Are you using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)? If you’re not, you should be!
A Virtual Private Network creates a secure connection between your device and a computer network, when you’re using a public wifi network (or even your AirBnB/hotel’s network). A number of VPN services are offered in this era, including Surfshark VPN, ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN, and others.
To set the stage, you’re working in Mexico while on vacation. You log into your company’s website, and get a browser error: You are blocked for connecting via an unsecured network. You go to another site to order some food for lunch. The site recognizes your Mexican IP address and shows you the site in Spanish. Finally, when the day’s over, you settle in to watch some Amazon Prime Video. Your viewing options are extremely limited, since it recognizes you’re out of the country. Oh well, time for bed.
Good news: A VPN could solve all of these issues.
In an era where online privacy is paramount, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) stands out as a powerful tool, offering a plethora of benefits.
Here are just a few important benefits of VPNs:
Access Anywhere, Anytime:
Bypasses geo-restrictions, providing access to region-specific content.
Enables unrestricted browsing and streaming, irrespective of location.
Enhanced Security:
Encrypts internet connections, securing sensitive data.
Shields against cyber threats and potential hacking attempts.
Privacy Assurance:
Masks IP addresses, ensuring anonymous online activities.
Guards against tracking and surveillance, promoting a private browsing experience.
Business Efficiency:
Facilitates secure remote access for employees to corporate networks.
Ensures encrypted communication, safeguarding confidential business data.
Whether for personal use or business applications, a VPN is a versatile solution that seamlessly combines security, privacy, and accessibility in today’s interconnected digital landscape.
Which VPN should you use?
Let’s compare and contrast.
NordVPN
Surfshark
ProtonVPN
ExpressVPN
Privacy & Security
Independently audited no-logs policy Double encryption for extra protection 256 Bit AES encryption
Independently audited no-logs policy Private server infrastructure
No-logs policy audited by third parties
Independently audited no-logs policy 256 Bit AES encryption
Features
Proprietary VPN protocol NordLynx for enhanced speed CyberSec feature for ad blocking and malware protection Kill switch to ensure data protection
Camouflage mode keeps VPN use a secret Surfshark One for malware protection, data leaks
On this session of Origin Story, I speak with Nadia Harris of Remote Work Advocate. We chat about emerging issues like location bias, the viability of hybrid offices, and how young professionals can build relationships during COVID. Surprisingly, we also touch on workplaces where in-person work may be most appropriate!
The differences between being a domestic and international digital nomad are particularly important in the virus recovery period. While vaccines have begun to roll out, it will be a while before things are “back to normal”.
I have the pleasure of co-writing this piece with Christina Davis, a digital nomad coach who’s gained a wealth of knowledge living around the world, and in Bali, Indonesia the bulk of the pandemic. Christina hosts the Nomadic Freedom Course, a 12 week program to help you start your nomad life.
The volume of bookings for vacation rentals as skyrocketed since the virus outbreak began. When you’re in the middle of the country, far from your home city, the last thing you want is no place to live.
This is greatly dependent on the amount of time you want to book. If you’re only staying in a place for 2 days, it may be easy to find. If you book for a month, AirBnB in particular will give you a deep discount (Usually 25%+). However, these monthlong stays are also available for short-term bookings. Don’t let a 2-3 day renter book right in the middle of your intended monthly stay. Book early! 3 months ahead, minimum.
It’s important to keep a wishlist of places to book, months before you confirm them. I like to spend some time on a Friday night looking at “dream bookings”.
Finding Appropriate Workspace
You have to think ahead about how you’re going to get your work done. If you thought finding a quiet space at home was difficult, try doing it in an AirBnB.
When booking vacation rentals, you want to thoroughly ask the host about wi-fi speed, table and chair setups available, how sound carries through rooms, even how noisy the neighbors are.
Some vacation rentals can actually lack a workspace, and you must improvise one. For me, chest-height window ledges have worked similarly to a standing desk.
Scheduling for the Weather
Have you thought about heading to California or Florida to escape the winter, living in balmy weather on the beach?
Great. There’s one problem with that. Every region has weather challenges. It’s not always 72° and sunny.
In 2020, California and the West had some of the worst forest fires in their history. There were 13,887 wildfires last year. 46 people died. Always be prepared. The 2020 U.S. hurricane season produced 30 named storms, with 10 making U.S. landfall. This is the most since 1916.
In this way, you don’t want to be in the dry West during wildfire season (approx. July to November) or the Eastern coastal areas during hurricane season (June to November). Instead, think about the opposite during those times – the Pacific Northwest, or perhaps the Great Lakes!
Living on the Road
If you’re going to be living on the road, you need to have a good vehicle. If you’ve rented a car on vacation before, it may have seemed expensive. In this way, day-to-day rentals are not ideal. Get a “mini rental lease” and lock in a rate. You’ll thank yourself that you did.
You also have the option to buy. Oftentimes, this is even cheaper than renting, but comes with the commitment of owning a vehicle. Not to worry though, pre-recovery, the automotive market continues to be hot. I wrote more about this in my recent article, “The Road Warrior“.
Working for an Established Company Remotely
I was fortunate to spend 2020 at a company that weathered the virus crisis well. Not only were we already set up for remote working, with flexible time off, we actually debuted on the public markets during that time.
Not all digital nomads will be this lucky. If you’re currently employed full-time, ask your company when they plan for their “return to office”. If you’re currently interviewing, ask about their remote working policy up front, and strongly consider their financial stability. Say that you’re working for yourself, these rules don’t apply, however, have enough backup savings so that you won’t go bust while on the road.
