Remote Work, The Best Way To Maximize Travel
As much as we want to travel and not use our brains on vacation, somebody will have to pay for the trip. For most of us, we are funding our lifestyles. This includes everything from our water bill to the extravagant girls’ trip. Having a typical in-office job can be great for many reasons, but not for the die-hard travel fan. Remote work and work-from-home (WFH) jobs are two in the same. Keep in mind that not all remote jobs are created equal. Your company might use a VPN and 2-factor verification that only works in certain areas.
In this blog post we will discuss:
Benefits of Remote Work
Cons of Working Remotely
Hybrid Work
How to Find Hybrid & Remote Work
Top Remote Jobs
Where to Find Remote Work
Jobs to Avoid
What is remote work?
Remote work is not a new concept; however, it has been growing in popularity in the past 5 years. There are a lot of benefits for it that attribute to its growing popularity. However, in other instances, there might be consequences. At the end of the day, it is a personal decision.
Benefits of Work from Home
There are so many reasons why people like to work from home. The main reason is flexibility. It allows you to craft your schedule around your needs. Need to be at the airport for 5:30 pm for your 7:30 flight? No problem. Take your lunch at the end of the day use that time to get to the airport and go through check-in so you are on time.
Increase Savings
It is very easy to save money over time by working from home. You might need to put money upfront to get your desk and secondary screen set up with other stuff. But after a few months, you should get a positive return on your money by saving on gas, parking, childcare, professional clothing, unnecessary staff lunches, and reducing your dry-cleaning bill.
Living Life on Your Terms
Even if you do not travel often, working from home is still a great option to create your ideal life and prioritize what is important to you. Need to condition your hair deep today before you style it tomorrow? No issue. Want to do laundry the day before your event today? Easy. Your child got sick and has to stay home from school? No need to stress about finding additional healthcare.
Global Job Market
The growth of remote jobs has decreased the need for people to all live in the same area to commute. Meaning, you can live in Sudbury and work for a corporation in Montreal. Being based in a region that has a low cost of living and working for a high-paying job means you can cut more overhead costs and save faster for your next trip.
This is even better if you live in a nation with limited job opportunities and low wages. You can get paid in a different currency that converts to even more money. But back to the travel part…
Maximize Your Vacation Time
If you have a job that allows you to work remotely from anywhere, you can maximize your paid time off, and sick and personal days by only taking off time when you absolutely need to.
Instead of booking time off for the trip, you can fly on weekends or overnight OR! Depending on the plane, you can get the internet of the flight and work on route. This might come at an additional fee but it can be worth it. Once you arrive at your destination, you can get a cozy hotel or Airbnb to work from during the day and explore the town in the evening. This might not work for everyone, but it is a handy way to embrace slow travel.
Negative aspects of working from home
If you are a career-driven person, then really evaluate if working from home is the best decision for you.
Limited Networking
Getting the work done matters but without ever meeting your coworkers, and higher-ups it can limit your ability to build meaningful connections with your colleagues. Have you ever heard of the Watercooler moments? Well without a break room, this is now impossible. There is something to say about going into the office if you want to be taken seriously and promoted.
Poor Work-Life Balance
Some research shows that workers are more productive and tend to work longer if they work from home versus if they work from the office. Although this might be good for the employer, this might be a dangerous path for your mental health long term. Set boundaries with your employer early so they understand your limitations. Remember to regularly check in with yourself to manage your stress levels.
No Sense of Community
For most adults, the workplace is where we spend most of our time. Although controversial, it helps many people define themselves to others. Without being in the building and getting to know people (even in passing) like the IT department, the janitor, etc it can make you feel isolated. You can still reach out to people, but you have to force and it limits the amount of organic relationships you build. Informal conversations and interactions can be really helpful for your well-being.
Hybrid Work
Hybrid work is the best of both worlds. It does require you to have a home base so if you want to be serious about the digital nomad life, this is not for you. Hybrid work looks different at every job. Some places may require you to come into work s certain number of days while others only need you to be within 4 hours away at any given time.
Just analyze your priorities and determine what’s best for you.
How to Find Hybrid & Remote Work
Now that you understand the different working models, let’s talk about finding remote and hybrid work. Honestly, it is very similar to finding a regular job, however, there are four things that you will need ahead of time.
- A Laptop
- High-Speed Internet
- Headphone
- A Quiet Workspace
Depending on your living situation, getting all of the four things above might be hard, however, it will make a big difference in your ability to land and keep a remote job.
As you go through your regular job search, filter by job type and prioritize remote work. In some cases, a job posting might not indicate their preferences, but this is something you can also ask about in the interview process and try to negotiate into your contract if you are a successful candidate with a lot of experience and bargaining power.
If you have little to no work experience, it might make the job search challenging but it is no harder than finding an in-person job. Just ensure your resume is very well written. If you are unfamiliar with how to resume check out our guide.
Top Remote Jobs that give you the flexibility to travel
- Virtual Assistant
- Project Manager
- Editor/Proofreader
- Consultant,
- Coder
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Manager
- Data Entry
- Customer Service Reps
- Online Tutor
- Housesitting (not really a remote job, but it allows you the flexibility to travel and saves a lot on accommodations)
In your search, do not overlook part-time work. Generally, part-time work is less demanding and can grow to full-time.
Where to Find Remote Work
- https://dailyremote.com/
- Social Media (Follow the companies or Influencers that you would like to work for )
- https://www.flexjobs.com
- https://www.entertainmentcareers.net/jobs
- https://www.workingnomads.com/jobs
- https://www.virtualvocations.com/
- https://remote.co/remote-jobs/
- https://arc.dev/remote-jr-jobs
Jobs to Avoid if You Want to Travel
Just because a job is remote, does not mean you can travel out of county, state or province Ensure you ask about their remote limitations as early as possible. For example, any job that requires a lot of security clearance is best to avoid if you want freedom of movement. This includes most government jobs (Municipal, Province, and Federal) as will likely require you to only work within a provided region.
OR if you are brave enough. Who needs a stable job? Do your own thing. This includes things like freelance work, design work, etc.
Having a remote or hybrid job is not required to travel freely but it can help. However, if you have an in-person job based on a job that you like or based on the nature of your work, aim for jobs that offer flexibility based on what you want and how often you want to travel. For example, some managers don’t care what you do with your time as long as you get the work done.
There are an endless number of ways you can maximize travel while still having a 9-5 grind. You just have to find what works best for you.