How to work and travel: Justin earned his highest revenue while working in exotic countries

Justin Hannan managed to earn more money while travelling the world than from his office in Brisbane. Here’s how you can too.

The Monday blues weighed a little heavier on Justin Hannan when he decided he’d pack up his life in Brisbane and take his career on the road.

While “slightly hungover” and frustrated by the mundane day-to-day life in Australia, the digital marketing professional applied for a promotional campaign to work and travel overseas for four months.

“Before I left I felt like I had to live in Brisbane or Sydney and that was it,” he told news.com.au

Mr Hannan had recently moved into a new home and the idea of being stuck working from Australia’s eastern shores made him feel a little empty inside.

“And I was trying to fill that hole with all the things you try and fill holes with; spending money, getting fancy apartments, doing all that kind of sh*t,” he said.

Camel riding in Morocco.

But spending a month in each of South Africa, Morocco, Portugal and Spain through a promotional campaign with Latitude Financial Services allowed him to experience how it is possible to work from some of the more exotic corners of the globe.

“The invisible shackle that was tying me to Australia was broken and I was confident enough in myself and where I’m at to go live somewhere else for an extended period of time,” Mr Hannan said.

Once he was able to iron out the complications of replacing his office with an Airbnb in cities such as Marrakech, Mr Hannan said the healthier habits he instilled out of necessity boosted his productivity and he recorded his highest ever monthly revenue.

“When you’re in your environment that you’ve been in for many years in Australia, you get stuck in all these routines and these habit loops that you do everyday,” the director of digital marketing company Reiterate said.

“People underestimate how busy they are and how many bad habits they have.

“You think that you’re really busy but you still manage to watch two hours of reality television a night.”

A spot of sightseeing in Seville.

Being on the road gave Mr Hannan the chance to cut all those unnecessary patterns from his daily routine and start fresh.

“Often when you’ve got the ability to recreate new habits, especially when you’re in a really good mood because you’re travelling around and having fun, you create good ones,” he said.

There’s a lot more colour in that office than mine.

ANY ADVICE?

Mr Hannan says the key to your office on the road is being able to establish a functioning balance between work and play.

“You’re going to be inundated with temptations,” he said.

“Things are going to pop up and there’s going to be all these things you want to do and if you’re not prepared for your week, you’re going to constantly end up in these battles of do I play or do I work?

“Don’t think of your working away experience as your holiday, they are two different things.”

Mr Hannan said prospective travel-workers need to ditch the idea of the budget Europe trip because the 15 person room hostel isn’t conducive with work.

“So you’re going to have to budget to get the Airbnb, which is going to cost you more than you’re aware of,” he said.

The digital marketing professional said he came across a number of people on his travels who had failed to work on the road and ended up having to quit.

So before you chuck the laptop in the suitcase, consider some of these tips:

• Be prepared

Make sure you test your phone and email to be certain you can communicate with clients and colleagues from the road. And have plans for when they don’t work such as a specific message on your voicemail to direct communications to another device.

“You need to have a solid foundation ready, you want to do as much preparation as possible because the last thing you want to do is not be prepared for it and then for everything to go to sh*t,” Mr Hannan said.

• Test your system

Before you leave, spend a few working days in Australia but in a different or slightly remote location to trial out your new office.

• Finances

Make sure you have a cushion in your savings so you can take care of the issues that undoubtedly pop up.

• What else?

Consider language barriers, internet speeds in each country, political stability, socio economic and religious considerations.

Continue the conversation on Twitter @James_P_Hall or [e-mail]