Debit happiness + adventure; credit time + money. While working remotely full-time in public accounting, I took the opportunity to travel the United States for 6 months. This was one of my favorite life experiences so far. I feel that it really helped me grow and get closer to the person I want to be. That being said, I also learned a lot! Some things I got lucky with and some things I had to learn the hard way. So now, I am sharing 5 of my best tips I have for combining travel and remote work, especially in the corporate world!

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1. Fly Southwest

No, this is not a sponsored post, but genuinely one of the best ideas I had. They have $0 change fees, you can change your flight as many times as you want, and you get TWO free checked bags. This saved me so much money in the long run – over the 6 months I was traveling, I had 9 different one way legs booked. I changed those flights a total of 17 times. About half of which I rebooked because my flight price had decreased and I got a credit. And I had 2 checked bags each time.

This gives you the flexibility to change your plans up until the very last second you board your plane. They also often have sales, which is ideal if you can afford to have some of your money tied up in plane ticket. I would buy my tickets ~4-6 months in advance to get the best price. And keep checking it every other week to see if the price had decreased so I could get a credit. I still have over $300 in Southwest credits, which will never expire. Also, because I was flying with them so much, they sent me free drink tickets😀. 

Side note – this will only work if you plan to travel throughout the US and Mexico. Also, a lot of their flights include layovers. But if you plan ahead, you can hop to cities that are close to each other, and avoid those pesky layovers. Although, maybe I am in the minority here, but I actually prefer short layovers; they give me a chance to stretch my legs, get in my 10k steps a day, and grab some food!

2. Communicate your working hours with your team

While some people may choose to go the “beg for forgiveness” route, I opted to discuss my travel plans well in advance. This builds trust with your managers and teams, and also allows them to be more aware of your working hours. I would also update my Google / Outlook Calendar with my blocked off time. For example, when I was on the East Coast, my team knew generally that I would be unavailable after 4pm PST (7pm EST). And in exchange, I would be online before they woke up to wrap up any loose ends. 

To be honest, working with different time zones was the most difficult aspect for me. However, open and constant communication can only help when it comes to getting the flexibility you want. And understanding that some days you might work longer, and vice versa, but it will all even out in the end.

3. Pack the bare minimum

By the end of my 6 months, I realized I had brought nearly twice as many clothes as I needed, I never blow dried or straightened my hair, and I hardly wore any of my shoes besides my sneakers. Because I wasn’t technically on vacation, Monday – Friday I was working in my apartment, wearing the exact same outfit every day. AKA the same cozy shorts and a tank top, and sometimes a professional work top if I was on video calls.

So I really only needed my gym clothes, and then a handful of staple pieces that I could mix and match to make all the outfits I needed. On weekends, I was busy sightseeing and exploring the city I was in, so really ended up just needing a cute, comfortable pair of sneakers. Side note, my go to pairs are either my Nike AirForce 1s or my ASICS Gel Nimbus. Both are great for a lot of walking. Being able to cut down on what you’re bringing also gives you more space for shopping and souvenirs! I really regret not having the space to get more souvenirs for my family from Hawaii. I wanted to get everyone an ornament from this cute Christmas shop in Waikiki, but didn’t have enough space.

4. Balance, balance, balance

Life is all about balance, and this is especially important when it comes to your work life balance. I could go on for days about whether or not the perfect work life balance truly exists, but I’ll save that for another post. For now, I will say that this balance will look different for everyone, and defining what that means for you in advance is so crucial. 

Make sure to ask yourself what you are looking to gain from this experience. How do you plan to adjust to the different time zone? How will you block your schedule so that you aren’t always online, but are available when your team needs you? Can you delegate any work that is less practical for you to do from a different time zone? Doing this would have really benefited me as I had to adjust as I went, often causing extra headaches and long working hours in the beginning.

If you are traveling with another person, make sure you have an open conversation beforehand to clarify what that balance looks like for each of you. Are you planning on taking every Friday off to give yourself 3 day weekends? Is your travel partner planning to modify their working hours at all? Do you want to eat every meal together, or just coordinate one per day? How will you handle alone time and making sure each person feels fully recharged? Travel itself can be exhausting, and when combining it with job stress, the last thing you want is to put unnecessary external strain on your friendships and relationships.

5. Enjoy yourself

Last but arguably the most important tip – have fun! Seeing the world is so exciting, and with the increase in remote jobs, it is really such a blessing to be able to travel while working from your Airbnb in Montana. Look up things to do before you arrive in each city, so you have a general guide and ideas for when you are bored. For some inspiration, check out my travel guides posted on my website for my favorite things to see and do across the world. And also be sure to build in time to just explore and get lost in each new city (safely, of course).

Anything I missed? Comment below!

For 5 interesting things I learned from traveling while working remotely, check out my blog post linked here. For more remote work and travel tips, be sure to subscribe below to stay in the loop!

💙mariss