How to Work While Traveling: Am I Just Lucky?
Have you received a weird reaction from a digital nomad after telling them how lucky they are? Or maybe you are a nomad growing tired of your success being attributed to luck. If you have always wanted to work and travel but never had the “opportunity”, let’s talk about how viewing your dreams as a matter of fate is holding you back. After reading this article, you will realize your dreams of work and travel are within reach once you stop waiting for good luck.
>> Check out this Instagram post to read more about how I began my digital nomad journey <<
My face when people tell me how ‘lucky’ I am, knowing darn well how hard I work to enjoy my current life of being a digital nomad
Digital nomads and remote workers hear it time and time again, “You are SO LUCKY!”. But why? Most of us don’t view our lifestyle as a consequence of good luck because we worked really hard to achieve our goals. Still, people who don’t work and travel love to tell us how lucky we are. Let’s change your perspective on what it really takes to live your travel dreams, so you can stop waiting for luck and start traveling today!
“The harder I work, the luckier I get.”
Enjoying a beautiful view of the Oaxaca coast from an airplane window while flying into Puerto Escondido, my home away from home (Mexico)
Luck is “success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions" according to the Oxford English Dictionary. I consider myself a very lucky person. I have survived major accidents, am constantly stumbling upon life-changing opportunities, and am surrounded by amazing people. I am not ignorant to the fact that many well-paying online work opportunities are seeking native English speakers, and I grew up speaking English in a well-educated family. Still, my ability to travel and live nomadically does not fall into the category of luck. It is important to clarify this because ‘luck’ would imply you can only live this lifestyle by chance. This is far from the truth! Let’s go over five (5) things besides luck, that will get you on the path to working remotely.
Taking work breaks is important! Making time in my workday to enjoy a beautiful waterfall near Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca (Mexico)
Networking
My method of choice for finding online remote work opportunities is through networking. Think about it… More people than ever are digital nomad. The chances of meeting someone who can make suggestions on how to start working remotely are very high. If you are lucky, they may even offer you an opportunity. The more people you speak to, the better your chances of receiving a job offer! I introduce myself to as many people as possible, in the off-chance they are looking for help or know someone who is. For example, I went to a candle store the other day and was chatting with the owner. When I asked her for the company’s Instagram page, she told me she hadn’t had the time to set one up. This was the perfect opportunity to outline my skills and offer her assistance in setting up her social media accounts.
Never underestimate the power of networking. This boss babe Alana (who is now my mentor) helped me get out of teaching English and on the path to creating my own company
Working hard
An important part of how to work while traveling is trying to not be lazy and unmotivated, otherwise you will miss opportunities. I am guilty of not always “working hard”. Sometimes depression, ADHD, and other obstacles get in the way of seizing every opportunity. However, working hard is very important when working and traveling. I taught English for many years from 2-9am, 7 days a week just to keep funding my travel lifestyle. Luckily, my teaching company now offers time slots 24 hours per day (not just Beijing Time hours) so early mornings are a thing of the past. I highly recommend teaching with this company if you want to start working and traveling today. The pay is great, you set your hours, and it’s a pretty fun job! Read more about the opportunity here and feel free to contact me with any questions!
Working hard, or hardly working? Maybe a bit of both. Relaxing while working in a hammock on the rooftop of my oceanview apartment in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca (Mexico)
Mentally preparing for hardship
Things will go wrong, it’s just a matter of ‘when’. This is a part of travel and nomad life. The sooner you accept this, the better. I like to practice radical acceptance and acknowledge that I will change the things I can, and accept what I cannot change. Job opportunities will pass you by, clients will pay you late or not at all, you will have technical issues, the internet will go down at the worst possible time, and you will at some point spill a drink on your computer and need to replace it. You can’t avoid these things no matter how hard you try. But now that you know, they won’t catch you off-guard! We may not seem like it, but successful digital nomads are highly resilient when it comes to setbacks.
Part of living in coastal Mexico is preparing for frequent power outages. Setting up my teaching classroom at 3am with candles for lighting in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca (Mexico)
Resilience
Resilience is what comes after experiencing hardships. When you persevere despite everything, you will be unstoppable. Bad times usually happen in waves. Maybe it’s the moon, planets, some sort of karma… you’ll never know. Sometimes it feels like everything that can go wrong is going wrong, all at once. You might want to give up and go home. I’ve called my parents countless times crying and begging them to fly me home. But giving up is not part of how to work while traveling. That being said, I am a big advocate for self-pity days. I love a good self-pity day with Netflix in bed, wine, junk food, and crying. Planning for these days keeps me resilient and on my journey of working while traveling. It’s all about balance, and you need to find what works for you to stay resilient in the face of adversity.
Still smiling after a major motor vehicle accident and several broken bones in my wrist, forcing me to end my vacation early on Kauai, Hawaii and head back to Canada for emergency surgery
Be Your Own Boss
At the very bottom of my list of suggestions on how to work while traveling are Fiverr, Upwork, etc. They are options you will probably see in a future blog post outlining remote work opportunities. However, they’re a last resort because at least English teaching companies, like the one I teach for, offer better pay and more freedom.
When you get tired of being underpaid, undervalued, and overworked, you should be your own boss. I only started my company after becoming frustrated relying on other people. My previous window of opportunity was very small because I was dependent on word-of-mouth, networking, and social media accounts to attract clients. By starting a company and developing my own website, I now attract a wider range of clients and can be more selective.
One perk of being your own boss is deciding when and where to work. I prefer working midday in the pool so I can work on my tan at the same time (Merida, Yucatan Mexico)
So, am I lucky I get to travel all of the time? No. I do experience a lot of luck during my travels, but my ability to live this lifestyle is a result of hard work and determination. I built this dream out of absolutely nothing. When I first began traveling alone I didn’t know how to work while traveling and times were hard. This lifestyle isn’t for the faint of heart and there were many panic attacks, tears, and existential crises along the way. But it was all worth it! I’m grateful I finally mastered how to work while traveling and realized it’s not a matter of luck. You can read more about my life in Mexico and how I moved from Canada to Mexico as a digital nomad for more inspiration!
To work while traveling you only need a few things: A laptop/cellphone/tablet, internet, electricity, and determination to persevere, even when things become challenging
So what are you waiting for to start living your dreams of work and travel? Luck…? I hope not because this is just an excuse to justify why you didn’t start sooner. There is no time like the present to stop making excuses and start taking action towards living your dreams.
Stay tuned for more personal tales of past failures, current wisdom, and tons of travel tips to get you on your way to solo travel and the nomadic lifestyle!
Is your dream to work and travel with a remote job?
Have you been waiting to “get lucky” with a remote job, and feel stuck in your 9-5 work, sleep, repeat lifestyle? Be sure to pin this and read it each time you need a reality check because you feel like your dreams of work and travel will never happen. Remember, you can start taking action today to turn your dreams into a reality!
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
