How To Travel And Work Remotely (10 Things To Know)

Travel while working remotely is hands down my favourite way to travel (and work!). Remote working and traveling allows you to extend your trip and really experience living like a local in a new place, while still making an income.

That is one of the benefits of working remotely after all, to work from anywhere… well almost anywhere? So why not take advantage if you can!

After working remotely and traveling several times over the last few years, I’ve learned a few things. So let’s dive in on how to travel and work remotely at the same time!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

What Is Remote Work And Travel?

When you work remotely and travel, you pick up your home office and take it with you anywhere in the world to work and travel at the same time.

Based on your work schedule, you combine both work and travel during your time away.

You can either keep your work schedule during the week and get to explore your new hometown on weeknights and weekends.

Or cut down on your work hours while you’re away so you work part time and travel part time.

The point is that depending on your work, you can make remote work and travel into what works for you.

P.S. Stay organized when planning your work remotely travel vacation with my printable travel planner on Etsy…. and enjoy an extra discount with my code ATRLOVE for my blog readers!

how to travel while working remotely in great george lobby pei. A woman sits on a large rich green velvet armchair, surrounded by other ornate couches and chairs. In front of her is a coffee table, where she has a to go cup of coffee. On her lap is her laptop and she's smiling at it. — *Sometimes you luck out with a hotel lobby to work in like this! @Great George PEI*

My Experiences Remote Working And Traveling

As I mentioned, I’ve now traveled and worked remotely several times over the last few years, spanning six different countries. Each experience has been very different based on our jobs at the time and where we were travelling.

My first experience remote working and traveling was in Europe on a 4 month long trip back in 2019.

I had the opportunity to work and travel in Belgium, Scotland, France, and Spain. Neither my partner nor I had a typical 9 to 5 job so we were able to work and travel based on our own schedule.

This trip had a much stronger focus on travel than on working. Working was more of an afterthought and a way to take breaks in between bigger travel days.

a vertical portrait giving viewers an insiders look at a couple remote work and travel life. Green doors open up onto a tiny balcony. A couple sits on a small ikea table, looking at each other, and each drinking their coffee, in front of each of them is their laptop — *Working on our balcony in Barcelona*

But a year later, when we went to Florida for 6 weeks to escape Montreal winters during the height of the Covid 19 pandemic, the focus was more heavily on work than it was on travel.

At this point, my partner had a new 9 to 5 job, so the weekdays were spent working. We took off one week out of the 6 to travel around Florida. But for the most part did our exploring on the weekends and at night.

Since then, I’ve worked when we visited Prince Edward Island which was only a 14 day trip. So once again the focus was on travel rather than working. In this case though, we were able to extend the trip by a few days because we took a few days off and nights to catch up on work.

Since then, I’ve gone back to Florida, and even spent a month exploring and working in Quebec City. We’ve even started bringing our Covid cat along for the work remotely travel journey!

work remote travel in florida with a cat. It's a cloudy overcast day in florida, but its humid as a woman sits on a lounge chair in shorts and a tank top. She's wearing glasses and is hard at work on her laptop on a lap table. By her stretch out legs is a white and orange cat falling alseep. They sit in a screen in porch. Outside is a the back of a 4 story condo and a large grassy field with some trees.

10 Tips For How To Travel And Work Remotely

It’s definitely an art to work and travel at the same time. But if you can do it, I can’t recommend it enough.

Here are some tips to help you on your way to working remotely and travelling.

1. Get A Work From Home Job…

Now this may seem obvious, but in order to work and travel, you need a remote job that lets you do that!

A remote job means that you don’t have to go into the office… ever. It can operate fully online, allowing you to be wherever you are in the world!

If you don’t already have a remote job, find one on FlexJobs.

nektar cafeologue saint roch quebec city. Inside the cafe, sitting at one of the raised tables next to the exposed brick wall. A laptop is open on the table, with a cappuccino next to it. That's all that can fit on the table. Behind the table is a long shared table, there are some plants hanging, a large double window to the outside and people working at other tables

2. Decide The Primary Focus Of Your Trip: Travel Or Work

Decide the primary focus of your trip before booking your trip…is it to work, or to travel?

Is your goal to simply work from a new location for a change of scenery, better weather, and travel is more of a side benefit?

Or is your goal to travel, but you want to stay on top of your work, or even extend your trip by working a bit?

After you’ve decided on your focus, you can more easily make a decision on where you want to go and for how long based on your needs.

working hard at the pool/ A laptop is open on photoshop and a man is looking down concerned. They sit at an outdoor table, poolside, with lounge chairs and tall building behind on a bright and sunny day. — *Working hard, or hardly working!?*

3. Where To Work Remotely Travel (Close Or Far From Home)?

Choosing where to go on a work and travel trip is very important.

It goes hand it hand with the type of trip, the length, and even how you’re getting to your destination.

You can either stay close to home (i.e. within a driving radius), or go as far away as possible by flying to your destination.

3.a. Stay Close To Home

You don’t always have to choose a glamorous location to work remotely and travel. You can choose to not only stay in your home country, but even just go a few hours from home.

I’ve done that a few times and it’s almost better than going somewhere far.

For starters, I was able to drive there… which means I have access to my car and I can pack as much as I want (or whatever will fit in the car). And for us, this actually means we get to take our cat with us!

travel and work remote essentials when staying close to home. Photographed a desk with a laptop open to a note taking app, a mouse on a mousepad, a pencil holder, a lap giving a warm yellow light, and of course, a white and orange cat sitting on an open agenda — *When we stay closer to home, we can bring our cat with us!*

Staying nearby also means that if you need to go home for any reason, it’s a lot easier. It’s also easier for friends and family to come and visit you at your destination (it’s always nice to have people visit, especially during longer stays!).

3.b. Travel As Far As Possible (If You Can!)

Another option when choosing a destination is to travel as far away from home as possible.

This will, for obvious reasons, be a lot more complicated to do. But then again, a work and travel arrangement is one of the best way to see far off destinations.

It’s easier to extend your trip if you’re able to work for a few days, making the cost of the long haul flight more worthwhile, and you don’t have to take off as many vacation days.

That being said, there’s a lot more things to consider the farther you go… like time differences, language barriers, country and company policies for working out of state…etc. and the list goes on!

working remote in spain, two cappuccino mugs are filled with coffee, they're on a large wooden table with a laptop next to them. In the background, is slightly blurred, but you can see bright red chairs and a large bookshelf next to floor to ceiling windows letting in a lot of natural sunlight

4. How Long To Work And Travel

I’ve gone for as little as two weeks to as long as six weeks working and travelling.

There are a few things to consider when choosing how long you’ll be away.

For starters, if you are traveling to a new country, how long can you be out of your home country for?

Typically, the further your destination, the longer you’ll want to stay there. And the closer, the shorter it can be!

Plan the ultimate vacation

My digital travel planner template has everything you need to plan your vacation: research templates, travel planner itinerary, travel budget templates…etc. . You can print it out or use it digitally on your phone, tablet, or computer.

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5. Be Open To Flexible Work Hours – If Possible

When embarking on a work and travel trip, it’s important to not take your work hours so seriously.

If your employer has flex hours, this is the time to take advantage. Typically, flex hours are certain hours of the day that you have to be working (for example between 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M., so your work day can be from 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M or 7:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M).

The idea is that you want to be able to do some things during the day, even if you’re still working.

For example, we’ve shifted our work schedule to accommodate morning walking tours, so worked later in the evening because we took the morning off.

Or maybe adopt the opposite schedule when you’re away. Start earlier so you can end early and sight see, or go to the beach in the afternoon!

Even though this isn’t the schedule we have at home, it’s important to be flexible while away.

6. Make Sure To Still Take Some Time Off

Even if your priority is to work, you should still make sure to take some days off work for vacation.

The point of travelling and working at the same time is to extend your vacation time as much as possible.

If I’m leaving for a month, I don’t need to be working for an entire month. I’ll work and travel for three weeks, and take one week completely off from work to solely travel.

Or why not make every weekend a long weekend?

It can look different to everyone, and even on every trip! Remember, the important thing is to be flexible!

a woman jumping in mid air at the entrace of the castle in magic kingdom on the ramp going up to the blue and pink magical castle. Magically, there's no one behind her, just some blurs at the entrance but you can barely see them. — *Taking some time off of work to go to Disney while working remotely in Florida!*

7. Consider Where You’re Going To Work From At Your Destination

When going on a remote work / travel vacation, you have to find an appropriate place to live, but also to work.

You have to think about where you’re going to be working when you’re away.

Are you okay working in a hotel or Airbnb, on the couch? Or do you need a designated work space?

Or are you going to scope out a new cafe everyday!?

Personally, I like have a mix of all three of these when I’m remote working and traveling.

working at a cafe. A laptop is open, a hand comes into the frame to pick up the mug, it's filled with bright green matcha with latte art in the shape of a cute bear. There's also a matcha cake on the table to be enjoyed

I like having the option to work from my rental apartment or hotel, at a proper desk. But I also like the being able to walk to a number of cafes to explore my area by foot.

Another option secret option, depending on your employer, is to actually work out of another office in a new location.

My partner was been able to do this when we lived in Quebec City for a month. He loved having this opportunity to meet people in a different office, and I was happy that we both weren’t crammed into a small apartment for a month working on top of each other!

the ultimate work space at a hotel. A fabric swivel chair fits underneath a small wooden desk overlooking a downtown skyline out the window in front of it

8. Invest In Some Travel Working From Home Office Essentials

You won’t be able to take your entire remote home office with you ,so you should invest in some remote work office supplies that are also travel friendly.

I have a top 10 list of everything I use for working remotely and travelling.

The main thing I wouldn’t be able to work without is my adaptable travel desk, I’m able to use it on my lap, and turn any desk into a standing desk at my new location.

Shop My Remote Work Must-Haves On Amazon

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Amazon Basics Adjustable Tray Table Lap Desk Fits…

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Microsoft Arc Mouse – Black. Sleek,Ergonomic…

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Bose SoundLink Around Ear Wireless Headphones II -…

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GlocalMe G4 Pro 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot Device with…

You might also be interested in…

My digital and printable packing guide on Etsy. Filled with packing planning prompts for your next trip!

P.S. Get an additional discount on my Etsy shop with my code ATRLOVE!

a woman sitting in sweats on the couch with a raised laptop desk and an open laptop. She's working. But under the desk, on her lap sleep a little white and orange kitten. Her hand gently strokes them.

9. Double Check Your Policies…

Before you leave to work remotely and travel, you should double check a few of your policies…

What’s Your Company’s Policy

Every company will have a different policy on where you can work from (and for how long). For example, you might not be able to leave the country, Province, or State at all!

Or maybe you can work from a different country, but for a limited time. Some companies will allow you to work 6 weeks out of the country while others has a longer limit of 90 days …etc.

Like I said, every company will have a different policy on this, and maybe they won’t care at all where you’re working from!

Related

How To Plan Your Vacation In 9 Simple Steps

What Does Your Travel Insurance Cover?

Depending on how long you’re expecting to travel for, double check your travel insurance.

Once again, there might be a limit on how long you’re covered for on your travel insurance.

P.S. you should also get travel insurance if you don’t already have!!

working remote from spain. A girl sits at a large raised desk looking at her laptop. It's a huge floor to ceiling window next to her, looking onto the street of barcelona. It's a sunny day, people are walking by.

10. Know That Your Portable Office Won’t Be As Good For Productiveness (& That’s Okay!).

Your remote work travel set up can’t possibly match what you have at home or in the office.

Maybe at home you have an entire office set up, with a standing desk, desktop computer, the perfect view…etc.

When you’re travelling and working you can’t possible know what to expect. But expect that you’ll definitely get less work done.

Even if your primary focus is to work on your trip, you will never be as productive as you are at home.

Depending on how long you’re traveling for, you might be able to eventually get into a good work / travel rhythm. But it definitely takes time to adjust to your new work environment. Give yourself time when you first arrive to settle in and properly set up.

a woman sits at her desk with a dual screen monitor. On her desk, is a small white and orange cat, looking at the second screen. — *You can’t get a better work from home set up that this… a dual screen for you and your cat!*

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P.S. As a thank you to my readers, enjoy an extra discount on my Etsy shop with my code ATRLOVE!