14 Brilliant Tips on How to Travel While Working Remotely

So you scored a remote job and want to travel while working? Here is everything you need to know to prepare you for a successful trip.

In the past few years, we’ve all seen the trend of remote work transform how workers balance their professional and personal lives. The best thing about remote work is that you can work from anywhere, as long as there’s internet. People everywhere have traded their office cubicles for a beach side hotel room in Hawaii or a ski cabin in Colorado.

Remote work makes it a lot easier to fit travel into your life, but it does take a bit more planning to make it work. This guide includes the best tips for how to plan travel while you work and manage your time so you can enjoy your trip to the fullest!

This post is all about how to travel while working remotely.

HOW TO TRAVEL WHILE WORKING REMOTELY

#1: Adjust your expectations.

Working while you travel will have a lot more limitations than if you were to take the time off. Your biggest constraint is time, so set your expectations appropriately for how much you’ll be able to do while you’re there. Time management will be key to making the most out of your trip!

#2: Don’t over exhaust yourself.

Work and travel both take a lot of energy, so it can be easy to feel burnt out when trying to do both. Make some time for rest and rejuvenation and don’t overbook yourself.

WHERE, WHEN & FOR HOW MUCH

#3: Consider how long you’ll stay there.

Since you need to dedicate a large portion of your time to work, the number of hours you get to explore and experience your destination will be limited. If your budget can support it, consider staying in one place two weeks or more.

A couple of weeks is a perfect amount of time to explore a place when you travel while working. It means you’ll have at least one or two weekends to spend on any daytime activities you might have missed during work hours. Plus, short trips and being on the road all the time can be super stressful!

#4: Evaluate how your destination will impact your experience.

Before you book your tickets, take some time to think about what working and travelling there will be like. Say you live in California but want to work and travel to Bangkok for its amazing food and culture. Sounds great – Thailand is a super affordable location too! But it’s also 15 hours ahead. Does your job care if you work completely different hours? Or are you willing to work through the middle of the night in Bangkok?

Think through all the factors that will impact your experience and decide if working while traveling there is the right approach. Maybe you’ll pivot your destination or choose to take days off while you’re there to make the trip more enjoyable.

#5: Book a stay that is centrally located to things you want to do.

Choosing a neighborhood that is nearby the type of activities and things you want to do is crucial. Since a lot of your weekday hours will be filled with work, you’ll have a limited amount of time to explore. Stay somewhere that is easily accessible to restaurants, landmarks, or bucket list items so you can easily transition from the workday to exploring the city. You can even use your lunch break to grab a quick bite from a close restaurant or listen in on a meeting while walking at your nearby park.

#6: Budget and finance your trip.

Traveling can be expensive, especially if it’s for long periods of time. Evaluate how much you’re comfortable spending and set a budget to stick to early on.

There are tons of ways you can make travel more affordable. Opt to stay in a place equipped with a kitchen so you can cook and save money from eating out. Learn the public transportation system beforehand so you won’t need to call Ubers everywhere.

Post You Might Like: 33 Expert Money Saving Tips to Travel on a Budget

CREATING YOUR WORKSPACE WHEN TRAVELING

#7: Decide what type of space you need to work in.

Figure out what qualities you need in a space to be productive at a minimum. Do you need a quiet space to take calls and meetings? What size table or desk do you need for all your equipment? If you can’t find lodging that can meet these requirements, look for a café, library or coworking space nearby that will.

Coworking spaces are shared workspaces that will usually provide the basic amenities you’ll find in an office such as internet connectivity, printers, and conference rooms. These are a great option anytime you travel while working since they offer you a stable work location. However, do take into account they most cost money to access.

#8: Make sure you have a reliable internet connection.

This one is a no brainer – having reliable internet should be on the top of your priority list. Does your hotel or Airbnb have free and fast Wi-Fi? If not, are you comfortable with working at a coffee shop or coworking space? Or do you have unlimited data on your phone and can use it as a hot spot?

