I’ve been travelling a lot since I began blogging full time. It’s the first time in my life where I got to decide my own schedule and didn’t have to submit a vacation request form to anyone… so I went a little overboard with the amount of trip planning.

One of my struggles has been to keep up with my work. I loved doing all the fun things during my vacations, but didn’t realize how important delegating time for work is. Besides my blog, I do freelance work where deadlines are really important. Since I fell behind, I obviously had to figure out how to catch up quick. I developed some habits during my travelling that I want to share with any of you who have to work on the go too! I promise they’re super easy to pick up 🙂

1. Research wifi and data options.
I always make sure that the flight I book has wifi available and choose a hotel that offers complimentary wifi. It’s also good to note any locations such as coffee shops that offer wifi too. If you work off your phone a lot, look into a local cellular provider of the place where you’re travelling to. They should have some data plan options for travellers that are bound to be cheaper than paying for roaming on your current plan!

2. Make a list and prioritize.
This kind of sounds like a no brainer, but for me it’s easy to let things slip my mind while I’m on vacation. I like to write things down and physically cross it off once I’ve completed it. This helps keep me on track and I know I won’t be missing anything.

3. Maximize down time (ie: on flights).
If you’re on a long flight, try to do as much as possible during it. You’re stuck sitting there anyways and you’ll be thankful once you get off that you have so much off your back! If your flight has wifi, it’s a good time to reply to emails. If there’s no wifi, you can still do other work such as writing or editing. I work on blog posts, edit photos and reply to emails during my flights and I find it’s when I’m most productive because there’s no distractions!

4. Set time aside in advance that’s only for work.
I like to create an early morning routine where for 2-4 hours (depending on my work load), 100% of my attention is dedicated to work. This way I get it out of the way and still have the rest of the day to enjoy my vacation! To make things fun for yourself, try setting your hotel room up like an office, or pick a place to work that inspires you – it could be a cute coffee shop, or even a rooftop lounge with views. A change of scenery can be refreshing and make you more productive.

Working on the rooftop of the Thompson Toronto

5. Reward yourself!
Last but not least.. don’t forget this one! When I finish X amount of work that I planned to, I reward myself. I find that when I reward myself, it give me the motivation to do the same thing the next day. I like to reward myself with a glass of wine or dessert. You can reward yourself with anything big or small, as long as you love and enjoy it!