International Travel (Christina Davis)
Managing Plane Flight Schedules & Bargains
When flying internationally, it’s imperative to compare your flights across multiple sites. I use a combination of booking options when planning trips, to make sure I’m getting the best deals possible! Which site I begin with depends on whether I have a clear destination,or if I’m looking for overall travel deals for certain time frames.
If I’m looking for the best deals with an undecided location, I will begin my search on Skyscanner. It’s great whether you’re looking for specific travel dates or just a general time period. You can go into the platform, type in your origin flight location and type in “Everywhere” as your destination, while also choosing dates you’d like to travel on. This will populate a list of countries, ranging from least to most expensive cost for a flight. As you click on each country, it will also provide you with a list of cities withgreat travel deals. If you know the destination you’d like to travel to, Skyscanner also can look at prices for the entire month, so you can choose the cheapest days available!
After finding the best deal, I’ll look at which of the booking options are available for Skyscanner. I will only book my tickets through the direct airline website or trusted sources, such as Expedia. I HIGHLY warn against booking directly with unknown 3rd party providers such as Kiwi, eDreams, MyTrip, etc. Although it may seem tempting because of the lower price, these companies usually DO NOT have customer service options if anything goes wrong with the flights. That includes delays, cancellations, baggage loss, etc.
I’ll also use Google Flights to price compare formy trips, in case there is another option that Skyscanner hasn’t listed. After this comparison, I’ll go directly to the airline’s website, which may list current deals or promotions they are having. Lastly, I’ll use my credit card travel booking system to compare the cost. If you have a credit card that allows you to use points for travel, this can be a MASSIVE help, as you can pay for either your whole trip or partial trip with your credit card points. I have even found that sometimes the prices were cheaper even without using points!
Bonus Tip: If you’re watching flights, make sure when you are opening an Incognito or Private Browser option, as your smartphone and computer are tracking your cookies, and the more you search a flight, the higher the price can actually become!
Managing Bookings (Hostels, Hotels, etc.)
When traveling internationally, I like to weigh out the different options for the type of travel I’m doing. If I’m backpacking or solo traveling, I’ll tend to look for a hostel, as it provides a social aspect to meet other travelers, while also being affordable. There are a range of different hostels you can stay at, with different amenities based on what atmosphere you are looking for. I usually will use Hostelworld.com when comparing hostels, reading reviews and booking my stay.
If I’m looking for a different type of accommodation, I will usually book for hotels or AirBnBs. AnAirBnB can be a really nice way to stay in a neighborhood where more locals may be living. Also, many AirBnB hosts can help give you suggestions for top sites or restaurants in the area. AirBnB is a great option for a more homey feel when traveling. All hotel search engines such as Booking.com, Expedia.com or Hotels.com allow you to sort through hotel options, allowing you to find the best deal!
Working for Yourself on the Road
While on the road, it’s important to create a routine for yourself. This allows you to focus on your work, enjoy the new city you are in, and also not get too easily distracted. While traveling, I look for a city in which I can set myself up for 2-4 weeks to work and explore. So ask yourself: “What type of daily routine can I hold to be productive with work and also enjoy my new city?”
For me, I’ll create a morning routine to start my day, then head off to a local cafe to work for a few hours. I love being able to work from cafes, have great food, and still feel like I’m a part of the town. Within my day, I’ll allow myself time to meet up with a friend, go for a beach/downtown walk, or whatever I can fit in. Afterwards, I’ll continue working until about dinner time, afterwards using the rest of the time to enjoy myself. Remember, you’re working for yourself, so you have the ability to create the life you want. Just always remember to never lose sight of your own work.
Finding Appropriate Workspace
When working in new cities, I find it extremely helpful to look for either coworking spaces or local cafes that have good wifi. To find these in a new city, I’ll do some research online, and join any digital nomad Facebook groups to ask for others’ suggestions! I always like to try out different places around the city, find my favorite few and use those as my new working spaces to get myself out of the house and enjoy the scenery of my new city! Coworking/cafes are great ways to meet new people and network with people from all over the world!
Mitigating Language Barriers
Depending on the country you are in, you may come across some language barriers. When I am going to a new country, I usually will find out how to say common phrases through Google Translate, or language learning apps like Duolingo. I always find that when you make an effort to speak the local language, locals appreciate it very much! It involves a mutual respect for local cultures. It’s a great thing to know, because you’ll find some locals will then even help you learn some more.
If you’re in a tough situation where you need to speak more in-depth, or are unable to read signs, Google Translate is extremely helpful. When you download the app onto your phone, you are able to let the other person speak into your phone, and the app will instantly translate what they are saying for you. In addition, you can now point your camera at signs or menus, and the app is able to translate it into the language you need. This can be super helpful in countries or situations where language barriers are difficult to overcome.
Travel after COVID
When traveling after COVID internationally, it’s super important to do extensive research on the restrictions of the country / city you’re going to. You want to make sure you are fully prepared for all requirements pre and post travel. For international travel, you should check not only the country’s government website for requirements to enter the country, but also the airlines. With rules changing constantly, you don’t need an unwanted surprise at the airport. Therefore, before traveling, make sure you check vaccination rules, PCR testing type needed, time frame in which test is valid, and quarantine rules.
