Hi people... I've been thinking about doing a bit of travelling for a while now and im finally starting to get some plans/savings in place to do so. I have a 9 to 5 which i'll be reluctantly have to give up. But I do some sideline seo/marketing for some extra beer money and I'd like to keep this going whilst im globe trotting.

Has anyone had any experience doing this? How do you find working whilst "on the road". Should i use a laptop or keep everything in the cloud? I can see advantages for both! Do client relationships suffer? etc etc....

Just after a few opinions or experiences really...

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Isn't that a typical cost benefit analysis?

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Im not sure what you mean kgun?

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Latest Blog Post: Google Consultant - Should this Job Title be Allowed? - Matt Inertia's SEO Blog - SEOers.org

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Your social marketing influence can benefit a lot from being on a road all the time. Twittering around the world, posting cool photos hour by hour, it makes your life much more interesting and attractive to potential followers.

With bigger social influence, your off-site SEO power also grows a lot so you can actually earn more money from your SEO skills if you menage to pull everything up fine

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As an economist, I of course thought economic output / man hour.

If you travel to take a holiday, give and learn it is still an economic question.

In economics, we talk about utility and offer.

Work offer has a price like the utility from free time.

Have I misunderstood your question?

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Personally, if you're foot loose and fancy free I'd go for it. Travelling is something I wanted to do when I was younger but always had an excuse or other commitment.

If I were to do it, I'd take a laptop, digital camera and get blogging about your journey. Get on twitter and other social sites, keep the forums up to date with your whereabouts. It would be an ideal way to build traffic and interest to your website and online persona.

Although I've never tried it I would've thought you could quite easily do the SEO thing remotely as long as you're somewhere with an internet connection. There is always skype as another means of keeping in touch.

The internet offers up loads of options to you.

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Another thought. You could always stop off here and there for a while and see if you can pick up some SEO work with agencies around the world. This would be a good way of replenishing your finances as well as getting an idea of how different people around the world deal with SEO.

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@Kgun - I see what youre saying. Any work that i do will be a few hours here and there for some pocket money. Im planning on going for about a year so i'll have to work at some point whatever happens. It wont be a holiday as such, more of a "walkabout"!

I'm trying to figure out the potential pitfalls of working whilst having no fixed location. Is this a fundamentally floored business plan which just wont work? I can already see potential pitfalls (laptop gets stolen/damaged, no internet connection where I'm staying, no easy way to liaise with clients, too little time, client doesnt pay etc).

It'll be long term travelling with a month here, a few months there and so on. Has anyone done the same? In theory being mobile shouldnt bother a purely internet based project but im just trying to figure out whether I'm being a little naive in thinking that...?

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Im loving the contributions people! The social thing was something that had sprung to mind. I know a web designer guy who's doing something similar - http://travel.cooleimages.com/. He takes loads of pictures and sells them on to photo stock sites. I also like the idea of visiting SEOs around the world.

Keep them coming...

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I had a position that required me to live out of a suitcase 40-45 weeks a year. An experience I wouldn't trade for the world but one I wouldn't do again.

Currently, there are times when I take "work" with me and times when I don't. Generally, I prefer not to bring work with me. My own personal opinion is that one need to be able to separate the time for "you" and time for "work". And when there's a spouse involved, there's another consideration. It is my opinion that is where any "risk" lies. If someone is unable to do that then one can "bleed" into the other and can cause problems.

Not everyone is disciplined enough to be self employed or a business owner, because it becomes easier to "blow a day off" when you're the "boss". It's really only you that can answer that question.

Dave

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Crankydave is correct. It's all about one word 'dicipline' My wife and I work from home, so you never get away from work, she has her office and I have mine. Working out of a suitcase can be a real sod, especially if the hotel bed is rubbish. I used to train the entire sales force of Legal and General and that meant hours behind the wheel, eating alone, from Cornwall to Glasgow was my patch. Fun, yes, knackering, yes. And foget having a few pints of an evening! Good luck though.

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I would say if you already have clients that you can continue working on it's possible (but not always easy) to do it on the move.

was away boarding in Andorra for a while last month and able to still keep on top of things during the evenings, and if you're international the various time zones sometimes play into your hands too.

