If you’ve spent most of your life working in the same place it’s likely you’ve developed routines and habits that empower you to make the most out of your day to day life – but transitioning to the remote working lifestyle presents a huge change. Therefore, from our combined experience we’ve come up with 10 pieces of advice to enjoy the remote working lifestyle to its fullest.
1. Find a location based on your hobbies
This may seem like an obvious one but it’s really important to enjoy the place you’re living in outside of working hours. It might not be the best idea to simply work from a new location because you fancy a change. For example, if you don’t enjoy beaches and watersports perhaps don’t come to the Canary Islands and head to a more urban nightlife location like Berlin instead.
2. Try and agree on an asynchronous flexible work schedule
Not only does working remotely likely put you at least an hour outside of your company’s usual work hours but you’re likely going to want to be a bit more flexible to fit in some fun local activities during the day. Agreeing an asynchronous work schedule allows you to then fit in work around your new fun commitments.
3. Stay in an area for at least 3 months
Travelling from new place to new place every week is great, however we also recommend growing some roots in a location for an extended period of time. This way you can really get to know a location and make some lifelong friends.
4. Find a coworking space
Just working in your hostel, AirBnB, or hotel all day can be awesome to focus, but a coworking space can also be a fantastic way to get to know more people and the place you are now living in. We’ve all met some of our closest friends through chance encounters at coworking spaces.
5. Join a regular class
Whether it’s a dance class, surf class, or guitar class, having a regular weekly lesson can be a super enjoyable way of picking up a new skill, making the most of local unique experiences on offer, and meeting new people in the process.
6. Learn the local language
It’s super tempting to just speak major international languages when travelling but we find you can really get to know an area once you at least have a basic grasp of the local tongue. Even just 20minutes every morning on Duolingo can help!
7. Pay attention to your visa and tax rules
Whatever you do – keep on top of this! Do not get your company or yourself into trouble by neglecting this, for example if you stay in Spain more than 183 days you have to pay tax there, with similar rules around the world. If your company is also struggling with the paperwork of employing someone overseas you can also recommend a service like Omnipresent.
8. Keep your good habits
Travelling can be a world of new experiences but also distractions. We all know someone who came to a new place, partied everyday, and then burnt out. This can be awesome when you come on holiday but the trick to real successful remote working is to balance your new life with your existing habits. Trust us, your body and wallet will thank you.
9. Remember to call your mum and dad from time to time, don’t forget about pets and plants
We needed a 9th reason to make this blog post and we think this one is pretty self explanatory ;).
10. Join the Remote Work Community in your area
As well as the local Facebook groups, the local Remote Work Community Slack group is why we made this community. Get to know people, join events, and take advantage of local partner business discounts.