How to Work More Effectively While Traveling!

As a part of Gen Z, I understand that I may be falling victim to the systems of overworking that run us into the ground, but as a frequent traveler, I know that a two hour train ride can be one of the most productive places in existence! Now, I’m not suggesting any of us spend out vacations working, but if you are on a plane or train, or your sat in a cafe for a rest, there’s nothing wring with whipping out your laptop or journal to work on a personal project.

I’ve gathered my top tips to work more effectively while traveling to help you be more productive on your next trip (or not, it’s really up to you!)

Cafes

I know when I travel I can walk over 10 miles (or 16km) depending on the destination. The lazy traveller in me usually takes over the cheap, and I often stop in a local cafe or restaurant in an interesting part of town. This is especially nice during the colder parts of the year, so you can plop down in a comfy booth with a warm coffee and just watch the street from a window for a while.

Often when I stop in a cafe, whether it be too rest my feet, avoid foul weather or just to grab a snack, I will pull out my laptop and work on something. Whether it’s checking my email, writing a bit for class, or taking some notes from my textbook, I can take in the ambiance of the area, and get some work done!

Travel Friendly Tech

If you are a frequent traveller, and plan on working while traveling, it’s important to make sure you have the right materials! This can mean anything, from making sure you bring a smaller laptop (mine’s 13″ and thats too large for some tray tables), to thinking about going paperless.

For any students reading, I have used this system for two years and it has worked incredibly well! I download or take scans of all my textbook chapters, and make sure they are downloaded onto my computer or tablet. Then, I will skim and highlight the chapters for important information, and save the more information heavy work or writing notes for the library. With this system, I have been able to read multiple chapters in textbook on hour to two hour train trips, and this makes my note taking even better!

I have recently gone paperless with my notes, and I have found that is incredibly travel friendly! as long as you have access to all your materials offline, there is really no limit to what you can get done with a paperless system in place!

Airports & Other Stations

Places like airports, train stations or bus stations can be incredible environments for productivity…sometimes. If you can find a nice seating area that isn’t going to be completely swarmed by people coming and going, you can get a lot done! If I have longer than 15 minutes between trains or buses, or I have more than a half hour before boarding a plane, I try to find myself a calm place to work.

To try and find calmer places, try terminals with less flights or gates with no flights scheduled for a few hours. The same goes for train platforms. More than likely, the platform or gate you are going to be boarding at will be busier, so go a platform over or a few gates down for some personal space and peace!

Don’t forget to look for outlets before you get settled!

Trains

Trains, I have found, are one of my most productive spaces. Though looking out at the views around me is always a must, If I have over twenty minutes on a train, I usually have to do more than just pop my earbuds in and look at the views! Especially when you are traveling at night – there’s not much to see accept at the often dimly lit and near deserted stations.

With many trains especially in the UK, you can request a table seat which is the best for working! Tables allow you to speak your work out more than on those silly little fold out trays, plus the tables normally have multiple power sockets and USB ports built in! Two hours on a train can get me through multiple chapters of a textbook with time to spare!

The Round up

A vacation or trip really wouldn’t be that if you spent the whole time working, but nothing says you can’t spend an hour rushing past the dark countryside picking away at some project! Plus, setting up shop working on an essay or some other project can allow for some great people watching in a little local cafe, and can allow you yo experience the culture around you more in depth!

Is there anything I missed that you use to be more productive while traveling? What are your thoughts on working while on vacation? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!