Dear Rolf,

I want to telecommute—not from “home” but from anywhere in the world where I can connected to the Internet. All the work I do is on a computer, and 15-20 hours per week would give me enough money to live the vagabonding lifestyle. There are lots of books on telecommuting, but I have not seen one on the subject of traveling the world while telecommuting (they all assume you are “home"). Any tips on how to make this possible?

Ciao,

— Ty Brady

Dear Ty,

Telecommuting is indeed a great way to mix travel with steady work, and advances in communication technology make it easier with each passing day. As a travel writer, I’ve been “telecommuting” nonstop since 1999, and things have come a long way since the days when I was paying $25 an hour to send my editor stories from a painfully slow dial-up connection in Cambodia.

Since travel writing isn’t a typical telecommuting trade, however, I shot a few questions to my friend (and former Drive Around the World expedition driving partner) Justin Mounts, who does contract product management, marketing consulting and simulation development for two different U.S.-based companies. Justin has mixed work with travel from many locations worldwide, and he is currently based in Rio de Janeiro, where he lives just a few blocks from the beach.

What kind of technology do you use to keep in touch with your home office and/or clients? How do you keep expenses down?

Justin Mounts: I use a lightweight Averatec laptop, a Canon iP 90 printer and a Canon flatbed scanner for most of my work. I also carry an extra 80gb laptop hard drive in an external case for data backups. I use e-mail and IM on a daily basis (I have four IM accounts) and I use Skype for VoiP. Using the service, I was able to purchase a U.S. number for 40 Euro per year. It includes a voice mailbox, so it comes in handy when I’m on the road. Having the U.S. number is key for keeping expenses down because I can IM the people I’m working with and ask them to call me, keeping my phone expenses at a minimum. As it is, the international rates using programs like Net-2-Phone or Skype make it very affordable to make international calls.

Was it difficult to convince your clients and/or boss to let you telecommute from overseas?

Initially, yes it was. In order to make the deal more lucrative for the companies, I had to accept a lower salary. However, living in a foreign country also means the cost of living is going to be lower, so it is an acceptable trade off. The key thing with working remotely is communication and availability. For example, I live in Rio. The last think I want my bosses to think is that I’m out at the beach every day. Therefore, I’m online first thing in the morning when they’re online, and I make sure I’m online at the end of the day to catch anything that happened in between. As a contractor, I can make my own schedule, but it’s important to be available, and more importantly meet or beat your deadlines.

Overseas, do you move around quite a bit with your work, or are you based in one place?

Until recently, I had been on the road. I was contracting for two companies at the same time. One of the projects required me to go to India, putting me 10.5 hours ahead of where one of the companies was and 12.5 hours ahead of the other. That meant doing whatever needed to be done. I explained the situation clearly to both companies, and I made arrangements to be on phone calls in the middle of the night when needed. It’s not the easiest way to work, but it was only for six weeks—definitely manageable.

What are the advantages of telecommuting from overseas?

Cost of living, plus the experience of learning how to work the systems in other countries. This information, if leveraged correctly, can help you land other jobs in the future.

What are the difficulties and challenges of telecommuting from overseas?

Remembering that you do have a job. It’s easy to put off work when you’re overseas and there’s something else that you’d rather be doing. You have to force yourself to hold office hours just like everyone else. Your schedule can be flexible, but in order to continue this style of life, you have to be more responsible than the people putting in nine-to-five in the office.

Do you recommend telecommuting? Any tips?

Telecommuting is not for everyone. First of all, you have to be disciplined. There’s no boss nearby to walk into your office to see if you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. Second, you have to be meticulous. If you’re truly self-employed, there are a lot of small things that you normally don’t think about with regard to accounting, taxes, etc. Small financial mistakes when you are your own business can kill your cash flow and end your lifestyle very quickly. Finally, you have to be flexible. Companies are going to expect many of the same things from you that they expect from their full-time employees. You have to be willing to go the extra mile to ensure that you can continue doing what you’re doing.

Columnist Rolf Potts is the author of Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel.

Send your questions to .