A step-by-step guide to working from anywhere in the world
If someone asked you what your ideal way to work would be, you’d probably answer along the lines of, “a job where I can work flexibly and see the world, outside of my twenty to thirty days of annual leave”, right? Then you’d pack your bags, hop on a plane, and spend the entire journey fretting over how you’re going to manage dialling into your 3pm Zoom call when it’s midnight in Japan. Suddenly, working abroad seems a little more complex than you first envisaged. This guide to perfecting your work-travel balance will help you to inject more trips into your year, so that your travel plans aren’t defined by annual leave!
1. Be Realistic
The first thing you need to do is be completely transparent with yourself. Is your job one which needs in-person face time? If you need to be ‘on the ground’ in your job, you will face quite large barriers to working abroad. But don’t rule it out! Are there any ways that you can compact the days that you need to be present into one half of the week? Is there a project that benefits your company, which could sway your bosses to allow research in another country? Otherwise, the best jobs for working abroad are those that allow you to be mobile, with little in-person interaction.
2. Money, Money, Money!
Working whilst abroad, as much as it is a different setting, is not a holiday! In order to make remote-working in another country work consistently, be frugal! Do you need a resort with three pools and a grove of palm trees? Probably not. It would be nice if there was a tennis court and a state of the art coffee machine, but is it necessary? Not really. When you are looking for accommodation, be realistic. You may not be able to have it all, and also pay your rent/mortgage at the same time. Expect to cook as normal, eating out from time to time, and check if your accommodation has clothes washing facilities. Cleanliness and accessibility is the main criteria.
3. Strong Wi-Fi
This is an overlooked factor, as we can often just assume that Wi-Fi is reliable everywhere. You’re going to need a very clear and reliable internet connection to join all of those calls in your calendar! Check reviews of your hotel or apartment to ensure that you will not be caught off-guard with a very unflattering screen freeze in the middle of meetings with your colleagues. Check with your mobile provider about whether you can use your data abroad, as you can use your phone as a hotspot if necessary, up to a 25-30GB limit per month.
4. Picking your destination
There are a few things to think about when picking your destination. Firstly, you’ll want to factor in time-difference. Travelling anywhere that is within 2 hours ahead or behind your usual time is ideal if you want to remain aligned with your usual working pattern. However, if you want to see more of where you are in the daytime, try a destination with a time difference of 3-5 hours ahead. For example, in Dubai, this would work something like this…
Wake up at 8am (4am in UK)
Explore!
Start work at 1pm (9am in UK)
End work at 9pm (5pm in UK)
This is tailored to GMT, but it will work no matter where you are based! Take a day off at first to adjust to the new time zone.
5. Time Management
What you will find is that because you are in a different location, you will want to do things such as take walks on your lunch break, or work more flexibly by completing tasks at different times. Working abroad will teach you that what you think is urgent, is not urgent almost all the time. You should be prepared to be contactable by email or via your company’s chat system, but take note of the things that can be rearranged, done later or removed completely. Could you make all of your meetings happen at a certain time each day? Could you meet deadlines by midday each day leaving you free to go explore a museum or even just sit outside with a glass of wine? I have found great success in simply working from a café in a centrally located street, so that when I finish my tasks, I’m already out and about.
6. Go in a group!
If you decide to try out working abroad, going as a group can ease costs, so that you can be away for an extended period of time. You can get a spacious apartment at a very comfortable price, and food shopping costs are slashed too. Bear in mind that you’ll need at least two bathrooms so that everyone can get ready on time, and multiple rooms so that everyone isn’t in a meeting in the same room. Use the app Splitwise to manage costs and bills.
7. Fund your travel
How can you keep paying for your home, fund your trip and still keep most of your savings? Before you decide whether working abroad is for you, work out your finances. A great option for being able to afford to work abroad is home-swapping or renting out your home. Platforms such as Airbnb and HomeExchange could be exactly the thing you need to either fund your rent whilst you’re gone, or stay somewhere else with entirely no cost! If you live in a particularly popular location, you will be surprised at how quickly your property will garner attention.
Since Brexit, the laws for travel in Europe have changed. Now, if you are a British citizen, you can only spend 90 days in every 180 days outside of the UK without needing a visa. This is still half a year! Once you’ve hacked working remotely, and you’re taking your zoom calls under palm trees, or having your lunch break at the Colosseum, share this article with a friend, so they can change how often they see the world too!