10 pieces of travel advice for bored freelancers
One of the best things about being a freelancer, isn’t just the flexibility to get work done in your own time – it’s the flexibility to travel and work as you go.
If you’re a freelancer and you’re feeling pretty bored with your current setup, you might head to a far off country and decide to work from there instead. I might seem ‘out there’, but with your freelance work and a little pre-planning, you should be able to do this with no issues.
If you’ve always wanted to travel but you keep making excuses, this could be the perfect opportunity. Chances are, if somebody held a gun to your head and told you to find a way, you would do it. So why not do it anyway?
One day, when you’re older, with things that can tie you down like a house and pets, you’ll wish you had travelled right now. So, with that in mind, here’s 10 pieces of travel advice for bored freelancers.
1) Find ways to stay motivated
Start by making sure you have ways to stay motivated, even when the beach is calling your name. Can you work in a beach bar? Can you get your work done early in the morning so you have the rest of the day to explore and soak up those new experiences?
Understanding what motivates you and going after it is key. If you lose motivation while you’re working and traveling, you could well lose your income.
2) Find a great internet cafe
A great internet cafe can be your reliable touchpoint in an uncertain world. You may not know who you’re going to meet and what you’re going to do on any given day, but you could certainly have a great place to work that makes you feel safe and secure.
You never know who you might meet here, either – perhaps people with similar dreams to you.
3) Get better with your finances
Being a pro at managing your finances is one of the best things you can do if you’re going to travel. Sure, you’re earning money while you travel, but this doesn’t mean you should spend frivolously.
Having some money in reserve and a budget you can stick to will ensure you feel secure when everything else is uncertain.
4) Find a co-working space
Another great place to work can be a co-working space. If you prefer to work around other freelancers, then this could be the ideal space for you. You’ll meet some great people and still have that ‘office’ and community vibe, but without actually having a boss looking over your shoulder.
5) Take a holiday
Don’t forget to take a holiday and really enjoy wherever you are! Take a week off and just enjoy the sights, and get used to various places in your location. This is when you could scope out the best places to work while you get used to what’s what.
6) Make sure you keep your clients happy
Your clients need to be happy if this is something you’re going to want to do in the long term. Your clients are essentially paying you to do this, so you want to make sure you treat them well and show them how important they are to you.
Put a little extra effort in, be more communicative and authentic, and personalize your messages to them. Simple things like this can make such a big difference to your success.
7) Find other ways to make money
Finding other ways to make money could help to take the pressure off so you don’t have to swap as much of your time for money. Working freelance can be wonderful, but time is still money.
When you work on passive income streams, you can continue making money from those avenues when you’re out exploring and enjoying your destination. For example, you could write ebooks on traveling, start a blog or vlog, and look into similar income streams.
It might take you a while to make money this way, but slowly plugging away at it can make a big difference.
8) Know that you define your own success
What you define as success is totally individual. You don’t need to measure your own success by somebody else’s definition of it. To somebody else, success could mean having a spouse and a mortgage. To others, it could literally be the freedom to travel the world, even on little money!
It all depends on your own goals and values. What is your definition of success, and how can you start working towards it? You could look for a kota kemuning house for sale to get started on your travel dream, for example. Just remember that it’s usually better to start with baby steps in the right direction. You don’t need to dive headfirst into the unknown.
9) Just go for it
The worst thing you can do is talk yourself out of something you really want to do. You might never get this opportunity, or be in this situation again. Don’t let other people tell you what to do – if you feel this is right for you, go ahead and do it.
Your family will probably come around to the idea, although they will miss you. Your friends should be excited for you – but be wary that some might be jealous. Try to forget all of that and do what feels right to you.
10) Don’t overthink it
You can do a lot of research on the subject of traveling as a freelancer, with YouTube videos, travel guides, and the abundance of other resources out there. However, you can easily go into the research part of it too hard and talk yourself out of it.
Don’t get into a paralysing overthinking spiral! If this is what you want, do it and work it out along the way. Sometimes, the spontaneous trips are the best trips and everything will work out in your favor.
Photo by Anete Lūsiņa
