Traveling while Working

Balancing work and travel is not easy. Let me paint a picture: You wake up in a new city, new country, unsure where you’ll work that day. Will it be a coffee shop or the dining room table amid kids running around? I faced this exact challenge early in my journey. For over a decade, I struggled to find a balance between working and traveling…until I started doing these 6 things: 1. Manage expectations ↳ Align with everyone involved about your work schedule and flexibility. ↳ Clear communication prevents misunderstandings and stress. 2. Create structure ↳ Set fixed work hours and plan meetings around them. ↳ Organize your day for deep work and avoid scattered scheduling. 3. Plan ahead ↳ Prepare the night before: choose your workspace and set up your tools. ↳ Use a portable setup to maintain your work routine on the go. 4. Make achievable Goals ↳ Aim for daily accomplishments, even if it’s a small step. ↳ Ensure progress to keep motivation high and downtime enjoyable. 5. Be realistic ↳ Accept that traveling affects your routine and productivity. ↳ Adjust expectations and prioritize tasks effectively. 6. Take time to rest ↳ Create space to unwind and re-establish your home routine post-trip. ↳ A slower pace helps you return to work refreshed and ready. These strategies will make your work/travel balance smoother and more effective. How do you manage working while traveling?

Routines aren’t always 5am wake-ups and protein shakes. Sometimes they’re a coffee and a bagel in a train station you didn’t choose. Every time I travel for work, I order the exact same thing. Same coffee. Same bagel. No experimenting. It’s not about the bagel. (Though I am from NYC, so yes, the bagel absolutely matters.) It’s about predictability. Work travel may be necessary, but it isn’t simple. It disrupts sleep. Food. Lighting. Noise. Social dynamics. That’s a lot for one nervous system to process, especially for neurodivergent folks. So I remove one decision. I give my brain one steady anchor. One experience I don’t have to decode. These small routines are the difference between arriving ready to engage and spending the day trying to recalibrate. For you, maybe this is a travel uniform or staying at the same hotel chain or listening to the same playlist when you finally get on that plane or train. And if you lead a team, here’s what you need to know Travel doesn’t impact everyone the same way. For some team members, it’s energizing. For others, it’s more exhausting. Navigating sensory overload while managing the stress of the performance that is the reason for the work travel in the first place. You can make it easier by Letting people book their own logistics when possible - hotel, transit, timing. Being explicit about social expectations. What’s required? What’s optional? Don't equate constant availability with commitment. Inclusion isn’t abstract. It’s understanding how navigating environments not built for us shapes our ability to show up and designing accordingly. Sometimes it's a glossy statement and a policy overhaul. Sometimes it’s as small as getting the same coffee and bagel every time. And knowing that’s not small at all.

In the past 3 years, I’ve clocked 200+ flights and over 100,000 kilometers by road- all part of the hustle to grow our entertainment empire. At first, this on-the-go lifestyle nearly broke my routine. My work and health suffered, and I missed key family events while rushing to endless meetings. After months of struggle, I realized I needed to stop treating travel as an exception and start seeing it as my new normal. Here are the simple habits that now keep me grounded across cities, flights, and constant movement: → Protected deep-work hours: Whether it's from a hotel lobby or the backseat of a car, I carve out 3-4 uninterrupted hours of deep work to focus, because scaling parks and launching a global brand in India needs clarity, not constant motion. → Familiar habits in unfamiliar places: No matter the city, I anchor my day with small rituals, a go-to playlist, morning coffee, or a fixed hour to check performance numbers. These constants help me stay sharp even in shifting environments. → My approach to meals: I don't try to eat perfectly while traveling. I choose simple, energy-giving foods that help me stay sharp during long days of meetings. → My recovery strategy: After days of back-to-back travel, I take a full day to rest to prepare for what's next. → My digital boundaries: I've learned when to put my phone away between cities, making room to think clearly about new ideas for our parks. By following this approach in the last 3 years, our entertainment business has expanded to new cities. And personally, I now finish important work while traveling that once took me days at my desk. Most importantly, the constant change of scenery has sparked many of our best park concepts and marketing strategies over the years. The travel I once fought against has become my office, my school, and my edge in business. How often do you travel for your work? #Worklifebalance #Productivity #Entrepreneurship

