Working from the Road

I am very lucky to be able to work from just about anywhere in the world. My clients are all over the globe and have no need for me to be in a specific location. I do have stress though about working form the road as far as connectivity goes especially.

In the United States I have easy access to the internet wherever I am. Hit a starbucks or a panera in just about any city and you’ve got some free wi-fi. I’ve also got an iPad with the 3G service and, of course, an iPhone. With all these resources at play, it’s almost impossible for me to not be connected, but in a foreign country, even with the same types of access, it’s a whole different ball game. My cell phone coverage doesn’t count international calls and roaming overseas. My easy access to wi-fi is not going to be quite as simple when in Kenya for example..

I’ve already started researching my options here and thus far, I don’t have a great/perfect solution but I have learned that there are at least options.

AT&T and Verizon both offer international roaming packages so that’s good. They are not cheap though (at all!) and only about 75% of the locations we plan to visit are on their grids. Another option is some sort of satellite connection but with that you are looking at hefty fee’s and more equipment to buy and carry with me. We’ve talked about getting a cell phone while on our trip, but we are only staying in each country for a month or so at the most, so that doesn’t really benefit us either.

I don’t have a solution yet, but the ball is at least in motion and I do plan on continuing to explore this extremely important issue up until the day we leave. Technology is constantly changing, offers are always evolving and I’m sure we will have a great solution when the time comes.

In the mean time, if any of you have suggestions, we would love to hear them.

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