The Lazy Geek’s Travelling Office
One man’s mission to create the ultimate ‘on the road’ workspace.
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Best thing about running my own business? No contest: travel. Over the last few years, I’ve spent 3-4 months each year abroad. Friends always ask the same question: “How do you work while you’re away?”. |
Like many self-employed geeks, working remotely is pretty straightforward. Forgive the cliche: the hard part is deciding to do it. Tim Ferris’s Four Hour Work Week (both the book and the blog) has some good practical advice.
Since I arrived in Berlin last week, I thought I’d give the lowdown on my mobile office.
I’m no fan of living in hotels. It’s also usually *far* cheaper to rent apartments short-term via Craigslist, so I look for places with a decent workspace and plenty of natural light.
Apple MacBook
My PowerBook (RIP) was built like a tank and perfect for travel. My dilemma: replace it with a small, light MacBook or a more powerful, more rugged (but bulkier) MacBook Pro?
I chose comfort over speed. My souped up MacBook has travelled 10,000s of miles over the last year with a Noreve leather case. My laptop casing took a heavy dink, which Apple replaced gratis under AppleCare.
AppleCare is the only warranty I’ve ever paid for. I’ve dealt with support staff in Toronto, New York and London, and every time they’ve helped me get up and running again pronto. Don’t forget a spare laptop battery for long flights.
(NB. I’m no Apple fanboy. The sales staff were so rude when I went to buy my PowerBook, I nearly walked out of the Apple store…)
Tivoli PAL Radio
Fact: laptop speakers suck. And who wants to travel without music or the BBC World Service? The Tivoli PAL has been my weapon of choice for three years. It’s waterproof, rugged and rechargable, and will double as an amp for your laptop/iPod too.
Yes - it’s pricey, mono, and there’s no DAB/satellite radio. But the sound quality is exceptional. Plus tuning stations on the monster FM dial makes me feel like a safe cracker…
Quad-Band Cellphone
I spend *way* too much time online without an iPhone, so I got a Nokia N95. Big mistake: it crashes like Windows 3.1 never happened.
A reliable multi-band cellphone is a must (memo to self: ditch the damn N95). Invest in an unlocked handset, if possible, so you can use cheap pay-as-you-go SIM cards abroad. They’re easy to find in the UK, less so in the US. Take my tip: search eBay for ‘unlocked cellphone’.
I use Skype for most phone calls while abroad, and use my phone mostly for SMS, voicemail and Gmail mobile.
Belkin Snagless Ethernet Cable
My rule of thumb: the availablity of reliable wifi is inversely proportionate to how much you need it.
Even in developed countries, wifi is often not as common as it is in the UK/US . In 2006, I spent a month reviewing hotels in Spain; maybe half my hotels had wifi that was dial-up speed, unreliable or dead on arrival.
The answer? Invest in a l-o-n-g, high-quality ethernet cable. The network cables in hotels, internet cafes etc are never quite as long as you need them to be…
Shure SE310 Earphones
After years of using cheapo headphones, I was given some SE310’s. The sound quality blew me away and I became an instant convert.
They mould to the shape of your ears after a couple of hours use, which helps the sound-isolating design cut background noise. That means clearer sound and reduced risk of hearing damage with lower volumes.
Yes, they’re a luxury, but no other earphones I’ve tried come close.
Post-Its, Sharpies, Paper…
Some people use fancy GTD tools to keep organised. I use:
- My iCal calender
- Post It notes
- Sharpie markers
- A4 paper
That’s pretty much it.
Kensington All-in-One Plug Adapter
This travel adapter is the most elegant solution I’ve seen to convert plugs. It covers 150+ countries, has no removable parts and works both ways (eg, UK to US and US to UK).
Now if only it could stop me leaving my plug adapters behind when I travel…
MyBook Backup Hard Disks
I learned the hard way: It’s not if your hard disk will fail, but when.
I use MyBook external disks to keep backups. They’re Firewire compatible, built by Western Digital and cheap. What’s not to like?
That said, next time I write one off with a clumsy elbow, I’ll probably buy a more rugged alternative (eg, LaCie Rugged All-Terrain HD) or perhaps get over my fear of relying on online backups.
Zip-Linq Road Warrior Kit
Zip-Linq make retractable cables. Their USB cable and phone charger go everywhere I travel.
They felt flimsy when I got them, but have lasted two years now with no complaints.
Zyxel AG-225H Wifi Finder
Apparantly some geeks use open wifi networks without permission. Obviously, I think this is morally reprehensible… but if I didn’t, I might use a Zyxel AG-225H wifi finder to find unsecred networks.
