{"id":72770,"date":"2018-12-05T12:53:39","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T18:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=72770"},"modified":"2018-12-05T12:53:39","modified_gmt":"2018-12-05T18:53:39","slug":"lessons-learned-how-to-work-remotely-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/lessons-learned-how-to-work-remotely-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"6 lessons I learned working remotely from every corner of the world"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been 384 days since I\u2019ve stepped foot on American soil. In that time, I\u2019ve been to 19 countries, lived in 10 for at least a month and taken more than 60 flights. And during that time, I\u2019ve more than doubled my freelance writing career\u2014submitting countless articles from six continents. As companies increasingly take on a freelance workforce, more and more people are embarking on this lifestyle change, saying buh-bye to the traditional 9 to 5 and hello to\u2026 the world. If you decide to try it for yourself (see below for program information), here are just a few things I\u2019m passing along from my transition from full-time office drone to full-on digital nomad.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Top luxury travel bloggers reveal their secrets<\/a><\/p>\n

When you have access to WiFi, a toilet or water\u2014take it <\/b><\/h2>\n

Even when a cafe promises an Internet connection, it\u2019s never a guarantee. The same is true about access to bathrooms and drinkable water. Especially when you\u2019re on an eight-hour bus ride through the Andes or traveling through the Moroccan desert. As I\u2019ve ventured around remote parts of the world as a remote worker, I\u2019ve learned to take every opportunity I have when I\u2019m offered these goods. This ensures I never miss a deadline\u2014and I continue to stay hydrated. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"sleeping<\/p>\n

When you’re tired enough, you can sleep anywhere<\/b><\/h2>\n

Though I\u2019m ambidextrous, unafraid of heights or creepy-crawlies, I have harbored two very irrational fears for decades: cotton balls and not falling asleep. The former is just icky to me. The latter is one I\u2019ve started to overcome after traveling so frequently. I used to struggle to reap shut-eye, finding myself going through a never-ending laundry list of to-do list items. But when I\u2019m constantly moving from one place to another, wandering through markets, and getting lost in language and cultural immersions? I lose track of time\u2014and thoroughly exhaust myself from living so fully in the moment. Jet lag definitely strikes sometimes\u2014or the impact of a raging hostel\u2014but most of the time, I\u2019m lights out. <\/span><\/p>\n

VPNs are your friend
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n

If you want to give your career legs, it\u2019s important to prove to your employer (or your clients) just how capable you are of doing everything abroad that you used to do stateside. Due to the regulations in various countries such as Cuba, China and Russia, it isn\u2019t always easy to access US-based websites abroad, making a VPN (or, virtual private network) a must for doing research, and accessing online banking and other sensitive accounts. VPNs also add a layer of security to otherwise insecure shared WiFi networks. TunnelBear is one good example; you can download it for free on iTunes or Google Play.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

ALSO:<\/strong> Keep on keeping on when you join Orbitz Rewards\u2014you’ll earn travel rewards you can use instantly on more travel!<\/a><\/p>\n

\"finding<\/h2>\n

Find a way to focus in chaos<\/b><\/h2>\n

I\u2019m lucky to do what I love for a living, but it hasn\u2019t always been easy to figure out how to string together coherent sentences when I have hundreds of distractions around me. But somehow I\u2019ve managed to write on an 8-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney\u2026 next to a crying baby. Also on a bumpy bus ride taking me to Cusco, Peru. On a train to the airport in Tokyo. To ensure your work doesn’t suffer on your passport-stamp collecting quest, it\u2019s important to find a way to stay centered, even when your life is off its axle. For me, meditation music helps me stay in the zone, as well as a solid pair of noise-cancelling headphones. <\/span><\/p>\n

Carve your own schedule to enjoy a destination<\/b><\/h2>\n

When I look back over the countries I had the privilege to experience, I often wish I would have worked less. It\u2019s a coulda-woulda-shoulda game I probably shouldn\u2019t dabble in, but I\u2019m at least thankful that for the past year, I\u2019ve managed to (mostly) take off one day a week. In addition to the luxury of being my own boss, taking off a Friday (or a Tuesday) gave me the opportunity to experience a city from a local\u2019s perspective. Not only did I use this day to sightsee and see landmarks, but to spend a few hours drinking wine and passing time, as the Europeans do. Or waking to see the early-morning fish market, as they do in Thailand. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"connecting<\/p>\n

Connect with other digital nomads<\/b><\/h2>\n

When those you love the most are 16 hours behind you\u2014or ahead of you\u2014it can be difficult to feel connected to a community. Though I was lucky to travel with 57 other professional jetsetters as part of a structured program, digital nomads are a pretty friendly, social bunch. As I worked out of co-working spaces in Colombia, Czech Republic, Peru and beyond, I met plenty of fellow travelers who were more than willing to share a beer\u2014and a killer story. <\/span><\/p>\n

Remote Year<\/a> is a program where location independent professionals can be part of a international community as they travel the world for four months to a year. Each month, they move to another country, sharing apartments, workspaces, flights and experience cultural immersion events for $2,000 monthly.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Orbitz,<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been 384 days since I\u2019ve stepped foot on American soil. 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