The internet age has opened up many opportunities that were not available before. One of these opportunities is being able to work remotely while traveling.
Before the internet, working while traveling meant getting bar work or teaching English as a foreign language in a local school. Now, there are so many jobs you can do directly from your laptop while being based anywhere in the world. If you want to travel but do not have enough savings to explore the world for a few months or years, working remotely is the answer.
However, do not start traveling before you have secured reliable remote work. It can take time to find a remote job that is willing to employ a transient individual, so you need to focus on getting regular work before you begin your travels. The last thing you want is to find you ran out of money two months into your journey because the remote work has dried up. To get a better idea of the remote work you can do while traveling, continue reading the sections below.
There are plenty of things you need to think about before traveling and working remotely. The most important factor is making sure you have internet access. If you arrive in a country where internet reception is poor, you may find yourself without a connection, which means you will not be able to work. If you have regular work for a specific client or company, you do not want to find you cannot deliver the work you promised due to internet problems. You will also need to make sure your billing for internet use is done online, and that the payments you receive from clients are paid digitally. Other factors to think about when traveling and working remotely include:
If you have regular work that needs to be completed by specified deadlines, you should consider staying put for a few weeks. That way, you will be able to get into a work routine a lot easier and gain a balance between work and sightseeing. Moving about every other day can be disruptive to your work and you may not be able to settle down long enough to get any real work done. In addition, trying to work on buses and trains can be hugely distracting and internet connections can often be unreliable in transit.
Different countries have different adaptors, so be prepared with the correct adaptor in order to ensure that you can charge all of your work equipment. The last thing you want is to find you cannot work because you do not have enough battery life on your laptop and you cannot buy an adaptor locally.
You need to find lodgings that have Wi-Fi, or lodgings with internet connections nearby, such as a local coffee shop, or else you will be unable to do any of your work.
Not only do you need an internet connection, you also need to work in a suitable environment. Having your own space can be crucial to being able to focus on your work. If you are staying in a shared room in a hostel, it may be very difficult to concentrate for extended periods of time.
Any job that can be done online is a remote job. These jobs can be done from any place in the world, so there are a wide variety of jobs available for those looking to travel. Some jobs, such as website developers, require special skills, but there are others, like data entry, that require no previous experience. Therefore, think carefully about the types of jobs you are able to do. Here are some of the most popular remote jobs you can do when traveling:
You may find some companies you can work for regularly for the jobs listed above, but most of the jobs listed will be freelance, which means you have to build your career yourself. That is why it is important to spend time building your client list and getting regular work before you travel. However, there are also plenty of companies that have positions for remote workers. By working directly for a specific company, you can obtain a steady salary, making this the best option if you want regular work while you travel. Here are some careers that may be able to provide you with the most consistent work:
