Recently, a number of comms industry pros in my Twitter feed have been talking about the potential benefits of a digital nomad lifestyle. Fuelled by news stories like the Barbados Welcome Stamp, which gives people the opportunity to work remotely on the Caribbean island for 12 months, and other similar visas, many people are considering the merits of remote working abroad or even just elsewhere in the UK.
If you have a location-independent job and you’re considering working from other places when it is safe to do so, here are some of the things I have learned from previous experience.
Practical considerations: Connectivity, comfort and continuity
For me connectivity, continuity and comfort are the three golden rules of remote working.
Starting with connectivity it goes without saying that WiFi is an essential. I had a dongle as a backup and had my favourite local WiFi-enables cafés or pubs, just in case. Having a mobile with an untethered SIM card is useful as you can swap it out for a local one if going abroad.
Moving on to continuity, always be ready for those worst-case tech scenarios! Back up everything and protect your tech and your data – an external hard drive and cloud storage are key. Look at security programmes that enable you to wipe data from stolen devices, and get gold-plated insurance for your tech.
In some countries, you may need a surge protector to avoid frying your laptop. I would also recommend bringing a lightweight, multi-plug extension cord and I use one of those multi-country plug converters.
Moving on to comfort, as you are away from your usual desk environment, you need to make your remote working set up as ergonomic as possible. You won’t be able to fully enjoy the benefits of the nomadic lifestyle if you can’t move for pain!
This could include a laptop-riser, ergonomic mouse and noise-cancelling headphones to focus in any environment. You’ll need a robust laptop bag and all the required adaptors.
Time zone considerations
Your working hours may need to match the time zone of your clients, so apply your working day accordingly in order to be responsive.
Ignore those pictures of laptops and hammocks! Work is work and holiday is holiday – sand in laptops is a disaster, so keep work and play separate, as you would at home!
Speak to your accountant about your tax liability if you’re planning to be abroad for a long period of time. This might vary from country to country depending on how long you stay there.
With more generous roaming packages, public WiFi and personal MiFi deals around, it is easier than ever to take off to wherever you feel, get your work done to as high a spec as you would at home, and also enjoy the local experience wherever you choose to head.
At the time of writing, during the easing of lockdown, there are restrictions in place and quarantine rules are changing all the time, plus insurance to think about. Additionally, if you’re a UK national, there’s the uncertainty of travel rights after the EU withdrawal transition ends to consider.
So, having done several short stints of nomad life during my career, it’s a case just a case of doing your homework and making sure it works for you…and having a plan B and plan C in place, just in case…
In the communications industry we need to be online, in touch and professional, so really, from that end, working from a remote location is pretty much the same as working anywhere else, whether that’s in the UK or somewhere further afield.
*NB none of the above constitutes ‘advice’, this is only my personal experience.