When you’re a person who travels around the world and works at the same time, you’re what’s known as a digital nomad. It’s a trend that’s on the rise pretty rapidly, with people preferring the freedom such a life gives them, as well as the opportunities to learn things about a new culture.Four recommendations on things that you should keep in mind if you Work While Traveling abroad.This is a short guide of work while traveling
But things aren’t all that simple, unfortunately. There are things that you should be careful about, that could significantly impact your success as a digital nomad. Therefore, below you will find a few tips that could help you if you are one. And we aren’t talking about getting Japanese lessons if going to Japan, but instead, we’ll talk about things that are a lot more important and not that obvious.
Be Prepared to Work Hard for work while traveling
This is the first thing that digital nomads tend to underestimate. When they start off, they do so with the belief that they could manage to keep things afloat with a blog, a bit of bartending under the table and saving. And while yes, this is absolutely possible and a lot of people have done it, this isn’t the way to go if you’re looking to turn this into a career. Just like with any career, it does require hard work.
When you’re starting off, you’ll need to put in a lot of hours. Maybe more than you worked at your day-to-day job initially, but that’s just something you’ll get used to. This may last a year, or it may last five, depending on how things turn out. But in any case, be well prepared to work hard.
It’s Not About Balance, But About Integration
The goal of being a digital nomad isn’t to create the perfect balance between work and life. It’s actually about integrating them both, and being able to create a rhythm that’s going to allow you to both, work and enjoy life, but on your own term.
Sure, you will get people that will point out that your life is merely a big vacation. You’re just moving from one place to another, enjoying beaches and museums, and always looking for that next big adventure. And while some of that is certainly true, and you do enjoy life quite a bit, there is actually quite a lot of work in there, too.
Make the Most Out of Your Schedule for work while traveling
Even though living as a digital nomad does have its downsides, there’s no denying that this is absolutely the most flexible way to live. When you minimize the location-based liabilities and learn to travel with as little as possible, you actually realize that you can work and live just about anywhere.
What this allows you is to make the most out of your schedule, and use the hours that are most productive for you. For example, many people prefer working in the morning, from six in the morning, until noon. Your performance as a digital nomad isn’t measured by how many hours you log, but instead, by how efficiently you get the job done. If you do that in fifty hours of a week, that’s okay. But if you do it in fifteen, you just got yourself a bit of downtime.
This gives you immense freedom to do whatever you want. You can spend time with friends and family if you need to. You can disappear for a run, or you can leave for a week if you need to clear your head. You can do things on your own schedule, and on your own terms. Oh, and you also get to work in your PJs.
Get Ready for Logistical Nightmares
Even if you thought that things might be simple, there are a lot of logistical things you might be ready for. You thought you would work on a beach in Spain? Well, it’s raining, and you’re stuck inside your apartment. Maybe you want to go to a café instead, but the Wi-Fi is a disaster there. Oh, and lest we forget, you’ll realize that it’s a nightmare to organize a conference call when you have a 10-hour time zone difference with others.
You’ll need to set up your office gear, and tear it down quite often, and carrying it around is something you’ll need to be very careful about. And if you add a partner, as well as kids, to the mix, and you realize that the chaos being exponential is an understatement.
Is It Worth work while traveling?
This is something that many digital nomads ask themselves, especially during the first couple of months. But when you adjust to it, and when you learn the ins and outs, the life of a digital nomad is one that you can’t replace with anything else.