When researching restrictions, make sure you’re reading from valid sources such as government websites, CDC or airline-specific information. If you do travel internationally, remember to respect locals by always abiding by their COVID related rules for curfews, gatherings and masks! If you are not prepared to respect regulations, then it may result in fines, arrest or even deportation. There have been incidents for example in Bali, where influencers went into a supermarket with a painted mask on their face as a prank, and were quickly deported out of Indonesia for breaking the law. Many countries recently reopened their borders, or are providing visas to be able to travel or work remotely again. Whether traveling for tourism or business, it is imperative that you do research to learn the country’s specific requirements. Traveling post-COVID is quite doable, and can still be safe, as long as you take the proper precautions!
Do You Dream of Living and Working Abroad?
If you’veever dreamed of becoming a digital nomad, living and working abroad, and having the freedom to create the life you have dreamed of, my Nomadic Freedom Course is the perfect fit for you. The Nomadic Freedom Course is a 12 week program where we shift your mindset, conquer your fears of going after this dream and build and scale an online business that you are passionate about. We will work to build and grow your business to allow you to sustain a life of adventure, freedom and location independence. This lifestyle is not reserved for the privileged, it is reserved for those who want it badly enough to take the leap! If you are looking to make that shift in your life and create your dream life, apply now to join the Nomadic Freedom Course. A thousand miles begins with just one step, so let’s get chatting!
DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.
In this article, I’ll walk you through my own experiences living on the road, moving from vacation rental to vacation rental. Being a digital nomad takes a lot of effort. This is especially true if you’re working while doing it.
If you’re going to travel by vehicle, vs. by air, you need to be prepared.
The rental market for vehicles tends to fluctuate immensely. A few months into the virus crisis, many rental centers were practically begging customers to lease cars and trucks from their lots. Now post-crisis, rental and used vehicle prices are sky high, with a car computer chip shortage meaning fewer new vehicles are produced.
Buying a vehicle is a big decision to make. It comes with many commitments: Doing your own upkeep, inherited mechanical problems, and having to register in a home state. Rental centers typically will take care of maintenance, repairs, and you can drop your vehicle off in most major cities. This means you’re never worried about where you’re located.
The upside of buying is that (if purchasing with cash), you’ll never have to make a monthly payment again. You can also customize your vehicle however you like. For whatever money you put into buying the vehicle, you can get most of it back when reselling it.
Choosing a Vehicle
It’s important to choose a vehicle that suits your nomad lifestyle. Do you spend most of your time in urban areas? Perhaps something smaller, faster with better miles per gallon is best for you (like a Honda CR-V or RAV4). Do you do lots of off-roading to get to remote trailheads? You’ll need a truck or SUV with 4 Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive capability and high ground clearance. Do you tend to sleep or camp in your vehicle often? You’ll want an SUV or van with a lot of space. Pickup trucks with a fitted canopy work well for this too.
Choosing Where to Do your Registration and Title
Believe it or not, the state or province that you register your vehicle in matters a lot. You may have to return there once a year to renew your registration, or to do emissions testing. You can only register in a state where you hold residence.
Outfitting your Vehicle for Weather Conditions and Terrain
There are all sorts of conditions that can pop up on the road.
If you’re traveling on the road, you’re going to need a lot of space. For this reason, it’s best to be a minimalist with your belongings while traveling.
We managed to stuff all of our things into the backseat of a 4-door Ford Ranger pickup, but it was quite a squeeze. Now, with a Honda Pilot, we’ve got a 6 seat SUV, able to fold 2 of those seat rows flat. That makes for a lot of room.
Another great trick for pickup trucks: Make use of that flat bed space. Our solution was a large sports cooler and a Thermos strapped into the back of our truck. We used 4 elastic straps to secure both containers, and not once had an issue, even on interstate highways.
You’ll want to load your vehicle up the night before your rental reservation ends. The reasoning? You’ll be spending checkout day cleaning the place up. You don’t want to be searching around for lost possessions.
Protecting your Vehicle
If you’re going to be taking long-haul road trips, you need to do regular upkeep and maintenance on your vehicle.
Even if you may think you’re in the “middle of nowhere”, you may be surprised. Trailheads and rural areas are some of the most common points of theft and break-ins. They are community gathering points where most people leave their vehicles unattended. This makes it easy for would-be thieves. To prevent this, make sure to buy a vehicle with a car alarm, or have one installed (Banvie car alarms are great and cheap). More importantly, buy a tarp to cover your belongings, so thieves can’t see what you “have to offer”. I recommend a Guard Rhino tarp, they’re only $14, and you can use them for many other purposes like camping and as a rain shield.
In the SUV, we also have a secret compartment under the truck bed, which contains a camp stove, fuel, a first aid kit, and a tire jack. (A Big Red 10 ton bottle jack should handle pretty much any vehicle). These emergency supplies will help us to survive a night in the wilderness with a flat tire, if we really need to.
Last but not least, protect the exterior of your vehicle. Desert sun can actually melt your paint. Too much water can make it rust. You can sustain scratches from not just rocks, but even tiny branches. So be sure to buy an external ceramic coating (like TriNova Hydrophobic Sealant). By doing this, you’re also insuring the resale value of your vehicle.
Happy Travels!
Okay! You’re ready to hit the road. Just remember: Vehicles that are loved and cared for have better resale value. Have fun in your vehicle, but be careful with it. You want to be able to trade it in for an even better model eventually, or to sell it if you want to “digital nomad” by plane, or “settle down”.
DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.
