Translators and copywriters tend to be freelancers – that’s just part and parcel of how the industry is set up. Some people thrive with the flexibility, while others struggle with the lack of structure. Whatever your take on it, there is no doubt that the freelancer lifestyle comes with both its fair share of perks and drawbacks.
One of the benefits is the option of taking workcations or becoming a fully-fledged digital nomad. That is to say, combining work with travel in order to go beyond the standard four-five weeks of vacation time a salaried employee in Europe can expect. The lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but given that translators are necessarily interested in culture, language and alternative ways of seeing the world, it’s fairly safe to say that most have tried it out or at least considered giving it a go.
But what do workcationers and digital nomads need to keep in mind? What are some of the challenges, and what are some best practices to help make the experience a success? All that and more is what we’ll be covering in this month’s edition of the blog – so read on to find out!
Adopt An Adaptable Mindset
The first rule for success as a freelancer is that you need to be available and responsive – especially in the translation industry. Project managers sometimes need to find linguists for multiple languages to meet tight deadlines, and so if you’re not answering your emails, chances are you’ll miss out on the work. This is one thing that doesn’t always go hand in hand with travel, though. What if you’re touring around temples in Vietnam, or chilling on the beach? Checking emails can be a bit of a buzzkill when you’re sipping on piña coladas, getting lost in labyrinthine old towns or exploring the masters of European impressionism.
The key thing here is to adopt the right mindset from the start – workcations are not normal vacations. You need to forget the idea of a two-week recharge and reconceptualise what it means to travel. A workcation does not mean a normal vacation but with your laptop propped up on the sun lounger next to you, ticking away as you ignore it for hours on end. The work still happens, and we need to be more or less as responsive as we would be during an ordinary day at the home office.
The key to success here is to remember – this isn’t a bad thing! After all, most of us love what we do, and having creative tasks to focus on and think about can also help break up the monotony of travel – because as great as it is being on the beach with a cocktail in hand, our brains do eventually begin to crave a challenge. As long as you can be adaptable to both the needs of your working life and the goals of your travel, you can make a success of your new workcation lifestyle.
Consider Time Zones
You might have gathered from the above that the normal rhythms of the 9–5 aren’t exactly compatible with workcationing. If you want to visit a museum that only opens during the day, for example, then that mean working in the evening to compensate. That’s all part of what it means to be adaptable – and time zones are another part of that equation we need to keep in mind.
If you’re based in Europe and planning a workcation in another European country, then you might not even have to adjust your clocks at all. But the farther you go, the more out of sync you get with your home market – and the more compromises you will have to make to keep things working smoothly.
Let’s say your clients are based in the UK and you plan on spending some time in Thailand – that’s a difference of seven hours. You can do your work whenever suits, but keep in mind that your clients will be active from around 14:00 until 22:00. That means you need to keep your phone on you while you go out for dinner, and if you need to schedule any meetings or ask any questions, you’ll have to do it during those hours. Perhaps not ideal, but far from impossible.
But now let’s say it’s San Francisco you’re off to instead – that’s a time difference of eight hours in the opposite direction, meaning that your clients’ business hours are now entirely when you would normally be asleep. This makes it extra challenging to make yourself available and while it’s not an impossible task, the accommodations may feel too demanding.
Really, it all depends on your normal rhythms and preferences, but this is something that you need to consider carefully before jetting off. If the idea of sitting up at 03:00 and hammering away on your keyboard from an all-night diner or a hotel lobby sounds like your idea of a living nightmare, then maybe consider another destination. We need to be realistic about what we can cope with and what we’ll enjoy, and if we’re not happy, then we might as well be at home.
Research the Cost of Living
Again, as digital workers with clients in different economies, many of us already understand that an hour’s earnings in one country will carry different weight depending on where we spend them. This can be one of the great advantages of working remotely as the money we can earn from a company in Europe will likely stretch very far in a country like Peru or Colombia. But naturally, this equation works in both directions – if your clients are based in Russia or India, then a workcation in the US or Japan may feel very financially strained indeed.
And these are just the obvious examples – in many cases, it might not be so clear how prices will differ from what we’re used to. It’s therefore important to do some thorough research before setting off to get a clear idea of what you can expect to spend on all kinds of costs – from meals out in restaurants and taxis around town to more unexpected costs like getting your laundry done or paying for tours. There are some great websites available to help with this kind of research, such as Numbeo, for example, which includes data on the cost of all sorts of sundries, from a bottle of water or a summer dress to a month of rent or the average electricity bill.
Plan Where You Will Work
Another good idea is to have a clear idea about where you will work from and how you will make sure you have all the tools and utilities you need. Prefer working in silence? Then consider renting an Airbnb to yourself. Otherwise, do a little bit of research into the range of cafés and co-working spaces you will find in your destination and be sure to check things such as opening hours, whether or not the Wi-Fi is reliable and what they will cost you. Are these compatible with some of the other considerations above, like time zones and costs, or will they put a strain on things?
Having a plan in mind can help you avoid mishaps – like saying yes to a rush job and then realising there doesn’t seem to be a working Wi-Fi router within a five-mile radius of your current location. It can also be a huge source of opportunities. Working from co-working spots, for example, is a great way to meet fellow travellers and professionals, and to make meaningful connections in both a private and working capacity.
And Much, Much More
These are just a few of the most crucial considerations to make when considering a workcation or the lifestyle of a digital nomad. If you’ve ever given this a go yourself, then you might have different observations? Feel free to share your thoughts with us and let us know.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for new opportunities, check out our language expert page here for information about the kind of linguists we partner with and the conditions we offer. Or, if you’re in the early stages of your career and want to dive straight into the nomadic lifestyle, why not learn about our internship opportunities on the Costa del Sol?
