Blog Talk: Working While Traveling
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March 2, 2019
There’s no denying traveling usually results in some pretty amazing blog content (or inspiration if you’re a creative entrepreneur!). I mean, who doesn’t want to be inspired by a tropical vacay?! But the truth is, no one wants to actually work while traveling. Unfortunately, that’s not always an option for the self-employed. When you’re a one woman show, there’s no one else there to pick up the slack. Through working on my 2015 goal of traveling more, I’ve discovered a few tips and tricks that help me work from my happy place.
1. Prepare ahead of time
Chances are, this trip was scheduled in advance. So starting about two weeks out, start doubling up on work and getting a little extra done each day. By the time your trip comes around, you’ll have much more done than usual, allowing for a mini break. As a blogger, it’s always important to keep an editorial calendar of your posts, but even if you don’t keep an ed cal on a regular basis, do it for the month of your trip. Write posts ahead of time and try to schedule posts for up to a couple days past your trip. A little extra organization can go a long way!
2. Bring a portable device
I’m not talking about a laptop. Technology has come far and there are now tablets to fulfill our tech needs on the go. Emailing, blogging, browsing and almost anything else you need to do is totally doable on a tablet. You might be thinking, “great idea, too bad I don’t have $500 to drop on top of those travel expenses.” Well, I have a solution: the HP Stream 8 Tablet with Intel Inside®. It’s under $200 and is perfect to take on the go. The battery lasts forever! It has a desktop style homepage and allows any downloads you can do on a computer! It functions like a mini laptop, but is lightweight and super cute with my blue case on it, plus it comes with free 4G data right out of the box – you don’t even need wifi to connect! Oh and not to mention it would totally be a tax write off if you’re buying it for work. You’re welcome.
{ bathing suit designed by me!!!! ℅ Kini Swimwear // necklace designed by me ℅ TAudrey }
3. Take advantage of air time
You don’t have to buy wifi on the plane to work. Pull up Microsoft Word and start cranking out that content. Edit photos, organize your schedule, create graphics. There’s so much you can do without wifi and without a laptop! Don’t waste time in the plane – it will result in more free time for you to relax once you get to your destination!
4. Wake up early
This is definitely much easier if you’re traveling from the east coast to the west coast or Hawaii or something. When I went to Hawaii, I woke up before the sunrise every day. It was amazing and I was able to answer emails, respond to comments, schedule social media posts and everything else I needed to do, before breakfast. When I was recently in LA, I did the same thing before 10. Instead of sleeping in every day, wake up early at least a few times to knock out some of your to do list. Try to make a goal; something like getting at least 5 important things done before going out to enjoy the day works great for me!
Since traveling more was one of my goals for 2015, I’ve had to make it a point to be able to work while traveling. These things definitely help me, but I would love more tips!
How do you make it possible to work from your happy place?
Photos by Johnny Cheng.
May 1, 2015 @ 10:26 am
This is all so true! Sometimes I’ve found it discouraging to realize that I won’t have wifi, but that all diminishes once you recognize all of the stuff you can crank out without it – it almost ends up feeling better not being able to get distracted by social media or a full inbox! I love writing lists and notes and posts out in my Evernote app on my iPad – the perfect travel companion!
cominguprosestheblog.com
May 5, 2015 @ 6:26 pm
Yeah, I always think the same thing! But there is so much you can do just in word or on a notepad. And you’re so right about the distractions!
May 1, 2015 @ 1:48 pm
Great tips!! I also think it can be important to disconnect and the world WON’T end if you miss a few days blogging because you are enjoying life. I make sure to fill any blog post missing space with extra instagram posts, tweets, facebook shares of my trip so they know what I’m up to! (And don’t beat myself up about it if I’m missing a few days. Because we ALL deserve vacations every now and again!)
May 5, 2015 @ 6:27 pm
I sometimes skip blogging, but only on Fridays. Since this is my primary source of income, I can’t let my readers and sponsors down by dropping the ball! But I definitely cut back on the time I spend on it when I’m traveling 🙂
May 1, 2015 @ 2:02 pm
These are great tips for working while traveling. I don’t travel much, but I have a portable device useful along with cloud storage like dropbox and google drives. 🙂 Happy Travels!
May 8, 2015 @ 1:39 pm
YES! I couldn’t live without Google Drive!
May 1, 2015 @ 11:14 pm
Great tips (and one of my goals, this year, too!). I find the starting to write and schedule posts in advance to be super helpful, even if I’m not travelling – I do this when I know I’m going to have a busy or stressful week coming up as well. And definitely taking advantage of down time to write etc without WiFi – that’s often the most productive time for me without the distraction of the internet!
May 8, 2015 @ 1:40 pm
It is definitely helpful! I schedule all my posts in advance. And you’re so right – the internet can be so distracting!!!
May 4, 2015 @ 12:24 am
MEGAN,
I do plan on traveling a lot, thanks so much for update. I hope I run into you.
xo
May 8, 2015 @ 1:40 pm
Glad you liked it! 🙂 Happy travels!
May 4, 2015 @ 12:42 pm
These are wonderful tips Megan! Whenever I know I will take a few days off, I always plan everything I need those days, work extra hard before leaving so I can really enjoy my free time 🙂
May 8, 2015 @ 1:41 pm
I’m the same way! It’s the only way I’m able to actually relax a little 🙂