When is the last time you took a business travel trip?
If you’re fresh out of college, that answer may be never.
Business travel has been romanticized in popular culture since the inception of passenger airlines. How many movies have you seen where a suited figure in first class reclines, sipping on a cocktail while reading through a business newspaper? How about a group of industry colleagues rolling up in a private car to an extravagant hotel? If you’ve watched Mad Men, Don Draper sharing a glass of whiskey during a business pitch may have come to mind.
The virus crisis has changed business travel forever. Will business travel exist after the pandemic? Certainly. However, its absence during the crisis has shown numerous companies just how many resources they were expending on business travel.
The first scheduled passenger plane flight departed on January 1st, 1914. Some of the longest standing airlines were KLM, Qantas and Avianca. Since the U.S. entered WWII later than European countries, they had more time to spend developing commercial aircraft. The U.S. industry since 1945 essentially set the standard for international air travel.
During the Golden Age of air travel, flying was a novelty experience defined by fine dining experiences and upscale services. The experience back then was probably similar to today’s first class section. The first “business class” was rolled out in December 1977 by Thai Airlines.
The decades leading up to the pandemic were filled withpractically unlimited expense accounts, luxury hotels, and exorbitant meals out. Business travel has not returned to its pre-virus levels. We’ll likely be videoconferencing for some time to come. I discuss this a bit in my recent article “We’re Never Going Back to the ‘Office‘”.
Business tourism? Yeah, that was a thing.
Pre-crisis, business travel would often be tauted as a perk. You would do the business trip at the end of the week, then stay the weekend to explore on your own time. Some individuals would even bring their spouse/partner who’d fly out separately.
My own dad still displays plaques for the company trips he won on the wall. The U.S. Virgin Islands. The Bahamas. Lake Tahoe. Vancouver, BC. He would take my mother along on each of these trips. In his own words, “I was in the top percentile of the entire country to win those trips.” He says they’re going to mean something, to somebody, and that I should “keep them in the family”. I’ll probably just put them in storage.
Environmental impacts of business travel
For service-based organisations, business travel and aviation are the biggest contributors to their total emissions, often above the collective carbon footprint of their offices. Air travel impacts the local environment through increased nitrogen pollutants, particulates and noise levels.
Companies across the spectrum discovered an unexpected benefit of grounding their employees during the pandemic: a lowering of carbon emissions from business travel.
Many businesses are announcing new promises to reduce (and offset) business travel emissions as a way to reach their sustainability goals. Only one in four organizations consider their “carbon footprint” to be a top priority.
Employee wellbeing
Environmental impact is not the only pitfall of business travel. A World Bank study showed that 75% of staff reported high or very high stress related to business travel. Americans took more than 500 Million business trips in 2016. (Harvard Business Review)
Stress, sleep interruption, unhealthy eating and drinking, and lack of exercise are all common factors of business travel burnout. The odds of being obese are 92% higher for those who traveled 21 or more nights per month, compared to those who traveled only one to six nights per month
Business travel could mean traveling to company HQ abroad
I recently wrote about my personal return to the office experience. With much of the knowledge workforce still remote, and business travel at an indefinite standstill, the show must go on. As such, large annual company offsite meetings may now turn into ONSITE meetings. This entails all of the domestic (or international) staff flying into the company headquarters to “reconnect”. If that would prove too difficult, employee visits to the headquarters could be staggered.
Take advantage of a geographically diverse team
Distributed teams have been the lifeblood of tech businesses since the dawn of the internet. The model was much harder to achieve before global telecommunications. So why is remote work such a hard concept to justify, when your engineering team is already in India, your HR team is in London, and your office is in New York City?
In many businesses, regions are divided up by time zones. For example, The Americas, EMEA and APAC.
What we forget, however, is that these also represent shared time zones. For instance, someone in Bogota, Columbia could work the same hours as a colleague in New York. The same with Lagos, Nigeria for London, or Tokyo for Sydney. Location bias doesn’t have to be a concept anymore.
Distributed workforce could be opportunity for businesses to extend their reach
The other benefit of a distributed workforce is the ability to meet customers where they are, and *when* they are. The pre-crisis world had executives flying all over the world for “face time”. As a requirement of the role, this lifestyle was popular for some, but not for all. For instance, working parents were often strained to find child care or juggle their home life while on the road.
Instead of this, why not embrace decentralized command by briefing the representatives located closest to customers to meet them on their terms? This tactic has been used by regional sales teams for decades, and can be extended to any aspect of business.
To be an effective leader, regular check-ins and ensuring decentralized command is important
Remote work calls for a different kind of management style. Gone are the “hall monitor” management days of the “Bill Lumberg” character looking over the shoulders of staff. We live in an age with a broad amount of productivity platforms that can be accessed anywhere in the world.
Instead of a checklist, an idea for status meetings is to set milestones beyond “next steps”. It’s important to teach core concepts, set an agenda, and train “microleaders” to act as an extension of command. A robust project management tool can show visibility into tasks without constant Slack check-ins.
Temporary rental platforms are assigning importance to customers that are now permanently remote
You may have heard that “the office is not a place, it’s a concept”. This is more true than ever. We are at the point where opening a satellite office doesn’t require a multi-year lease. Even the most stalwart of commercial real estate companies are looking into an office-as-you-need model, mirroring companies like WeWork, Convene and Regus.
