Remote working abroad
2025-12-01

I have always loved to travel and explore new places. It did not take long for this passion for travel and a mandate to work remotely to foster an idea of combining the two. My remote working transformation took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, so travel options have been limited sot it's only recently that I have been able to turn the idea into reality. This had not stopped me from considering how to work remotely on a budget. Commitments and personal reasons means a fully digital nomad option is not really on the cards. Even if I were able to let go of everything, visas and taxes make a fully remote lifestyle quite complex to navigate.

An extended holiday approach is what I'm currently exploring. The biggest barrier for me initially (and this may sound strange if you are not a Software Developer) was being able to maintain my productivity whilst abroad. I do not want being abroad to detriment my career. Therefore, how do I replicate multi-monitors whilst traveling? was a question that I faced. VR headsets initially appeared to be the answer. The upcoming Apple Vision Pro could well be the answer, but as it is yet to be released and likely will cost over £3K, it's off the cards. The more affordable Meta quest 3 looks promising, but without the opportunity to test one and my skepticism about wearing one for up to seven hours a day makes me wary about buying one. It turns out I didn't need to look at cutting edge technology. Portable monitors are very much a thing. There are some interesting designs that clip onto laptop screens and fold out, but as I use a company laptop that could change at any point, plus the increased complexity, just simply buying a stand alone display was clearly the way to go. For under £100 1080p 15.6 inch displays are readily available. Coupled with a folding stand and away I went. The device just needs a USB-C connection for power and signal, which makes it ideal for locations where few wall sockets are available. My advice would be to check the weight of these items as I've found out they can quickly add up. Make sure you pack a travel adapter for your laptop.

The next steps are fairly straight forward. Choose a destination, for me ideally warmer than the UK and with good hiking options. It needed to be in a similar timezone, so did not have to change my working schedule. Having cheap flights is also a bonus, I managed to just stick to cabin luggage, but I was at the limit for a 3 week trip. In future I may well consider hold luggage. Find a cheap AirBnB, which will likely be outside the tourist area. Don't expect to be able to pop down to the beach during your lunch break, so you may have to increase your budget if that is a deal breaker. Make sure it has WiFi, though if it's in a city mobile internet can be quite decent. Also make sure it has a reasonable desk/table where you can work. Make sure the kitchen is suitable too. As even if you can afford to eat out, there may not be good options locally. Think about entertainment in the evening, it maybe worth taking a ChromeCast or an HDMI cable if the TV isn't smart. Although sometimes plugging in your own devices isn't possible.

For my first trip, I went away for three weeks, took two days holiday from work to give me eight free days and twelve days of work. This worked fairly well as also gave me some planning time between the weekends. Watchout for the weather though. I also hired a car for each weekend. Picking it up the evening before allowed me to maximize my usage. Both times the car was a Fiat 500 and if you decline their cover and find your own insurance online, this can be a very affordable option. The Fiat 500 was a hybrid and surprisingly capable for the cheapest car on offer. Android auto was not something I had expected, but proved to be essential for navigation. I had to scan google maps satellite imagery to find suitable parking.