4 Hacks for Working Anywhere

When was the last time you told yourself you wanted to live in your favorite vacation destination and sip Mojitos on a beach, all while working from your laptop on a lounge chair? I find too many people reading self improvement books about “living in the now” and cultivating their dream lifestyle, but don’t make any changes to their habits and live the “normal” 8-5 system in a cubicle.

I constantly hear stories about entrepreneurs who live dream lifestyles in tropical destinations and work their own hours. The problem is, most people don’t have the resources or know how to go on an extended vacation for the rest of our lives. On the bright side, it’s possible for anyone to live and work in the destination of your choice around the world, even if you don’t have millions laying around or a self-sustaining business bringing in six figures. I came up with a set of resources to get you started in the right direction and hack your lifestyle.

Here are four of the quickest solutions to help you get settled in your dream destination:

1. Work Exchange – This usually involves exchanging unskilled labor for free room and board. One of the best resources for finding matching jobs in your choice destination is Workaway.  Workaway promotes fair exchange (work for room/board) between travelers and hosts seeking help with a range of activities. Their philosophy is simple – “5 hours of honest work per day in exchange for food and accommodation with friendly hosts in varying situations and surroundings.” Workaway ($15 euro/year to register with site) holds a database of families, individuals and organizations in many different countries, which are looking for volunteer help in a whole range of different fields. From painting to planting, building to babysitting or shopping to shearing, Workaway aims to introduce working travelers and language learners to like-minded hosts, without having to go through an agency. You do not need to have a skilled, technical trade to get one of these gigs.

2. Profession change – Some professions are easier than others to find a portal to a wide assortment of opportunities around the world. Travel writers, teachers, health care practitioners, entrepreneurs, IT specialists, and travel/tourism operators are known to have the widest selection of jobs and opportunities in destinations worldwide.
Here are some places you can search to get started on an International career path:

• International Job Sites: Monster.com International and Careerbuilder International
• 4International Careers & Jobs – is an international employment directory reviewing world-wide top job sites
• Travel Writer – Fodors, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, and your local newspaper travel section are examples of places to contact to pitch article ideas.
• Council Exchanges Teach Abroad – You can teach in several countries around the world with the help of Council Exchanges.

3. Telecommute – With the ever increasing number of off-shored jobs, this is becoming harder to pull off than it was a few years ago. Employers are beginning to offer this “perk” only when they are confident and trusting in your abilities. To convince your boss to let you work remotely, you first need to out-perform your coworkers IN the office and then show how productive you can be while working REMOTELY. Make this transition slowly and make sure your boss is seeing results and effort while you’re working away from the office. It’s rare that a place is going to let you work remotely 24/7 from day one. You have to build up the trust and show you can get results in any environment. When you reach the point where you are not expected to be in the office, you can start working from any destination with internet access. Check out this link for tips on staying productive while working remotely. Job types most likely to be able to take part in this include: IT specialists, travel agents, graphic designers, lawyers, customer support reps, writers, and freelancers.

4. Volunteer – Yes, many people looking for a vacation look down on this with the thought – “Volunteering – It Doesn’t Pay!” Even if you are not the volunteering type, you have to look at all the benefits you can get out of committing some of your time to helping others. On top of the good “karma” you receive from having a positive impact on the less fortunate, you can find an activity in a vacation destination, learn a new skill, and get away from the cubicle lifestyle for awhile. Also, it’s fairly easy to get donations from friends, family, churches, and organizations for your volunteering sabbatical and go for free. Here are some great sites to get you started on finding a volunteer activity of your choice in a preferred destination:

• Idealist.org – Search over 20,000 nonprofit and volunteer organizations in over 150 countries, to find where and how you can best contribute.
• Volunteer Abroad – This site can help you find information about volunteer opportunities all over the world. You can search not just by location, but also by the kind of volunteer work you’re looking for.
• International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) – An alliance of NGOs (non-governmental organizations), IVPA functions both as a guide to people who are thinking about doing volunteer work abroad and also a resource to find out what NGOs are members of the organization.
• Responsible Travel – Thousands of international volunteer opportunities abound via Responsible Travel for those who’ve had enough of mass tourism and want a distinct holiday (vacation) to write home about.