Have Laptop, Will Travel: 5 Tips to Making Your Nomad Lifestyle Work
19. Feb, 2010 
39 Comments
Today’s guest post is from Elysia at ThatTravelingCouple.com. I love to feature folks who are out there making it happen, especially when they’re doing it with ease and style.
From exploring ancient ruins to attending internet conferences in Washington, escaping to a Mexican beach to freezing ourselves stupid in Montreal – we’ve done it all this year and all while keeping two businesses running, two bank accounts from seeing red, one relationship intact and two families happy despite their eldest children having deserted them for a faraway land.
A mean feat? Perhaps. However, I have to admit it was far easier than we ever thought it would be!
My partner and I are what you might call digital nomads or as some close to us put it we “do blogs and stuff”. We run two busy internet businesses from the comfort of our… well … our laptops, wherever we are and whatever we are doing.
However, pairing a busy business and travel doesn’t always merge seamlessly – there isn’t some sort of digital utopia – but with the right planning, the right mindset and a realistic approach you can hop very happily between work and play with a different background every day, week or month.
1. Don’t Burn Yourself Out
One thing we learned very quickly was that while traveling is absolutely awesome, taking too many trips in too little time will burn you out faster than a candle in a furnace – not to mention your business (however organized it may be) will probably take a hit too.
At the beginning of 2009 we spent more time traveling than we did at our base in Montreal and by March we were feeling it big time. Despite being major travel addicts we began to crave staying at home just to work all day without interruptions – that’s when you know you really need to take a break.
We learned to be realistic with our travels. Running yourself rampant 24/7 will not only kill the travel buzz but potentially restrict your business growth, if not get you off track altogether. To combat this, try taking shorter trips more often, or traveling more slowly. You’ll find that having “down time” will allow you to recharge, refocus and prepare to tackle your next adventure.
2. Schedule “Work Time” Each Day
Working as you travel doesn’t have to be stressful or impossible. What we’ve learned to do is to allocate “work time” each day regardless of where we are in the world.
The best way to do this is to figure out how much you really need to get done each day – the most crucial tasks such as emails, managing staff, blog posts etc. Scheduling your time around the most important items will keep you honest, but it’ll also prevent task creep – those sundry items that use up your time, but aren’t productive.
You’d be surprised how much work you can get done when you have a restricted time limit. When you know how much time you have to commit to your work each day you can plan your travel itinerary accordingly and you get the best of both worlds.
To ensure you get the most out of your allocated “work time” be sure to shut off any distractions – yes that means no Twitter or Facebook! Lock yourself away in your hotel room or at a local internet cafe, get your work done pronto and then you are free to explore the fascinating sights at your fingertips.
3. Treat Your “Office” Well
When you’re living the life of a digital nomad your laptop is your office, your livelihood and in some cases your only connection to the “real world”. Make sure you invest in a quality laptop for your adventures – upgrade your memory, increase the speed and update your virus protection (with all the different internet connections you’ll be using you might be vulnerable to icky bugs in your system.)
Also be sure to keep your laptop uber organized when you’re traveling. Having a disorganized laptop is much like having a messy desk – it’s distracting, inefficient and inhibits productivity. Instead, keep your files easily accessible, filed appropriately and make backups of everything – losing a month’s worth of photos, notes, blog posts and e-tickets is like a removing a limb (while conscious) for a digital nomad.
4. Keep in Touch with Family (or face the consequences)
One thing about embarking on an adventure is that you inevitably leave people behind, be it your partner, children, parents or friends. Despite what some travelers might say, there is no excuse for not keeping in touch in an age where my Mum is “writing on your wall” – seriously, she will!
Unless you are in a Saharan desert onboard a camel, there is probably some way of keeping in touch with your loved ones back home. Sacrificing a few bucks and 10 minutes of your time to shoot a quick email back will make all the difference to them and perhaps give you one less scowl at Christmas dinner.
To streamline communications, make an email group of all your closest family and friends so that each week you can put together a quick 3 paragraph email about your latest adventures, attach a few photos and send it off to everyone at once. People love to hear travel stories and see photos from people they know, a few minutes of your time will make their day.
5. Save Money for Things that Count
One of the reasons we were able to make so many trips this year is because when we did, we traveled smart. Why spend thousands of dollars on unnecessarily luxurious accommodation or airfares when you could take 2, 3 or 4 trips for the price of one fancy, schmancy excursion?
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you share your nights with rodents and bed bugs, I’m talking cheap flights, 3 star hotels (with rave reviews) and a car that will get you from A to B quite nicely with no risk of sliding backwards down a hill.
You don’t have to sacrifice comfort, quality or enjoyment in order to have an affordable holiday – it just takes a bit of research, patience and a whole lot of face time with the G-man aka Google.
With all the websites available, nowadays there’s really no excuse for not at least trying to find an alternative to the first deal you find. Sites like Booking.com, LastMinute.com, iTravel2000.com (and the list could go on and on) are great for comparing a ton of flights, hotels and car rental options all on the one website.
