How to Travel the World While Running a Small Business

June 27, 2016

The idea of running a business from anywhere in the world is quite appealing. The feat can be difficult, but it is not impossible. As the CEO and a founder of Wallaroo Media, a full service digital marketing and advertising agency that recently launched the successful online Snapchat Filter Design company That’s a Snap, I have learned over the years about the challenges of traveling the world while running a small business. Here are few of my insights on how you can travel while still maintaining your workload.


Create a schedule


While it is hard to make a schedule and stick to it when you are on the road, do it anyway. Even if things fluctuate from day to day, a schedule ensures you will complete the to-do list. When scheduling, know your optimal working hours and plan the vacation day-trips accordingly (don’t forget time differences).


Dedicate a day to work, and make it fun


Businessman Working by the BeachIt is hard to focus on vacation and work at the same time. My suggestion for this is to pick a day to work, and work. If you try to focus on both traveling and work at once, you will end up sacrificing time, efficiency, and energy. I found that choosing to stay and luxury resorts is one way to make working in the hotel easier. I recently went on a trip to Tahiti and stayed at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa. Here I was able to stay in one of the bungalows overlooking the ocean; with a view like this and the ability to quickly and easily jump into the water to cool off while on my work day, I found it easy to focus on my work and still enjoy my time in Tahiti.


Say no


You can’t say yes to doing everything while traveling. There are just too many things to do: interviews, phone calls, emails, events, etc. Learn when to say no. That doesn’t mean say no to everything just because you are traveling, but be more selective about what things you choose to agree to.


Plan ahead


When making plans and packing, be sure to plan ahead. Create to-do lists of things that must get done work-wise. Be aware of deadlines, meetings, phone calls, etc. If you plan it right, you can shift your workload to fall before or after the trip, and free up time to make it easier to go off the grid. You can set up scheduling tools ahead of time to keep running while you are gone; tools like microfluencers, hootsuite, and email forwarders are big ones in the digital marketing world. It is easy to lose track of time and priorities when enjoying travels; it is best to plan this items out ahead of time and keep them off your mind.


Prepare for things to go wrong


Even if you plan everything out perfectly, there are bound to be bumps in the road. Maybe a flight gets in late, or internet access is limited. Have backup plans and be willing to go with the flow.


Prep your team


Even if you have a great team that can hold down the fort while you are away, make sure they are prepared before you leave. They should be aware of deadlines and expectations while you are away. Also, give them a way to reach you in case of a work emergency.


It is possible go off the grid while still owning and running a successful small business. You can travel the world, but still be connected to your business. Now the question is, where will you go?

Business & Finance Articles on Business 2 Community

(46)

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.