& run a laptop AND back it up in the cloud

go for it.

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I invite you to stay in my little apartment for two weeks. I pay your housing (free stay) and food and some beer in the town. You have to pay the travel.

I have a new Laptop with Borland C++ Builder 2009 professional that I have no time to use. I can show you how to start using it.

What you give back: How to make C++ Programs, eg. games. Depending on what you deliver, I may pay your trip.

I rely on you.

Sounds too complicated?

Now I flip a coin to see if I shall make this post public? Head is yes. And the result was?

http://www.dinspillside.no/WCHESS.zip A program compiled by me in the 1997 version of the compiler.

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Wahay! Not planning on visiting Europe this time round but if i'm ever in Norway ill definitely pop in for a beer and a high brow seo chat!

Do we have any south american seos in the house?

Plan is to do 6 months there then 6 months in south east asia.

With regards to staying committed. I'd rather do a few days a week of SEO whilst on my travels than have to spend a few weeks somewhere doing whatever work i can find before i can move on. Keeping up with my SEO work would be the only commitment i had.

Being able to take my seo work on the road with me seems like the perfect solution to the problem of financing such a trip! *sits back and imagines*

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Ok, if I keep my health, work in the same business and have the time, it is a standing offer.

SEO, I know little about that. I know something about C++ and hopefully a little about new computing trends

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I'll help keep you in beer tokens if I can Matt...

What's with the sensible approach (all other's)? He'll only live once

lol... I'll make the assumption that my comments are one of those.

When I lived out of a suitcase, I got to travel to a whole lot of places but, I didn't get to "see" a whole lot of places. And again, I wouldn't trade it. Now when I travel, I get to "see" places.

Work considerations are important. Self considerations are important too.

"All work and no play make Jack a dull boy."

All play and no work make Jack a poor boy.

Being able to draw the line between the 2, alter that line when neccessary, and stick to that line once drawn, is an important consideration... to me anyway.

When you're self employed, you don't get paid sick days, you don't get paid vacations, you can't say "Not my job".

But you DO get the satisfaction of working for youself, the flexibilty to set your own schedule, the ability to make decisions for "you" and your business without having to ask "permisssion".

There is a certain amount of discipline needed. "Having" to go to work is one thing, being completely free to choose whether or not to work today is another. People who have not done it, are often taken by surprise of that reality which is why I brought it up.

Dave

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Well you've 'discovered' the miracle of the internet. Your ability to work isn't restrained by location (although you have to be able to get to the interenet of course).

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I'm on the other extreme, its bled through so far, there is no distinction. There is no 'work life' balance, its just life. But for me it works. I'm always 'working' but it never feels like work. It seems our friend inertia is more on the wanderlust/supertramping side of things at the moment.

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Like you wouldnt believe man! Its mainly due to the UK being such a crap place to live at the moment -- recession, crap goverment, we havent had summer since 2006... etc... The usual gripes really...! It's about time this young lad from lancashire saw some of the planet!!!

Our industry is completely mobile in theory -- what im trying to figure out is whether travelling the globe and doing seo from your laptop is practical. I suppose it depends on variables which no-one can calculate -- such as the demands of the client, whether you have access to the internet, whether you get distracted by those S.American ladies etc...

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the hardest part will be getting a reliable internet connection when you need it, its bad enough on a Telefonica static 10meg line here. thankfully one of the internet cafes that all have free wifi is usually on somewhere

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It can work, again you just need to be connected, and you have to realize that you're only going to get out of it (the work) what you put into it.

Believe it or not, I think the best place for your plan to work would be the US. My wife and I are going to Key West, Florida next week and we have the laptop, PDA phones, etc., so we're completely connected (this is what I was referring to when I said that my work/life distinction had completely bled through). Plus there is a fairly large British expatriate community in the US, particularly in Florida.

Think about it in these terms. Let's say that you hook up with a couple of SEO firms (web design firms), you could actually make 'house calls' - because you're travelling. I could see that being a service that would be of value to companies. It benefits you because they now have to pay travel and for your kibbles and bits. And trust me there are South American ladies here too, and French and Japanese and Russian and.....well you get the point....