For flights… experiment with dates, times, airports and airlines. For hotels… check star ratings, guest reviews, location and what the room includes (e.g. breakfast, wifi etc)
Spending a bit of time trying to save money on things like free WiFi, breakfast, taxis to and from the airport, which might seem like tedious work but when the savings allow you to take an extra trip each year then you’ll be thanking me for kicking your butt into gear on this one.
Overall the life of a digital nomad has been pretty darn sweet to me, and every day I am thankful I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity.
Pairing work and travel does not need to be stressful or chaotic as long as you play it smart, plan well and dedicate time for the tasks that count.
About the Author:
Elysia can be found at That Traveling Couple where she and her boyfriend Andrew write about their travels and adventures. “We’re both incredibly fortunate to be able to run our online businesses from any couch, bed, desk, beach, cafe, airport in the world – as long as there’s a kick a** internet connection – something we are grateful for every single day!”
Pics: Da Quella Manera, Mang Pages, Bendeming
“Keep in Touch with Family (or face the consequences) … ” That is great! These are super useful tips! Enjoy your travels.
Cherrye at My Bella Vita´s last blog ..My Bella Vita on KPAM Portland Radio
Simple stuff, yet very useful … especially the bit about backing up. Even if all you do is invest in a $10 USB stick and copy everything to it as you go, it’s invaluable. I had a laptop hard drive go south on me during a RTW trip a couple of years ago – if I hadn’t been religiously backing everything up to a USB key every couple of days, I would have lost literally months of irreplaceable photos.
It’s so cheap and easy … don’t forget it!
Dave´s last blog ..Article published: Roadtrip Tasmania
Great tips that seems common sense but sometimes we tend to forget once we embark on the journey. Thanks for the reminder.
Amy @ The Q Family´s last blog ..Thailand with Kids – The Little Moments
Thanks (again) for a really good post! About the laptops, what type of laptop do you use?
Sofia´s last blog ..How To Bargain (Learn The Street Hustle) And Get The Best Deal!
I agree completely with #3, and I also know I do a horrible job at it. Thank you for the reminder that I really need to commit to keeping my equipment upgraded and my files backed up.
JoAnna´s last blog ..Images of Grand Turk | Turks and Caicos Islands
Thanks for your comments guys, glad you liked the post
And Sofia, I’m using a HP laptop, don’t ask me the model haha! It’ll be 2 years old in June but is still going strong despite EXCESSIVE usage!
Elysia´s last blog ..Safety In Puerto Vallarta: Don’t Sweat it!
These are all terrific tips. I especially agree with number 1 about not burning yourself out. Taking many trips in a short time does have its benefits (particularly if you’re a travel writer and working on multiple stories and assignments) but too much of it can, like you said, burn you out. To make a living on your business while traveling, point 2 is obviously essential as well. Although I work late from time to time, in my experience, scheduling work time in the morning and early afternoon is way better because then you can have the rest of the day free.
Erica´s last blog ..High Heels and a Head Torch: A Survival Guide for Girls Who Backpack
This wanderer will take heed. Thanks for the post
Joe Todd´s last blog ..OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK
Very informative article. I really like hearing about the fine details from people who are living the lifestyle I want. The big picture stuff is great, but it is the everyday details that that really keep things going.
Jay´s last blog ..The Challenge to Get Out of this Rut
Insightful. Great to find ways to keep in touch with your closest friends and relatives even when you are a distance away.
Kevin H´s last blog ..More Strapped Consumers Pay Credit Cards First
It’s so very easy to get caught up in always exploring. It takes at least a couple months for it to set in that you’re not on an extended vacation – and that you simply have to take time for life, work and relaxing!
We almost chuckle when we arrive to a new city, and our contacts/host there start rattling off all the things we just have to see. It does get so exhausting, especially since our mission isn’t necessarily to see all the museums and such.
The more we travel, the more we have to intentionally carve out ‘down time’.
Cherie @Technomadia´s last blog ..Travelogue: St. Louis to Florida
Interesting piece…In addition to your post, while travelling with your laptop, ensure that it is entered in the passport or request for export certificate at the customs / immigration counter at the port of departure. Also have copies of invoice and a letter from the sponsoring organization that the laptop was assigned to you for official purposes. This should enable the individual to bring the laptop back without customs duty.
Susan´s last blog ..Discovering Wholesale Airfare
Great list and most definitely invest in a quality laptop. I have been travelling for over 6 months now and have a 13 inch macbook pro. It was worth every single penny as it have kept my UK business alive and survive a few near misses.
Jonny | thelifething.com´s last blog ..Unfortunately Sir, I Think Your Acting Career Is Over – Your Plan Of Action To Wealth And Success
I like the list with tips I’ve been slowly planning and building up my own knowledge base of how to’s in the world of nomadic living. I’d be interested to also see what type of businesses all these successful digital nomads are running. What it sounds like is that Elysia of The Traveling Couple has two herself.
