How To Work And Travel At The Same Time – 5 Essential Things To Know 

Some people think that to travel, you have to have a lot of money. In reality, you don’t. Even though it takes work and courage to start working and travelling on the go. The world has never been so full of opportunities and flexibility with the onset of work-from-home caused by the pandemic. 

Many companies have adopted a flexible working approach, some even offering full-time WFH opportunities.  If you’re thinking of combining work and travel, it’s time to take advantage of this. 

If you’re already used to working from home, then working abroad won’t be that much different. Working while travelling is a great way to gain new skills, learn a new language, boost your confidence, and, of course, experience a new culture. 

If you’re considering taking a year off work to travel, or you’re trailing it out for a couple of months, read on to find out how to work and travel efficiently. 

5 Tips for Work and Travel

Before you set off and live the dream, make sure you’ve read these actionable tips on working and travelling. You can live a life of travel and work, and it’s 100% achievable if you follow a few basic rules.

Pack Everything You Need 

During a remote work vacation, the last thing you want to do is waste time running around town looking for a forgotten mouse or power cord.

Start packing your belongings, including your electronics and paperwork such as TEFL certification, as soon as your last day of work is over. All the details, from computers and chargers to memory sticks and phone adapters, will be front and centre in your mind. 

If you prefer paper to digital, pack a notebook and a planner in case you need to jot down some notes or make some plans while you’re away.

It’s also a good idea to ensure your laptop has the most up-to-date operating system on it and that you have downloaded all the programs and apps you might need – just in case you can’t find a good enough connection once you arrive. Find out how to get started when it comes to ensuring your laptop is in the best health for travelling here. 

Find A Coworking Space 

One of the key things to remember if you are travelling and working is that you’ll need somewhere to actually work. Forget about the pictures you’ve seen online about working at the beach – have you ever tried using a laptop in the sun? it’s nearly impossible to see anything. All it will lead to is sand in your laptop and a sunscreen-covered keyboard. 

Instead, you’ll actually need to find a quiet space with a desk and comfortable chair, a decent internet connection, and an electrical socket. Although cafes and restaurants can be used for this, they’re not ideal, and it’s actually a better idea to find a coworking space instead. 

Even short-term memberships to these kinds of spaces can help you be more productive – meaning you’ll spend less of your travelling time working – and it can also help you meet new people. 

Also, when you join a working community with other people who are travelling and working at the same time, you can share tips, professional skills, job opportunities, and even some great social opportunities.

Create A Good Structure 

When you go to an office to work, all the details are taken care of by your company. You show up at a certain time, sit in a certain place, go to meetings, answer the phone, and leave at the right time. 

As a travelling worker, you are now in charge of this responsibility and your schedule. This is something you should think about before you book your plane tickets.

It can be tempting to want to spend your days out exploring, however, it’s advisable to make a  detailed plan to avoid being too busy. Know where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing during your whole trip. This way, you won’t miss any deadlines, and you won’t have to work the whole time you’re away, which would defeat the purpose of going.

Take a moment and look at your daily task list and make a mental note of where and when you need to be when making your own plan. How long does it take to get from one place to another? How far apart are these locations? Where can your laptop be plugged in? How much sleep do you need to be able to get through the day productively? All of this should be taken into account for you to be able to plan things out in the right way. 

Plus, even though you can’t plan for everything, you should still have a plan B in case something doesn’t go the way you thought it would.

Hold Yourself Accountable 

Whether you’re at home or on the beach, working outside of the office can be distracting. That doesn’t mean you can stop working, though. Your job is to keep working hard for the benefit of your boss, even if that’s just yourself. Even though you’ll be on your own, it’s a good idea to act as if someone is watching you, holding you accountable. 

Another way to stay on track is to invest in some accountability tools. These might include tools for business operating systems and project management, as well as reliable devices. 

Make sure you can keep everything up-to-date and keep track of your progress. And be honest about what deadlines work for you and what don’t. If you always say “yes” to deadlines you know you can’t meet, you’re putting your vacation at risk.

Set Yourself Limits 

If you’re thinking of how to work while travelling and more time for the things you love, this tip is for you. Working remotely when you travel is great because you can set your own hours and don’t have to plan your life around your job, but don’t let that make you too lazy and comfortable.

Even though you can choose when to do your tasks, don’t give yourself too much freedom. This can lead to your working portion of your trip taking much longer than you had anticipated. 

If you’re wondering how to travel and work at the same time, be strict with your time. The best thing to do is finish the job as efficiently as you can (without putting out any poor-quality work, of course). Make work the first task of the day and then settle in to enjoy the beauty of where you are staying. 

Set up a plan for when you will work and how long you will work to make sure you can achieve this. You can also make daily work goals and try to reach them to ensure you don’t fall behind. 

Have A Contingency Fund

It can be quite costly to work remotely when visiting a different city or country, and therefore, it’s smart to have a solid backup plan in case your finances take a turn for the worst (or if you feel like travelling for longer). 

The last thing you want to do when you combine work and travel is delve into your cash stash. If everything is smooth sailing, then ideally you’ll not have to delve into this contingency fund, but it could come in useful if you have an issue with your bank card, reviewing funds or if you’re a freelancer, you hit a quiet spell. It can also be a useful buffer if you want to take more time to be a tourist.

Are You Thinking of Work and Travel?

Now you know some of the key things to bear in mind if you’re thinking of combining work and travel, now check out some of these other long-term travel articles.

• The Best Gadgets for Travellers
• 21 Blogging Resources You Need In Your Life
• 18 Incredible Tips for New Bloggers
• Top Blogging Cameras for Every Niche!
• 70+ Tried & Tested Travel Tips to try now   
• 10 Simple Ways You Can Achieve Stress-Free Travel

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