The nitty-gritty of taking your day job on the road

By Frankie Girl

Working from home, working remotely, flexible working - the way we work has changed fundamentally over the last few years, with less emphasis placed on coming to the same place every day, and more on productivity, teamwork, and seamless collaboration. The remote work revolution offers huge opportunities for people not just to work from home, but to work from...well, anywhere in the world! In the not so distant future of post COVID, being a ‘digital nomad’ will become increasingly popular, with workers in almost every industry taking advantage of things like freelance visas in places like Estonia and the easy Panama residency program, they can go remote and explore the world. It’s a really great idea to prepare now for when travel bans are lifted!

But what does the life of a digital nomad actually entail? What are the challenges, speedbumps, and tricky issues that working remotely and traveling throw up? Is it really all cocktails, hammocks, and Zoom meetings on the beach? If you are thinking about moving your office to the beach in Sidney, or, when travel bans lift, taking your work on vacation by cruising from Tampa, read on for a deep dive into the nitty-gritty of taking your day job on the road.

Communication is key

Being uber-communicative is the key to the digital nomad life. Staying in touch with your coworkers and managers becomes far more important, and you’ll find you need to take advantage of the whole suite of digital communication and collaboration tools out there.

It can be monotonous

It’s not all sun, surf, and sand (unfortunately!). Of course, working remotely allows you to explore exotic destinations, but staying productive means that you have to be rigorous with working schedules, and working on the road can be more monotonous at times than working in an office as a result. That said, when the backdrop to your job is a beach, a jungle, a mountainous landscape or a brand new city you can usually put up with a little strict timetabling...

Maintaining relationships can be tricky

Working on the road means losing the face-to-face, collegiate working atmosphere of an in-person team, and it can be hard to keep your working and personal relationships with your colleagues in perfect shape. As mentioned above, great communication is vital, and things like weekly video check-ins can make a huge difference when it comes to maintaining good relations with your coworkers.

Coworking is vital

It is easy to get lonely as a digital nomad, which makes finding a great coworking space a must. Here you’ll find a ready-made nomad community, great internet (a huge plus), and usually as much coffee as you can drink. Coworking spaces are great for productivity, as well as being superb places to meet like-minded individuals and make new friends!

Gear is good

Ensuring that you have the right equipment to work wherever you land can make working remotely a far smoother and less stressful experience altogether. It can be easy to take the office environment for granted, but having top-notch gear means you won’t miss it too much. From noise-cancelling headphones and a wireless mouse to a laptop stand and magic keyboard, having the right gear is crucial.

Time zones can be confusing

When you are on the road it can be hard enough remembering what time zone you are in yourself, let alone where your colleagues are. This is particularly difficult if the rest of your team are digital nomads too, spread out across the globe.

It’s great fun!

There are challenges to taking your day job on the road, of course, but at the end of the day the life of a digital nomad is pretty darn fun! Exploring exciting spots around the world and taking care of business all at once is a very rewarding lifestyle, and an extremely exciting experience all round.