Finally, vacation rental platforms like AirBnB and VRBO realize the classic business model of working out of an expensive (or no-frills) hotel room isn’t that comfortable. Business travelers can book a vacation rental instead, and stay in a private house without neighbors who frequent the hotel bar keeping them up. Even better news? It’s cost-effective, too.
Traveling while working remotely is true freedom
With remote work, there’s no more “caboose trips” after a business conference. There’s no more sweating a flight delay because you have to be back in the office the next day. No more late nights figuring out your personal expenses vs. company expenses.
You can travel over a weekend, work or meet business contacts during the week, go to a different attraction each night, and fly out the next weekend. All on your own schedule. How cool is that?
DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.
This past month, I did the unthinkable…
I made my return to office.
However, it was on my own terms, and of my own choice. After all, I was returning to NYC to see some friends and check on my belongings after far too long away.
How was the experience?
I prepared the night before, laid out my clothes, shaved, made sure all my belongings were in my backpack.
The next morning, I walked onto a subway which was about half the capacity it normally is. Felt kind of lonely, but thankfully there were no crazy happenings which come from mass crowds. Well, aside from the few people who refused to wear masks…
I peacefully walked off the subway, with a swing in my step as I proceeded to my first office visit. The receptionist checked me in, and I went upstairs.
Wow, what a beautiful space. It had feelings of WeWork in its heyday.
I greeted and met some coworkers for my first time. Set up my laptop as I had done in previous workspaces.
What was different?
There were far less people. This gave it a different feel than the office I “knew”.
However I actually appreciated the diminished capacity. There was very little “white noise” to distract from deep focus, even without earbuds in.
There was no in-person meetings to rush or be late to. Everything was on Zoom. My in-person interactions were on my terms. The office space even held a “hybrid” trivia happy hour, where some of us joined virtually, and others in real life.
What can a successful hybrid model look like?
There’s been a lot of talk of how we need a “hybrid model” to move forward with the return to office.
What does that even mean?
For many companies, that means making all staff return to the office 2-3 days a week. That’s not truly hybrid work. That’s flexible work-from-home.
A true hybrid model would give the choice for some of the staff to come in-person, and some to work remotely (permanently). This model most benefits our post-pandemic transition, as it limits office capacity to only what’s necessary.
It gives working moms the choice to get employer-provided childcare, and join in-office if they wish. Or, for those same moms to work from home (or wherever they wish), being home for sick kids or taking care of time-draining errands.
What are the challenges of return to office?
As with any crisis, a snappy shift from one extreme to the other can cause a lot of trouble. We might think “back to normal” for a return to office will be easy.
Let’s also think about all the workers who’ve left their given careers for lack of work, voluntarily or involuntarily.
We have one of the worst worker “shortages” in decades due to this.
The MTA subway staff in New York used to run at least 6 trains per hour. Now they only have the capacity to run 2-3. What is that going to look like when there’s a mass return of people to NYC?
How about lunch? While restaurants are running with 1/3 of their normal staff, how long will getting food take?
Will traffic administration be able to deal with a new influx of single-person commuter cars?
DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.
You’ve heard it before. “We need several volunteers to graciously lend their time.” You should volunteer out of the simple will to do good. Do good for good’s sake. Be a good Samaritan. Be a steward of your community. All these things are true. But still, volunteer numbers are never as high as they should be.
What if the actual benefits of volunteering went beyond those perceived?
Post-virus crisis, we are coming out of a devastating, yet transformative change that has left many out of work, or in dire financial straits. If the world needs anything now, for young or old, it’s help.
P.S. If you’re a new graduate figuring out the post-virus world –
When first starting your career, you might attend a smattering of organizations and events trying to snap up as many contacts as you can. Sometimes that approach is successful, and you never know who you’re going to meet. However, once you hone in on which opportunities benefit your ambitions most, you’ll see more channeled results.
My best professional experience so far has been my involvement with 212NYC, New York’s Interactive Advertising Club. Founded in 2003, and one of the first organizations specifically focused on digital media, it provides professionals an extracurricular network to learn, teach, and meet new people. Though I’ve been attending the events much longer than working with the committees – I’ve now been serving as a Mentorship Leader for 2 years running, and have built countless professional relationships, even gotten a job out of it.
2. It takes your focus off work.
It seems like in the stretch of road from the moment you throw your graduation cap to when you blow out your retirement candles, life is going to be consumed by work. Of course there’s truth to this – and it can be very enjoyable. However, on that journey you find that you can make meaningful connections both during and outside of work. Life isn’t all about work – It’s just your day shift. Being a volunteer, by its nature, is an opportunity to step out of your daily life unconcerned about money or any sort of heirarchy.
One of these instances is Partnership with Children, which supports the most vulnerable children in overcoming the stress of growing up in low-income environments or below the poverty line. From website: They offer school-based programs across New York City’s five boroughs to 10,000+ children. These services include counseling, schoolwide programs, and boosts to social and emotional learning strategies. The volunteer opps offered are broad. We participated in a backpack donation drive, as well as helping to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the school kids and their families. It was incredibly redeeming to see the kids’ reactions and personalities during all of the events.
3. It teaches you new skills.
In the 21st century, you consistently hear about the exorbitant cost of higher education. You hear about national student debt shooting through the roof. Even with the Great Recession, people are taking out more student loans than ever before. So while “I’m going back to get my degree” was never an easy statement, now the cost is the main inhibitor, even with scholarships and grants.
