“Do you have wifi?”
or, 10 tips to combine your work life and travel life
Let’s be real: I’m the kind of person who loves to work from an office, surrounded by my co-workers and in a work environment. Travel and work have always been completely separate entities for me, until now. At Dynamo we have an incredibly open attitude to remote-working, which is something that many of us take advantage of. I’ve just recently returned from my first extended travel and remote-work trip and thought I would share some advice for those curious on how to marry the worlds of budget travelling and working full time.
1. Make sure your job is conducive to remote working
This may seem obvious, but it’s important to start with the right job. Make sure that your company is the kind of place that is supportive of remote workers and that you won’t face any blockers from your peers or management when it comes to successfully completing whatever it is that you are doing.
Knowing that my fellow employees don’t mind hopping on a Hangout or Slack call to have a meeting is really important and can be a key factor for remoters in the success of not working in-office
2. Practice makes perfect
I had never really spent that much time working remotely before and, being overly cautious, I wanted to make sure that I had the work habits and my own expectations in place to make my trip successful.
To test it out, I added an extra week to my visits back home (Calgary) over the holidays. Seeing if I could work productively in a comfortable and familiar setting was the best way for me to see how I would adapt to working in a different location and time zone than the majority of my team.
3. Choose somewhere where your money will go far
I have always sought out travel destinations with a low cost of living — a place that is notoriously cheaper than where you live means it’s easier for you to extend the amount of time you spend there. With the Canadian dollar struggling lately, I chose Nicaragua to explore for a few weeks and then settle down in my favourite places for the last few weeks and work. Flights were cheap, transportation within the country averages $1/hour and the country is small enough that to get around from city to city isn’t a huge pain. Local comedors sell huge meals for less than $2.50 and private rooms in hostels and hospedajes range from $20–35 depending on where you are. More importantly, an ice cold beer is $1 and a bottle of the local rum, award winning Flor de Cana, will run you $5.
4. Do your research
Be deliberate in your location choice and do a little research before you get there. Make sure you that you’ll be able to access everything you’ll need wherever you go, including wifi, power, where you want to be (beach, city, remote, nature, etc.).
Vacationing first allowed me to explore the country and test out the places I liked best, figuring out internet and other services I would need. Knowing that certain parts of the country were very undeveloped and had little to no internet access, I knew that I needed to avoid those areas when it was time for me to work. I then made it a priority to see them during the vacation part of my trip, without stressing about lack of connectivity.
5. Have a plan…ish
As someone who generally avoids planning out the day-to-day details of a trip, knowing (even vaguely) where you will be working from is a really big help in getting you prepared. Settling into a place for a week or more worked the best for me. Constantly moving means readjusting to new things and can be disruptive to your work flow. I was able to settle down, immerse myself in a location, make friends and build a routine.
Think about what you want to achieve aside from working in your new location. My priority was finding somewhere where I could spend my days waking up, surfing, working, surfing again and then maybe working a little more. In the end I spent eight days in the tiny village of Playa Gigante, a new place I hadn’t been during “vacation time”, and the last two weeks back in San Juan del Sur.
6. Time zones help
It’s my nightmare to get somewhere amazing but get stuck at my computer the whole day because of my commitments with work, meetings and deadlines. Being somewhere that was two hours behind the office, I decided to start early in the morning in order to keep similar office hours as the rest of my co-workers. Early mornings meant early endings, allowing me the flexibility to go out and explore in the afternoon.
Being remote means setting your own productive pace since you’re not surrounded by other people and their routines. For me, that meant I worked for longer continuous blocks of time and then let myself off the hook in the afternoons to surf and enjoy my surroundings. I allowed myself to be available to my co-workers for most of my day, but didn’t let it stop me from experiencing wherever I was.
7. Separation is important
This may seem a little obvious but I think it’s really important. Even though I was carrying around my computer everywhere, I made sure to really enjoy and disconnect during the vacation part of my trip. When it came to the working portion, I was ready and adjusted to my surroundings and knew what to expect.
While I found it essential to not combine my vacation days and work days, maybe this is something you and your job would be more open to. You should just do what feels best for you! It’s all about finding the balance where you’re productive and happy with your work but also happy with where you are. The “daily grind” takes on a new meaning when your Mondays never really feel like Mondays.
8. Trade your skills!
If you’ve ever spent any time backpacking and travelling through typical traveller’s routes, you’ll be familiar with all the long-term travellers who bunk down in one place to save money, volunteering their time at a hostel or bar in return for meals, a bed and maybe even a little cash. You can do this too! Bartering is a huge part of our economy and can be a really great money saver and allow you to stay working remotely for longer periods of time.
In my case, I was able to trade a couple t-shirt designs and some social media savvy with one hostel for a few free nights. In another instance, I set up a sort of “residence” beforehand with a hostel volunteering my skills as a photographer in exchange for a week in a room. Don’t undervalue your skills or work but do recognize the value that a little on-the-side work can bring to your trip!
9. Don’t underestimate the Hostel
Hostels don’t always have to mean crowded, dirty dorms with nine roommates and a shared bathroom. The biggest difference with a remote working trip was still getting paid while being away, which afforded me the flexibility to stay in places that were more conducive to good working habits. To me this meant private rooms in hostels. Being able to spread out my things in a private space and not have to worry about all the expensive equipment I was carrying created a priceless peace of mind.
As I confessed above, I work best surrounded by people (whether they are working or not). The energy is something I enjoy which is why hostels or guesthouses are still my favourite and recommended places to stay but you should figure out what kinds of places will work best for you. Websites like Hostelworld, Hostel Bookers, Agoda and Airbnb can help you find affordable places to stay and the reviews will help you gauge what location will be the best fit for your needs. The best part? If you ever get tired of the communal spaces, you’re able to retreat to your private space or head out to a totally different place.
10. Solo or not, you can make it work
Remote working isn’t really mainstream so finding other people in your life that will be able to take the same amount of time off from work can be a challenge. Don’t let that stop you! If you’ve never travelled alone before, the routine of working every day will help get you out and about in a new place while still feeling comfortable with the familiarity of your job. I’ve also found that always being the first one awake and working at a hostel can be a great conversation starter and a surprising networking opportunity.
If you still don’t think you’re up for travelling solo, there are a lot of resources out there to help you get out including Remote Year, Wifi Tribe, Co-Work Paradise, and Hacker Paradise. If you want to figure out your own thing, here are some other helpful links for you to find friends, a place to work and other trip logistics: Nomad House, Roam, Nomad Trips, Digital Nomads Around the World and Hashtag Nomads.
