestyle a reality.

Why Do It?

The idea of being in an office working is something that many people find comforting and enjoyable. Others, however, have a yearning to spread their wings and explore the world. Being financially smart about could mean saving a lot of cash before you go. Or perhaps all it takes is you learning how to make money on the road.

Consider the fact that most companies only give a maximum of 28 days of holidays that need to be spread over the year. You can buck the trend and make it 28 days that you are in your home a year instead. Remote working gives you a sense of freedom.

Mindset

Most of us are born and raised into the uniform, 9-5, alarm clocked life. And that is a brilliant life if you enjoy it. So breaking away from that mindset, doesn’t happen overnight. The motivation and discipline is something that you are still going to need in order to get your work done. But the alarm clock might just remain a thing of the past.

There are downsides to working on the road too. So going into it assuming that it will be all sunshine and daisies probably isn’t the best idea. You can lose your equipment, delayed flights, need to work at strange hours, and a lack of WiFi can be a struggle too.

However, the more you do it, the more comfortable you will be with it.

Saying Goodbye

When you have to say goodbye to your current working situation, the trepidation is likely to kick in. Leaving a secure paycheck for freelance working can be exciting and daunting when you simply work from home. Travelling brings a more significant element to it. Something that you should consider doing ahead of time is building up your freelance network and client list.

The better your network, the less likely it is that you will struggle for work. And, when you aren’t tied into a contract, you are free to work with whoever you like and make money in a variety of different ways.

Remote Working or Travel Job

These aren’t the same thing. Travel jobs are typically jobs that are linked to the place you are staying for a while. For example, you are in Thailand for a while you can start working on a farm, or teaching English there. Remote working is linked only to you. As you can open a laptop in Belgium, New York, or Iceland, and your work is available. You can combine the two if you want to stay in one location for a while. In general, though, we are talking about remote working.

Equipment

There are a few things that you are going to need to be able to work remotely. Assuming that you do one of the more typical remote jobs:

• A laptop – something light and in good condition
• HDD – the back up in case anything should go wrong
• Tablet – option extra but useful for making notes, watching movies and more while you’re on the road and don’t want to get your main laptop out
• Mobile phone – You might choose to have one for work and one for personal. Whichever you choose, consider a network like SMARTY to keep your costs low while you’re on the road.
• Camera – If you are traveling, it would be a travesty not to collect images from your journey. Also, you can build an online portfolio or social media following
• Sturdy hand luggage bag
• Reuseable coffee cups and water bottle
• Charging block and cables for your phone and laptop
• Headphones – so you can block out local noise and get your work done
• Thumb drive – extra back up, and storage if you need it
• Travel plugs
• Pocketalk Translator – super fast translation into 74 different languages

Travel

There is a very slim chance that you will be jetting from location to location in the space of a few days. It is more likely you stay somewhere for a number of weeks, and then move on. So you will need to scout out somewhere to work. Local coffee shops, co-working spaces, and the corner of your apartment or room will all work fine. Just remember to check the WiFi before turning up with your laptop if you have deadlines to get work delivered.

Co-Working Space

While in the effort to break free form the traditional working style is your ideal scenario, you might find the lack of people around you or having no colleagues can be rather lonely from time to time. Co-working spaces are great for arranging meetings or being around people who are also working. There is usually a monthly fee, but many also have the option of using the space for a day here and there for a slightly increased price.

You will often find there are a number of digital nomads using the space too, which means you can build up your global network as you travel.

Remote Working Options

There are numerous options now for people who want to earn money while traveling the globe. And the best thing is you can mix and match over time. Your skills will develop to such a point you can take a range of different projects and clients. Here are some great options for you to consider and start laying the groundwork for.

Content/Copywriter – If you have knowledge in any area, you can leverage that for higher paid work. If you don’t, you can still create a lucrative career from writing copy. There are a number of places you can advertise your skills, as well as pitching for work that you find online. You can quickly write great pieces and stick to strict deadlines too. You’ll need to use a couple of tools like Grammarly and Copyscape to make sure your work is of a high standard, and completely unique. Everyone needs content, and once you have a regular client, you will have constant work.

Teaching English – Or your native language. You can create a space online and teach language via skype. You’ll have booked appointments with regular clients. If you know more than one language, you can offer translation services to clients too.

Social Media Management – if you are a dab hand at creating quick and effective content, then your social media skills can be of use to many different companies. You’ll need more than just a basic understanding of the social media platforms and how to reach the right audience while adhering to the brand’s guidelines.

Webdesign – Website building starts off as a hobby for many people, but over time you can get really good. That experience and skill can be used to help businesses set up their websites or for you to be able to redesign theirs. High-quality and intricate jobs that require more coding and time will be higher paid.

Virtual Assistant – Bloggers, influencers, and other freelancers often hire virtual assistants to help them manage their workload and clients. You’ll be handling everything from research and data tasks to booking travel and organizing meetings for your clients. It is a varied role but very rewarding. Often these will be long term contracts, and you will use and learn a wide range of skills too. Clients might require an hour or so, to a few days of work. Incredibly flexible.

Travel Writer – while you might start off with your own blog or travel website, you may find that you can get paid offers to write content, review hotels and restaurants, and more. This is, of course, the ideal scenario. You’ll need to pitch to travel magazines and websites to start the ball rolling, but once you have a list of places you are going, you can provide great insightful articles. If you use your own blog, you can include affiliate links, host sponsored content, and sell eBook travel guides to create some passive income too.

When you decide to see as much of the world as possible and make an income when you do it. You need to have a rough plan before you start. Saving some of your income from your current position is a great start. Working on a supplementary income for a while until it is 50-75% of your income, or covers what you need in terms of flights, insurances, and accommodations will help too. One of the most important things to think about is ideally how much time a day or a week you want to dedicate to working and how much to explore.

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”

– Anthony Bourdain

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