How to be a good freelance traveler

You may be good at freelancing but the question is are you good at international traveling?

I have been Voyaging since I was a sparkle in my father’s eye and I will tell you some career international travel tips.

• International travel is part of your job as a freelancer; you have to be on time for work, looking and acting professional.

• As far as clothes are concerned, professional clothes for a freelancer is not casual; professional is looking like the kind of character who knows how to do your job. If you are a fashion writer, you need to look fabulous. If you are a corporate/business writer, put on a suit. If you are a tour photographer, how put on protective clothing with many pockets for your gear. First impressions are everything since that is work not a holiday. Comfortable and appropriate clothes are best to use after all, they may be on your body for not many days.

• Have light luggage. You may change your plan of the trip and leave your baggage behind. When you are impressing whoever greets you at the other end, you don’t have to look like a tourist. More importantly it’s not good to be faced by an unpleasant surprise: an airport may be under construction, transportation on strike, escalators broken, and long distances lacking assistance. If you can’t carry your luggage for two miles, don’t take it. If you are a musician or a freelancer with heavy equipment, rent it locally. There will be a mental and physical advantage of carrying less by bringing fewer.

• For more guidance, look to the professionals who travel occasionally: flight hostesses and pilots. They hold one small suitcase or a bag. Checked-in luggage is usually exposed to theft, loss or damage in addition to forcing you to wait in long lines at customs. As a freelancer, you must be ready to work with your essentials and equipment at hand.

• Put cultural expectations, job definite requirements, and the climate of your destination into consideration. On your trip, you will end up wearing your favorite light cloth, so don’t bring your entire closet. You can hand-clean stuff as desired, and hang them over something to dry at night.

Good basics are: jeans, underwear to last you a week, socks and t-shirts, sneakers, something semi formal and fine closed toe shoes. Knee-length man shorts to fit in with the locals. Safari shoots, and hot days, carry comfortable pants or long skirt that protects your legs from insects, plants, and the sun. You can reduce the weight out of your baggage by wearing your heaviest stuff during travel.

• Having good breath and body odor is essential for freelancers, just like it is for any worker or interviewee. Don’t forget your toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, detangle, bar of soap, deodorant, sunscreen, razor, and frame.

• Get a passport immediately just in case a big newspaper or magazine wants to fly you out tomorrow.

• Have a copy of your passport, identification, tour tickets, front and back of all your bank and credit cards. Keep one copy in your wallet and give another to somebody you at home. If your documents get stolen, this will quicken the process of a block and reissue.

• Take a plastic file for receipts you or your employer will want receipts for reimbursement and tax filing.

• In case you will have no access to food or water because of delays, holding periods, waiting, breakdowns, catastrophes. Bring fruits or snacks. Buy water in the terminals where liquids are accepted. When everyone is loosing their minds, you will be calm because your blood sugar will be balanced. As with any job, you cannot disembark to work dehydrating and hungry.

• The early bird catches the worm so do not miss an airplane, bus or other transportation connection. You will never get another chance to avoid letting your client down since this avoids mistrust and expenses. When you travel on planes, trains, buses, metro, or stride the avenue, you are at stake of being pick pocketed. You ought to put your most precious items in a place that is not available by grabbing hands (thugs/thieves)

• Your money and documents should be in your clothes. You can’t do a good job when your equipment is stolen or you’ve been injured. Since weapons are not accepted traveling when you are alone, keep your distance from people on the street, keep an eye on your drink, and tell somebody where you are and with whom.

• If you are a freelancer in a relationship and your partner is home, a photo and small candle are fine for bedtime. Regular communication via email, post cards, telephone, and small gifts is a nice way to keep the relationship alive. If you are traveling with a companion, keep tensions low by eating well, sleeping well and being opened to compromise. If you are single, don’t do anything silly and don’t even think about dating your subject until the article is published.

• Have a pocket dictionary for your destination language.

• Sleep on the plane to get the rest you need to do a good.

• Traveling to a destination on the other side of the earth could be a 72-hour day. You must look good and feel comfortable, open up to opportunities and be prepared for the worst scenario.

Photo of solo traveler at Hong Kong International Airport originally posted by benny yap

Topic:  How to Tuesday | 1 Comment
Tags:  packing, safety

About the author

Stellah was born in Uganda but moved to Norway in 2005 working as a freelance writer while traveling to Sweden, France, Belgium and most of the European countries to learn new culture and languages.