Make the unknown environment more familiar

If your children are worried about the fact that they will start school in a new environment such as having a new classroom or being taught by a new teacher, ask the school if you can go on a tour. Let your child see the new classroom and ask if it is possible to meet the new teachers. Going on a tour will help the kids to become more familiar with the new place. It is also a good idea to have a conversation with them about all the positive aspects at school such as their favourite subject and the activities they love at school.

1. CLEAR GOALS

It’s terrifyingly easy to get distracted when you’re working remotely (thanks, internet), and when you’re traveling it’s 1000 times worse. It’s hard enough to get work done when there’s a new series on Netflix calling your name, let alone when there’s an entire new city outside your door, begging to be explored. Because of this, prioritizing and setting goals is the only way to ensure that anything will ever actually get done. Set yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals, and re-visit them regularly to check up on your progress. Here are a few of the ones I’m working toward this year, so the internet can hold me just as accountable as I plan to hold myself:

- Train for the Buenos Aires Marathon in October
- Write one long-form journalistic piece that is published in a print magazine
- Learn to code
- Learn conversational Spanish before I get to South America

2. A STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEM

As lonely as remote work may sometimes feel, there’s no reason you have to go it alone. In order to thrive in an unfamiliar place, you need someone you can call when you feel like you're reaching your breaking point. Even better if you have two people on speed-dial: one who will sympathize with what a hard time you’re having, and another who will tell you to “snap out of it” and take stock of the adventure you're living. Just do yourself a favor and call the sympathizer first.

3. FLEXIBILITY

As incredible as full-time travel may look on Instagram, there’s a less cheery behind-the-scenes reality: Things often go wrong. Food will make you sick, your WiFi will go down, and your phone/wallet/passport is going to get stolen at least once. Not every day is going to be the best, most photogenic day ever, and there are going to be times when you want to just give up and go home. Don’t do it. Learn to embrace the unknown, and learn from the hardest of hard days.

This applies to work, too. When things aren’t going your way, take a deep breath, a step back, and see if there’s another way to attack the problem at hand.

4. ASPECTS OF A ROUTINE

The idea of “wake up, go to the gym, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed” just isn’t realistic when you're in an exciting new setting. Because of this, it’s important to pick out the most important parts of your routine and make them work in your new life. For me, this has meant starting every day with a to-do list, writing in my journal every night, and trying to get to the gym as frequently as possible. Your perception of what it means to have a routine will change, but finding some normalcy will allow you to focus and be productive.

5. A CONTINGENCY PLAN

The reality of working while traveling is a lot harder and less glamorous than most of the “Get Paid to Travel the World” articles make it sound. Jobs fall through, roles change, and the balance of trying to do it all may simply become too difficult to maintain. And this is all okay. Just because things don’t work out exactly the way you expected them to doesn’t mean you’ve failed. But to avoid feeling like everything is crashing down around you each time one little thing goes wrong, come up with some sort of “just in case” plan ahead of time. No matter what—whether you have to quit a job, re-prioritize your goals, or live pay check to paycheck to make ends meet—it will be ok. I promise.