To see if a location has good Wi-Fi, search their reviews or give them a call/email. If you’re thinking of working at a café or coworking space, make sure to check their hours to see if those will work for you. If you’re staying at an Airbnb or any other home rental, consider bringing an ethernet cable so you can directly connect your laptop to the

#9: Pack all the necessary office essentials.

Before leaving, make a list of all the essentials you need for a productive set-up. This could include your laptop, keyboard, mouse, notebooks, pens, etc. If you’re used to using multiple monitors at home, buy a portable monitor! These are life-changing and boost my productivity so much on the go. If you’re traveling internationally, make sure you have the right power adaptor. I recommend grabbing this universal power adaptor from Amazon.

Test your set-up for a day before you go to make sure that you have everything you need. This way, you’ll know what to expect when you get there!

MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME FOR TRAVEL AND WORK

#10: Have a work schedule that you adhere to.

Choosing to travel while working can easily disrupt your work routine. Being in a new place is SUPER exciting and it’s tempting to procrastinate on work. However, pushing work back can add more stress to your plate which is not ideal when you’re traveling. Make sure you’re doing your work in a timely manner so that you can fully disconnect when you’re offline.

So, set a consistent work schedule for yourself. Decide what hours you’re going to work. Discuss this with your team and stakeholders if they’re different from your normal hours. Set expectations and strong boundaries if there are times you won’t be available. Hold yourself accountable for working those hours!

#11: Organize and optimize your work schedule.

Prior to leaving, analyze your current schedule. When and how long are your typical meetings? Are there any meetings you can reduce and handle offline? How much time do you spend on typical tasks each day? Can you automate any?

I recommend clustering meetings in your calendar and creating time blocks for work. Transitioning constantly between meetings and worktime can be mentally exhausting as well as time consuming. For example, I like to take all my 1x1s on the same day and schedule them all in the morning. This way, my mind doesn’t have to shift to get a task done in between conversations and I have uninterrupted time in the afternoon.

Time blocking for meetings vs worktime also allows you flexibility in where you want to work. No meetings in the afternoons? Bring your laptop with you to the lunch spot you’ve been dying to try and work for a few hours there. Need to schedule an early flight? Do work on the plane and move your calls to the afternoon.

If your job has a lot of ad-hoc tasks, you might need to breakup meetings and worktime. You can time block this into shorter intervals. For example, you might take two hours of calls in the morning, have two hours of worktime, then another hour of calls in the afternoon.

Time management is CRUCIAL when it comes to working while traveling, so by optimizing your work schedule you’ll be able to spend more time exploring your destination!

#12: Creating bucket list for your destination, rank them, and get creative with fitting them into your schedule.

Make time to actually do the things you want to do outside of work! Jot down a list of every attraction, restaurant, and activity that piques your interest. Prioritize them accordingly so you know where to focus your time. Research their hours, what days are the busiest, and how long you need to spend at each one.

Then, get creative on fitting these into your schedule! Can you get up early before work to check out a scenic hike? Or finish up some tasks at the beach? Devote your weekends to any excursions that you can’t fit into a workday.

#13: Be mindful of time zones.

So, your destination has a different time zone than what you’re used to. Now what? This might be the hardest thing to tackle when you decide to travel while working.

First, understand what your team’s expectations for when and how you work are. Do they care if you’re online the same time as them? Or can you work whatever hours as long as the work gets done?

A difference in time zones can be used to your advantage in many ways! If your team expects you to work the same hours, get creative on how you’d like to difference in time. For example, say you’re now three hours ahead. Plan fun activities to do in the morning before you start work and vice versa if you were three hours behind.

If the time zone difference is drastic, see if your team would be okay with a few hours of overlap during the workday. If not, decide if you are willing to make those hours work in your destination.

#14: Look for ways to squeeze in work time on the go.

Working during travel time is a fantastic way to free up your calendar without missing out on anything! Instead of scrolling on social media while you’re on the bus, can you start jotting down that project outline you need to finish? Wrap up a few presentation slides when you’re on the plane? Finding ways to work on the go will help you maximize your time and productivity.

This post was all about how to travel while working remotely.