How to Work Remotely And Travel: Top Tips
Swapoffi
10 Mar
It's never been easier to work as you travel! Whether you're a full-time digital nomad or a hybrid remote worker, you can work remotely and travel today like never before. So, dive into the “why” and the “how” of remote work and travelling. Make sure to read to the end as we’ll share a way to get free accommodations while you’re working remotely!
What are the factors facilitating how to work remotely and travel?
While Airbnb offers numerous benefits to both hosts and guests, it also has several disadvantages that users should consider, many of which have become the reason travellers are searching for other sites like Airbnb:
- Technology as an enabler
- Remote work is the norm
- Work from Anywhere
- Remote work-friendly employers
- Globalisation
- Knowledge workers
In the old days, people used to go to work, to factories and offices. Now – at least for knowledge workers - work flows to people. So as long as you are connected - to your employer, your colleagues, or your clients, you can work from anywhere! Pack your laptop and charger. Check for Wi-Fi connectivity and robustness in the locations you want to travel to and in the accommodation you want to live in and work from. Go!
Pre COVID, working from home was a luxury only available to very few people. The way we were all forced to live and work during COVID proved that we are capable of remote work, without the need to go into the office. Several studies since have proven that productivity does not have to suffer when people work remotely, depending on the employer approach.
The ability to work from anywhere means that many of us can work as we travel. This is a new way of life that previous generations did not have the opportunity to access. It used to be “work from home”, now it’s ”work from anywhere”.
An increasing number of employers offer remote work in one form or another to cater for the demands of employees who want to work while travelling. Employers now understand that remote work of high value benefits to attract and to retain employees. If employers do not offer the ability to work remotely, they might lose employees.
The world has never been more connected, thanks to social media, Wi-Fi and mobile phones. Low fare airlines mean that it's never been cheaper to cross the globe, making travelling while working remotely more affordable than ever.
People who work in IT, marketing, e-commerce, project management, finance and similar ‘knowledge occupations’ are referred to as knowledge workers. It usually means they are location independent. unlike other workers who must go to a specific place of work, such as a factory, hotel, restaurant or shop.
Top Tips For How to Work Remotely and Travel
The main factors that determine how you can work remotely and travel include the type of work you do, what your boss says (perhaps you are your own boss?), your IT equipment, your budget for accommodation and travelling, the type of work environment you need to do your best work, and finally very importantly visas for the destinations you would like to travel to.
- Find a Remote-Friendly Employer
- Digital nomad visas
If your current employer does not allow remote work in any form, change jobs! An increasing number of employers offer remote and hybrid work arrangements: “Hybrid is no longer just an employee perk but an employee expectation” say Gartner.
Many of those who travel and work remotely are self-employed.
Estonia became the first country in the world to issue a digital nomad visa in 2020. Today, over 50 countries-and increasing all the time-have issued digital nomad visas, removing the headache of visas when travelling while working remotely.
Having a digital nomad visa means you continue to pay your taxes in your home country whilst you travel and work remotely in another country. Nice eh?
Why have so many countries issued digital nomad visas for remote workers?
Smart economies recognise that digital nomads bring a lot of benefits to the countries where they work while travelling. It’s not just their spending money, though. An intangible benefit of attracting digital nomads into a country for a temporary period of time is that they bring stimulation to the local economy. Francesco of Digital Nomads Italy says “DNs are usually open and interesting people with a positive attitude. I think it’s great if they can integrate with communities which are too closed or have not had exposure to international people”.
So if barriers represented by visas have been stopping you from planning how to work remotely and travel, check out the latest digital nomad visas to see where you can work and travel without any bureaucracy thanks to digital nomad visas.
- Budget
- Weather
- Cost of living
- Do your Best Work in a Home Office
OK so now you've got your digital nomad visa (or you're travelling somewhere where you don't need a visa, or, you are already entitled to work and live there).
Next you've got to look at your budget. It's really important to determine your budget as that usually decides how long you can work and travel for.
Sites like NomadList help you understand the average cost of accommodation in most areas by type of accommodation, including Airbnb, hostels, private rentals and hotels.
Later on we'll share with you the best tip of all for free accommodation for remote workers (hint: Swapoffi home and home office swap community where accommodation is free!)
It's no secret that good weather is an attraction for all travellers and that applies to people who work remotely as they travel too. You need to take into account locations that are in high demand with all travellers in peak season and school holidays. You also need to take into account locations that are popular year round with other remote workers, due to good weather, such as Asia and Spain.
To have the best travel and remote work experience possible, try and do as much planning before you go. We don't mean day-to-day planning because you may lose out on amazing experiences if you cannot be spontaneous when travelling.
