Ever dreamed of just packing it all up, hopping on a plane to travel and see the world? Don’t we all!

The good news is this dream is completely within your reach – the rise of remote work has sparked a new age of digital nomadism and travel is no longer just reserved for students on a gap year or the wealthy. Technology has made it increasingly easy to work from anywhere.

Working remotely is not a new concept and digital nomads have been punting the laptop lifestyle for years. In the past, it was a very small community of people who would dare to attempt this unconventional way of making an income, with travel blogging, teaching English online and becoming a virtual assistant being some of the most popular methods to work online.

However, Covid-19 has highlighted that most jobs can very easily be done from home.  As we adjusted to this “new normal”, along came the realisation that your “home office” could be anywhere with decent Wi-Fi really!

With great flexibility, comes great responsibility.

With great flexibility comes great responsibility. Remote work offers incredible freedom, but it also comes with its own set of challenges – especially when you’re constantly on the move. Whether you’re backpacking through Europe or settling in a city like the Netherlands for a few months (check out Kamernet Netherlands for apartments to rent), make sure you are well prepared.

These are the top tips for keeping on top of your to-do list whilst on your “workcation”:

1.Stay Connected

Probably the key ingredient for anyone working remotely is a stable internet connection. It is literally your connection to the outside world and your work. Whether it be to send and receive emails, dialling in on video calls or to access shared documents and folders – Wi-Fi rules them all. And whilst your office would normally invest in a fast internet provider, your Airbnb host that quaint village in Mexico, might not. So how do you make sure that you don’t end up running around in the middle of the night looking for a cafe with Wi-Fi when you’re on a deadline?

Platforms like Booking.com have a rating system where you can see previous visitors ratings on amenities such as Wi-Fi. Make sure to check this out before paying your deposit. You can also ask your Airbnb host to send you a screenshot of the Wi-Fi upload & download speeds.

This way you won’t end up with any nasty surprises once you’re already unpacked and ready to boot up and log on.

2. Find a good workspace

Working remotely offers a lot of flexibility, meaning you could work from your hotel room in Barcelona, a hammock in front of your beach bungalow in Thailand, or your favourite local cafe overlooking the Seine in Paris. Whilst working from a hammock sounds great and makes for a great Instagram pic, it’s not really the best or most comfortable setting for productivity. Plus, at some point, you might need a quiet, comfortable space to take a quick call, have a serious meeting, or simply just to hunker down for a few hours to smash out some deadlines.

If your accommodation doesn’t provide a decent workspace where you can set up and get work done, consider joining a coworking space. Coworking spaces are extremely popular in digital nomad hubs such as Bali, Indonesia and Chian Mai, Thailand. Not only do they provide inviting and trendy workspaces with fast Wi-Fi, but you’ll also be surrounded by a likeminded community of remote workers, which makes it the perfect environment for networking, brainstorming or even finding travel buddies to join you on that ridiculously early-morning hike up the volcano.

3. Have the right tools

Let’s start with the hardware:

Whatever you used while in the office, you would most likely need exactly the same whilst travelling – just smaller, lightweight and easy to pack!

Although we can do almost anything on our cell phones, it’s not the most realistic way to get work done, so make sure you pack:

• A lightweight laptop, or tablet with keyboard.
• wireless mouse
• Earphones – preferably noise cancelling
• Chargers and spare batteries
• Adaptors for the country you’re visiting so you can plug in anywhere and also avoid power surges

Equally as important as the equipment you physically take with you, is the software you use to be productive and keep on top of tasks. Make sure you install or have subscriptions to:

• Project management software such as Trello, Asana or This is great for keeping on top daily tasks as well as long-term projects where you collaborate with teams in different time zones.
• Make sure to use a file storage service like Google Drive or Dropbox to share important documents and folders with colleagues or clients.
• Safely store passwords and login details without having to scribble them in notebooks by using
• Stay in touch with your team, or clients and chat in real-time with software such as Microsoft Teams, Skype, Slack or Facebook Work chat.
• If you’re in a different time zone than your team/clients, it would be useful to have more than one time zone installed on your calendar so you can avoid any scheduling mishaps.

4.Find that work-life balance!

Whilst working remotely is proven to be great for productivity, the lines between your work and personal life are easily blurred, and it’s easy to forget to switch off and work well into midnight hours.

Remind yourself of the reason you chose to travel while working remotely. Actively schedule time into your day to explore your new surroundings. It doesn’t have to be a big adventure every day, it could be something as simple as checking out the local market, or making time for a quick trip to the nearest museum.

If you don’t have crazy deadlines, you could even dare to go for a hike before work!

If you’re running your own company and you’re struggling to strike a balance between scaling your business while making the most of your time in a new city or country, consider using hiring a virtual assistant. Depending on your needs, a virtual assistant can help you with a variety of tasks that you either just don’t get to, aren’t skilled in, or that you just don’t enjoy – leaving more time for you to do what you love!

So, have you packed your bags yet?