Do's and Don'ts of Working Remotely from Abroad

Working remotely from abroad can sound like a dream. It’s one of the things that drew me to freelancing so many years ago and it’s one of the core reasons why I’ve never considered a traditional job since.

Being able to work from anywhere is pretty amazing (especially if you happen to live anywhere in the EU).

But it’s not guaranteed to be a good experience. In fact, plenty can go wrong. So for today’s newsletter, I thought I’d talk about some of the primary do’s and don’ts of working from abroad, based on my personal experience.

Location, location, location

The first thing to bear in mind is of course how to go about choosing your location. The way I would go about choosing a destination for remote work is different than how I’d go about choosing a holiday destination. Namely, these are some of the main things I would think about:

• City size. If you’re going on vacation, often the best spots are not the main cities or capitals. For example, I’d far rather visit the coast of France than a city like Paris if I’m on vacation. You get better views, smaller crowds and a more authentic experience overall. But If you’ll be spending a month or longer in a destination, and you’ll be working while there, the convenience of things like subway systems, fast internet speeds, plentiful options for ordering food, nearby gyms, coworking spaces (etc) are quite handy. Case in point: my all-time favourite city to work from is Madrid. The weather is great, there’s lots to do and it ticks all of the boxes mentioned above.
• Hotel vs Airbnb. Hotels are nice on vacation because you probably won’t be spending enough time inside to be bothered by the lack of space, and it’s always great when you come back to a clean room. But when you’re going to be there longer, having a fully equipped kitchen can help you save a bit on food costs. A separate bedroom and living room make working from home a lot more comfortable. Overall, I definitely prefer Airbnb’s for longer stays.
• Internet speed. Most accommodations will tell you they provide good access to internet, but that’s not always true. Also, “good internet connectivity” can be subjective. If you’re on vacation, maybe all you need is to be able to post pictures or occasionally facetime a friend or family. But if you’re working, your needs tend to be significantly different. Slow internet connectivity is a massive productivity killer. It’s always a good idea to check reviews to see any comments that specifically talk about the internet quality. Aside from this, a good backup plan is to ensure your mobile service comes with generous 5G connectivity abroad, or bring along an external mobile hotspot device.
• Neighbourhood. My wife and I worked for a month from Malaga, which we really enjoyed, but in hindsight, we probably would choose a slightly different location if we were to do it over again. We found a really nice place in the Old Town of Malaga. Super central and a very nice apartment. Would have been ideal for a short vacation. But being that it was in the Old Town, that means that there were always crowds at the restaurants below, and then after the restaurants closed, the groups of people traveling to and from nearby clubs were quite noisy as well. Then in the mornings, around 5-6 am, the cleaning crews would come by and restaurant staff would start their preparations. It was never really quiet and when you’re always working the next day, quiet is pretty important. This is why we now always look for places in areas that are very central and close to public transport, but not so central that we are always in the middle of where everything happens.

Setup for work & living

• Coworking vs working from home: coworking is a great option when it’s possbile. Across Europe, coworking spaces are quite common and it’s usually easy to find one that offers flexible membership options for people who are going to be there short-term. They provide good internet and comfortable working conditions but above all, they can enable you to meet locals and other remote workers alike, and to learn more about what you can do and visit while there. Unfortunately, it isn’t suitable for everybody. In my case, my roles require me to spend much of my time in virtual meetings, which means I need privacy and a quiet environment. But if this isn’t the case for you, they can be great.
• If you do work from home most of the time, always factor in those specific needs when choosing accommodations. Oh and one super important tip which can get overlooked: think about the humidity of where you are staying. My wife and I always look for places that get a lot of natural light and not just because they look better visually. Short term rentals aren’t always occupied, so they can spend significant stretches of time completely empty and closed without any human activity. If they are located in places that attract a lot of humidity (like basements) or don’t get much sunlight, that can cause mould to form overtime, which you won’t see on their Airbnb listings. That is both unhealthy and creates an unpleasant smell. You won’t want to live and work from a place like that for a significant period of time.

Final travel tips

• Don’t overthink it and don’t overplan it. I used to think about everything I could possibly need and everything that could go wrong before I started working while traveling, which is why it took me about 5 years to finally give it a go (and I only did so because my wife convinced me). Nowadays, we have a budget for traveling that we both contribute to. When we’ve gathered enough funds, planning is as easy as finding a location and timings that we like and can afford. Doesn’t have to be done a year in advance. It’s much easier to plan for the short term than it is for the longterm. ?
• Travel light. Traveling can feel like a burden if you travel with a lot of baggage - this can drain all of the excitement out of preparing for it. Even when traveling for a month, we like to bring only the essentials along for the ride.

Until next week,

Cata