Digital Nomad? Thinking about working remotely while visiting the U.S.? Be careful; it might not be authorized. If you plan to work online while in the U.S., even for a foreign employer, you may be violating immigration rules. The U.S. doesn’t currently offer a digital nomad visa. Tourist visas like the B-1/B-2, the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA), or visa-exempt Canadians do not allow remote work, regardless of where your company or clients are. Who counts as a digital nomad? Anyone working online while traveling or living in another country, whether as a freelancer, remote employee, or business owner. Even if the income comes from abroad, U.S. immigration law looks at where the work is performed. What does the B-1/B-2 visa allow? * B-1: Limited business activities like attending meetings or negotiating contracts * B-2: Tourism, visiting family, or medical treatment Neither allows remote work nor provides ongoing, unpaid services for a foreign company. What is considered “work” by U.S. immigration? Under INA 101(a)(15)(B) and the Foreign Affairs Manual (9 FAM 402.2), work includes any activity that brings income, replaces a U.S. worker, or involves productive labor. That means things like: * Logging into your company’s system * Responding to client messages * Deliver digital products or services Doing this while physically present in the U.S. could be considered unauthorized employment. What are the risks? Trying to work remotely while on a tourist visa can lead to: * Denied entry at the airport * Visa cancellation * Inadmissibility under INA 214(b) Simply saying “I work online” may raise red flags with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. You must clearly show that your visit is temporary and for permitted reasons. Is there a U.S. digital nomad visa? No. Unlike some countries that offer remote work visas, the U.S. has no visa category specifically for digital nomads. Are there any visa options that support remote work? Some employment-based or investment visas might allow it, depending on your situation. These all require employer sponsorship, specific qualifications, or investment; none are designed for freelance or independent remote workers. Don't rely on a tourist visa if you're considering working from the U.S., even temporarily or part-time. #RemoteWork #ImmigrationLaw #USImmigration #DigitalNomads #GlobalMobility #B1Visa #ESTA #WorkFromAnywhere #Canadian #Visitorvisa

If you have ever worked across multiple time zones, you know the default mode: chaos. Late-night Slack pings, early morning emails, and that constant feeling that you are always behind. The truth is: time zones don't have to be chaos. They are structure, if you design for them. Here is how I make multiple time zones work while traveling abroad with family:👇 🌅 Morning: Async Check-ins (30 minutes) I start by reviewing messages, recording short updates, and setting priorities for my team. No calls, no live debates. Just clarity for the inbox before they even wake up. 🕑 Midday: Deep Work (4–5 hours) This is the gift of time zones: long, uninterrupted stretches are perfect for strategy, writing, or product work that actually needs my brain at full power. Get the kids to their daycare/camp, and get going. One of my favorite examples was during a push for SuperBam while we were in Spain earlier this year. The U.S. team was still asleep, and my kids were momentarily occupied with Lego towers and morning cartoons. That left me a block of pure focus. In those hours, I drafted the product strategy notes that became the foundation for an API integration plan with one of vendors. When the team woke up, they found a fully fleshed-out proposal waiting for them, instead of half-finished thoughts in Slack. By the time we got on our first call that afternoon, decisions were easier, and everyone moved faster because the groundwork was already set. That rhythm—quiet build first, alignment later—saved us days on the timeline. 🌆 Afternoon and Evening: Alignment and Live Touchpoints (2–3 hours) By the time the U.S. team comes online, I have already had a full workday. I keep this block for 1:1s, team syncs, or big decisions. They get me focused, I get them fresh. It is also when I can connect dots for both sides of my life. I once wrapped a product review at 6:30, closed the laptop, and immediately went outside with Kit to chase lizards around a garden wall in Nice before dinner. The overlap is both professional and personal, which is the real win. 🚨 TL;DR: Time zones are not a curse. They can be a productivity multiplier when you build your effort around them. If you have worked across time zones, how do you design the time to meet your needs? Share your best practices in the comments! (And since the algorithm demands media for this to be seen, here's a recent photo where I took my dinner break with the family at sunset. It was a rough day, let me tell you. 😂)

