Written by Leah Sinclair
Remote working has offered people the flexibility to work from anywhere with a decent wifi connection – and these women are taking full advantage of that by travelling to some of the most beautiful places in the world and working while they’re at it.
The idea of working in a picturesque location is desirable for many reasons. From allowing us to work while taking in breathtaking views that will undoubtedly have a positive effect on our wellbeing to exploring a stunning location after work hours, it has the potential to provide the ideal work/life balance so many of us dream of.
This is something we are beginning to see more often as remote workers grab their passports and their laptops and are travel to both nearby and far from home destinations as “working from anywhere” becomes an emerging trend that many are expected to embrace this year.
According to research by Hostelworld, four in five (84%) consumers say work from anywhere (WFA) is the new work from home (WFH) – and we’ve spoken to seven women who are embracing this way of life to see how it’s impacted their lives.
Dayna Byfield, life strategist and business coach
“I’ve been working remotely as a life strategist and business coach since May 2020 – a big shift to life pre-pandemic, where I worked predominately from a central London office along with working at home.
“But it was in June 2021 that I made the leap to leave the UK and head to the Caribbean. In March 2021, I lost my mother-in-law. This made my husband and I re-evaluate what was important to us as a family, and in June, we booked our flights to St Vincent and the Grenadines and haven’t looked back since.
“I’ve been remote working from St Vincent and the Grenadines officially since October 2021 and my day-to-day routine has definitely changed since leaving the UK.
“First, the climate makes a big difference. Gone is the wind, rain and cold; the sun, sea breeze and beaches have changed everything.
“The morning commute is now from the bedroom to the garden. Each day, I’m greeted by the vision of the Caribbean sea as well as six of the Grenadine islands, including Mustique – yes, I can see Mustique from my garden!
“The first part of the day is dedicated to home-schooling our 7-year-old. We enjoy talking with our neighbours and visiting the local shop run by Ms Bascombe, who is 91 years old and a national treasure. The nearest beach we love is 20 minutes away from us on the private resort of Young Island, 200 yards from mainland St Vincent and reachable only by ferry (it’s a two-minute ride). They offer an incredible day pass and lunch so we get access to a hotel room, patio terrace, beach, pool, four-course lunch and rum punch! The wifi is amazing, so you can work literally seaside.
“After an amazing lunch, our son gets on with splashing in the sea and building sandcastles while I catch up with calls, emails and clients in the UK. We watch the sunset at around 6pm from Sunset Point, Young Island, before heading off to catch a taxi home.
“Moving here has allowed for better work-life harmony. There is definitely much more life and living going on as opposed to working these days. Focusing on constructing a full life that work fits into as opposed to the other way around, I feel like my mental health has definitely improved as my connection with myself and the natural world around me has deepened. It’s incredible what you can achieve when you construct a life where stillness is at the epicentre and you have time to breathe, process and enjoy every aspect of life.”
Aoife O’Brien, founder of Happier At Work
“I run my own business called Happier at Work, which I set up in 2019, and I decided to go to Tenerife to work remotely for a month in November. It was approaching winter in Ireland and the thought of sunshine was very appealing – especially after having Covid – and I felt that impacted my mental and physical health.
“While I was working in Tenerife, I was very deliberate about setting up a routine. I got up in the morning and did yoga, brain training and language training before having breakfast and starting work. I worked for a few hours in the morning and got the most important things out of the way first before heading to the pool for a couple of hours and coming back to work in the afternoon.
“I tried to treat it like I was living there and I wanted to make the most of my time there – cooking in the evenings and enjoying the sunset with a glass of wine.
“Being somewhere warm and sunny dramatically improved both my mental and physical health. I felt I was much more deliberate in how I approached work, which left me feeling accomplished at the end of the day. I also showed myself a lot more compassion than previously if I didn’t achieve everything I had set out to – it became about the overall experience rather than just work.”
Lerato Mogoatlhe, content and communications expert
“I’m from South Africa and I’ve been remote working in different places since 2020. This was partially due to starting a new job in 2020 that allowed me to work remotely. At the time, it definitely felt like my moment had arrived – I got a new job at a remote company, and as a result, I booked my ticket to Cairo a week after the hard lockdown in South Africa ended in September.
“Since then, I’ve stayed in Egypt, Tunisia, Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe. I’ve found my routine while working abroad consists of working in a cafe during the week, going for walks at lunch, and an evening activity before returning back to my hotel. The weekends, however, are for exploring.
