Travelling for the long haul can be one of the most enriching experiences of your life. But it can also be one of the most maddening experience if you’re trying to make a living at the same time.
Michelle and I have travelled the world previously, typically for only a few months at a time. But now, we’ve been on the road for over a year. During this time, we have grown as individuals and have become stronger as a couple. We have also been honing our business skills. Through some ups and downs, we are now stronger, smarter and better equipped to handle any roadblocks that come up in our path. Here’s a little of what we’ve learned to date and we hope it helps you too, whether you are an online entrepreneur like us or just thinking about hitting the road and starting your own business.
Planning and Preparation
This one is obvious, but true. Have your plans and process in place before you leave for your journey. Have these ready will lend themselves to keeping you consistent with the amount of work you put into your business on a daily basis. Too much is as bad as too little! Write down your daily schedule and stick to it. If you plan for an hour break every four hours, follow it. Working nonstop will only burn you out faster and will invariably lead to mistakes and errors in your work.
But Don’t Forget To Work
Being your own boss is awesome. You’re not working for the success of others, it’s all for you. I can’t imagine a lifestyle now where I’m not in control of my own schedule.
But one of the issues we have when working while travelling is the amount of distractions that are around us. It’s so easy to decide to have a beach day or go on a tour or just sit by the pool and work on our tans. It takes discipline to set out a work schedule and stick to it. If we neglect our business too much, then we’ll eventually have to go home and get 9 to 5’s again. That’s probably our worst nightmare. This isn’t a vacation, we’re working to have a great future. Never neglect your business.
Internet Issues
This is probably the biggest issue we face when working globally. Yes, wifi signs are everywhere, but slow speeds and periodic outages are more common than we’d like. Places that advertise internet sometimes only have a strong connection in one area or their speed is lacking. Run a speed test when exploring hotel options (http://www.speedtest.net/). Try it in the lobby and in a room when you check out the accommodations. Maybe that’s easier said than done if you book in advance but still keep it in mind.
Slow internet means dropped Skype calls, intolerably long upload times and general inefficiency. Know what you need the internet for the work you do.
Consistency is the Key
Consistency means stability. The amount of hours you work in a day, where you work and your motivation. While changing your locale can help refresh things every now and then, be cognisant of how much time it will take to get resettled and working efficiently again.
Some Online Tools That Can Help
We use a ton of online tools to help make our work easier. Many are free or relatively cheap and help solve many of the issues previously discussed. Here are a just a couple.
Skype: I don’t know what we’d do without Skype. Whether it’s calling clients, our banks back home, friends and family, having Skype means that can always be in touch with those people we surely need. It’s always there and especially useful when we forgot to top up our mobile plans!
Skype can even be used to set up a local phone number from many countries worldwide, so outbound calls can make it appear that they are originating form a North American number (for example). Recording calls, call forwarding, sending text, and being able to use the browser at the same time are other side benefits to using Skype.
Gmail Offline: This is pretty obvious but this is great for those instances where you do not have any internet access. Being able to use Gmail offline and have everything upload at once after reconnecting is awesome. No excuses not to work!
We hope this blog entry helps you if you ever decide to travel long term with your business. Remember to work hard but have fun too!