We live in a digital age when so many people need nothing more than a simple wi-fi connection to do their job. Gone are the traditional 9-5s, the long traffic-packed commutes, the suit and tie offices. While those still exist out there, they are slowly being replaced by a work-from-home or alternative space workforce. Companies all over the world are capitalizing on this trend and coming up with co-working spaces for those working remotely or freelancing. As those businesses grow and see success, so do their locations.
“The details are different from one program or place to another, but generally, for a fee, one can live abroad for a longer period of time, work in a relaxed, community setting during the day, and during the evenings and weekends, explore a new city, hang out with fellow remote workers, or attend an event in-house for learning new skills,” Kimberley Mok said in a recent Treehugger article.
Um, where can I sign up? No, seriously. Being someone who both loves to travel and works from anywhere with a wi-fi signal, this sounds awesome! Plus, if you live in a big city, according to the article, it might actually save you money:
“The vast majority of entrepreneurs and startup businesses are online-based; therefore, they can work from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection. Why not spend a few months working from, say, a beachfront in Bali? So, the logic goes, living costs will be so much lower that moving out there for a few months will not only allow you to focus on your goal undistracted, but you’ll actually save money you’d otherwise be spending on sky-high rent in San Francisco or Brooklyn.”
Who’s with me? Is this something you would ever do? Think it’s awesome or do you prefer the traditional office setting?
Gwenn says
I am a fulltime telecommuter on a project management team for a large insurance company with team members in the US and India. It’s great to be able to work from wherever as long as there is good WiFi. My husband and I have talked about hitting the road in an rv and exploring North America while working before and during “retirement”.
Gwenn says
I should add that if I could work virtual from Europe I would be there in a heartbeat.
Lesley says
I have been a remote employee for 20+ years. The amount of time, money, stress I save without a commute is beyond words. The ability to throw in a load of laundry or let my dogs out while working is irreplaceable. Not worrying about what I wear in the morning? Again, priceless. I do have to make sure to leave the house and see people, whether walking the dogs or running errands, etc, so that I don’t become a hermit. But I am happy to see this trend continue and love that I got to be on the cutting edge way back in the 90s!
Amaris says
Do you have any advice on how to find real jobs/companies to apply to do this type of work?
Jane says
I would LOVE this. I have been actively looking for a job I can do from anywhere.
debbie in alaska says
A friend of mine is currently doing a remote year. She and 70 or so other folks spend one month in a new country working remotely — and then move to the next country the following month — for one year. Can you say amazing?
Robin in SoCal says
I have been home shored for the last 10 years. It is awesome. Sadly my company is reverting back to requiring people to work from a company office. Thankfully this does not include me. I have had occasions where I slept and worked in the same outfit, shhh. Other than time zone differences working from another country would be amazing.