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I've no experience but similar travel dreams and plans, here are three sites I've been following for some time, written by people traveling while earning a living online.

workingnomad.com - blog pretty much dead but on the forum you will find like minded people who earn from own websites and a designer or two.

nerdynomad.com -A blog by one who is traveling the world, financed by income from websites, sort of working nomads apprentice.

locationindependent.com - a new site about same topic as above but discusses other kinds of earning a living beside from websites, your SEO idea fits nicely here.

The most difficult part of your plan is the working here and there for pocket money. Jobs just won't come on your terms. You'll need to keep in touch continuously with all your clients. respond quickly to new inquiries, deal with off hour "emergencies", etc. Perhaps you'll be able to pull it off but I see the more likely outcome is to either have no money and work but lots of freedom, or working a lot, getting more money, but having less freedom.

Working remotely is easy and fun, working just a little when you want to is nearly impossible...unless you're a day laborer, beggar, street busker or any other situation where you basically just show up, do the job, and get your money with no promises of further commitments.

Hi... I've worked all over Canada and most of Europe as a travelling web developer for years.

Here is my advice:

- Get an unlocked GSM phone from Ebay... much cheaper than through a regular mobile service vendor, plus no contracts to sign and you can change SIM cards very cheaply from country to country.
- Bring your laptop, make sure it has WI-FI capability.
- Try to get an all-encompassing warranty for the laptop in case it breaks down on you somewhere on the road (*I got a special warranty from Future Shop in Canada that allows me to have my Sony VAIO laptop replaced hassle free, and on the spot, at ANY Sony store worldwide).
- Bring at least 2 credit cards for wi-fi time etc. if applicable
- Buy the Pacsafe anti-theft laptop bag
- Buy a retractable travel lock or 3
- Bring an 8GB removable USB memory stick or 3 (*laptops get stolen and broken frequently when travelling internationally... use the memory stick to back up all your data on a regular basis... plus they are small, light, portable and customs agents do not look at them normally) and you can use them in virtually any internet cafe if a crisis arises while you are travelling.

PS - I've had bags stolen when travelling/working abroad before... ALWAYS use the retractable lock to secure your laptop on trains, hotel rooms, caefs... everywhere.
Remember this... theft of bags abroad etc. is normally much more stealth and advanced than we see in North America... expect the unexpected at all times and never take your eyes off your valuables.

And as mentioned earlier here in this thread... you will need global connections to make this work realistically.

Feel free to PM if you need any more info... I have much experience in this area

Cheers and good luck!

I almost forgot... you'll also need to get a special program to secure your WI-FI transmissions... Jwire offers a WI-FI security software for $25.00 if I remember correctly.

Believe me, you'll need this... many large cities and airports worldwide are targets for data theives who 'poach' for unsecured Wi-fi signals... don't be a victim

Hi again... bits of practical advice regarding your situation keep popping into my head after I've posted already..LOL.

-Do not go into isolated/remote areas with no internet access or cell phone signal (obviously).

- Always keep in mind the time zone differences when travelling abroad as well... for instance I was working in Sweden recently, but I salso had another web project going on simultaneously in New York!
So I had to calculate the time zone differences... i.e. I knew my clients in New York start their work day at 9AM sharp daily (EST)... yet Sweden is 6 hours AHEAD of New York.
My solution to this problem... I knew I could work on my project in Sweden until 3PM everyday (Sweden time) and at 3PM my client in New York would be needing my services, so I made my daily schedule around that game plan.

I'll probably have more tidbits of info for you as they come to me

The problem is most business are looking for long term commitment from their SEO and they look for stability in a business they work with.

And as far as the UK being a crap place to live....what you are experiencing is a worldwide issue....

The grass on the other side of the fence is usually not greener...its just a mirage life deals us....

Be happy for what you have.....life is cruel and that happiness could be ripped away tomorrow....

Peace!

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Inertia,

the key issue is whether you can maintain client relationships whilst on the move.

