Having a reliable internet connection in many destinations around the world has opened up the life-changing possibility to run a business while traveling. Instead of being tied to an office, many businesses can now be run using just a laptop, mobile phone, and wifi connection. Or, as for bloggers, you may be self-employed and traveling.
If you are one of those people living this dream or considering doing it, here are some of the most important things to consider.
Self Employed and Traveling (Whether You’re a Blogger or Not)
Keep control of productivity levels
There are pros and cons to running a business so you can be self-employed and traveling. The pros include higher levels of motivation, due to being able to work from any destination, with inspiring views and cultural experiences. However, at the same time, it can be very tempting to spend more time exploring than working – and that won’t pay the bills.
It is important that you have a good time management system in place to stay focused, setting targets to stay on track with the amount of work you need to deliver. Techradar.com summarised the best productivity apps for small businesses, such as Wunderlist and TeamViewer, that help you to keep on top of everything from hefty documents to weekly calendars.
Get the right insurance cover
When you are on the move, losing or having your laptop or phone stolen could seriously impact your ability to run your business; so it’s best you make sure that you have the right type of insurance. Other types of insurance you will need in order to safely run your small business, include general and professional liability to protect you from claims against your company.
It’s a good idea to do some research on the best types of small business insurance from Next-Insurance.com, to ensure you’re covered on all ends before you make any decisions.
Choose destinations that provide networking opportunities
If your business relies on finding new customers through networking then you might find it difficult to pick up business while on the move. This, of course, would depend on your destinations, as networking will be hard in quieter areas, but you can travel to places that provide more opportunities than if you were working from home.
For example, if you work in digital marketing, visiting somewhere like Silicon Valley could help you to meet more connections in your line of work. You might get to meet more people as you use cafes and other WiFi spots that are popular with like-minded people.
Know your legal responsibilities
Traveling around and earning money at the same time is exciting, but don’t forget about all of your legal responsibilities – from registering your business, to completing your tax requirements.
You will also need to check how you are impacted by working from different countries in terms of your residency status, as depending on how much time you spend there, and how much you earn in a certain country, you may be required to pay tax.
Test your new businesses plan
When you are considering setting up a new business so that you can travel while you work, you will also need to make sure that you choose a business that has the potential to earn you enough money to live on. It is worthwhile setting the business up well in advance of operating from various locations around the world.
Make sure you do plenty of research using business resources like Entrepreneur.com about your venture before you try it out for real as, if you run out of money on the other side of the world, your new lifestyle won’t be as much fun as you had expected!
Before you make the decision to live the exciting life of being self-employed and traveling, make sure you have factored all of the above into your plans – and always keep enough money aside to fly home if you need to!
