Is it possible for freelancers or digital nomads to go on last minute holidays?

I was thinking about this topic lately as I haven’t been on a real vacation for a long time. Since I’m self-employed I do travel but it’s very different from the holidays I used to have before. When I used to work in an office I had a limited time of vacation so I had to plan very well where and when I wanted to travel to. When I was on holidays I didn’t open my email or touch the computer. Now it’s a bit different because I manage my business alone.

Thanks to working online I have the freedom of taking my laptop anywhere and working from there. Although the idea of working from anywhere sounds cool, I think that it’s necessary to take some time off and recharge my body, mind and soul. Ideally by visiting a new country, experiencing some adventure and most importantly having some time off the grid.

I’ve been very busy lately because I’m building my online marketing business and I’m so connected that it started to bother me. I realized that it’s time to go on a “digital detox” and do what I love – travel a bit more – and recharge.

I decided to go on last minute holidays. I just don’t know where to travel to:) I’m still in Bali and I haven’t visited most of the Southeast Asian countries so I think that Thailand or Vietnam will be my first choice. On the other hand, I’m so close to Australia that I feel that I should take an advantage of that and visit Australia for at least one week.

So how do I usually decide where to travel next?

I look at these 5 different factors and decide:

1. Flight tickets: I search for and book tickets via SkyScanner where I do an indepth search for the cheapest tickets during daily hours. I hate to travel very early in the morning or arrive very late at night. Also, there are several low-cost flight companies in South East Asia. I’ve been satisfied with Air Asia so far so I might just book a ticket directly via their website.

2. Visa: I’m very lucky and grateful to have a Slovakian passport which helps me to travel almost anywhere in the world without having too many troubles with visa. What I do before I book a ticket is that I check the website of Ministry of foreign affairs in Slovakia – so in my case it’s Ministerstvo zahraničných vecí – and I inform myself about the visa requirements.

3. Travel costs: Before I travel to a new destination, I try to estimate a daily budget which covers accommodation, local transport, food, beverages and activities. It’s hard to generalize about the amount of money you should spend for traveling or vacation because spending money is a very individual thing. I usually solve this by contacting friends who have traveled to the particular destination or I compare different travel blogs.

4. What to see and do: I like to visit a new country or a region where I’ve never been before. I love Rough guides and their “Things not to miss” section to find tips for nature, culture or city sights. I found some great suggestions there during my previous travels so check it out.

5. Weather: I think that it’s very important to acknowledge the particular season, because choosing the right time of the year can save you from lot of hassle or disappointment. Especially when it comes to last minute holidays, you can check the weather and the time zone on Time and Date.

6. Friends and travellers: Finally, I base my decision where to travel next on my network and local friends. I’ve been using Couchsurfing – an online platform for locals and travelers – for many years now and I hope that in my next destination I will find a cool host.

What do you think? Any suggestions for where I should travel to and do a short escape from Bali?

Stay tuned for more articles & safe travels!

Silvia

About the Author
Thanks for reading this article! My name is Silvia and I’m from Slovakia. I’m passionate about entrepreneurship, marketing, traveling, surfing, photography and I’m in the search of the best ways how to combine it all. Over the past 3 years I changed my lifestyle completely. From an employee in a larger company I started freelancing and working online to be location independent. What drives me is the idea that if I want to, I can book a ticket and go surfing anywhere in the world and stay as long as I want. Also, I gathered lot of content and ideas inspired by beautiful people, places and products. I blog and organize presentations about these topics. Safe travels!