Would you dare throw in your office job to work remotely while indulging your wanderlust? FIONA LIAW reports on this growing trend.
Would you dare throw in your office job to work remotely while indulging your wanderlust? FIONA LIAW reports on this growing trend.
Imagine being where waves lap the shore as the sun sets. For a new breed of workers, known as professional or digital nomads, that’s their “office”. According to Aprilyn Chan, manager at recruitment consultancy Michael Page Singapore, digital nomads are people who operate mainly on digital platforms: mobile application designers, programmers, writers or content producers. Being untethered from a desk lets them indulge their love for travel while working from cafes or anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection. There’s been a gradual mindset shift in a new generation of professionals keen to experience new cultures, Aprilyn explains. In response, groups like Wifi Tribe, Terminal 3 and Hacker Paradise have arisen to organise trips by arranging accommodation and ensuring that co-working spaces with stable Wi-Fi are available. Such groups often also arrange community activities for their nomads to get together and explore the surrounding areas. Each trip can span weeks to months. Europe is popular from May to August; the year end sees nomads “migrating” to South-east Asia, where it’s warmer, notes Julia Kallweit, cofounder of Wifi Tribe.
Such trips can be a great way to network and meet like-minded souls. Wifi Tribe’s selection process includes screening for participants who demonstrate humility, camaraderie, a sense of adventure and mutual respect. “That way, interesting conversations just come up. We don’t even need to set up workshop schedules for people to gather or to help one another,” says Julia. Wifi Tribe organised seven trips in 2016. Each of these was for 10 to 15 participants who hailed from Europe, Canada, and even Trinidad and Would you dare throw in your office job to work remotely while indulging your wanderlust? FIONA LIAW reports on this growing trend. Rise of the Digital Nomad Tobago, holding jobs ranging from photography to investing. So far, none have come from Asia. Nomadism is still a new concept embraced by a small group of freelancers and entrepreneurs, Aprilyn observes. “Most still believe in a traditional work environment with a fixed office, due to the need for faceto- face engagement and interaction, which entails better accountability.” Like those who take career sabbaticals, she adds, professionals seeking full-time jobs after a digital nomad journey may need to answer questions on their atypical life choice. “It’s important to keep in regular contact with colleagues in other parts of the world, to prove you’re still capable of working in a team environment and can collaborate on global projects. Professionals should also ensure their scope of work makes valuable contributions to their portfolio,” Aprilyn advises.
Nicole Tan, aka Nikki, 28
JOB SCOPE: Marketing: developing communications strategies, managing and creating websites, basic design work, content and social-media management for open source technology, mobile advertising, beauty products and education companies.
How she became a digital nomad
Nikki began her career working remotely on sales and marketing for a tech start-up. She decided to go solo in 2014, and started her company, Pink Tangent, to do marketing for other businesses. Having an insatiable appetite for travel, she took off on a trip across Europe, visiting Croatia, Montenegro, Germany and Italy – all while maintaining her business.
How did she manage?
Like a good traveller, be polite and respectful, Nikki says. When working with a designer from Israel, for instance, she adjusted her schedule to accommodate the Jewish weekend, which falls on Friday and Saturday. A smile or a simple “thank you” has also worked wonders in helping her make friends and adjust more easily to each country. Nikki’s advice for maintaining client trust? Nomads should be careful what they post on social media. “If we want people to take us seriously, we have to post things that give them the impression that we are serious,” she says. Despite all the fun she has, she keeps her crazy party pictures off Facebook!
What she has learnt
It’s not all fun and adventure – in fact, it’s not that diff erent from a full-time job. The variability of income means she has to work harder to fight for clients and projects. And she still has to deal with the same pains of chasing clients – all while being stuck in a different time zone. But work can come from unexpected places while travelling. One memorable experience, she recalls, is how a couch surfing host from one and a half years ago got in touch with her to do marketing work for his company! Today, Nikki says, almost 80 per cent of her work comes through this form of networking and word of mouth.
Nikki’s journey as a digital nomad has seen her sightseeing in Italy, working hard in Croatia, chilling on Rawa Island in Malaysia, and trying out co-working space, The Hive, back home in Singapore.
Grace Cheng, 36
JOB: Co-founder and editor-in-chief of lifestyle and personal-finance website, https://get.com .
How she became a digital nomad
In 2007, Grace was blogging and trading from home when her now-husband suggested a round-the-world trip – without missing a single day of work. The pair took off to countries like Thailand, Hong Kong, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Spain, Egypt, Zambia and Botswana. Not even marriage, two children, and a battle with thyroid cancer could stop her!
How did she manage?
Technology like Skype and Whatsapp keeps her and her team of 20 to 30 people on the grid. But what really helps, Grace says, is to make objectives clear and set a fixed time for a daily meeting with staff to ensure accountability even while people are in different time zones. She says that ultimately, “what’s wonderful is that everyone ends up happier as they have more leeway to craft a better work-life balance for themselves”.
Having children doesn’t necessarily mean you’re tied to a single location – just bring them along! She stopped travelling until her first child turned one in order to adjust to her new role as a mother, but quickly restarted and made adjustments to her lifestyle to accommodate the kids. “Pack less of your stuff and more of theirs; strike a balance between keeping them entertained versus doing the things you like,” she says. In the Maldives, she and her husband took turns snorkelling so there was always someone watching the children. “Kids learn a lot while travelling; it opens their eyes to different cultures, environments and scenarios. They become more adaptable and have a broader view of the world.” Come January 2017, Grace and her family will embark on a six-month trip to five continents. Follow their adventures on Instagram (@roundtheworldfamily) and https://get.com.
Grace fitted in work while hanging with her family in the Maldives, exploring New Zealand, and enjoying the sights of Monaco.
Roxanne Ravago, 26
JOB: Freelance designer
How she became a digital nomad
Filipino- American Roxanne left her corporate job at IBM in 2013 with a desire to learn more about programming. She stumbled upon Hacker Paradise and flew off to Costa Rica for three months!
How did she manage?
In Costa Rica, Roxanne was easily distracted by the temptation of fun and did very little work. She says: “You need to know what works best for you in terms of how you structure your day and how much time to allocate to work, whether it’s nding leads or doing side projects that hopefully turn into something long-term.” When she returned to freelance designing, she maximised her productivity by doing the most challenging work in the morning and after dinner, saving social activities for the daytime.
What she has learnt
“Three months co-working in a tropical paradise sounds really appealing. But in reality, the first month is the honeymoon phase. By month two, people grow weary of one another. By the third month, barely anyone comes to the coworking space,” she says. Choose a trip in a location with easy access to the city. A multicountry trip keeps energy levels up and helps a nomad benefit from the spontaneity of travel.
Clockwise from top: With Hacker Paradise, Roxanne travelled through Mexico, living it up at beaches like Playa Del Carmen and working from tourist town Mahahual
