Episode 145: Tips to Make Traveling Easier for Remote Workers

There are plenty of strategies to help you stay motivated and focused while working remotely. When you’re traveling, it can be difficult to find those perfect conditions for getting work done; or sometimes it’s just hard to focus on the task at hand with so many distractions. Today I’m going to share with you some of the tips I have and that I’ve used when we’ve been traveling as a family. When I started my freelance writing coaching, it was always a goal of mine to travel more. Now that I’m able to, I have to remember that I’m still working. I always bring my laptop with me and my power cord as well as my iPad.

But let’s dive into what’s going to work when we’re on the road

Create a workstation that is conducive to your needs

When you’re away it’s important to find a workstation for you as you’re still going to be working. If you were taking a true vacation and need to shut off do not set up a workstation. I understand though that when you’re starting out you still need to be available for client needs. Check in periodically during the day but don’t live at your laptop. Some ideas for this I’m going to refer to the future to be taken as a family and how I have set up for success.

If you follow me for a while you know that my family and I love to go camping. We used to just do tent camping which was interesting when you have to bring a laptop. I would always keep my laptop in the car until I needed it. I was always nervous about water sun damage or really cold temperatures. But, now that we have an RV, I usually have my computer set up on our table in there. In the morning I get up before my family and brew a cup of coffee. This is when I get most of my work done. Then, once the family is awake and breakfast has started I shut down for a few more hours.

We enjoy each other, we enjoy your trip, and so our travel experiences, and then usually, in mid afternoon and everybody’s chilling out again I will revisit my laptop. Note that you should have a hotspot available or use the camping Wi-Fi if necessary. If not, make sure your documents are available in an off-line mode which you can do within Google docs.

My oldest is in hip-hop dance. In the first quarter of the year, we do a lot of traveling for his competitions. It’s much easier to travel with a laptop when we have a hotel room. Wi-Fi is usually very accessible and quick.

Also, we like to travel by air to some of our destinations. On the flight, I haven’t found good reliable Wi-Fi. Therefore, I spend a lot of my time in the air getting rid of things on my computer to clear out space and work on documents offline.

Take breaks

It’s important to take breaks when traveling and working. If you’re in the airport, take breaks by walking around the airport and returning to your laptop. You hear me often talk about the Pomodoro method which is what I use to help me take breaks throughout the day without multitasking. It gives me enough time to refresh my brain and come back for a fresh start. I take Pomodoro with me on the road as well.

Find a quiet place to work

This is sometimes easier said than done. If you’re with your family in a hotel room or like we are inside an RV you know that I have to get up early to avoid loudness from the family. If you’re at a hotel room moon most hotels Have business conference rooms or lobby where you can go to work if you need to.

Bring your coffee maker and snack

When traveling it’s very hard to find good coffee and good snacks. Anytime we’re on the road especially when we’re going to hotels I make sure I know where there’s a coffee shop and or bring coffee that I like. On top of that, I also bring yogurts to fit in the mini-fridges protein shakes, and other fruits and vegetables to just have healthy snacks to grab.

Try not to schedule any meetings

Plan for distractions – don’t schedule meetings or calls during your travel time, instead plan them and be ready for any delays in the itinerary.

I like to follow a batching schedule especially when it comes to my meetings. Sometimes, I’ll be traveling on a meeting day and I will not leave that open. It stresses me out to think I need to be somewhere at a certain time with reliable Wi-Fi and a quiet environment. Even when we go to Florida for a week I don’t take any meetings because I just never know what we’re going to be doing. I wouldn’t want to take away time for my kids on a vacation for a potential client if it’s not needed.