Traveling around Europe as a digital nomad this summer has been incredible and here’s the secret – have you ever noticed that after a 2 week vacation you are often more exhausted than you were when you started? I used to think the entire point of a holiday was being able to unplug completely and come back refreshed but travel doesn’t work that way.
Doing some sailing in my first spot of my Eurotrip, Lisbon.
The way people travel is tiring, expensive and often downright exhausting. But the secret to being able to travel for months on end without ever feeling that way is simple. Slow down your travel by staying at AirBnB’s for 2+ weeks at a time instead of rushing through to the next destination, and join a local coworking space to have “rest” days, which are actual productive work days.
Getting some work & rest in at Impact Hub in Bucharest
As an example, during this trip in Europe I’d go on a tour on a Monday, spend Tuesday at a coworking space then Wednesday doing more sightseeing followed by another day of coworking. Often I wouldn’t even do hard work or take on new projects but would simply spend the day at a coworking space uploading photos from the trip, writing blog posts about the city I just arrived from or make fun little videos. Plus, it is refreshing to spend time with local professionals and entrepreneurs. In a way, it brings more meaning to your travels.
You can learn a lot about the city you are in just by networking with a few smart locals and I found that they are just as interested in hearing your story as well. A few of my favorite coworking spaces I worked from during my trip was CoworkLisboa in Lisbon, Betahaus in Sofia, and Reaktor in Warsaw. I recommend contacting the spaces in advance and purchasing a day pass, however coworking spaces are quickly adjusting to better suit all the digital nomads trekking the earth so its is pretty easy to just show up and purchase a pass on the spot.
Betahaus, in Sofia is one of my favorite coworking spaces in Europe.
By breaking up the vacation with coworking days, I got to meet locals who live and work in those cities showing me an authentic side of things and got to rest while getting work done. This has allowed me to travel for months at a time without running out of money, hurting my business or getting too tired to travel. Pro tip: check out Coworker whenever you arrive in a new city, you’ll be surprised how many great coworking spaces there are around the world.