Unlike other wifi finders I’ve used heard about, the AG-225H shows signal strength and is rechargable via USB. Better still, it’ll turn any PC with an internet connection into an instant wifi network. Just plug it into a USB port and you’re good to go.
What are your favourite tools for working on the road?
July 16th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Great ideas, thanks!
My personal favorite is my Callpod (http://www.callpod.com).
Off the same plug, it charges my cell phone, Blackberry, headset, iPod, Garmin Forerunner. Only one thing to pack, light (all those plugs get heavy!), perfect for rooms stingy on outlets, and you only need one converter/adapter.
It makes me happy every time I use it, and that’s my sign of money well spent.
July 17th, 2008 at 9:43 am
@Sarah - Not seen Callpod, great idea.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
[...] Richard Kershaw has some thoughts on this topic as well, including a list of the tools and methods that he employs when going mobile: Like many self-employed geeks, working remotely is pretty straightforward. Forgive the cliche: the hard part is deciding to do it. …Since I arrived in Berlin last week, I thought I’d give the lowdown on my mobile office. [...]
July 18th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
What? No EVDO card? I would’ve thought that’d be a necessity in today’s world. Does it even work overseas?
July 18th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
[...] to go right along with that is the lazy geek’s traveling office from Quality [...]
July 20th, 2008 at 12:31 am
You truly have inspired me.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:28 am
[...] http://www.qualitynonsense.com/208/lazy-geeks-travelling-office/ Did You Find My Article Useful? Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
July 31st, 2008 at 6:51 am
super post..thanks for all the info..what phone would you recommend ? i have the same issues with nokia…iphone 3g ?
August 3rd, 2008 at 4:18 am
While in England last month, I came across a historian working in a UK archive, using a Samsung Q1 Ultra tablet PC. I was very impressed: small, powerful, bright screen, 5-hour battery life. He also used a portable keyboard to speed up his typing.
I myself found my USB memory stick, set up with a full array of programs, was particularly useful in non-English countries. With the stick, I could use internet cafes and still have all my programs in English.
August 3rd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
@Tom - Your USB memory stick idea has been on my ‘to do someday’ list for a while. Basic setup with Firefox etc for when you’re stuck in a remote internet cafe sans your ‘must have’ software.
August 4th, 2008 at 12:04 am
[...] Remote working is in vogue among freelancers, and with good reason. QualityNonsense shares a really nice-looking guide to the lazy geek’s travelling office. [...]
August 4th, 2008 at 3:34 am
I would suggest adding Hamachi to your list. I love that I can access all of my systems from anywhere in the world. Best of all it’s free
August 4th, 2008 at 7:11 am
[...] THE LAZY GEEK’S TRAVELLING OFFICE [qualitynonsense.com, gefunden bei [...]
August 4th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
and mobil scanner genius cp-sf 600 ????? !!!!!!!
August 4th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
@erwin - Hadn’t seen that before, nice find. Now if only I could find a similar size printer…
August 5th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
HP Deskjet 350c in Kombination mit bluePrinter Bluetooth
August 7th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Quality post! Good call on the ethernet cable, I remember my shiney new eeepc pinging onto the floor in the Luxor in Vegas, perhaps they should do away with the ‘auto winding’ cables!
Have you updated the firmware on your N95 - I did and it made it much more stable.
See you soon
Graham
August 7th, 2008 at 11:14 am
@Graham - The Nokia shop on Regents Street told me I couldn’t get the firmware updated without sending it off for service. Need to find someone friendly with a PC who can do it for me…
August 10th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
links for 2008-08-10 [delicious.com]…
Neil Fiore:
Executive Coach, Speaker and Author of Awaken Your Strongest Self and The Now Habit
(tags: gtd nowhabit via:mento.info)
Basic Thinking Blog | Nintendo DS Lite
…
August 24th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
As a former “Mac/Unix Geek in a RV”, my favourite tool for working on the road was a fifth wheel trailer outfitted as a mobile office. Internet connectivity was good. The office area itself was much nicer than most offices I had in over twenty years as a software developer, and it moved with me.
Check it out at: http://www.mactom.com/
September 17th, 2008 at 10:42 am
[...] in July, I wrote about my travelling office. A few days later, Tom Donaldson showed me what the ultimate mobile office looks [...]
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:44 pm
[...] this year, I wrote about my on the road workspace. A few weeks later, I discovered The Business Class, a network of flexible workspaces [...]