How I became a global remote worker from Vietnam and Mexico
Over 8 years ago I began an experiment of living and working overseas.
I wasn’t the normal sort of digital nomad with a laptop and a loose plan of tripping around the best co-working spaces. Instead, I travelled with my husband and my 4 year old, and 6 month old baby.
What was it like remote working in 2017?
Being a global remote worker was very out of the ordinary back in 2017. Some even thought it was a little crazy! Sure there were expats and business owners who had immigrated to different countries. Or tourist workers. But being completely location independent for more than a few months, yet alone years, was rare.
Why give up my comfortable situation in New Zealand?
My eLearning design consultancy was booming! I was working remotely from my home office and was constantly turning down work due to capacity.
I could see two options.
Either find a way to reduce the demand for my skills, that would at the same time improve our quality of life. Or grow a bigger business, which would mean taking on staff or subcontractors.
As I was late-stage pregnant with our second child, I didn’t want to go down the business growth route. The timing was wrong. I had more important growth to focus on.
Sometimes just knowing the possibility is enough
One night we invited our new friends over for a homemade pizza night. It was a pivotal night.
They told us about Vietnam and how they went there every year for 6 months of the year—trading up the New Zealand winter for a tropical summer in Vietnam.
They shared stories about Vietnam. The family-friendly culture. The delightful Vietnamese people. Tropical climate, lush jungle, and sandy beaches. We were long overdue for an adventure. And this dream sounded possible for us. I could continue working but fewer hours, and my husband could take a sabbatical—a perfect family work-life balance.
I spent the next 6 months planning and researching
Just kidding. What actually happened was one night, after a wine or two, I spotted super cheap flights to Vietnam. And that was that! We were booked to go. Committed. Everything else would sort itself out.
A timeline to check if the experiment worked
We planned to give the experiment 6 months. If it didn’t pan out, we’d return to New Zealand. No big loss. We‘d still have had an adventure.
I said goodbye to one of my closest friends, Jude, and said I’d see her in around 6 months. She laughed saying “more likely five years!”. How well she knows me.
The experiment is still running today, over 8 years later. Except now we’re based in Mexico. Forced to move from Vietnam during the peak of the pandemic and unable to return to New Zealand.
But that’s another story of adventure …
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