Summer is here, and many of you will be setting off to far-flung places around the globe as you look to recharge your batteries and forget about work for a while. However, some of you will be lucky enough to have jobs where you can travel as you work, coding by day and experiencing a new city each night (or the other way around).
Who Exactly Counts as a Digital Nomad
Being a digital nomad or remote worker is becoming more and more familiar with ubiquitous WiFi access and understanding management allowing those who don’t need to be in an office to work from wherever they want.
It sounds like a dream, but those who do it will tell you that working while you travel presents its challenges besides the obvious rewards.
Here are four pieces of advice to turn your digitally nomadic life into success.
Take the Tech You’ll Need
Makes sense right? You’ll struggle to last long as a digital nomad without the right tech. You’ll need a decent laptop and a phone (you might have to ditch the second and third screen we’re afraid), but also don’t underestimate the value of a good set of headphones for blocking out background noise. Also, consider spare battery packs, plug adapters, and wireless keyboards to make sure you’re primed to work wherever you find yourself.
Do Your Research and Book Smart
When it comes to booking accommodation and transport, it pays to book smart. Do your research beforehand: Will there be stable WiFi? Are there plenty of plugs? Is there a quiet place for you to work? It’s worth sometimes paying a bit more for a different train or a better room if it’s going to aid your productivity.
You don’t want to waste an hour trying to connect to dodgy networks, not only are you getting behind on work, but you’re also using up time you could be using to explore your new surroundings.
Keep an Eye on the Actual Time
If you’re traveling outside Europe, you’ll have to get your head around potentially confusing time differences. You might be online when the rest of your team are still in bed, and vice versa.
Get organized with the time differences and plan your day accordingly. For example, make sure any calls and meeting are scheduled for times when you’re all awake and online and take advantage of the times when you’re the only one up to get some serious work done.
Remember that Instagram isn’t Reality
As we alluded to at the start of this article, a remote job sounds like a dream set up but can be very challenging. Pay no attention to glamorous, over-edited photos on Instagram of people working at the beach or from some Tokyo penthouse (to be honest, pay no attention to any of the nonsense on Instagram).
Traveling and working involves a lot of time and effort planning and researching hotels and flights, not to mention the crappy WiFi signal, delays, miscommunications with your colleagues and so on. Lower your expectations a little bit and accept that it may take a while to adjust to this lifestyle. If you want to learn more about what it takes being always on the move, Nomadlist is an excellent source of info for anyone looking to work while on the move.