Building on the above, knowledge is essentially free. It’s the time to teach that represents the cost. Your mind first likely goes to a direct teacher-student relationship. It’s bigger than that. You can learn from professionals outside your field, anyone from any economic-cultural background, or even children.
A great example is the organization Wikitongues, which seeks to archive the world’s endangered languages by recording native speakers. It’s been featured in TED, Nat Geo, Atlas Obscura, and is even partnered with the Peace Corps. If you know a second language, all you need to do is submit a video of yourself speaking it to build their library. The learning available is tremendous, with 650+ videos available to watch.
4. It humbles you, and builds your sense of purpose.
Not everyone you help is going to have had the opportunity to live a life without flaws or hurdles. That’s part of being human. When you can offer someone a portal from the life they’ve lived into a new ones, it’s fulfilling at a level few things are.
Defy Ventures is a nonprofit organization that helps to empower formerly incarcerated individuals as entrepreneurs. The organization has received contributions from several of America’s Fortune 500’s and is growing quickly. I joined an evening session at Think with Google with the program. During the session, we helped 3 different Entrepreneurs in Residence with their respective business plans. From their website: 82% employment rate for Defy post-release program. 72% recidivism rate for Defy graduates.
5. Improves self-worth.
Lastly, I’ve witnessed plenty of professional colleagues who’ve greatly enriched sense of purpose and self-worth in volunteer activities, as have I. What one finds is that only by helping others does your self-worth rise. There’s more obvious examples like the Peace Corps, Americorps, etc. However, oftentimes you don’t have to make a multi-year commitment, and it can coexist with your professional life. One of these ways is helping those who did make a multi-year commitment, like armed forces members.
Bunker Labs is a non-profit national network of veteran and milspouse entrepreneurs dedicated to helping the military connected community start their own business. From the website: 25% of transitioning service members want to start a business and they need places inside their community where they can connect with the people, resources, and support they need to start and grow their businesses. 1,012 startups completed Bunker Labs programs to date. 1,002+ jobs created for Military Veterans. 1,954+ jobs created by participating startups.
Closing
Most of 2020 is still yours to explore these kinds of opportunities. I’ve personally found value in all five areas above. If you pursue this, you’ll likely find yourself better educated, with a renewed sense of purpose and new skills, all at the mere cost of your time. Sure, you could pay to take higher education classes. However, there’s no better education than direct human interaction and experience. After all, learning is free.
Before the crisis, I had a daily commute to Times Square. It was an improvement on previous years, when I’d travel from Brooklyn to “the city” proper. I was now living in the Financial District at the south end of Manhattan. My alarm would go off at 7 AM. I’d sometimes get a chance to go on a ultra-quick jog, before my shower (7:30). After showering, I’d throw on my clothes, scarf down a yogurt and a cup of coffee (8:00).
I’d then speed walk the 20 minutes to the subway train (8:20). Once on the train, I’d hopefully make it to my stop in 30 minutes (8:50). Some days, the train would be delayed for up to an hour. (9:50). Either way, I’d be speed-walking through the Times Square crowds, getting into the office out of breath with scrambled thoughts.
This would be similar for someone who commuted by car (which I once did). The difference is that they’d be worried about wrecking their vehicle in a fender bender, versus avoiding characters and bodily injury.
Do People Actually Want to Go Back to the Office?
There have been a lot of articles recently reminiscing about the commute. The status quo says “people miss the office environment”, but data often points to the opposite, that “workers prefer a hybrid office model”.
Research has also shown that workers are more productive when working remotely, with most managers agreeing to the same.
Many companies that flirted with the idea of long-term remote work are now calling employees back. Some have slated a return to office as early as this summer.
Another frequent nod, “With remote work, there is no separation between work and home life”. Why do we feel we need to be forced to commute, vs. making that time for ourselves?
Take a Break from your Devices
When you worked in the office, how long did you stare at your computer screen before taking a break? Probably 30 minutes. You walked over to a coworker to ask a question, or stopped by the kitchen to grab a snack.
Why is working at home any different?
An estimated 58% of people who work on computers experience “Computer Vision Syndrome”. The symptoms include eye strain, blurred vision, headaches, neck and back pain.
Lucky for you, there’s ways to mitigate this. Like me, you could purchase prescription (or non-prescription) blue light glasses. If you work on a Macbook Pro, there is a feature called Night Shift. It’s quite easy. You can also set when it turns on, “Sunset to Sunrise”, turn it on manually, and select the color temperature.
Just click on the Apple Icon > System Preferences > Displays > Night Shift
Time Management
With no commutes, there has been a time shift. Some people do not realize this.
If you’re working in a different time zone (Pacific, for example), you’re starting your work day 3 hours earlier than the East Coast.
Let’s say you start your work day at 8 AM PST, that’s 11 AM EST.
If you end your work day at 2 PM PST, that’s 5 PM EST.
However, you have only worked for 6 hours, not a full 8 hour day.
Instead of going to run errands, why not power it out and finish your day at 4 PM PST?
Commutes are Bad for the Environment (Poor Health, Wasted Gas & Electricity, Pollution)
This may seem obvious, but commutes by vehicle or train are extremely harmful to the environment.
Studies show that the average drive to work adds 4.3 metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere a year, per car.
People with longer commutes tend to be less physically active. They also have higher rates of obesity and high blood pressure.
I was personally gobsmacked, when the MTA announced they’d be bleaching subway trains every night at the dawn of the virus.
How often was it cleaned before then? What kind of microscopic virii were floating around the subway car?
