Work Abroad

Essential to most traveling freelancers will be a good net connection. If you’re on the road this is likely to be through internet cafes, if you settle down somewhere for a while then you can get a connection installed where you live. If you’re living somewhere cheap like the developing world then it can be incredibly frustrating trying to get broadband installed, the connection might be variable and power cuts might hit whilst you’re in the middle of uploading something.

The new working and travelling Jack Kerouac http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeoliveri/

These might sound like insurmountable barriers at first but the nice thing about living in poorer countries is that you tend to learn to chill out a bit. So the power’s out – it’s a lovely day at the beach. You can send the photos through later. Wasn’t relocating all about the freedom to unplug once in a while?

The other consideration are the local skills and services. It might be harder to find a good local proof reader, for example, but you might find that you can get video editing skills at 10% of the cost back home.

This could be your work base http://www.flickr.com/photos/imcomkorea/

Don’t forget, too, that you’ll want to head out with some savings to cover you during lean times. Freelance work comes in ebbs and flows and you’ll to set enough aside to cover yourself during the lean times. Allow yourself a comfortable cushion and live modestly until you have a reasonable idea of what kind of income will come in. At the worst you can always teach English or something locally to supplement your income once in a while.

Typically, most telecommuting travelers will want to network with others of their breed. You could base yourself in a village in South Korea and work but you’re more likely to want to find somewhere that also has something of an international community. Below we’ve listed some prime locations for anyone who wants to pick up and move to live and work abroad.

freelanceworkexchange.com – find jobs online.

craigslist.com – always opportunities coming around.

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