Working on the road.
Trying to travel internationally and working at the same time can be challenging. Here are some things to keep in mind to help things go smoothly.
1. Don’t forget to turn on your autoresponder.
Have a template auto responder set up so that you can turn it on whenever you are flying and out of communication. These days people generally expect to get an email response before the end of their work day so if you’re not going to be able to meet that expectation then it’s good to let people know. Everyone knows how frustrating it is to be thinking “Did they get my email? Are they going to respond?” If you work with Australian clients, you’ll need to check emails on Sundays since that is Monday for them.
2. Have a good headset for Skype.
Always travel with a comfortable headset that will block out external noise. There are lots of times when you’ll need to do things like call the bank from abroad, or sort out other important matters. The headset doesn’t need to be “noise cancelling” but it should be reasonably good noise blocking so you can hear properly and concentrate when you’re on calls. Comfortable headphones will also allow you to take micro breaks and watch a few minutes of youtube or TV wherever you are. Micro breaks usually help productivity.
3. Have two ways of connecting.
Relying on one internet connection is frustrating. Hotel internet connections play up all the time. We’ve learnt this the hard way. Make sure you can connect via your phone so that you can at least check your mail and other basic functions if the hotel internet is down. Check the local options that will allow tethering. If you’re getting a SIM card for tethering then make sure the fast speeds are compatible with the bands your phone has. Sometimes only the slower 2G speeds are available with international phones. Also there maybe local options that will allow you to connect multiple devices by making a hotspot with a portable wifi router. You may need something like this if you ever get stuck at a hotel that charges for wifi per device or if or if you are travelling with multiple people each carrying multiple devices.
4. Get used to converting time zones.
Thankfully converting time zones is easy these days. Just put “Time in London” or “Time in Sydney” into Google and you’ll get the answer. Even if you think you have figured out the time zone correctly in your head, it always pays to check if you have a client call scheduled.