“I’ve found my wellbeing has also improved too. No traffic jams or commuting and more personal time weaved into working hours (like a 5-minute sunshine break at home to admire my sunflowers, play with my cat) makes all the difference.”
Han Talbot, creative project manager
“I left the UK in mid-January 2022, flew to Slovenia, then went on to Zagreb and have been in Split since the beginning of February and it’s been an amazing experience. As a freelance creative content manager, my day-to-day varies depending on my current contract and the weather, but when I can, I love being able to work outside.
“My favourite remote working experience was working from a vineyard – there was space for me to work in the morning and then explore the grounds (and taste the wine, of course) in the afternoon.
“Being able to work efficiently from another country has taken a little practice, but being disciplined in my work hours and sticking to them has helped a lot. Setting priorities per trip helps as well, like grabbing a coffee each day and taking a walk on the beach before I start the working day is a must for me here in Split.
“I’ve also found that solo remote working can be lonely, so to combat this early on, I began talking to an accountability partner, prioritised speaking to my loved ones regularly and have joined Facebook groups for people who are also living their best lives.”
Sabrina Lynch, SVP of integrated marketing
“I’m an SVP of integrated marketing and a diversity and inclusivity (D&I) consultant, and I’ve been remote working for 20 months and counting.
“I live in New York but decided to make that leap during the second month of the pandemic. With all the Covid news and then a tidal wave of injustices hitting the Black community, I found myself in a position where I was weathering the storm of this chaos for both the private and public sectors, providing counsel on how to combat racial and social injustices, developing responses and racial equity programmes, drafting frameworks for mental health resources for Black communities while also navigating the anger from people of colour to dismantle practices that were preventing us from thriving.
“I realised in order to create a calm environment to do this work, I needed to leave the country and immerse myself in different cultures and communities. So I switched my WFH locations, spending months at a time travelling through Nicaragua, Colombia, Hawaii, St Lucia, Belize, Guatemala, Exuma, Costa Rica, Haiti, El Salvador and more.
“Travelling while working remotely has given me clarity, creative freedom and space to mentally exhale. It helps reaffirm my humanity. I am continually inspired by diverse cultures and the people I meet on my travels.”
Lucy Werner, author and PR and brand consultant
“My partner is from southern France and missed his family and the weather. We were due to try living there for a period of time in March 2020 but Covid got in the way. As a result, we decided to give it ago and have been here for two months now.
“Being here with our children has been amazing, but it’s a complete change of pace from London. Although we were travelling across the country with just the contents of the boot of the car (and our dog), something about decluttering our clothes, paperwork and belongings made it all feel less complicated even though technically there was more organising to be done.
“As the clocks are an hour forward, I always felt like I was getting to work at least an hour ahead of everyone else. We didn’t have childcare, so I would typically take care of the kids for the first few hours of the day and my partner would for the bulk of the day. I switched income streams so I was focusing on content creation and teaching rather than client-facing.
“Since trying this, my work/life balance has improved. Being able to take walks in amazing nature and just to breathe the mountain air felt unreal. For me, the added element of learning a new language and new experiences really ignited my creativity.
“Every time I took a walk, I could feel my shoulders relaxing. There were other unexpected ways my mental health improved. In London, I might feel like I was missing out if I wasn’t at an event or part of a new members’ club or event space that my peers are involved in. Being geographically away somehow supported that feeling of going in my own direction. I’ve got more confidence to step away from what others are doing and forge my own path.”
Ksenia Leo, scientist and entrepreneur
“I have been dreaming of working remotely ever since I read Remote by David Heinemeier Hansson.It took six years, a career switch and a pandemic to finally make this dream true but I’ve been living it since early 2021 after being 100% office-based pre-pandemic.
“Since then, one of the places I’ve spent time in is the tropical island of Koh Pha-Ngan in Thailand. I’ve been here for three months already and intend to stay for at least a month more.
“I love the way of life here and it has changed my working days so much. I now usually wake up around 8am, go to yoga class with an ocean view, take a morning swim and enjoy a hasteless and quiet breakfast with a book or in the company of friends before starting work. My schedule is totally different from my lifestyle back home, where I spent all the time at my desk and sometimes didn’t go out for days.
“Now I can say that most of my days are stress-free, and my mental and physical health has significantly improved. Everyday yoga, lots of fresh fruits and breathing fresh air while working outdoors does help.”
Images: Dayna Byfield; Aoife O’Brien; Rato Mogoatlhe; Han Talbot; Sabrina Lynch; Lucy Werner; Ksenia Leo
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