I first read Free Agent Nation in 2002. I loved the concept of it and although I found myself doing short week long work while on holiday stints, I wasn’t able to fully embody the digital nomadic life.
However, almost 2 decades later I was finally actually able to spend a month staying away in another Scottish town whilst being able to continue serving my clients!
Depending on where you are heading and how different it is to your home base routine & schedule, find out things like, where is the nearest grocery store for provisions (as you may need to plan shopping trips), how big is the fridge and is there freezer space?
If you plan on eating out in restaurants, what type of places are nearby and what’s their opening times, prices (see my article on budgeting your worcation).
Here are my top 5 Must Do’s to ensure a successful outcome.
- Outlet locations and desk space – Most people view vacation as time away from work so if you are integrating work into your stay, then you will want to know where you are going to be able to work! I was sitting at a desk that had no electric outlets so I would have to power down my laptop to move it to recharge. I later found a “standing desk” type of solution which for my line of work was much better as I could jump into a work session without further setup, etc…
- Wifi – I have unlimited data and hotspotted my family onto my connection but on previous trips, I was not able to get a strong enough wifi (and I didn’t have unlimited data at that time) so was not able to work (and when you are expecting to work, that can be frustrating – however, as a mindfulness meditation instructor, I was able to alchemize my frustration into a positive experience). If you have deadlines though….
- Plan activities for the members of your party that are 100% on vacation. My biggest mistake was not taking time at the onset to establish a settling in period, especially with the kids being newly out of school for summer break. The first week was a work-disaster but then the kids settled in and it became easier.
- Organise your client calls for when you will risk the least interruptions, or let your clients know what’s going on. We are used to it from working from home during the pandemic so most people are now used to it. Personally, I love hearing my clients kids/family in the background – it humanizes them and creates affinity.
- Plan, plan & plan some more before you go! What activities/work are you going to do/can you do – I planned some CPD (Continuing Professional Development), some marketing planning with a less hectic client-facing workload. I probably halved my client work which, to be honest, was going to happen anyway. Enquire about your clients work schedules (natural & organic flow of my business during this time period) as it can work in your favour.
I am a huge fan of Asana, which is a workflow and project tracking tool. It’s been a game changer for me, moving my businesses from hobby status for over 10 years, into profit seeking and growing endeavours, where I work 100% self employed.
Understand that Work and Vacation are opposites. Therefore it’s crucial to map out roughly when you are able to work and when you are in vacation mode. Each mindset is different and when you get the balance right, it’s wonderful, if not, it can be very frustrating and lead to burnout!
Consider home swaps, self catering over hotels – review your actual work patterns to determine if and how you are going to merge the two – it is a great experience and I can’t wait to start planning my next worcation!
© 2024 Money Detox Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
