Personally, I don’t think that all work days can be considered equal in terms of productivity.

We can say that we clock in, work as hard as we can, and leave at 6pm every day. But I don’t think that’s honest.

I think we all have good and bad days; days where more planning gets done than work, days where we’re distracted by personal problems, and days where we just can’t be bothered to put in that extra 10%.

If working from home is an option—and you love travel as much as I do!—you might be tempted to take work super-remote. A Super-Remote Work From Home Day is any day where you’re working somewhere other than home or the office. It could look like working:

-At the airport

-In cafes and libraries

-On the train

-At a hotel, cottage, or rented house

If you’re considering travelling during the work week, or working while you travel, there are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success:

Pick your day carefully. Take a look at the day you’re thinking of travelling; what are your commitments during that day? Think about deadlines; what do you need to deliver on that day, and the rest of the week, that might be impacted by you not being as available, or as productive, as possible? Consider meetings; personally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable having a work meeting on the train, as it might bother other travellers, and violate my company’s confidentiality—not to mention, if my phone loses signal while travelling, it might make me seem unprofessional. I try to not book meetings for super-remote days!

Plan your workload, and where you’ll get it done. Knowing you’ll be out of your regular routine can be disorienting—make a list of what you want to get done on your super-remote day the night before. If there are a bunch of tasks that need to be done that don’t rely on a strong internet connection, like reading documents or reviewing policies, blocking out time to do them when your internet connection might be spotty is a good idea. Include a plan for staying connected during these tasks, and check with IT if there are any restrictions for travelling internationally; some companies require the use of a VPN that will shut down internet access when the device is taken out of the country. Google cafes with Internet, or turn on your phone’s hotspot, to ensure you stay connected.

Decide when you want to travel. Let’s say that you want to travel to a nearby town and stay through the weekend. You could theoretically travel Thursday night, work remote Friday, and come home Sunday—or you could get up a few hours earlier on Friday, and start your remote work on the train as you make your way to your accommodations, working in cafes and at libraries until you’ve got hotel/cottage room access. If you’re travelling by bus or train, picking a non-rushhour time will mean less commuters, and more chances of getting a seat.

Ask yourself—how accessible do you need to be? Remember that when you’re travelling, you might have accessibility issues. Tunnels, other commuters on their phones, and if you’re on a train, a lack of a seat can all be impediments to getting work done. If your boss is understanding (and if you feel comfortable telling them!), then maybe this isn’t a worry for you; but if your team expects you to be active on Teams, GChat, or Slack, it might be worth downloading the apps to your phone to appear active regularly, and not miss any messages. If you’re worried about seeming active, you might consider drafting some emails the night before, and scheduling them to send the following work day.

Working super-remote takes a bit of guts and skill—and of course, you need to be good at your job already to really get away with it. But if you want to infuse travel into your regular job, working super remote can give you the flexibility that you need.

Do you work super remote? What does your perfect travelling workday look like to you? Let me know in the comments—and as always, happy travels!