| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: Have you ever worked while travelling? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| All the time, but Renfe limits my capacity | Oct 31, 2012 |
I spend over ten hours on trains every three weekends or so, and actually the time is probably more profitably spent than it might be in the office, since I can work virtually uninterrupted.
Or would be able to if the particular train that I take between Madrid and Alicante and back weren't apparently the only one in the whole fleet which doesn't have power points by each seat. The return ticket is around 100€ for the three and half hour trip on one of the semi-high speed trains, ... See more I spend over ten hours on trains every three weekends or so, and actually the time is probably more profitably spent than it might be in the office, since I can work virtually uninterrupted.
Or would be able to if the particular train that I take between Madrid and Alicante and back weren't apparently the only one in the whole fleet which doesn't have power points by each seat. The return ticket is around 100€ for the three and half hour trip on one of the semi-high speed trains, as opposed to 18ish€ for Avila-Madrid (90mins) on the local train, where I do have a plug at my disposal. Admittedly the latter train cover proportionally less distance, but I still think the lack of power supply is a poor deal. I've now had to invest in a longer lasting battery for my lap top. I know you're all going to tell me I'd be better off with a tablet, but I like a full-sized keyboard.
Travellers on Renfe (Spanish train network) beware.
End of rant! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tatty 
Local time: 15:52
Spanish to English
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| Crazy bunch! | Oct 31, 2012 |
I'd loved to travel and work at the same time, but that just isn't an option for me. I like to work in silence and have my reference books on hand, just in case I need them. People talk too much on public transport for me to do any productive work. And why would I pay hotel tariffs just to be stuck inside the hotel working? I already find it really hard to work when the weather is good. Anyway, the agencies I work with and my occasional direct clients all phone me on my landline. I'd have to fes... See more I'd loved to travel and work at the same time, but that just isn't an option for me. I like to work in silence and have my reference books on hand, just in case I need them. People talk too much on public transport for me to do any productive work. And why would I pay hotel tariffs just to be stuck inside the hotel working? I already find it really hard to work when the weather is good. Anyway, the agencies I work with and my occasional direct clients all phone me on my landline. I'd have to fess up to the fact that I was travelling and they might not send me any more work! Too risky all round for me. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | The ferries to the UK are great when the net connection works... | Oct 31, 2012 |
I regularly take work with me when we take the ferry to visit the family - though I have to choose between peace and quiet in the cabin but no Internet, or a satellite connection that works if I am lucky in the café or bar, with whatever entertainment is going on in the background.
But often I can work in peace and then just check my mails and deliver a text if I have to. I always brief clients advance.
I have worked in the car and at airports too.
What is the po... See more I regularly take work with me when we take the ferry to visit the family - though I have to choose between peace and quiet in the cabin but no Internet, or a satellite connection that works if I am lucky in the café or bar, with whatever entertainment is going on in the background.
But often I can work in peace and then just check my mails and deliver a text if I have to. I always brief clients advance.
I have worked in the car and at airports too.
What is the point of a laptop if you are not mobile?
Apart from as a system backup of course. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 06:52
English to German
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In memoriam | It is a great experience - highly recommendable | Oct 31, 2012 |
With travel I don't mean commute, though. I mean REAL travel. 
I once worked on a series of press releases with tight deadlines for a Japanese-American software developer while my husband and I were on one of our unorthodox road trips. We flew from the West Coast to Indiana, rented a car and went on a trip covering four states in the beautiful Midwest. I was in charge of deciding our "itinerary" by picking random town... See more With travel I don't mean commute, though. I mean REAL travel.
I once worked on a series of press releases with tight deadlines for a Japanese-American software developer while my husband and I were on one of our unorthodox road trips. We flew from the West Coast to Indiana, rented a car and went on a trip covering four states in the beautiful Midwest. I was in charge of deciding our "itinerary" by picking random towns on the map with funny names. Thus we never knew where we would end up the next day. That was the purpose, and I picked towns with names such as "Mars", "Orion", "Normal", "Alpha", etc., just for the heck of it.
I worked at night in whatever hotel room, it was like a fever, that was part of the the adventure, I didn't get much sleep during those two weeks, and I couldn't get enough. This must have been contagious, the client was thrilled, his entire office was fired up too, so he wrote, and they were all eager to know where the next text might be sent from, "Jupiter" or "Uranus", perhaps? and kept sending texts...
Highly recommendable. Maybe I won't do it again - I had to catch up on sleep for the entire following week after we returned home. Unforgettable, incredible though, what a thrill!! You should try this sometimes.
Just for the heck of it. ▲ Collapse
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| Pros and cons | Oct 31, 2012 |
Well, after a year, I think I can now say what the advantages and disadvantages are to a work-as-you-travel lifestyle.
1. Money of course: I need to save first naturally before I can move so I hunker down in a cheap place with good Internet for, say, 2-3 weeks (mainly somewhere near water or mountains so I can still enjoy what I love)
2. Rhythm: need to establish a 3-4 week travel schedule, moving in one direction, from one comfortable place to another, or just stay in ... See more Well, after a year, I think I can now say what the advantages and disadvantages are to a work-as-you-travel lifestyle.
1. Money of course: I need to save first naturally before I can move so I hunker down in a cheap place with good Internet for, say, 2-3 weeks (mainly somewhere near water or mountains so I can still enjoy what I love)
2. Rhythm: need to establish a 3-4 week travel schedule, moving in one direction, from one comfortable place to another, or just stay in one nice place, working and, for me, mountain-climbing/diving
3. Schedule: most of my clients are US-based or Europe-based so if I'm anywhere in the east, like I am right now in Indonesia, the time difference works in my favor since I'm usually 6-8 hours ahead. That means I can play in the morning, then go back to the hotel and work late afternoon and at night and it's still working hours in Europe.