I work from the south west of France for 3 to 4 weeks a year. But I'm virtually on call and monitor client website activity a couple of time per day. With wi-fi, mobile broadband and a mobile phone I'm never more than a couple of hours away from solving a problem. However, I'd rather be on call in Gascony than sweating away in a UK office.

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One thing about doing SEO in other countries... you really have to submerge yourself into the culture and if you don't speak the language extremely well you will need help from a local in translating your keyphrases and other optimization.

I have known Americans that seem to think they can do a gringo SEO job on any site and it is fine - a total disservice to their client, whether it is for trade or cash. This especially happens in the tourist areas of other countries...

Then when they have some more money they call people like me to localize their optimizations for them, so their websites really do work the way they should.

FYI: I am a US Expat, living around Mexico for the past 10 years...

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Working while travelling is great, but not very efficient! You can't count on cell reception or internet access being where you want it. I have occasion once or twice a year to travel for a week or two. Wyoming is especially interesting. Cell reception is on and off. That client that is fuming mad about a typo gets cut off. And there's that call from a potential client, who figures that you have all your data at your fingertips while trying to pass a semi or farm vehicle.

Trying to please the angry client meant stopping in Cheyenne to try to find a cyber cafe. I stopped at the capitol building - if anyone should know their town, they should. The lady said, "I don't think we have that here." Stop at the museum, and the lady said, "I don't think we have that here." But she was nice enough to make some calls, and sure enough, even Cheyenne, WY had a great cyber cafe in a very interesting historic hotel. I go there every time I'm travelling through WY now.

The angry client? The only really bad client in my 10 years. He let me know that he had a friend that could redo his whole web site in 20 minutes. I was glad to give him up to his friend - still waiting for that rebuild after two years. Maybe he lives in an alternat universe where time is different?????

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ROFL!

Maybe they live in Pocatello... perhaps Minot... even Houghton. BTW... Any one from Houghton... describe snow. (meant to be funny so don't flog me)

Dave

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I have over 500 customers now and have rarely met any of them. They are all over the country. I got a local customer recently and there was a question about whether I would come to their office. What a waste of time. I wouldn;t go to them if they were 1000 miles away, why go when they are 20 miles away?

I could just as easily be traveling as working from my home office, but like many have said the discipline needed to juggle all the commitments limits the beauty of traveling... even living in one place. I also have employees now, which leads to other issues. I live in Byron Bay Australia - and hardly find time to go to the beach.

But, I recently went to Bali and found that every little cafe now has wifi. If you have a laptop and skype, you can talk to your customers anywhere. If you are open about the fact that you're travelling, people will just deal with it. One major hassle can be time difference.

Natuirally, you need to have your marketing together so that you can find clients. If you're travelling they may find you, but having an existing marketing process is best. And then you have to have ways to get paid. When you're working in foreign countries that can be a hassle with visas. You can usualy slide under the radar, but you need to have a plan for billing. Not everyone pays cash.

Going to a beautiful place with a low cost of living could be a great benifit to you. Travelling is great. I've been to over 60 countries and the experiences have made my life much richer. I'm an American from California that met a Dutch woman in India and now have 2 kids born in Australia.

I say go for it!

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See my post above somehwere in this thread... try the pure insanity of juggling time zones simultaneously on 2 opposite sides of the globe!
The good news is... it can be definitely be done

Quite honestly, if I was you I'd be paying even more attention to the travel/work safety tips I posted above.

Happy trails!

I have been an expat for past 10 years living in Asia/ Pac my business has moved with me to 4 countries - I travel a lot in Asia and work all the time - as long as I have a wifi connection I'm ok - I use sunclock to check times - skype and email to communicate - and common sense in that be aware of your surroundings and behave accordingly - I never want to live in one place way its way to boring... I have clients I have never met but it all works fine - if you have the opportunity my advice is go for it...

Hey Matt... good on ya man. I am Canadian and did the travel sabatical thing and never returned. So here I sit in beautiful Chiang Mai running an IT business.

If you are in Thailand (I assume this is a given) and make it up to Chiang Mai (very highly recommended) then I would like to talk to you about setting up a little seminar for about 15 Thai staff. We have strong SEO skill in-house so it may even turn into a reciprocal thing. In any event it will get you some beer money and I can give you the lowdown on our corner of the country.

