Tips for Managing Your Business While Traveling | Dynamic Marketing 2017

Tips for Managing Your Business While Traveling

I’m currently on a month-long trip abroad and it's not possible for me to completely disconnect. So many people advise me to try to de-tech, but a huge part of my I love running my own business is because it allows me to work from anywhere. I don't mind working. In fact, I enjoy it. Yes, even on vacation. 

 A business that operates cleanly and smoothly without me sounds great in theory, but it’s just not realistic for my current situation. I definitely mandate certain days of travel as "non-work" days, but staying connected actually helps me feel less stressed...because I know I can keep my clients happy and nothing will fall through the cracks. 

Here are some tips for managing your business while traveling so your business//side hustle//blog stays on track.  These tips help me stay organized and stress free during travel, so my vacation and business can both run smoothly.

Prepare Prepare Prepare.

Always expect to work your ass off before leaving town. If you want to be able to detach for most of your vacation, you’re going to have to work 10x harder leading up to the trip. In this case, I pay extra attention to my day-to-day schedule 2 weeks before major travel so I can make sure all active projects/tasks/to-do's for my travel period are completed ahead of time. Anything that I can't complete before the trip is pre-scheduled on my travel calendar in small batches of time. 

Get Your Technology Ready

a) You'll obviously need a cell phone. I used to travel to Europe without international data and it made staying connected difficult because I could only access my phone when I had wifi. Before this current trip, I switched carriers and opted for a plan with unlimited international data. For me, it makes sense because I travel internationally often. 

b) Determine if you need any other tech equipment for your trip. This can mean tablets, cameras, microphones, adapters, and chargers. 

Scope out your "Offices"

I like to do my research and find 2-3 coffee shops near my hotels/airbnbs with wifi and a nice atmosphere. On this trip, I’ve had such a great time posting up in cute coffee shops in Sweden, taking a break for coffee and pastries while checking email. It definitely doesn't feel like work, I'll tell you that.

Get Familiar with the Time Difference & Keep your Clients Informed

Right now I’m loving the time difference. I told my clients before I left to expect a 24 hour response time and 48 hours to turn around *most* requests (priority requests only). I also sent them the appropriate windows of time during each day (in their time) that is best to connect with me should they need to.

The time difference has been pretty great. I've been clocking in after lunch most days - taking a break to have a coffee and pastry from a cute cafe. Clients and followers back home are about to wake up during this time. If I end up out and about all day, I'll open the laptop before bed...between 10pm-midnight. It's daytime for clients and followers, so it's still an appropriate time to wrap up projects or fire off emails/texts.

Pre-Schedule All Marketing Content

For marketers and business owners/entrepreneurs who handle their marketing - don't forget to schedule out all content before you leave - especially social. The last thing you want to do while you're traveling is worry about that monthly e-blast or try to keep up with your Instagram account. Use Hootsuite to schedule your social media, or a platform like Hubspot to keep your content marketing in check. I use MailChimp for email marketing and schedule out all blasts before I leave town.

Bonus Tip: check your google analytics before you leave town! Keep a note handy on when your website and social channels are more active, and schedule your content during those times! 

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As with everything I do, it is scheduled out to a T and monitored very closely. I am extremely organized and I know that not everyone is. But if you want to enjoy the benefits of running a business and traveling the world, you have to learn to be extremely organized. Before I get to the airport, all necessary tasks are pre-scheduled on my calendar. I set aside 1-2 hours per day to dedicate to work and everything runs smoothly.

Have you had any challenges staying connected while traveling? Tell me about them! 

Thanks for reading,

Michaela