- With the rise of remote work during the pandemic, some workers are choosing to travel and live abroad more often.
- An insider recently spoke to a 38-year-old woman who travels for a week every month without telling her job.
- “Before, we were only traveling once or twice a year,” they told Insider. “But I’ve found a way to combine my love of travel with my job.”
This candid essay is based on a conversation with a 38-year-old who works in the publishing industry. They spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their careers, but an insider confirmed their identities and employment.
i have a secret Starting May 2021, I will be taking at least one week off every month without telling my employer. Bring your laptop, find a neutral background, and call wherever you are: Iceland, Portugal, Colombia.
I realized last year that I could travel while working.
After getting my vaccinations in the spring of 2021, I knew I needed to travel. The pandemic has been difficult for me, as it is for everyone. I ended the relationship with the person I was going to marry, looked around and decided that something needed to change.
As people started getting vaccinated and borders reopened, I went to Reykjavik, Iceland, on the first of many trips. I went to Iceland and found that it was possible to work from another country without anyone at work knowing, and I kept doing it.
We work from anywhere in the world for about a week each month
I’ve been to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Spain, Yellowstone, Morocco and Norway. At my job, he only needs to be in the office one day a week, so normally he goes to the office that day, leaves on his flight that night, and returns in time to be back in the office the next week . And no one is smarter!
I used to travel only once or twice a year due to my limited vacation days. But now I have found a way to combine my love of travel with my work. I know I shouldn’t be traveling around the world without telling my boss, but I feel like the pandemic has changed my priorities.
After seeing how much the world had changed and how fragile life really was, I knew I had to start spending my money the way I wanted to.
My mother always says, “There is only time or money in life.” I usually find that to be true — except now that I seem to have found a way to have both.
It feels luxurious in a way, but you should still enjoy it. why not? Plus, the publishing industry is notorious for underpaid employees, so I feel like they owe me.
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if the plane crashed and no one at work knew where I was.
Last month I was on a very short flight to Nantucket. I scheduled my flight on my lunch break and worked at the airport until boarding. When I was on the plane, I had some problems with the plane. I had to circle the airport many times before landing.
I remember thinking, ‘Don’t let this plane crash so my boss knows I wasn’t actually working from home.’ I know I’ll die if the plane crashes, so it doesn’t really matter, but I figured everyone at work would think I was gone. Upon learning that she died in a crash, you would say, “But why was she on the plane on her lunch break?”
I remember thinking on a transatlantic flight that if my plane crashed and I died somewhere across the ocean, I wouldn’t be able to explain what I was doing. Fortunately, such a situation has never happened.
My motto is: Ask for permission and someone might say no
But if you don’t ask, it’s like no harm or foul. And I will continue to do so.
Have an interesting story about working remotely with or without work permits? Email Fortesa Latifi at whatsyourstory920@gmail.com.
