Can you afford to travel abroad for a month? That’s the question digital nomads, digital entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to work remote often ask themselves.
We paid for our month-long trip to Italy last February without taking any time away from work and continued to make money while we traveled – it was one of the best decisions we ever made!
Pick when you’re going to travel wisely
Traveling off-season has many benefits. You’ll save on airfare, hotels will be cheaper, more short-term rentals like Airbnbs or VRBOs will be available, and there are often fewer crowds to deal with at main attractions.
Back home, it may also be easier to step away from your desk and professional commitments for a little while when traveling at an unpopular time of year.
But there are drawbacks, too: You may find it difficult to book travel during certain periods of the year or you might not be able to take advantage of holiday deals at your favorite hotel chain.
That’s why digital nomads typically plan their trips for when they’re least busy and can afford them financially, without worrying too much about vacation seasonality.
February was the best time to visit Northern Italy for all the above reasons. Plus, the weather was absolutely beautiful for all the walking we did.
We worked our normal jobs while abroad, so we didn’t have to use our PTO
I worked daily from 3 PM until midnight from wherever we were staying that night so that I could keep set appointments and Google Meets as they were on my calendar with no disruption to my clients or my boss.
Brian was on-call via email — and cell phone in case of emergency — to take care of any and all situations regarding his clients and had already delegated any in-person commitments to associates before leaving.
Since we didn’t take “time off” or even “paid time off,” we didn’t lose any of our expected salary income while working from somewhere a little more exciting than our normal four walls.
Don’t miss these 6 Tips For Working From ANYWHERE! that will help you plan your work days and keep your work-life and travel-life balanced.
Set communication expectations with your clients and your team
If you’re truly stepping “out of office” for the duration of your trip, make sure your clients and your teammates are aware of how they can connect with you and when it is necessary.
If you’re just taking a digital vacation, make sure you are still available for any emergencies and that your clients know how they can reach out to people in the office on your behalf.
If you are planning to continue working from a different time zone, know that you may need to alter your schedule to cater to your clients.
Be prepared before leaving for work abroad
Do you have a backup plan if something goes wrong with your technology?
Have Wi-Fi set up for you at your hotel or Airbnb
Consider renting an international SIM card for your phone or purchasing data roaming
Create a Google Voice number and share it with all of your clients before leaving on vacation.
Bring extra laptop and cell phone chargers in case yours break or disappear
Check that your calendar settings are in the correct time zone
Remember, this isn’t a “vacation;” this is all about working while traveling so that you can afford to travel more often!
Be Smart Spenders
We’ve always valued collecting memories over collecting things. In fact, the only souvenirs we’ve brought back from our Italian vacations have been Christmas ornaments and lots and lots of photos.
In some cases, shopping while abroad is worth it: you can find high-quality unique items that you love. But our money mostly went toward activities and food and less toward stuff.
And, we never spent in one day more than we were making that day. That’s adding up our salary and commissions and stock portfolio growth and spending below our means.
Use credit cards with no transaction fees & take advantage of rewards!
You can use reward points to book your airfare, rental car, hotel stays, and even excursions. So we had very little cash outlay even while dining extravagantly almost nightly, indulging in gelato and cappuccinos excessively, and buying tickets to any and every gallery or historical site that caught our eye.
We did it (and you can, too)! And not just in the sense of coming back home safe and sound, but we actually managed to work our normal jobs while abroad. It’s so possible to afford to travel more often than you think!
It was tough at times juggling two different timezones and managing a business as well as personal travel plans — especially when you’re trying to find that perfect balance between exploring new destinations and spending downtime with loved ones.
But through careful planning, communication expectations, preparation before leaving for work abroad, using credit cards with no transaction fees & taking advantage of rewards like points or cashback deals, we were able to create an international lifestyle that made us happy and loving where we woke up every day.
