For many people, not least Ernest Hemingway himself, upping sticks travelling in Europe is a huge step which, and let’s be clear, is a life-changing decision. It used to be that travellers would seek out seasonal work; picking grapes in the French countryside, harvesting strawberries in the South of England; poetic it may be, but it’s hard work for minimal pay.
Now things have changed. Every man and his dog knows that you can work remotely, keep your day job, stay in touch with your colleagues through the countless apps from Skype to Fleep, and not only get your job but also visit places and grow…spiritually. In other words, becoming the traveling coworker.
Being the traveling coworker and working online, you have all of the benefits of a fixed contract, steady pay, and all of your work can be done on the go. It makes for a more rounded journey abroad:
So for those people who want to see the world and visit Europe to get a real understanding of the continent, remote work has given us the chance to keep our careers burning bright and travel, too. Become the traveling coworker!
There are things to take into consideration. Things can go wrong while you’re on the move, so you have to roll with the punches and be agile and calm in the face of the inevitable issues.
The first piece of advice we give to anyone is, have a return flight paid for, open-ended. This does two things. It gives you the peace of mind that should all else fail you can make it home safely. And also, and we’ve heard this a lot, it acts as a motivator; you might be facing something insurmountable, but do you really want to give up and go home? Sometimes you’ll find you need something to spur you on in the face of audacity.
Each country in Europe has its own peculiar and convoluted way of making things, if not explicitly difficult; technical. Always have your passport to hand when visiting local authorities for temporary residence documents, and always have a bit of cash in the bank as you’ll invariably have to pay some kind of administration fee, but don’t forget this isn’t the third world, they aren’t bribes, just admin.
Travel light. Make sure you can fit your life into a suitcase and a backpack for when you move from place to place. Any more than this and you’ll find it a hassle. You are facing the world with money in your pocket and the clothes on your back. It’s a liberating experience, use it.
The language barrier is always an issue, but we have some pretty smart apps to get around this, the three key apps to have at the ready are:
In the past, to get around the world and see sights like this, meant taking a gap year. But it doesn’t have to be like that. In fact, companies urge their staff to get out and see the world, meet new people and possibly open up new business.
There are many caveats and lots of information but overall, plan well, get advice and most of all, enjoy your trip!
*LPT: It doesn’t mean “preservative”