One of the unintended side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been to mainstream work from home jobs. Once a relatively rare work arrangement, remote jobs are now commonplace. This is due to a combination of ongoing uncertainty regarding the virus and an emerging employee preference for remote work. This preference is illustrated in the Owl Labs 2021 State of Remote Work report, which found that 84% of employees feel that working remotely after the pandemic would make them happier. Many are even willing to take a pay cut!
As employers scramble to develop alternative work models, another option is gaining popularity — partial work from home jobs, also known as hybrid jobs. These jobs involve some combination of home-based and office-based work. This model has widespread support from employers, and the Owl Labs report found that 27% of employees prefer this work model.
What Are Hybrid or Partial Work from Home Jobs?
As mentioned above, partial work from home jobs involve spending some time working remotely and some time working in an office environment. Beyond that, there are no rules, and companies are getting creative in designing solutions that work for their business. Some companies are looking for the perfect balance between office days and remote workdays. Some are converting their offices into collaborative workspaces, assigning office time as team time. Others are getting rid of assigned work areas altogether in favor of hot desks or workstations that are available for anyone when they are in the office.
The varieties of partial work from home jobs are seemingly endless, with each company coming up with its own version. Sometimes remote work is offered as a benefit, such as offering the ability to work remotely time before and/or after paid time off to extend the vacation. If employees are generally limited to working from home or approved cowork location, another example is the ability to work for a month in another remote location, like Fiji, for example.
Regardless of the model, one factor remains constant, and that is the requirement for flexibility. Owl Labs found that 48% of workers were prepared to quit if they couldn’t continue working remotely, at least part of the time. This is leading businesses to offer employees the choice of how to work — remote, in-office, or hybrid. In some instances, it is the employee’s responsibility entirely to structure their day, working from home or going to the office as necessary.
How to Combine Travel with Hybrid or Partial Work from Home Jobs
The rise of remote work is also giving people an unprecedented opportunity to become digital nomads. A digital nomad is a term given to people who work remotely while living nomadically, moving from place to place on a full-time basis. In fact, the number of digital nomads jumped from 4.8 million in 2018 to 15.5 million in 2021! Freed from their current location due to office closures during the pandemic, people are living out their dreams by traveling all over the world.
However, not everyone works 100% remotely or wants to be a full-time digital nomad either. There are drawbacks to always being on the road. Partial work from home jobs can offer the perfect opportunity to be a part-time digital nomad too. Spending weeks or months on the road may not be for you but combining less ambitious trips with a hybrid job is very doable. Types of travel can vary widely, so anyone with flexible work arrangements can consider combining travel with work. Below are just a few ideas of how to incorporate travel with partial work from home jobs.
Plan a Series of Extra-Long Weekends.
Short trips to close-by destinations can be just as much fun as traveling long distances. Be a tourist in your local area or hop on a short flight and explore a nearby city. You can sneak in work while you’re traveling, first thing in the morning, during an afternoon break, or after dinner in the evening.
Add Time Before and After Scheduled Vacations.
Tack on an extra week or more to your scheduled vacation time. Traveling this way can help you make the most of a visit to a faraway location. It can also be a great way to take advantage of extended stay discounts.
Add Time Before and After Business Travel.
If you travel for business, whether it’s to visit clients or for professional conferences, this is a wonderful opportunity to add travel time. Not only can you explore new destinations, but you can also expense the cost to get there.
Travel During Slow Times at Work.
If your work is seasonal or experiences periods of relative downtime, these can be perfect opportunities to add a little travel into your schedule. Whether you are a teacher or a tax accountant, seasonal travel can offer just the right amount to spice up your life.
Combine Work and Travel.
If you have the opportunity, you can choose an occupation that naturally combines work and travel. Jobs that immediately come to mind include travel agent, tour guide, or travel writer. Be creative! Travel can also be combined with jobs you may not immediately think of, such as district manager, purchasing agent, or project manager.