Who says you can’t see the world without breaking the bank? 🌍 As a software engineer who loves to travel, I’ve picked up a few tricks along the way to make exploring affordable. Here are my go-to tips for budget travel while working remotely: ✔ Stay in Airbnbs or hostels: I’ve found some of the best, most affordable stays on Airbnb (and hey, I’m an Airbnb host too!). Hostels are great if you're on a tighter budget and want to meet other travelers. ✔ Book flights in advance: It’s no secret that early birds get the best prices. I use apps like Skyscanner and Hopper to keep an eye on deals and set alerts for price drops. ✔ Work from co-working spaces: Instead of spending on expensive cafes, I look for local coworking spots. Not only is the Wi-Fi more reliable, but you also get to network with other digital nomads! ✔ Pack light, travel smart: I stick to a carry-on. Less baggage means less stress (and fewer fees!). Plus, packing light makes moving between destinations so much easier. ✔ Take advantage of local deals: Whether it’s street food, local markets, or free city tours, you’d be surprised how much you can do on a budget. I always ask locals for their best budget-friendly recommendations. Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive, even as a tech nomad. The key is to plan smart, stay flexible, and enjoy the journey. PS: If you have any travel hacks or budget tips, drop them below! I’d love to hear how you make the most of your adventures. 🐬 #travel #budget #softwareengineer

I’ve done a fair amount of traveling and working remotely over the past 10 years. Here are some of the tips I’ve gathered that I found helpful if you take your work setup seriously while on the go. - Do your Air B&B / hotel research. While Air B&Bs have gone downhill over time, I prefer apartments for my work set up and being able to cook at home. Also allows me to work when I want and I don’t have to deal with the hours of co-working spaces. Generally, staying in cities you'll have faster internet. - Stay as close as you can to a gym, ideally within walking distance. You can plan that out ahead of time using Google Maps. Make it easy on yourself to get a workout in. - Don’t move around so much. The more you move the more expensive it is and the more time you spend moving from one place to the next. 2-3 weeks minimum per place, ideally 1 month. Less is more. Better for work and allows you to get to know a city in more depth. - Get yourself a Chase Sapphire Reserve card. No foreign transaction fees and basically accepted everywhere. Also it gives you access to tons of airport lounges via Priority Pass.  - Get a local SIM card for hotspot when you run into internet issues. I used MayaMobile which allowed me to get a eSIM card in any country I visited. Even better if you get a local SIM card in the country you’re visiting. - LLMs like ChatGPT can help you plan out your trip, providing suggestions on where to go and what to do. - Plan your itinerary around your work schedule. If you’re working the USA hours, you have till roughly 3:00-4:00 pm to do what you want to do. If you need to catch a flight, you have most of the day to do so without missing any work. - Double check your visa requirements. I’ve made this mistake before (another story for another time).  - Take a look at your first connections on LinkedIn and see who you’re connected with in a given city.  - Join communities like Pavilion or the Dynamite Circle, giving you friends/connections in all corners of the world. Any other good tips you’d add here if you’re prioritizing work while traveling?

Stop apologising that your response to an Email might be delayed...because you had the temerity to take a tranche of personal time 😕 So how do you set boundaries between work and life commitments in our always-on, instant-reply world? 🤳 Although a lot of the relentless demands on our mental space come from technology, it can also be the antidote if we configure it correctly ⚙ By setting boundaries, we can ensure we have the time and space to recharge and engage in activities that bring joy and fulfillment, leading to increased productivity and overall well-being 💪 My default meeting settings are 25 and 50 mins (and have a reminder flash-up when there are 5 mins left); this gives me the opportunity for a short "unplug" between sessions to walk around, use the bathroom, get a drink etc. ☕ You can set your collaboration apps to only notify you on the computer if you are active there, so you don't have the stimulus of your laptop going "bing" and your phone "ting" simultaneously with every arriving message 📵 I was always grateful for my team letting me know where they were; if they were due in the office but couldn't come in as they had a water leak at home, then just give me a heads-up: life happens 👌 Ultimately, we need to stop feeling guilty when we're not working - even if you're an entrepreneur, if you live to only work you're doing it wrong ❌ One of the smartest people I know says that what is urgent for someone else (such as a customer) does not necessarily directly translate to that same thing also being urgent for ourselves; it's a powerful premise 🎯 How about blending work and life commitments when you travel? 🛫 As much as I find the terms "bleisure" and "workcationing" borderline hateful, the concepts are sound 👇 Bleisure - a portmanteau of business and leisure - is the concept of tacking a bit of sightseeing or a few cheeky days of downtime onto the back of a work trip to a given location; winner 🏆 Workcation is to travel somewhere on holiday and graft a bit from there during (which for some brings its own peace), allowing you to mix remote work with play; this is perfect for someone who runs their own business 🥇 There doesn't need to be that hard bifurcation between work time and personal life - but the flexibility needs to go both ways; if it's too skewed in one direction that's not balanced ⚖ Meditation doesn't work for me, but I do respect the famous Zen quote "Wherever you go, there you are" - a reminder of how powerful taking 30 seconds to close your eyes and focus on peacefully breathing can be 👃 So give yourself a break - in every sense; work hard and deliver against your commitments with focus, but also allow for some flexibility. Know when you need to properly switch-off from work mode, and take time for yourself ⏳ What have I missed? How do you set practical boundaries between work and life commitments - let me know in the comments below please ✍ #future #innovation #strategy #technology #digital