Good luck... you can think about this offer in 6 months or so. Contact Me (Marlon) on the contact form from the website design link below. Cheers.

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Indeed the most important thing is to consider the Internet availability and its speed along with the alertness on things that you carry. Good luck to you.

I put together an article on the practicalities of doing exactly this a few weeks ago - I hope it helps:

How to make money on the internet without being a couch potato.

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Ohh, and I agree entirely with Web Res about the local customer issue - get a local customer and you can almost guarantee that they're the ones who want £1000K worth of work for 3K and expect you to visit them for the most ridiculous reasons - I've had a few of these and they drive me nuts everytime. - Byron Bay indeed - haven't been there for years - fond memories of an Irish nurse in the rainy season 1999 (we were too drunk to worry about Eastern Browns biting our bottoms)

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Brilliant responses guys. This has really helped me get my head round the idea! Not sure where to start...

@thorfjalar - thanks for the links! I'll check them out now... good luck if you decide to do it!!!

@rcmedia - great advice. The issues relating to laptops, connection and security was going to be my next thread in the IT section. I'll have to look into this area pretty extensively. I've got a lot of friends who've been travelling and had stuff stolen so I'll be sure to stay well aware.

@ SemAdvance - I hear what you're saying about "the grass is always greener on the other side" but it's about the experience more than anything and how do i know the grass isn't greener until I've seen it for myself?

@ dburdon - "the key issue is whether you can maintain client relationships whilst on the move." - yep, that is an area that I'm concerned about. I guess it comes down to the nature of your client and the work you're doing for them.

@thai_guy - thailand is definitely on the cards! I've got a few friends over that way, one who lives in CM! I'll be sure to pop in and see you. Your details are on file, expect a mail from me when the plans are sorted and I'll arrange a visit. Even if it's just to split hairs over internet issues!

@cbosleeds - great article! thanks!

So, i guess the main issues are...

1. My equipment - not a problem with a little cash and research.

2. The nature of my clients - i don't really want to be getting involved with high budget, high expectation clients and projects. It would make more sense to take on several smaller projects which are sustainable and wont demand as much care and attention. Although, i hear what people are saying about the smaller guys wanting more for the money. This area is, for me, the main issue I need to get right before i even step out the door.

3. My motivation - not a problem. I balance freelance and 9-5 work easily because i love what i do and
that's a great way to earn money. Money will be the main issue when travelling and faced with other "travellers work" options (fruit picking) sitting in a wifi cafe with a cocktail and my laptop sounds like a particularly enjoyable way to earn it!

I don't see any reason why all three cant be controlled by me and therefore it's an adventure which is perfectly do-able! I'm getting excited just thinking about it! I'll be sure to let you all know how the plans progress.

Thanks again...

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"Carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary" - Dead Poets Society

i have to take issue to this I'm afraid. there is definitely greener grass out there than continuing to live in the UK.

go and find it, I did.

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I don't have first hand experience but one of my friend who was on frequent move last couple of years, use to take a backup of his work on DVD & once in day check mails for any quick help mail & do any update (if any) once in a week.
There is one risk in this method as you can not keep in touch with clients or sites if no cybercafe around, same if no net connection with laptop in particular region....

HTH

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You might want to consider trying to secure a steady client or two before you leave so you don't have to worry as much about finding work when you are travelling.
This is basically what i do.
Easier said than done I know

PS - Go for it man... this experience will change your life forever in all the right ways

@inertia
@rcmedia
@thai_guy
@cbosleeds

THIS IS AWESOME. I'm doing almost the exact same thing. I'm leaving my day job April 30. Beginning in May sometime I'll be traveling SE Asia for about 3 months. I've been considering working as you plan to and make my "walkabout" longer, but not sure at this point. Also leaving the possibility of living in Asia for a while (@thai_guy - would love stop by when I'm in CM to talk to you about this). However, I have some practical issues that may draw me back to my home in Portland, OR.

Anyway, I'd like to keep in touch with some of you for all the reason already expressed. Especially the issue around laptop/NetBook and security issues. Who knows, we might run into each other out there! I'll be in touch with each of you individually with my personal email. Thanks!