These are a few (of many) risks that workers will face in the return to the office.
The Importance of Setting Boundaries at Home
If you co-habit with a family, significant other, or roommate, working from home can be a strain. It does not have to be, as long as you keep distance between yourself and your “boarding mates”.
Being a parent is a whole other ball game. However, balancing structure and play for your kids is a good idea. If you’re driving eachother nuts, go outside for a bit, or recommend they go outside to play.
Many people have a “home office” room where they lock themselves away, and yet their kids or dogs still find a way into their lap. What if you actually created your working space outside? During warmer months, you could work from the garage or even the garden shed if you wanted to.
If you work from a laptop, creating a mobile workspace is also an idea. Move around the house. I’ve used any variety of surfaces as a desk – The kitchen table, a recliner, the garden table, even wide window ledges (as a standing desk).
As the crisis comes to an end, it’s more likely that you’ll work out of a coffee shop or a co-working space within your own neighborhood.
Recommended for Remote Work:
So do you see? It’s not so bad.
There will be a need for companies to subsidize remote working office setups. It pays for itself as those workers may not be using office resources (office equipment, printers, snacks, etc.). There are even companies dedicated to working from home, like WFH Zone UK.
Much of the workforce has now had a taste of remote working. The likelihood they’ll want to go back to an outdated, 20th century office is highly unlikely.
DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.
2022 is a “gap year” of opportunity! Are you still sitting in a leased apartment or mortgaged home during the virus crisis? If so, why?
There are many who wanted to undertake this journey before the virus, but were prohibited by outstanding cost, time, or just life.
Most companies are trending to support remote work or hybrid offices indefinitely. I’ve written more about this in my recent article here.
In the post-Corona era, you can have both: Work and life!
My partner Elise and I had wanted to become digital nomads for the longest time. The week New York City went into lockdown, we left. Even with an international flight ban, a plane to Palm Springs, CA and a pickup truck rental did the trick.
You don’t have to forgo a “financial gap year” of your career to be a digital nomad. You don’t even have to leave your country!
Even if you have a significant other or children. There’s something for everyone.
Useful Gear for Digital Nomads:
So how do you get started?
Leaving home is not a small decision. There is a lot of pre-planning that needs to happen before you depart.
While my perspective is in the U.S. – This could work in whatever country you may call home.
I’ve tried to compile many of these steps below, to make things easier for you.
Figure out where you want to go.
A plan is like insurance. Don’t leave home without it.
Are you planning on getting to your destinations by driving? By air?
A general rule of thumb is planning 3 months in advance.
This is long enough that you don’t have to be panicking, planning where to go next.
However, it’s short enough that if a major interruption occurs (family / work event, etc.) you can cancel your itineraries.
Check your documentation and registrations.
Is your documentation current?
If you’re driving you’ll need a valid driver’s license (surprise).
Is your license renewed? Is there a risk of it expiring while you’re abroad on your gap year? You don’t want to have to go back to your home state to renew it.
Where will you be receiving mail?
It’s important to have a solid home address for important documents and letters.
This could be your parents’ house/apartment or a P.O. Box.
Services like Earth Class Mail will actually act as a “virtual P.O. Box”, and securely digitize your mail into PDFs. No physical interaction required.
For packages while you’re on the road – Always have a tracking number, and it’s preferable if you’re staying in the same area at least 2 weeks.
Secure your travel plans (including a car if you need to)
How are you going to get to your destination?
Do you own a car?
If so, check your registration. We found that some states may require you to return to the state for emissions testing, etc. You may need to re-register in a state that’s closer to where you are.
In the case you don’t, is renting, leasing or buying a vehicle most cost-effective?
I’ll go into detail on this in a later article. There are big differences, and distinct advantages between renting and leasing. See a helpful Investopedia summary here.
If you’re flying, have you looked up travel restrictions and the quarantine times for your destination city?
Do they require a virus test? Is there a limited visa? If so, how many days/months are you allowed to stay?
Expert Vagabond gives other helpful tips on overall logistics and making money as a digital nomad.
Figure out your housing situation
Are you locked into a lease? When does it end?
Most apartments in big cities will let you break your lease. However you have to think about the cost vs. benefit.
No lease? No mortgage? Not a problem. Continue on to the next point.
Book your first places to stay
During the virus, volume on vacation rentals is ultra-high. You need to book months in advance. The last thing you want is to be is stuck without a lease, and without a place to live.
You would be surprised how quickly places get snapped up. It’s important to keep a wishlist of future stays you wish to book. Some sites will even send you an alert when an item on your wishlist becomes available.
AirBnB not the only option. There are other sites like VRBO that offer a similar service. Here’s a helpful list of other platforms, like Flipkey and Tripping.com, which are all slightly different. You should compare and see what’s best for you.
If you are younger, you may not mind staying at a hostel or co-living space with other people to save money.
Hostelworld is a great resource for this. Just be aware of your requirements for working and living. You’ll want to read reviews and book a location with relatively low people volume.
Move and put your things in a storage locker
Even if you’re not currently tied to a lease, you need somewhere to put your belongings.
You can find some affordable storage lockers if you’re willing to drive a bit out from the city center. If you need a more central location, be prepared to pay more.
Take an inventory of how much “stuff” you have.
The smallest unit most storage facilities offer is 5 ft. x 5 ft. That will perhaps fit one big piece of furniture (not a couch) and a room’s worth of small belongings (such as lamps, clothes, etc.)