4. Internet! I've been in the dingiest places in SE Asia (Camb, Thai, Indo, Phil) and there was still reliable Internet so I'm never cut off.
5. Bring your own entertainment! I have ~4,000 books in my kindle, ~500 movies in one 2T external drive, and enough TV shows (last count: ~1,000 individual episodes) in another. Plus there's Internet so I'm never bored alone (which is most of the time)
6. I'm far away from friends and family but it's a lifestyle I've chosen. I try to meet my friends wherever they are (especially when they're on vacation, I just pop by, budget airlines have reached Asia!)
I have grandiose plans for next year: Africa and South America. I think I can hack it. I've learned how to live cheaply. It's all about what makes you happy. Anyone can do it. If a fellow translator is reading this and you have a spare room to rent for a week or two, then contact me!
Marcus ▲ Collapse
| | | | Francisco Alves
Portugal
Local time: 14:52
Member (2011)
Portuguese to English
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| A different perspective | Oct 31, 2012 |
I have travelled while working...
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 09:52
Spanish to English
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| Not recommended for rush jobs // Responses need to be more carefully worded | Oct 31, 2012 |
1.
I've found that it isn't a good idea to commit to any job that puts me in a situation where I have to work in an airport or on an airplane. There are just too many variables that can interfere with the ability to get work done under those conditions (e.g., unexpectedly long lines at any point in the travelling process, lack of electrical outlets; poorly functioning or overly expensive internet connections, cramped seating on planes).
2.
Can't someone at this si... See more 1.
I've found that it isn't a good idea to commit to any job that puts me in a situation where I have to work in an airport or on an airplane. There are just too many variables that can interfere with the ability to get work done under those conditions (e.g., unexpectedly long lines at any point in the travelling process, lack of electrical outlets; poorly functioning or overly expensive internet connections, cramped seating on planes).
2.
Can't someone at this site assure that the responses offered to these questions cover all of the logical bases? Here, we go from "many times" to "once or twice" to "never." What about the more sensible "frequently", "sometimes", "rarely", and "never?" This isn't rocket science guys and gals. Wake up! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jessica Noyes
United States
Local time: 09:52
Member
Spanish to English
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| Cigarette lighter socket | Oct 31, 2012 |
My best Christmas present ever was a converter that plugs into our car's cigarette lighter socket. Every month I visit my parents eight hours away, and since "you can't get there from here" by public transportation, my next-of-kin drives, and I earn the gas money typing away in the passenger seat. Of course, I do need to allow for some on-line time later to research and check new terms.
Last year we went to Peru for five months, and I was able to work forty hours a week while enjoying that... See more My best Christmas present ever was a converter that plugs into our car's cigarette lighter socket. Every month I visit my parents eight hours away, and since "you can't get there from here" by public transportation, my next-of-kin drives, and I earn the gas money typing away in the passenger seat. Of course, I do need to allow for some on-line time later to research and check new terms.
Last year we went to Peru for five months, and I was able to work forty hours a week while enjoying that nation's spectacular beauty. Most of the small towns we stayed in had a place where the internet was available.
(Fortunately, I have a job due in less than an hour, or I could bore everyone with dramatic stories involving finding and losing internet connections in rural Peru). ▲ Collapse
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Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:52
Hebrew to English
| Literally "on the go" NO! | Oct 31, 2012 |
I can't because I can't read when in motion, it makes me sick, don't know why, always has.
....but if I was in one spot (i.e. not moving) then yes, it sounds like a great idea....would love to do the whole travelling and working thing that Marcus has got going for him.
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 09:52
Spanish to English
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| Internet connectivity issues | Oct 31, 2012 |
Jessica Noyes wrote:
(Fortunately, I have a job due in less than an hour, or I could bore everyone with dramatic stories involving finding and losing internet connections in rural Peru).
Internet connectivity in rural areas of developing nations is yet another variable that needs to be considered in taking on work while travelling. One can end up in a real fix when the connection doesn't allow you to upload or deliver that document you've translated before the agreed deadline. This has happened to me (fortunately only once).
| | | | | I would love too! | Oct 31, 2012 |
So far, when I travel, I am usually on vacation. I love the idea of travelling while working, and this is what my husband and I hope to do in a few years. The comments of those who travel and seem to still enjoy working are certainly an encouragement to adopt this lifestyle, at least for a while.
I would prefer living in one area for a few months rather than being on the go all the time. I really value getting to know a people, a different environment.
This also makes ... See more So far, when I travel, I am usually on vacation. I love the idea of travelling while working, and this is what my husband and I hope to do in a few years. The comments of those who travel and seem to still enjoy working are certainly an encouragement to adopt this lifestyle, at least for a while.
I would prefer living in one area for a few months rather than being on the go all the time. I really value getting to know a people, a different environment.
This also makes me think that I really have not explored the possibilities offered by mobility (although I have the equipment), even if it is in my own town, region and country! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Very interesting poll, thanks to Leo | Oct 31, 2012 |
I replied "many times" without seeing the result and thought I would be in a minority - and was surprised to see I wan't really.
I found a large number of comments to be very interesting too. TRAvel and TRAnslation begin with the same letters after all!
Regards
Venkatesh
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| By chance . . | Oct 31, 2012 |
Right now I am translating at the Rome's airport, waiting for a very belated Alitalia flight
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos (X)
United States
Local time: 06:52
Spanish to English
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| Occasionally | Oct 31, 2012 |
There was no option for this. I usually work at home, but there have been times when I took my work with me.
When I do go on vacation, I want to spend my time enjoying the place and the people.
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Eser Perkins wrote:
Michael Harris wrote:
Except when I am driving myself that is
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