How to Mix Travel and Work Without Losing Your Mind

Avoid the pitfalls of the online business lifestyle

One of the major perks of owning a location-independent business is that you can travel whenever you want to.

As long as you have your laptop and an internet connection you can go to the other side of the world and do everything that you do at home.

I’m obviously not suggesting that you become a digital nomad dork who “lives to travel” while only earning $5k/month. But you should travel from time to time because it’s awesome.

But how do you stay productive while on “vacation”?

(vacation is in quotes because there’s no such thing as taking time off when you’re growing a business)

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Don’t mix work and non-work times

Don’t be one of those dorks who brings their laptop to the bar by the beach.

Set aside time that’s dedicated solely to getting work done, and focus only on work during that time. Stay in your hotel room and don’t leave until you finish what you need to accomplish.

There’s zero percent chance that you’re going to get any real work done when you’re sitting by the pool drinking a pina colada.

Not only is it impossible, but why would you want to?

The only reason you’re tempted to mix work and fun is so you can get a cool Instagram photo of your open laptop in front of a scenic background. #digitalnomad!!!!

BowTiedTetra | SEO ChadFish 🇹🇩 @BowTiedTetra

Becoming a digital nomad is a trap. Don't fall for it. You need a home base. I travel all the time, but I'm not living out of a suitcase. I have a home where I spend most of my time. It's hard to focus when you don't have a stable environment to work in.

It’s stupid. Don’t let social media clout turn you into a cringelord.

Work during work time and have fun during fun time.

It’s not that hard of a concept.

Keep your laptop set to your home time zone

This one is huge for keeping me grounded.

Yes, obviously you’re not an idiot and can quickly do mental math and figure out what time it is back home. But I find that it’s extremely helpful to have the visual reminder right in front of my face on a daily basis.

If you’re only traveling a few time zones then it’s not a huge deal. But if you’re on the other side of the planet it helps A TON.

For example, if you’re traveling in Asia and you’re from the U.S. then you’re going to be a full day ahead of the folks back home. When you wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on a Monday morning, ready to start firing off Slack messages, as soon as you open up your laptop you’ll see “oh, it’s actually Sunday back home and no one will respond”.

It might sound dumb. But when your brain is melting down from jet lag it helps a ton.

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Mornings are your friend

This ties in with the first point about not mixing work and non-work times.

I understand that some people are morning people and others are night owls.

But when you’re “on vacation” it’s way easier to get stuff done early before you even leave the hotel. Most “activities” start at least in the early afternoon or later (going to the beach, etc.). It’s VERY hard to switch back into work mode later in the day. If drinking is involved then it’s literally impossible.

If you’re traveling with family then it’s even more crucial to get your ass up out of bed and do what you need to do before everyone else wakes up. Good luck trying to tell your wife and kids that you can’t go snorkeling because you need to spend a couple hours editing content. I’m sure that’ll go over well.

Remember that working hard is what got you here

There’s no way around it.

Forcing yourself to work while traveling is a massive pain in the ass.

You’re not going to be anywhere near as productive as you would be at home (which is why I recommend that you don’t fall for the digital nomad trap).

But you still have to put in some effort.

Your ability to work hard on your WiFi Money business is the reason why you can afford to travel when everyone else is chained to their cubicle.

It’s the reason why you can get on a plane and fly to the other side of the world on a whim without requesting permission from a “boss”.

You already have the ability to work hard. If you didn’t then you wouldn’t be here. Remember that and do what you have to do so you can enjoy the rest of your trip.