Living a laptop lifestyle - running a business and travelling pt. 1
Living a laptop lifestyle is the dream! Travelling from one destination to the next without a care in the world, without rent to pay or bills and getting to see amazing parts of the world whilst still earning an income - yes please!
I did experience the laptop lifestyle as I travelled through Europe for 6 weeks. It might be a little bit of a different experience to most laptop lifestyles, but I wanted to share with you what I have learnt along the journey.
One of the main learnings I have experienced in the last few days is definitely the rush travelled lifestyle is not really ideal when you are trying to work. Every time you get to a new destination you want to spend the time exploring and getting to know the city.
What I found from spending 1-2 nights in each place so fair, it means a lot less time to work because by the time I explore the city, it is time to leave without having the downtime to get work done. BUT I have some solutions for this.
So what are the key learnings so far?
Transport means work
One of the major learnings for me is, you can get A LOT done while travelling between destinations. Whether that is by plane, bus or train, I have found it gives me the downtime I need to get work done.
What I do is, as soon as I get onto my mode of transport, I settle in first and then set my watch for 25 minutes. This allows me 25 minutes to get a certain tasks done (or started at least). Then I will move onto the next task from there.
The plane ride to Europe was the most productive I’ve ever been in a timeframe. It was the time I knew I didn’t have to be anywhere and I didn’t have my phone to distract me, so it was all work!!
Best place to work!
However, one of the things I have noticed is, it is easy to fall sleep and so I recommend a few naps in between working.
Time zones
When you are travelling, one thing you need to remember is time zones. If you are travelling between many countries with different time zones, make sure you have accounted of this when it comes to deadlines.
Also, when communicating to clients and requiring information from them, always allow for more time. This is the same for deadlines, your client might say Sunday but it might be Saturday for you, for example.
Just always be mindful of the time zones.
Have the time zones in your phone
Having downtime
One of the key takeaways when it comes to living the laptop lifestyle is make sure you ALWAYS have downtime. This means downtime from being a tourist and downtime from working.
So, just like you would do in your normal routine.
Go to the gym, chill out at the park or take yourself out for a coffee. Make sure you have balance between work, play and relaxing - it will be good for your mental and physical health.
All about the downtime
Downtime could also mean, downtime from alcohol or downtime from over indulging in food, which you will definitely do a lot of at the start of your travels.
Final thoughts
Living the laptop lifestyle is FUN! But, it is all about balance. At the beginning you will have so much fun, making new friends, going out and living your best life. But you will come to a stage where you need a form of routine to make it sustainable.
So you will find staying in some places longer and having days off touring or working will make it easier for you to keep going while still staying mentally and physically fit.
Get as much work done as you can while travelling between destinations, be mindful of time zones and always find downtime to do nothing!!
Give yourself days off working and explore the city, but also don’t forget you have clients while you are seeing the world - they need you too!
If you want to read more about the places I have been so far, check out my atravellersantics blog here!
