Working abroad: How to combine your journey with work as a digital nomad is written by Michelle Rødgaard-Jessen
To travel is to work - this is how you get a job abroad
Are you one of those who would like to travel the world and work while you do it? So read on here and find out how you can combine travel and work. And yes, it is actually possible!
In 2014, I graduated and was actually going to apply for my first 'adult job'. During my studies, I had traveled a lot and, among other things, taken a year of my master's degree Beijing and China. The thought of having to be locked into the same office for an extended period of time made me wonder if there were no other avenues.
Work abroad: Travel and build your career
I would like to travel around. Experience cultures, learn languages, meet exciting people. I wanted the freedom to be able to do that but at the same time have the feeling that I was not put back career-wise. Together with my boyfriend, who was self-employed and well able to do his job online and thus travel at the same time, we decided to try it out for a year. To combine travel with work.
The thing was, I did not have a job. It had to be created first. I had no idea how, but there was going to be money in the coffers, and something had to happen at work.
Start by getting an overview of your competencies
I started out small by getting an overview of my competencies. Project management, administration and copywriting. Those were things I knew I could. But were there any who would pay to have me complete these tasks for them? There was only one way to find out. I started out as a virtual personal assistant and got the first clients through my network. So that’s how I quietly started the process of working abroad.
Slowly, customers also started coming in via my website and recommendations from the few customers I already had. At the same time, more and more customers started asking if I too could help them write their newsletters, set up their Facebook ads and generally help with their marketing. I said I could give it a try. And so my business suddenly took an unexpected turn, which ended up with me today exclusively helping customers with their online marketing, which I have since specialized in.
It is now three years ago and I have since worked from all corners of the world. From megacities in Asia to small villages in the French Alps. Here are 5 reasons why you should work while traveling.
The back of the medal at a job abroad
But if you're right now imagining that I'd spent most of my time in the shade of a palm tree with a drink in hand, I'll disappoint you. It has been hard work to build my business and often I have been to the most amazing places in the world without really having time to enjoy and experience it because the piles of work have piled up. Such is life like digital nomad also occasionally.
If you also dream of a job where one travels, so remember that there are 100 ways you can screw it together. There is not just one way to make it happen. So before you quit your job and leave all in on traveling the world, just consider whether or not there is a smarter way. It can take time to create your own job.
Combine work abroad and vacation
- For the next salary negotiation, you can ask your boss if you are not allowed to work a few months from abroad every year, for example instead of getting your bonus
- See if you can start a small business next to your full-time job so you can just as quietly build an income that could be taken abroad. It can, for example, be as a freelancer if, for example, you are good at writing, coding, making designs or something completely different
- Take a job abroad and satisfy your travel desire that way
- See if you can get one remote job. There are lots of portals where you can look for that kind of job
- Find your own path! There are so many options and you need to find the one that suits you and your situation. For example, consider volunteer work, secondments or finding a job where you regularly work abroad.
Good luck finding a job abroad. See you out there!
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