Tips for Success
Combining travel with hybrid or partial work from home jobs does bring with it some complications. Below are a few tips to help you ensure success:
1. Check With Your Current Employer
The types of travel possible may depend on the remote work policies of your company. Some companies require that remote work be completed in a designated place. And yes, under the law, employers do have the right to dictate where you work, even if you’re remote. This is for three main reasons:
- Taxes. Whether you work in a different city, state, or country from your employer, there are potential tax ramifications. Employers are responsible for complying with the rates and rules of where the employee is located.
- Labor Laws. State and country immigration and employment laws vary widely, and again, employers are responsible for ensuring they comply with the laws of where the employee is located.
- Information Security. Employers can find it difficult to ensure information security if the employee is using unknown Wi-Fi networks leaving employer computer systems vulnerable to viruses and other malware.
2. Plan in Advance
It can be tricky to combine work and travel, even on a part-time basis. Planning ahead is an important part of creating a positive experience.
- Look ahead to expected workloads. Consider upcoming projects and requirements for collaboration. You don’t want to be travelling while you’re stressing out about missing deadlines. Likewise, it’s no fun to travel when you have a heavy workload. You want to optimize the time you have exploring your new surroundings.
- Schedule in-person requirements around travel dates. Plan your trips far enough in advance to prevent any conflicts. Don’t forget to schedule remote collaboration too. For example, make sure any Zoom meetings are planned around plane travel. Participating in a video conference while in flight may not be impossible anymore, but it’s still not ideal.
- Ensure your destination has the work resources you need. Research your destination to confirm it has the equipment and other resources you need to complete your work. Don’t assume your travel destination has the same infrastructure as your home. An obvious requirement is access to fast and secure Wi-Fi. If where you’re staying doesn’t have Wi-Fi, check out the surrounding neighborhood for coworking spaces.
3. Save Your Pennies
Having a financial buffer is important to shield you from unplanned occurrences. From natural disasters to pandemics, we are living in an increasingly unpredictable world.
- Create a travel fund. Establish your travels as a financial priority and save for it on an ongoing basis. Making sure you always have travel funds available will help you take advantage of opportunities as they arise without taking away from other financial obligations.
- Plan for a rainy day. Making sure your rainy day fund is topped up is always a good idea as well. Anything can happen when you’re travelling, from unplanned travel delays and expenses to burst pipes on the home front. Knowing that the unexpected won’t cause bankruptcy can make for restful sleep while travelling.
- Obtain insurance. Research and obtain travel and health insurance as appropriate. Travel insurance is especially important when travelling internationally right now due to the potential need to quarantine. In addition, most health insurance plans only offer very limited out-of-country coverage.
Partial Work From Home Jobs That Are Good for Travel
While the range of jobs available on a hybrid basis has expanded considerably since the onset of the pandemic, there are some that are more suited for part-time digital nomads than others. Below are a few in-demand occupations that are ideally suited for combining travel and work.
Education
Not only do educators get a lot of extended time off during holidays, it is also possible to combine holiday travel with additional international work projects such as tutoring in English or leading student trips.
Information Technology
IT jobs are ideally set up for remote work, and IT companies are masters at virtual teamwork. Using the latest collaboration technologies and leveraging asynchronous communication channels, technical professionals can easily combine travel and remote work.
Financial Services
In addition to lending itself to working remotely due to the technologies used, financial work also flows in predictable cycles. By planning around busy periods such as month-end, year-end, and tax time, many financial professionals can successfully plan extended travel time.
Marketing & Sales
Jobs in marketing and sales are increasingly technology-based, making it easy to transition to partial remote positions. In addition, many positions involve travel as part of the job to visit clients or work tradeshows. So, opportunities to travel are already built in and partially funded!
The Best of Both Worlds
Due to the pandemic, a large chunk of the workforce realized that not only is working remotely possible, but it is also preferable (at least part of the time). The rise in hybrid work models is also creating new opportunities for individuals who want to travel while still maintaining a home base. So, if you’ve always wanted to travel more, now is your chance! Start searching for partial work from jobs in the Virtual Vocations database of over 30,000 hand-vetted opportunities.
Do you have experience combining travel with partial work from home jobs? Which of these tips would you use to make the most of your work schedule? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to share your thoughts and tips. We’d love to hear from you!
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