Lifting the markers from your home office to work from distant lands attracts. More than 35 million people work remotely. Are you also tempted by a work-travel balance? Overview for the success of your modern nomadism.
Choosing the right “where” and “how”
The choice of accommodating destinations for those who dream of an office at the beach is not lacking. No less than 40 countries offer digital nomad visas or an equivalent, with varying prices and lengths of stay. Most require proof of travel insurance as well as a sufficient financial cushion to survive the entire trip.
To choose the right destination, the Nomad List platform compiles the best cities for nomads online, listing each of them according to its financial, logistical and meteorological advantages.
Staying in the same time zone allows you to keep in touch with your fixed office or your customers – whether you are self-employed or employed – without having to get up at impossible times. For this reason, the United States and Latin America present themselves as places of choice for Quebecers. Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador are thus emerging as favorite destinations. Accumulating your Aeroplan points well also allows you to go further, longer, more often.
Otherwise, why not choose Quebec? More and more local temporary accommodation offers packages adapted to nomads. Nearly 100 shared office spaces are also listed on the Coworking Quebec website: a good way to break the isolation that sometimes comes with homeless life, as well as to save on plane tickets and logistics while changing air.
Securing your back to move forward
Since you will eventually come back, make sure you remain eligible for Quebec health insurance. You must stay in Quebec for at least six months to retain this privilege.
You can be absent from Québec for more than six months in the same calendar year without losing your eligibility for health insurance once every seven years. This absence, which the government calls the septennial year, is authorized for personal reasons.
What injuries to an employee during this work-travel balance? “Normally, the law would still apply, because he is working, even if it is not on Quebec soil. The risk is high on the part of an employer,” notes José Lemay-Leclerc, president of Télétravail Québec.
Know how to prioritize
Traveling takes time. Finding accommodation, establishing landmarks, forming friendships on the spot requires patience. Since it is often necessary to make yourself available at all times, it is better to space out the times when you pack up in order to maintain a certain stability in your schedule. Finding a replacement when you are in flight and notifying your customers avoids a lot of hassle.
Employee expectations are becoming more and more “by the task”, which allows you flexibility on schedules. Prioritizing your work performance for the desired results ensures a good balance between your job and the leisure time of travel.
If you want to combine your nomadism with a self-employed life, you have to plan long periods of intense work before building a loyal clientele. You can’t build your own business if you only spend a few weeks at a time in one place. Also, to fully enjoy the country visited, staying at least a month in the same place is a good start.
“Clear limits” from the bosses
Employers must also prepare for this new reality in the world of work, advises José Lemay-Leclerc. “It really takes clear boundaries. Otherwise, there may be a mistake that will really upset the team. »
Delimiting the period in the year and the number of weeks or months when nomadism is allowed establishes the first markers. Combining a business trip with a pleasure trip can also be a great way to combine business with pleasure. It is still necessary to define who pays for the trip if the return plane ticket is postponed for a few days.
Ensuring equity between the different employees is also essential to keep his team on the right track, observes José Lemay-Leclerc. “You have to think of those who cannot. There are families who cannot afford it. They will find it long to see the beach wallpapers…”
A company can even buy accommodation overseas to temporarily house its employees, a turnkey solution to facilitate the nomadism of its employees. After all, the most important thing is to be able to enjoy it!
