Tips for Working While You Travel – 8 Must-Read Tips

Do you want to quit your 9-to-5 job and transition into working remotely while traveling? It’s a fantastic experience exploring the world while working online. You have the freedom and flexibility to work from anywhere and create your perfect work-life balance.

That said, many challenges are unexpectedly thrown at you.

These working while-you travel tips are a must-read as they will save you time and money and reduce stress.

Research The Places To Visit

Before you book any flights or accommodation, research the places you plan to visit and pay particular attention to the weather at the time of the year.

You wouldn’t want to be stuck in Taiwan during the typhoon season or in the Caribbean in the middle of a hurricane.

Travel scams occur in every city worldwide, so it’s essential to complete research on the more common ones. The last thing you want is to be scammed out of your hard-earned money; it happens.

Plan how you’re going to get from the airport to your accommodation.

Having this information on hand will save you from stress on arrival. It would be best to remember that you’re immersing yourself in a new culture, which can come with unexpected challenges.

Internet Backup is Essential

Having a backup should the internet go down in your accommodation or a coffee shop is critical. Purchase an unlocked mobile phone that you can tether to your laptop with a local sim. Another recommended option is purchasing an unlocked MiFi unit. These are the best options for making sure you are connected.

Can you imagine working on a time-sensitive piece of work for a regular client and being unable to meet the deadline because the internet is down?

It’s essential to have both options as a backup because some networks do not allow you to tether to your laptop. Ensure your devices are always fully charged because if there is a power outage, you cannot use them.

Create a Work Schedule Around your Lifestyle

Creating a work routine around your lifestyle is essential to have time to work on activities you enjoy. It will take time to perfect your routine because it’s vital to experiment and see what works the best.

When are you the most productive? For me, it’s early morning or evening, so my work is scheduled around this time of the day.

Having flexibility in your life gives you more time to do the activities you love. Especially when you’re traveling and want to explore the places you live in.

Booking Accommodation Last Minute

Booking accommodation at the last minute if you use a service like Airbnb carries an element of risk. All the best places go quickly, leaving you with new listings with no or few negative reviews.

A good example is my current home in Poznan, Poland. It was booked three weeks before arriving in the city, and the price was low at £235 for the month. The issue was that the listing had no reviews.

Thankfully, the place is perfect. It could have gone completely differently, like the cockroach-infested apartment in Kyiv that was canceled before my arrival.

For hotels, use a site like Agado, Trivago or Booking.com and look for special offers. You might find some good deals, and if you stay in a hotel for a couple of days, it’s not a huge issue if the place is not up to your usual standard.

Booking Flights in Advance

It is rare to find last-minute flights with cheap deals. Use flight comparison search websites like Skyscanner and Hipmunk to find the best prices.

Booking in advance will save money as the prices often increase nearer the departure date. Remember that direct flights are usually more expensive than in-direct, but always compare the two.

Stay Local and Save Money

Rather than live in the city center where all the tourists will be staying, consider finding accommodation on the outskirts.

Select an area with good transport links to the city center or within walking distance. The accommodation you’re staying in will be cheaper. Restaurants and markets will be based on the prices for locals.

While it will not be the experience of ‘living like a local, it’ll give you a look into how they live. In non-English speaking countries, the language will be a barrier outside the city center, but you get by with apps like Google Translate.

Keep Healthy While Traveling

Living an unhealthy life is straightforward when working remotely and traveling. More so because of the fantastic food (especially in SE Asia) and the fact that you’re so focused on working, you often forget to exercise.

Take regular exercise and build it into your routine every day. Think about maybe designating a day where you eat unhealthy food and eat healthy for the rest of the week. If you have pre-existing medical conditions, make sure you have your medication and a note of what you’re taking.

Also, travel and medical insurance are essential to ensure that any expensive medical bills are covered should you be taken ill.

Protect Your Money

Even though you’re in the places to work remotely, you are a tourist, so make sure you’re not ripped off and be wary of crowds of people.

Pickpocketing is rife in all major cities, so keep wallets, money, house keys, and other essential items safely secured.

Ensure you have a debit and credit card as a backup from your main bank card. Banks are becoming very security conscious about protecting their customers. Your account could be frozen if they see any unusual activity.

Should your main card get lost or stolen? You must have other cards so that you are not stranded abroad.

Use an ATM attached or within a bank; if there are any issues, you can get staff to assist you. Use an ATM in a shop or near a tourist attraction; you must go through more hoops to contact your bank card back if you do!

Use your Common Sense

Many examples of working remotely while traveling tips are common sense, but sometimes we need reminding.

No matter the situation, the trick is to take a deep breath, think of the best way out of the problem, and deal with it. Making decisions on your feet in some situations would be best, so do not panic.

Hopefully, these tips for working while you travel will help you become a successful digital nomad.