Although road trips can be tedious, there’s no denying that everyone enjoys a proper vacation, right?
But what about those of us trying to run out business while on-the-go.
While running your business as a freelancer is arguably easier than ever, the fact remains that road trips, in particular, can put us in a bind. Meeting deadlines when away from your regular surrounding and home office is possible but requires some special preparation to make realistic.
After all, there are some business owners that actually thrive on-the-go. For example, it’s more than possible to create your own mobile office and stay in touch during travel, granted you have the tools of the trade. Likewise, keep the following five tips in mind during your next road trip as a freelancer.
Give Your Clients a Head’s Up
It’s shocking how many people actually ignore this tip, but if you know you’re going to be away from home, it pays to let your clients know as well. While you may not think a head’s up in necessarily, your clients will consider it a courtesy and will likely be more flexible with workloads and deadlines accordingly. Simply let them know that you’ll be traveling intermittently but still plan on working: they’ll set their expectations accordingly.
Find Places to Work
Just because you’re in a different city or state doesn’t mean you can’t find places to work remotely. From cafe and coffee shops to your local McDonald’s, it seems just about everywhere has free WiFi these days. If you’re sick of driving or need to get away from your guests, spending a few hours at such a destination is a great idea to focus on your work and just your work.
Schedule Your Calls in Advance
Directly related to the first tip, make a point to schedule any potential calls or meeting far in advance to make sure you’ll be in a quiet environment when it comes time to talk. After all, you don’t want to be stuck at the dinner table with your extended family or in the middle of a noisy cafe when your call comes in, do you?
If your road trip is brief, you might be able to simply hold off on calls until you get back or take them while you’re driving if they’re informal in nature.
Make the Most of Your Downtime
Similarly, if you find yourself stuck on the road and feel like you could be getting more done, try double-dipping your time driving with some productive activities. This doesn’t mean texting or driving or anything else dangerous, but rather listening to industry podcasts, taking a client call or recording notes for a blog post via Bluetooth headset.
If you’re lucky enough to not be traveling alone, you could likewise scribble notes and complete work in the passenger seat while you and your travel partner trade off roles.
Get Your Rest
Finally, don’t treat your vacation or road trip as a total business marathon. Doing so will only burn you out and potentially hurt the quality of your work. Get your rest accordingly and take some time to unwind for the sake of your business and yourself.
You can survive a road trip as a freelance business owned, granted you take the proper time to prepare. With these tips in your mind, you can focus on work while you get from Point A to Point B.