Such a GREAT article!!! I agree completely with all 5 points. #6 for me, would be to invest in a good cup of coffee before starting work.
Andi´s last blog ..Brasil: Day 4
I think you really highlighted the important things to remember about being a digital nomad, great article!
These are all good points. I can see how not having the structure of a 9-5 could result in some disorganization. These points help to recreate some structure.
Keith´s last blog ..State of the Savage: February
This was an excellent post filled with great tips. Very organized and makes a lot of practical sense.
Arlene´s last blog ..Travel Tip of the Week – Traveler’s Insurance
Great post. Its always fun to read about more people living life by their standards and having fun.
Pond Jumpers: Croatia´s last blog ..Olympic World T-shirt – Only 24 Hours!
Not burning out is so important, and part of that is treating the office well–otherwise, you’ll burn out redoing all the photos you just lost.
Beth Partin´s last blog ..Cocoa Beach Photos: A Surfer’s Surf
save money for the things that count is a wise suggestion! nice post
Alistair Toffoli´s last blog ..Spotted by Locals
All great tips. I did a freelance writing job when I was traveling last summer and blocked off from 1pm to 5pm for writing. It was the hottest part of the day, so a working in a room with a/c was a blessing. If I hadn’t slated that time everyday, I would have never completed the project on time and on budget.
Anotherr good post… as always!
Roy´s last blog ..Catamaran Cruise
These are great tips!
Miss Journey´s last blog ..Miss Journey + Guts. Glam. Grace. Magazine
I’m with you on the staying focussed when you need to combine work and travel – it’s a difficult balance when you really want to make the most of being in a new destination, but still have to keep up with the admin. For this reason I can’t contemplate staying anywhere without wi-fi as the thought of getting behind on the e-mails is just too scary!
Heather on her travels´s last blog ..Things to enjoy at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park (without breaking the bank)
“To streamline communications, make an email group of all your closest family and friends so that each week you can put together a quick 3 paragraph email about your latest adventures, attach a few photos and send it off to everyone at once. People love to hear travel stories and see photos from people they know, a few minutes of your time will make their day.”
Or alternatively, Keep a travel blog where the whole world as well as your family can follow along! Or keep an active Twitter account so your family knows you’re alive. (I’ve done this before)
“With all the websites available, nowadays there’s really no excuse for not at least trying to find an alternative to the first deal you find. Sites like Booking.com, LastMinute.com, iTravel2000.com”
I’d also recommend http://www.momondo.com and kayak.com. Very powerful sites.
Byteful Traveller´s last blog ..How to Get Paid to Travel 1,000 miles: Craigslist
great tips…well..i forgot pretty..to..”keep in touch with family”…this reminded me..hm
Scheduling work time each day is what I’m really struggling with. I guess we’ve only been out of the 9-5 game now for 8 months and we haven’t really discovered how our new lifestyle is going to work on a day to day basis.
But this scheduling of time for work thing is something I think needs to be worked out and it has to be tailored to the individual. Whether it’s daily or weekly scheduling, if there is stuff that has to get done, it needs some structure!
Adam´s last blog ..Kangaroo Kheema Matar
I can’t touch computer during my trips, except for short messages to family. Is too much to see and to feel around, just can’t waste what time.
Vi´s last blog ..Ferries from Ao Nang to Railay, Thailand
Thanks for all the awesome comments!
SO glad you found the post helpful
Elysia´s last blog ..The CN Tower Restaurant: A Tourist’s View
Really inspiring blog post guys, I wish I could live like that! On your point about backing up, something that would be really useful is something like DropBox, or Windows Live Mesh, that lets you backup all your files and store them in the cloud.
Dave´s last blog ..Toshiba Satellite T130
Great article! Like to know which hostel serves you with free wifi during your trip? Check out hostelvideoguide.com where you will not only find hostels with free wifi but also great hostel videos of more than 500 hostels.
Happy travelling
After looking over this blog post I took a look around the site. You have done a good job gathering all this information.
I find that the more travel writing I read, the more places get added to my list, which makes it even harder to decide where to go. But I will surely not miss this one, this is just so great! And this will be on my top list!
Stacey´s last blog ..Epic Traffic Systems Bonus—What do You Want in a Bonus?
Some very good tips on travelling. I know you can burnout so I like to take a more relaxing holiday and stay in one place for at least a week! Lie in the sun, order cocktail and really take it easy. If you can access emails through internet, you can write your travelling story in several emails, that will never get lost!
Keep in touch with family. Can tell you, didn’t do that once and did pay the consequences. Truly the best tip pf all
Egon @ luxurybeachresorts´s last blog ..Luvury Vacations – 10 Must-Dos When In Bruges
I like, write email to your family & close friends what u have done(traveled) and adding some photos. sounds interesting, i will do that henceforth. good tip!! thanks
I think its a Great Life Style To Travel and Work On your Business With a Laptop I Dream One Day That Happens For Me!!