Remote Work, Digital Nomads, and Full-time Freelancing are all becoming more and more common every single day. This hypothetical of working whilst travelling and not being locked to a desk is amazing – who doesn’t dream of freedom, new experiences, and seeing the world without giving up a salary?
The reality, however, is that being able to work productively while travelling is a much steeper learning curve than most imagine. Whether you are a digital nomad travelling full-time or taking advantage of a job’s remote work policies to take a week-long trip, adjusting to constant change and unpredictable working conditions can be rough.
This is my guide to not only getting meaningful work done from the road but also finding ways to make the most of your surroundings – wherever that may be! From establishing a schedule to finding inspiring workspaces, let’s dive into 10 invaluable tips that will help you strike the perfect balance between work and wanderlust.
10 Steps to Working and Travelling Simultaneously:
- Find a Routine: If everything around you is constantly changing, the best thing you can do for your work is stick to a schedule. This doesn’t necessarily mean a daily routine that never changes, but a larger way of doing things that work for you no matter what, e.g. your regular work hours/days and meeting/comms availability. It can also be helpful to group similar tasks and block set time to complete like using the first hour of each day to respond to emails and three hours every afternoon for high-focus activities like writing.
- Plan Ahead: Look at your incoming schedule and try to always be at least one week ahead in terms of your plan. This includes knowing the workload, the work base, and having all meetings locked in. This might sound constricting, however, planning ahead will limit any potential disasters whilst opening up your downtime for adventure. Planning ahead also allows you to be a better communicator to clients or colleagues as you can let them in advance the best times to reach you and when you’re going to be unavailable.
- Take Time Off (and use an OOO): Speaking of unavailable, make sure to actually take time to enjoy where you are! When working remotely it can become all too easy to get stuck to your computer with the lie of ‘10 more minutes’. If you don’t give yourself the chance to enjoy your destination then there is no point in going in the first place. By scheduling time off to explore and have adventures, you’rcommittingto yourself to make the most of your time away. Make sure to set up an Out of Office email forward and mark your Slack as unavailable so that your clients and colleagues aren’t left wondering where you are, and to stop you from getting accidentally drawn back into working on your days off!
- Cafe Hop: One of the joys of working remotely is getting to find new and unique remote work locations around each new destination. Working from different cafes can be an amazing way to not only get things done but also get to know a city from a whole new perspective. Try and explore coffee shops and co-work spaces in different areas and, when possible, look for spots that are more unique than just another Starbucks. Make sure to read my guide on How to Work From a Coffee Shop (and actually be productive).
- Check for WiFi: In today’s Western world, it can be easy to take WiFi for granted – it’s so rare to find a place without it that we often don’t even think to check ahead. When travelling abroad or in more rural areas, the situation might not be the same. Get into the habit of double-checking any hotel, hostel, or coffee shop ahead of time to avoid a disaster on the day that could cause you to miss deadlines, meetings, or important emails. Even co-work spaces can have spotty WiFi on arrival, so try to read up on reviews before arriving to know exactly what to expect.
- Have Offline Work Options: I am all for using the Cloud as a remote worker. Having all your important documents on one laptop is a huge no-no when travelling because as organised and safe as you try to be, the unexpected can always happen. That being said, make sure to have downloaded certain documents/apps/research so that if you do find yourself without WiFi for a day or two, you can still be working!
- Invest in your Remote Office: Really, the ‘office’ is wherever you are working. That might be from a cafe, a hotel room, or the back of a car, and it is probably changing every few days. To set yourself up for success, make sure to invest in the things you can control: your tools, technology, and setup. That might mean buying an iPad to use as an additional screen, noise-cancelling headphones to block out distractions, or project management tools that make your life that much easier.
- Limit Meeting Days: This tip was life-changing for me whilst travelling and working. Choose 2-3 days of the week and limit all your meetings to be on those days. This means you will always have more flexibility on the no-meeting days and can use them to better focus on larger tasks, or change up the hours to accommodate for adventure. I find it easier to use Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as Monday/Friday might be the weekend for clients or colleagues in different time zones.
- Build a Community: Something very few people talk about is how lonely it can be to work and travel full-time. If you’re on a solo trip, often the time that would be spent socialising and making friends is limited by work hours and commitments. Finding a community of like-minded people can be the difference between a good and a great trip. Push yourself to socialise during off hours or days, join Facebook groups for digital nomads in your area, and keep an eye out for events that might work as an opportunity to hear the stories of other remote workers.
- Embrace Spontaneity: The reality of working and travelling at the same time is that things are going to go wrong. You’ll miss a flight, have spotty WiFi, break your phone, or hate your new city… And that’s okay! This is your trip, if you want or need to change your plans at the last moment, do it! You deserve to have the trip you’ve been dreaming of and spontaneity is going to be a part of that. The same can also be said of the positive unexpected like meeting an amazing group of people and pivoting to travel with them for a few weeks, or loving a particular location and deciding to stay an extra week. Do what works for you and the productive work will follow.
I’m currently writing from Tokyo, Japan (read my guide on the best Tokyo Cafes for Remote Workers) and am happy to say this city wonderfully suits my needs for community, co-work spaces, and adventure.
But not every destination is the same when it comes to working remotely.
What are some of your favourite destinations for remote workers? Leave them in the comments below!
Like this? Read Related Posts:
Five Ultimate Work-Friendly Cafes in Hanoi’s West Lake
The five best remote work spots and coffee shops in Hanoi’s West Lake Area.
How to Deal With Post-Trip Blues
10 Tips on overcoming post-travel depression and going back to reality.
Why You Should Be A Digital Nomad in Tokyo
Your guide to the advantages and disadvantages of life in Tokyo as a Digital Nomad including visas, neighbourhoods, and the top ten Tokyo activities.
Gone Travelling Productions 
Leave a comment