The biggest unit is often a 10 ft. x 30 ft. This can fit a couch, a refrigerator, and about 2 rooms worth of “stuff”.
We use a company called StorageMart. This helpful storage comparison site Sparefoot allowed me to find it, which is like the “TripAdvisor” of storage.
Hitting the road!
Have you checked off all these items? Do you have everything together? Congratulations, you’re ready to head off on your “gap year” adventure!
There are plenty more things to learn about working as a digital nomad on the road during the virus. Stay tuned for a guide on that.
DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.
This year I’ll have driven east and west across the country twice. I’ll have visited over 23 states: California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
On a fateful night in March, immediately after returning from caring for my father (who was fresh out of the hospital) in Wisconsin, New York City was on the verge of a crisis. I narrowly made it back to New York for fear of a domestic flight ban, and here was NYC about to go into lockdown due to the virus crisis. So after just having been told nobody was going back to the office, we packed our bags, gathered as much as we could, and booked a flight to Palm Springs the next morning.
I’ve spent the last 8 months living on the road. It’s not something we’d expected to be doing this year, but it’s a pleasant surprise. I’ve been thinking about doing this for years, but kept waiting for the right chance to work remotely. The only limitation is that we can’t leave the country. So within these 4 borders, we’ve made the most of it.
Yes, that’s me!
A decade of cost of living increases in major metropolitan areas has exhausted urban residents, and often priced out new transplants. Those would-be transplants have settled on more mid-size cities that weren’t so prohibitively expensive. During the crisis, San Francisco has witnessed an unprecedented 35% drop in rent. The most high profile shifts recently have been Elon Musk‘s and Oracle‘s announcements that they’ll relocate to Austin, Texas. Another benefactor has been Miami, whose Mayor Francis Suarez has recently courted VCs from Google, Andreessen Horowitz, and others – ending the week with a discussion on the popular Clubhouse app. As much spotlight as that city receives, however, there are plenty of other areas that are making waves.
A recent U-Haul study catalogued which states their consumer base were making one-way moves to.
The list came out as follows:
1. Tennessee
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. Ohio
5. Arizona
….Continued.
As you can see here, Americans aren’t moving to any one place, and they’re largely avoiding coastal states (sans Florida). Middle America is going to see a boom like it hasn’t seen since WWII. Read more about that in my article “Why Are We Ignoring the Midwest?“.
What Are the Perks?
Cheaper Cost of Living
The pandemic has resulted in an unforeseen real estate boom. Shortly after prices dropped in March 2020, buyers snapped up homes at a rate unseen since before the Great Recession. Note that those were permanent home purchases, not rentals. Mortgage rates continue to drop to record lows, even as we enter the new year. Will those buyers sell their homes and move back to the city when the pandemic is over? Highly unlikely. For the areas that benefitted, they will receive a longterm influx of commerce and development.
The real estate market will always have peaks and troughs, and with the next dip in the market, we may see even more buyers getting in on growth opportunities in those scattered areas. Think of it like an investment in a small, lesser-known company. They’re getting in at the ground level with a lot of upside potential.
2. Shifting Demographics
Any way you look at it, the country is more divided politically and culturally than in recent memory. A historic exodus of urban workers has rewritten the political landscape. This includes largely “blue” liberal urbanites moving to smaller “red” cities and states, as well as “red” conservative rural dwellers moving to mid-size cities with newfound opportunities. 2021 may look a lot more “purple” than any of us realize. And with that will come cultural shifts. We may find that mid-size cities feel a lot more like metropolitan centers, and that metropolitan centers become more focused on suburbs, much like how workers in San Francisco and Seattle have commuted to the outer reaches of their cities for work.
3. Decentralized Urban Areas& More Space
The “city center” is going to matter less, and we may see more compartmentalized “cities within a city” as the pandemic tapers out. Recent research has found that many companies realize the loss in time productivity and overhead they experience keeping an office, and mandating workers to take 1 hour-each-way office commutes. I recently wrote an article on the subject, “What Will Happen to Cities?“
With many post-pandemic return to office plans seeking to have no more than 50% of their workforce on-site at one time, that other half of the workforce needs to go somewhere. They’ll spend that time in their home communities, and hopefully will have everything in 15 minutes of where they live — Groceries, schools, shops, healthcare and more. Having a co-working space close to home can provide an in-person meeting space for much more intensive meetings. This can create the physical closeness with clients and colleagues we had before COVID, while providing socially distanced safety precautions.
4. “Work Anywhere” and Live on the Road
Services like AirBnB, Vrbo, HomeAway and other companies were some of the hardest hit by the pandemic. However, they’ve seen a surge in rural bookings. AirBnB’s remote area listings earned $200 Million in June 2020, a 25% increasefrom the previous year. One of their new slogans is even “Go Near”, emphasizing local travel. On our journey, we’ve stayed in these types of rentals the entire time.
While many have opted for mortgages outside the city, for apartment renters, the practicality of being tied down to a lease is just not there. Why have a set lease for a year, when you can live anywhere you want within the country for months at a time?
Conclusion
Being in a big city isn’t for everyone. Some love it, and will continue to. The biggest development of the past year is that now you have a CHOICE.
• Do you want to live in a big metro like New York or L.A.?
• Do you want to live in a mid-size city with more space to breathe, or for your kids to play?
• Do you want to take a “gap year” and travel without even having to quit your job?
Any of these options are yours. It’s 2021 and the year just started.
