Written by our professional Digital Nomad, David Heiling. (Yes! he lives the life!)

Perhaps you've just had an epiphany?

You've been working from home because of COVID-19, and you think to yourself…

"If I can work from home, I can work from anywhere, right?"

You bet you can.

Working remotely and working from home has given people the freedom to gain back a significant portion of their lives. Imagine all the time and money saved: no commute, no ordering coffee every day, no dog sitter.

Life is good.

Working from the comfort of our own homes has allowed us to focus on ourselves, relationships, hobbies, and happiness.

It's only natural, then, that some people would ponder the feasibility of a permanent remote work situation, where they could work from anywhere.

Digital nomads are defined as "... people who use telecommunications technologies to earn a living and, more generally, conduct their life in a nomadic manner. Such workers often work remotely from foreign countries, coffee shops, public libraries, coworking spaces, or recreational vehicles."

Do you want to be a digital nomad?

Where do you want to work today, next week, or next month? Is it a cabin in the woods? On a boat in an Amsterdam canal? In your recently-converted van? At your friends' place?

Whatever you want, it's possible when you work remotely and have access to an internet connection.

Check out these top tips on how to work remote and travel:

Be present and communicative

Just because you are working remotely doesn't mean you get to ditch out on your responsibilities, including your colleagues and/or clients. You need to make sure you are ready and available for them when they need you.

Remember to check in regularly with your team. It's easy to forget about someone when they are not in the office like the rest of the group. However, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, more people than ever before are working from home, it's still a good idea to keep in touch as much as possible.

Video conferences, phone conferences, team messaging apps like Slack, and group emails allow you to keep in touch with your team and your clients, ensuring that you will be able to keep your remote working role for the foreseeable future.

Create and stick to a remote work schedule

There's a reason traditional employers and offices have regularly-scheduled meetings and deadlines. It's because when you can stick to a working schedule or routine, you rewire your brain to associate certain times with work and other times with play.

If you are new to the remote work lifestyle, you'll need to get used to the fact that your bosses and colleagues will not be across the desk or across the room.

You'll get some more emails and internet messages, but nobody is micromanaging you as a remote worker. Nice, right?

Without some sort of routine, though, you are doomed. I like waking up early. My self-imposed schedule is 7-to-4. I'll take 10 minutes for myself every hour as soon as the clock hits the top of the hour.

For some people, it's easy to sleep in; for others, it's easy to stay up late. Ensure you have a specific stop time so you don't mesh your work with your life.

You're traveling now. Enjoy it!

Maintain your long-distance relationships

Humans are social creatures.

I found out very early on my journey that the people you experience life with make all the difference, not the destination itself.

I stood in front of the Taj Mahal with nobody to share it with and felt sad. I spent a week in Bled, Slovenia, with nothing but nonstop rain, but extended my stay another week because of the people I met in my hostel.

Maybe you've decided to travel the world on a semi-gap year, bringing your money-making machine on the road with you. Perhaps you've left a lot of important people back home.

Your mom, your dad, your siblings, your pets, your significant other?

Make it a priority to keep those long-distance relationships intact.

Additionally, make it a priority to keep your new relationships intact. Wherever in the world you met your new friends, you likely made as much impact on them as they made on you.

Facebook, Whatsapp, Zoom, and Skype. Likely, your friends and family will know how to work one of these apps.

Don't forget about the people who mean the most to you.

Join a coworking space

Do you need to join a coworking space?

No.

Should you join one?

Absolutely!

Think of a co-working space as a hotel for your work.

You'll likely get a workspace, free coffee, discounted snacks, a lounging area, and a variety of other intriguing digital nomads.

If you need a consistent place to work and are heeding my advice above about making a remote work routine, separating work and life by signing up for a co-working space is a great idea.

These spaces are also better set up for productivity than a traditional restaurant or cafe is.

Seek remote work communities and opportunities

There's an old saying that goes. "It's all about who you know."

While perhaps it's not written in stone, networking is a massive part of the remote work and digital nomad experience. Whether you are networking with small business owners at a coworking space or hostel on your round-the-world escapades or adding some people to your LinkedIn profile, it's an essential part of the remote work lifestyle.

If you don't already have a remote job, there are numerous job listings posted every day on some of the best remote work job boards.

There are many communities online for professionals to network, including some that are not restricted to specific time zones, which can be good if you want to go to Asia and beyond. Some additional ideas on how to network are to join social media sites such as Reddit, LinkedIn, and Facebook, and joining Slack workspaces specifically intent on providing remote job opportunities.

Pack appropriately for remote work and travel

If you are about to go on a digital nomad adventure with your fancy and shiny new remote job, and can't wait, take a deep breath.

Packing for a trip is not something to be taken lightly.

You are not going on vacation; you are moving all of your belongings into a few backpacks or suitcases and living out of those bags for the foreseeable future.

You need to make sure you have everything you need to work from the road effectively.

Here is a checklist:

● Laptop

● Laptop sleeve for protection

● Laptop bag

● Computer charger

● Computer cleaner (wipes)

● Wireless mouse

● Noise-canceling headphones

● Power adapter

● Ultra-slim keyboard

Minimize distractions to work efficiently

Distractions are all over the place during a typical day at the office. There are even more distractions when you are working remotely from home.

Add in travel planning, excitement, new people, beautiful bucket list-worthy sites, and it's fantastic any digital nomad gets anything done with the number of distractions all around them.

If you check your phone all the time, take a break from it.

Turn it off for an hour.

For many of you, this is a blasphemous statement.

But by eliminating one of the biggest distractions of your workday, you are better able to focus, reinvigorate, and your productivity will shoot through the roof.

Take away things that prevent your productivity.

Understand time zones and use them to your advantage

A few years ago, I had a job based in Mexico. The job was fully remote, so I could be anywhere I wanted to be. At the time, I was spending most of my time in the Balkans and Turkey.

Instead of seeing this remote work arrangement as a negative pain in the butt, I turned it around and made it an advantage for the company I was working for and for me.

By the time my colleagues woke up on Monday mornings, I had a full day of work in. By the time the team in Mexico was awake, my day was done.

I communicated everything I needed to in emails and Slack messages, and my routine worked for everybody. It always seemed that I was a day ahead of everyone else.

Check out World Time Buddy for help scheduling and coordinating meetings and deadlines across time zones.

Set limits

Unless you are working on an intense deadline with severe consequences for your business or your freelancing gig, limit your working time to a specific number of hours per day.

It's essential to make sure you prioritize your work-life balance so that you don't have burnout. Make sure you make time to enjoy your surroundings, make friends, and experience life in your new location.

After all, that's why you got a remote job in the first place, right?

Take a hike on the weekend. Go for a drive. Do some yoga in the morning.

Whatever it is that makes you happy, make sure you make time for it.

There's more to life than work.

This piece was written by our very own digital nomad David Heiling.

9 Tips On How To Work Remote And Travel