IF you’ve always dreamed of travelling abroad, you’re not alone. In fact, according to official statistics, UK residents spent £15.5 billion on visits abroad last year!
If you’re considering working overseas (or even making use of digital nomad visas!), then you might be wondering how to be productive and continuing to shine in your role whilst on the move.
Here are some of our top tips for working whilst travelling.
- Stay present
Just because you’re not physically in the office, doesn’t mean you can’t be there in spirit. To ensure your career and colleague relationships don’t suffer, it’s important to stay present. One way to do this is by regularly checking in on your colleagues, team members and clients!
Where you can, it’s good to opt for video calls rather than phone calls. By having your camera on, you will be able to communicate more effectively and enhance your presence from afar. A great way to keep in touch is to organise calls to just touch base and catch up, rather than just those that focus on completing work.
- Stay organised
Just because you’re travelling, it doesn’t mean you can be sloppy! If you want to stay ahead of your game whilst travelling, you’ll need to keep organised. Whether that’s investing in a productivity app or creating a weekly schedule, you’ll need a way to keep yourself accountable when you’re on the move.
To keep your workspace free from unruly cables, you should store your data on USBs. By storing your USB in a pocket or laptop case, you’ll always have your data to hand – even if you choose to work from a café!
- Remain online
Going missing or disappearing off the radar for hours at a time probably won’t do wonders for your career.
Whether you’re working from a café, train or anywhere else for that matter, make sure your laptop and phone can keep you online and reachable. To ensure everything goes smoothly, it’s a good idea to pack chargers, wi-fi boosters and international sim cards so you can remain online when it matters most.
- Plan your time
So that productivity doesn’t slip, be sure to plan out your time. By making a to-do list of all the tasks you want to complete, you’ll be able to manage your workload without leaving everything until the last minute.
When you make your plan, be sure to include any looming deadlines and how much time you’ll have in each location to complete any outstanding tasks. Make sure to give yourself a little extra time on tasks to make sure any technical issues don’t hinder your progress.
As they say: fail to prepare, prepare to fail!
Final thoughts…
If you’re worried about keeping on top of work whilst travelling, you needn’t be. With many of us foregoing the normal 9-5 for a ‘workcation’, learning how to be productive abroad is an essential skill.
The good news is that by planning your time, staying organised and staying present, you too can enjoy life working on the move.
Where will you go next?
