Living abroad has been a dream and a goal of mine since my early twenties. And, doing it while working seems like the perfect setup to me. It also kinda explains why I joined travel startups in my early days!
When the pandemic hit, I shuffled my plans around — left the travel industry, started my own interior design studio, and joined the team at BDG.
For all my dreams of travelling abroad — I never actually thought I’d be a snowbird or a digital nomad, but it’s been 2 years now and I’ve spent more time abroad than at home in Canada. I’ve hopped between Montreal and Mexico, with pit stops in Sevilla, Lisboa and Popoyo. And there’s more to it then tacos, tequila and guac — here’s what I’ve learned after 2 years of working away from home:
Finding “my home”
Contrary to popular belief: working abroad isn’t all traveling — it’s mostly working.
Actually, as much as I love to visit places and wander around, I realized not much was getting done if I was constantly on the go.
During the first year of my nomadic life, I hopped between Miami and many spots in Mexico. Constantly on the go, from one city to another. One AirBnb to the next. Although it was fun, it was mentally exhausting. The idea of not having solid plans consumed a lot of my “mental space” and distracted me from work.
This year, I smoothed things out and opted for CDMX as my home base. The city is vibrant and housing affordable, wifi is excellent, food also. The startup community is flourishing and so is the expat community. There’s always things to do and like-minded people to meet and when you need a vacay, you’re only a short flight away from the beach, and a few hours drive from beautiful colonial cities.
Setting up for success
I learned I needed a home to settle into so I could focus. And I couldn’t compromise on my living/working space — it needed to have great natural lighting, a good vibe, vibrant energy, and fast enough wifi.
I will never stress enough the importance of good wifi for company video calls. Your team and clients should be able to see your face and hear you without interruption. It’s key to maintain trust and good relationships while remote.
And what about time zones? Although I enjoyed meeting-free mornings while in Europe, I did not particularly like working late nights, missing social gatherings or aperos with friends. So choosing a country within a 3 hour time zone was key for me.
Finding a routine
Like working from home, working abroad requires the same amount of discipline.
My daily routine was quite simple — early morning stretch, “hot girl walk” and podcast around the Amsterdam loop, followed by a flat white at Quentin.
Then, allez hop au boulot usually at a cafe. I’d work short sessions of deep work, head for a mid-afternoon run, disconnect for dinner, and log back on later in the evening before heading to bed.
When it comes to my routine, I noticed that every time I wouldn’t be able to commit to it, my day would go sideways.
Getting out there
When you’re working abroad, you’re mainly on your own. And it’s lonely at times.
So, I’ve made efforts to get out there and meet people. I’d work from coffee shops, attend all sorts of events like startup meetings and art shows. I also shamelessly used dating apps as ‘friend’ apps so I could meet new people with similar interests and lifestyles. And it worked: I extended and diversified my professional network and built myself an amazing community of expats, digital nomads and local people.
Of course it’s much easier to get out there when you’re on your own, in a city where you don’t know anybody and can be your most authentic self.
Staying connected to your network — the struggle
Although remote work hasn’t changed much to the relationships I had with my team and clients, I’ve noticed how easy it was to feel disconnected from what was happening in my own country.
I missed friends’ birthdays but also life, company and network events. I struggled to maintain personal relationships and extend my professional networks — it does feel now like my “at-home” life and LinkedIn were snoozed — which also explains why I decided to do 6/6 and spend my summers in Montreal.
It’s not only “a job”, it’s a lifestyle
Working abroad has come with some professional “sacrifices” and a load of responsibilities, but having the freedom to work from anywhere, get out of your comfort zone in any given time zone, and basically, live your life on your own terms is a privilege. It has made me thrive on a personal and professional level and has taught me so much about work-life balance. Not only am I more committed to what I do for a living, I take more pleasure doing it — because it isn’t only work…
Need tips on how to live your perfect work life abroad — or just to travel around Mexico? Hit me up 🙋🏻♀️
