Hannah has worked remotely in 25 countries, here are her best tips
How to optimize working remotely while traveling:
As the option to work-from-home has become more and more common over the last few years, the desire to work-from-the-world has increased as well.
I asked All for All member Hannah Ritner to give us some of her tips for how to optimize working while traveling (she has worked remotely in over 25 countries)!! Here are her tips:
How do you find good wifi?
“This can be be tricky. While there are coffee shops and cafe’s all over the world, you can’t guarantee they will have wifi and if they do, there’s no telling whether or not it’s any good. When looking up a cafe or restaurant I will check the reviews and see if anyone else has mentioned the wifi. Another trick is before I commit to a cafe, I’ll connect to the wifi on my phone and do a quick speed test. Work spaces are also becoming more popular in tourist-destination cities. You may have to pay a few bucks, but you’re almost sure to get fast, reliable wifi.”
How do you make the most of a trip where you are also required to work?
“When working remote it can feel like you’re having to miss out on where you’re traveling in order to get a full work load in. My biggest advice here is splitting up your work load. I will often wake up early and knock out several hours before anyone else is awake. Then enjoy the morning, find a cool cafe and grab lunch while knocking out a few more hours. Working from cafe’s and restaurants makes it feel like you’re not working because you’re out and experiencing the culture of a city. I highly recommend. “
Do you tell your boss you’re working from somewhere else outside of your home?
“My advice? Yes. It’s all about proving yourself. It can be awkward if you find yourself in a meeting and your boss hears someone speaking a different language in the background or notices you’re wearing a tank top in the middle of winter. I have found that the best way to navigate this this is to work hard and prove that working while traveling doesn’t have to have a negative effect on your work life. This may mean waking up earlier, staying up later, and hauling around your expensive microphone to ensure your audio sounds clear while recording a podcast. But all these steps are crucial to proving that you can work while traveling and still kill it.”
Thank you for sharing Hannah! Also as a side note - before you assume that your remote company will allow you to work from abroad (or even in the US but in a different time zone), make sure to ask the questions! A lot of remote companies still have restrictions on working overseas (this is an insurance issue), so find out before the trip (or before you accept a job, if that’s a priority for you)!
Happy Traveling!
