Welcome to the World of Remote Work!

Your job allows you the flexibility to work from outside the office. With Covid changing our lives, remote jobs are becoming more and more popular. So with phone service, a steady mobile hotspot connection (or wifi), laptop and some headphones you are ready for another day of work. Having the potential to work remotely allows you to basically live anywhere and do anything. If you are really bold, you can work while you travel and never settle into one city for too long. Heck, be a nomad for a little. Heck, travel the states on a motorcycle. Regardless of whether you are on a bike or in a car, your basic needs to survive and work are relatively the same.

What you need:

A good laptop

This one is obvious. Not only do you need a laptop, you’ll need one that works without issues and fast. Being on the road means you have less time to deal with issues. You can at least do yourself the favor of not making work any more difficult. High processing speeds and ample space are important features to consider before purchasing. Make sure you know what is important for your purchase (for example is touch screen a must?).

An internet connection

I work on my Laptop and on my phone. I use a number of backend systems, excel, and go through lots and lots of emails. I can’t always rely on a stable wifi connection (or cheap airbnb prices) but I can rely on unlimited mobile hotspot internet from T Mobile. I’ve had numerous times where I’d be on the clock for work and have to check out of an airbnb without being able to check into the next one. I’d pack the bike and ride out to a coffee shop or restaurant and just work out of there. Having my own hotspot allows me to stop and work whenever I need.

An electrical source

Being on the road, I can’t exactly have unlimited time to charge everything. So I carry around a portable battery with a solar panel. They take up a decent chunk of space so I wouldn’t recommend this unless needed. I was expecting to do a lot of camping and I would need to keep my laptop charged during work. 

A tolerance for distraction

Working full time while constantly being on the road can be tiring but is surely rewarding. With travel comes lots of distraction and sometimes this reflects on our job performance. Don’t expect to be magically be able to hone into your work all the time and expect a few extra hours of work to keep afloat. I’ve completed projects while schmoozing with random people at a bar by the beach for hours. I’ve also sat in coffee shops and hummed to jazz silently while I went through my daily tasks. Enjoy the distractions, but make sure you can handle it. You might have to do a few extra hours, or really hone in on your efforts because traveling can take a toll on your work.

Ability to Plan Ahead

How much planning you want to do is up to you. At the least, make sure that your work shifts are considered in advance. For example, if you have a 9-5 shift but checkout at 11, it might be better for you to just check out a few hours earlier so you can be ready for your shift. Planning makes your shift a little stressful. Traveling on a motorcycle and working full time is no easy task, and it requires lot’s of planning. Packing my motorcycle took a few tries to perfect, but I think I pretty much have everything I needed fro the road after weeks of preparation.

Tolerance for Unpredictability

No matter how much you plan, there will always be things wrong going. I’ve gotten into more situations than I can count. You need to be able to roll with the punches and move forward. Make note of what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future. If you can’t handle the heat, don’t work remotely and stay out of the kitchen too. 

This is all you really need to work remotely. It’s really that simple. Traveling and remote work have never made more sense. Now that you have to knowledge of what it takes to work from anywhere, start picturing where you’d like to go and how you’ll be traveling. Digital Nomads are known for their creative traveling and living accommodations.