🎉 Exciting new alert! 🎉 I was asked to contribute to this article in the Irish Independent about how I combine work and holidays. You know I love to shout about flexible working! Extract here and you can see the full article online. https://lnkd.in/e62UECvV Elma O’Reilly also combined her holiday with work this year as she spent seven weeks at her mobile home in Barleycove in Cork. “My ‘office’ fits in a bag and during the trip I generally worked from 7am and tried to finish around 3pm so we could go for a swim afterwards,” she says. “We also spent a lot of time at the beach or pier jumping at Crookhaven as well as going to Mizen Head, Bantry and Skibbereen. We watched the Olympics as well and went to Skibbereen the morning after the rowing, where the buzz was incredible.” "The Cork woman, who works in HR for parallel-london.co.uk and lives in London with her husband Gary and seven-year-old daughter, says the mobile park was ideal as their little one could play with friends while her parents either worked or took turns spending time with her. “Getting out of London was like a reset and my daughter gets to experience a summer she wouldn’t otherwise have, with lots of freedom,” she says. “I genuinely believe it builds her confidence, she also has an attachment to Ireland and its culture. “Having a working holiday also opens up opportunities for me as I have made contacts there. I don’t have a feeling of panic from forcing my relaxation into two weeks, I can spread the time, keep my business going and support my clients, so it’s win-win. “My advice to anyone else considering a workcation would be to have a good set-up and establish boundaries for yourself and others, as time and availability is important. I use Starlink for my wi-fi, which is a game-changer so I don’t worry having a bad reception. I am transparent with clients about what I am doing, and work with quite progressive businesses, so never feel like I am hiding the fact I am away. It is just a different way of working and it works for me. “I go back to London refreshed and ready for the rest of the year, having missed the sweaty summer Tube journeys. It has been incredible, and my daughter came back to London with some more Cork slang, and I don’t think any of her school mates can say they swam every day, even if it was in the rain.”

Just wrapped up an incredible 45-day trip across Europe with an unexpected twist - we worked the entire time! Our crew: * 4 professionals * 3 developers + 1 me (Social media strategist) * Same work pressures, different expertise * 2 kids( always looking for full time attention) The setup: * Different Airbnbs * One shared dining table * Post-dinner work sessions The challenge: * Up to 20,000 steps a day exploring * Exhausting but exhilarating city walks * Balancing sightseeing and deadlines The surprise: None of us fell behind on work. In fact, we thrived! Key takeaways: 1. Travel fuels motivation 2. Beautiful surroundings inspire creativity 3. Shared experiences boost team morale 4. Change of scenery enhances productivity 5. Work-life integration > work-life balance The magic ingredient? The rejuvenating power of travel. Despite long days of exploration, we found renewed energy for our work each evening. To all professionals out there: Don't underestimate the power of combining work and travel. It's not just possible - it can actually enhance your performance and job satisfaction. Have you ever combined work and travel? How did it impact your productivity and well-being? Share your experiences below! #WorkAndTravel #DigitalNomad #ProductivityHack #EuropeanAdventure #RemoteWork