Episode Details

Working overseas brings unexpected opportunities and challenges. Discover practical digital nomad lessons about connectivity, co-working spaces, travel, banking, medication, client meetings and making technology work anywhere.

Technology and business transformation are not simply about making businesses more efficient. They can also enable us to work differently and create more flexible lifestyles. In this episode of the Accounting Apps Podcast, I’m recording from a capsule hotel at Gatwick Airport after spending a month in England, and sharing some of the practical lessons I picked up while working and travelling abroad.

Digital nomading can sound wonderfully straightforward when you have a laptop and cloud technology, but the reality involves Wi-Fi, time zones, phone connectivity, banking, transport and plenty of unexpected situations. Some things worked beautifully. Others required a little improvisation. Here are some of the experiences and lessons that stood out.

• Reliable Wi-Fi and co-working can transform your productivity. After struggling with connectivity at my mum’s house, I spent a couple of days at a co-working space in Cheltenham. For £25 a day, I had fast Wi-Fi, a sit-stand desk, an additional monitor, good lighting, air conditioning, coffee and cake. More importantly, I could get through a significant amount of focused work.
• Technology makes international travel easier, but test what you depend on. International roaming through amaysim made staying connected relatively straightforward, while a Wise card provided another option for spending overseas. However, I also discovered that an Australian prescription app I expected to access was geo-blocked once I arrived in England. Being able to find prescription information through my health records helped me eventually organise an emergency supply through a Boots pharmacy.
• Working internationally means actively managing time zones and communication. Staying in England while working with people in Australia and New Zealand occasionally meant starting meetings at 4:30 in the morning. At the same time, being in the UK created opportunities to meet people face-to-face, attend industry events and record a podcast in the local time zone.
• Make room for real-world connections. I attended London Zero Con and Richard Sargent’s event in Bristol, where I met people I had known online for years, including Xero co-founder Gary Turner, whom I had been talking with online for around 14 years. I also found value in simply speaking with locals, asking for recommendations and connecting with people in co-working spaces.
• Digital nomading requires flexibility and a willingness to work differently. I stayed in pod and capsule hotels, travelled extensively by train, rented a car on my own for the first time and recorded this podcast from a tiny hotel room at Gatwick. Not every environment was comfortable or predictable, but having the right technology and being willing to adapt meant I could continue working while extending my time overseas.

Digital nomading does not mean everything works perfectly wherever you open your laptop. There will be unreliable Wi-Fi, confusing transport, unfamiliar systems and unexpected detours. But technology gives us considerably more flexibility to navigate those challenges and continue working.

For me, doing a few hours of work in the morning meant I could spend an extended period in England, spend time with my mum, connect with people in the accounting technology community and still keep things moving professionally. Sometimes the best approach is not waiting until you are back at your desk with the perfect setup. Charge your technology, find a workable space, stay open to the experience and make it work where you are.

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