However, you don't want to spend sunny days during your free time searching for accommodation or destinations that are already full up due to seasonality and good weather.
Cost of living, after the weather, is the next most important factor for people who work and travel. Many people who work and travel do so for months, not just weeks. So, cost of living is the biggest determinant of how many months you can have this dream lifestyle.
Most remote workers already know that cities like London, New York and Tokyo will be too expensive to consider working remotely while travelling for any length of time. Most of us already know about digital nomad hubs, such as Chiang Mai in Thailand, or the upcoming Bansko in Bulgaria.
We already talked about how living in a connected world with technology as an enabler allows us all to live this dream life of working and living remotely. Unfortunately that also means everybody can access up to date information about sunny destinations with the low cost of living.
So you need to plan particularly with regard to your accommodation to get ahead of the crowd.
We have all seen the instagram pics of those living the dream life of working remotely and travelling. You know the ones - gorgeous people with laptops sitting on beaches and balconies, lying on a bed and even sitting on the edge of a yacht with dangling legs! We know better. If you want to work productively, you need a fit for purpose workspace, not a kitchen table or bodyboard doubling up as a desk!
Advantages of Travelling and Working Remotely
Where do we start with all the advantages of travelling and working remotely? To live a dream life? To live like a local? To explore amazing new places? To try new food? To learn a new language? To see the seven wonders of the world? To meet new people? To live your best life? To die with no regrets?
You probably wouldn't be reading this blog post if you weren't already sold on the advantages of travelling whilst working remotely!
Accommodation With Good Internet and a Workspace
If you work remotely while travelling, you need to consider what type of accommodation suits your living and working needs best? Of course, budget is also the key consideration for considering how you will work remotely and travel. Let's look at some options.
- Swap your home and Home Office with other remote workers
- Co-Working Spaces
Home swapping has been around since the 1950s with its origins in providing homes with bedrooms for families to save money on their annual vacation. Since June 2023, there is now home swapping for people who travel and work remotely! Check out Swapoffi, the first home swap community for remote workers and digital nomads where all homes come with at least one workspace, plus wifi. Swapoffi eliminates the top three concerns for people who travel while working remotely: the cost of accommodation, a workspace, and reliable Wi-Fi.
Another option for finding accommodation with good internet and a workspace when you work while travelling are co-working spaces. Co-working spaces can be found in many locations all over the world, particularly in known digital nomad hubs. Unlike home swapping, they are not free. Usually you pay by day, week or month to work at a desk and to use all their facilities including meeting rooms. Don’t forget the social benefits of co-working spaces too! They often facilitate business networking as well as social get-togethers.
If budget, whilst travelling and working, isn’t a concern for you, co-working might be for you. Those new to travel, or those new to working whilst travelling, are best suited to co-working spaces because they're also a great place to meet people, as well as work.
Experienced people who travel and work remotely are usually adept and confident about where and how to meet people as they travel, and so don't need to pay for a coworking space solely for this reason. Experienced remote workers often prefer to put the cost of a co-working space to their accommodation budget, so they can stay in a nicer home.
Our opinion
Home swapping with Swapoffi is the clear winner here simply because accommodation is completely free! You also have peace of mind knowing your home will contain a workspace and Wi-Fi (as they are conditions of being able to join Swapoffi).
Book a co-working space for one day a week if you want to get out of the house to meet new people, host meetings or join in social events. This way, you get the best of both worlds: more money in your pocket to travel and work remotely for longer as you're not paying for accommodation; do your best work efficiently and productively because you're working from a fit-for-purpose workspace, plus you get access to a coworking space with other workers.
Navigating time zones and schedules
It is quite accepted now in any work situation that you could be talking to somebody who is on the other side of the world. You don't need to be in the same room anymore to get work done. It doesn't have to be difficult either to gel schedules or to find mutually convenient meeting times. Technology is your friend here. Calendly – and others like it- allow you to only list dates and times when you're available for meetings. Simply share your Calendly with others anywhere in the world, and let them find a space in your schedule that's convenient for them. No more to-ing and fro-ing with multiple emails to find mutually convenient meaning dates and times. Easy peasy!
Conclusion
Today's workers, in particular knowledge workers, digital nomads, and the self-employed, have the most amazing work and travel opportunities available to them of any previous generation.
In this blog post, we have demonstrated how you can travel with free accommodation, a free workspace and free Wi-Fi through Swapoffi, the world's first home swap community for remote workers and digital nomads. With a home swap community, you can only choose from the pool of homes and destinations available, but you’re bound to find one that’s perfect for you!
You can travel more when you don’t pay for accommodation, so join Swapoffi today while it's still free to join. It won't always be!
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