James

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So much great advice here! It is difficult to add any thing of substance.

I have been a web designer since 2001. I live on a boat in the summer in Maryland, USA, work a seasonal job and do about 15-20 hours a week web stuff.

During the colder season I pack-up and go to Key West, FL USA. I take my laptop and stay relatively busy doing web work. Practically all of my clients are from the Maryland region. I usually begin marketing new work to them before I leave. This provides a somewhat steady cash flow during the winter.

I also usually get one new web site client every 6-8 weeks. This also helps with living expenses.

I have been doing this for five years now and it works great for me. Although you will still have to deal with the remote tech challenges, I believe the key to your success is to line-up some clients before you depart on your travels. The next step is to get some referals from your current clients. Over 90% of my new work comes from referals.

Norm

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Just a few random thoughts I'm struggling with which may or may not effect your decisions...

1) Laptop vs. netbook? I got a laptop with 17" monitor and way too heavy, so that's staying home. I'd like to keep things in the cloud, so leaning toward netbook rather than getting new and smaller laptop. Not to mention much easier to travel with. Onboard overhead plane compartments on many smaller flights between countries in Asia are VERY SMALL. Probably too small for a regular laptop so you'll likely need to check it in. Netbook might be able to stay with me at all times.

2) if keeping critical things in your room (hotel, guest house, etc), I've been told to keep them in your larger suitcase (if you're using suitcase). Smaller cases can be easily grabbed and stolen by staff. Larger bags (or larger backpacks) won't be so easily grabbed and ran away with.

3) For me... using cyber cafe vs. restaurant, other cafe, or hotel with WIFI? One friend has noticed that when he tries to use free WIFI at cafe or restaurant, you first need to buy a drink. You spend hours there and you feel guilty and end up buying a meal eventually, maybe two. What's cheaper? Cyber cafe or breakfast and lunch at a restaurant/hotel with free WIFI? Maybe toss a coin on this one.

4) Netbook, if stolen, lost, damaged is far cheaper to replace. I'm looking at probably a cheap model for about USD $300. Maybe the insurance that @rcmedia mentions may cover that... or travel insurance?

"Finally," and you may already have done this, look at couchsurfing. A website I'm a member of is couchsurfing dot com. This may offer terrific "walkabout" opportunities.

Keep in touch!

James

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Your post has definitely produced strong reactions. I know many people who have contemplated a work/traveling life change. This is a romantic idea and is as old as the 6 day workweek.

The most successful person I know to have changed their work/life balance is tim ferris's the4hourworkweek.com. He has an inspirational blog with stories of successful people who have chosen the path less traveled.

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Inertia. I like yourself do seo professionaly from home. I also do affiliate marketing thro several websites,

I have travelled extensively keeping up with the demands of the job. I work from Brisbane, South East Qld, Australia where most

of my seo work is sourced and carried out. The former i would not recommend as a mobile service, it requires

commitment to your client so much so that means staying put. On the other hand affiliate marketing is the way to

go if travelling. If done right you can earn lots of money fairly easily,provided competant practices are put into place

on your site/s. Produce an interesting website content, select suitable merchants from a/or several affiliate

marketing networks;ie Commision Junction,Clixgalore,Regnow,etc. Place those relevant links carefully,use seo, and these

should start to be productive. Best of all these online businesses work as they say on "autopilot" and make money

as you sleep. Thats my recommendation. Cheers.

www.seotribe.com.au, www.homeonlinegames.com,

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Hey Vagabond, I,m doing some website maintenance on my laptop right now on my boat on the Noosa river,Sunshine coast, Queensland,Australia. Just though i'd compare Cheers

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I climb high mountains,dive deep seas. I ride wild horses and fight enemies. When not doing all those things i sit quietly with a nice cup of tea.

PS - I'll be in Bangkok in about a month for business and some R&R... anyone there want to hook up for a beer and talk shop etc.?
I always try and network in this business wherever I happen to be in the world
(*I'm married with kids so no indulging in the monkey business for me... but going out for beers to have a few laughs is good by me)

Cheers and PM or post here if anyone is interested