We all know the advantages of being a travelpreneur, combining the perks of remote working and self-employment. You can work from anywhere you want, travel to cool new places, set your own schedule, etc.
But no-one really talks about the down side of a freedom-focused lifestyle when it comes to travel.
How can you keep up with your responsibilities, while also taking care of yourself and actually seeing and enjoying your new surroundings?
It’s not easy. So I’m going to share 5 tips based on my first-hand experiences of being a travelpreneur (AKA a freedom-focused entrepreneur) who often travels for speaking engagements, exhibiting, and networking purposes.
1. Ignore everyone else.
I just got back from The European Medical Writers Association conference in Prague, Czech Republic. One thing that really helped me is to remember that each and every person in attendance had their own agenda, such as:
- Getting referrals for their freelance writing business,
- Networking with other writers to feel less alone,
- Keeping up-to-date with the latest industry regulations,
- Learning new technical writing techniques, or
- Finding publications or groups to volunteer for.
My agenda? None of those things.
So I didn’t expect myself to navigate the conference in the same way as everyone else.
No-one knows your business or yourself as well as you do. So there’s no-one else more qualified to make business or you-related decisions aside from you.
2. Trust your instincts.
I had a rough idea of which parts of the event I wanted to attend many months in advance (mostly ’cause I was forced to decide when buying my ticket.)
I figured I’d reassess the situation upon arrival and make adjustments as needed.
My primary goal was to connect with full-timers interested in breaking out of their 9-5 to set up a freelance writing business, or new freelancers struggling to achieve financial independence.
But there were huge gaps during the day where I hadn’t booked anything, and some entire days with nothing to attend. I was concerned, so I took a closer look.
The stuff I had registered for was all networking-focused. There was a dinner, a walking tour, and several people-orientated breakout sessions that sounded ideal. The other stuff sounded boring AF and irrelevant.
Then I realized Former Me had Current Me’s back. My initial instincts about what to attend from 7 months prior were spot on.
As CEO, you must follow your gut when it comes to what’s best for you and your business. You didn’t get to where you are now by accident. So trust you know what you’re doing.
3. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.
There’s a lot of growth going on at my company, Prospology right now. We’re preparing to start exhibiting at conferences in the summer, I’m putting in proposals for highly-targeted speaking engagements, and I’m going to be making several TV appearances to talk about the important work we’re doing.
All of this requires extensive preparation, including:
- Training and supporting the Prospology Team so we maintain our credibility,
- Ensuring we have strong systems in place to support our growth, and
- Strategizing so that we can capitalize on our upcoming investments.
It simply didn’t make sense for me to abandon all of that because I was on the move as a travelpreneur. So I didn’t.
Staying in close communication with my Team, developing compelling marketing materials (like this article, which I’m writing from my hotel room), engaging with prospects on LinkedIn, and making myself available for discovery calls were my top priority. Everything else came second.
When moving from place to place as a travelpreneur, always zoom out and determine the immediate priorities of your business. Then, keep them in the back of your mind each and every day. This will allow you to pivot when necessary and not let any plates drop.
4. Realize jet-lag is real.
While in Prague, there were several days when I worked on my business from 9pm until the sun came up, slept through breakfast and lunch, then attended the conference from 3-8pm.
Dinner was often provided at a networking event, or something I could easily fit in around sessions. I ordered food at ~3am to get me through the night, and my boyfriend brought me back emergency snacks from breakfast in case I needed a pick-me-up later in the day.
There were also a couple of days when I went out exploring the city, while everyone else was stuck in dingy workshops and seminars. I took hundreds of photos, visited all of the top tourist attractions, and tried the local cuisine.
It was unconventional, but it worked. I let my body dictate what it wanted to do and when, rather than the conference schedule or anyone else’s agenda. My Team was still able to reach me when needed, and everything ran smoothly.
Work with your body—not against it. Jet-lag isn’t just an excuse people make for being sleepy or running late (I know because I studied circadian rhythms at university). It’s a real, medical consideration to make in your business operations.
5. Don’t make yourself wrong.
My favourite thing to do at the conference wasn’t the networking, or even the sight seeing. It was having Me Time.
I’d ruminate on new business ideas while doing laps, and reflect on how far I’ve come—personally and professionally—while soaking in the hot tub.
Afterwards, I felt refreshed, re-focused, and ready to re-engage.
But there were definitely times when I felt mega guilty for skipping out on conference stuff to have spa time. “You’ve paid all this money and come all this way and you’re not even taking advantage of what’s right in front of you,” said the little voice in my head (you know the one).
To cope, I leant into my feelings as much as I could:
- I got support from my boyfriend, who said “It’s ok to cry if you need to”, so I did.
- I expressed how difficult things were in those moments, validating these emotions.
- And I let it be ok that it was bloody difficult to keep all of the plates spinning, at times.
Life’s hard enough without also being your own worst enemy. Give yourself a break. Show some self-compassion for everything you’re dealing with right now. It’s a lot. You will be ok, but it’s ok to fall apart every once in a while.
As a travelpreneur, trust that you know what’s best and are more than capable of handling what’s ahead of you. Carve out your own path that works for you and your business, and don’t try to justify it to anyone—especially yourself.
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