DIGITAL NOMAD
East coast to west coast
It has nearly taken me a year to get around to writing this blog post, and since we only have about one week left of 2021 I thought I better recap one of the highlights of my year - working remotely.
In January this year my partner and I packed up our lives and began the long drive across the country. For those of you who don’t know how long the drive across Australia is, almost the whole of Europe can fit inside of Australia, it’s a long drive! In order for me to pull this trip off while continuing to work, I contacted my clients and let them know I was re-locating from Brisbane to Perth and that I would be working while we navigated border restrictions as we worked our way across the country. I also advised my clients that I may not be reachable all the time during the trip due to a lack of internet reception and some long days on the road.
This was going to be my first time experiencing being a “digital nomad” within my business. What is a digital nomad you may ask? It means you are location-independent and use technology to perform your job while living a nomadic lifestyle. This was something I have always wanted to do, as one of the goals for my business is to eventually work from any country in the world - Japan, Switzerland, Iceland, Canada, Italy…. the list goes on. So this was a good test to see if I actually liked working remotely and if it was possible to have a good balance of exploring and working.
This was the route we took (we had to avoid Victoria due to covid restrictions at the time):
Brisbane, QLD → Dubbo, NSW
Dubbo, NSW → Cockburn, SA
Cockburn, SA → McClaren Vale, SA
McClaren Vale, SA → Port Elliot, SA
Port Elliot, SA → Ceduna, SA
Ceduna, SA → Norseman, WA
Norseman, WA → Esperance, WA
Esperance, WA → Perth, WA
As you can see there was a lot of driving on our trip (more than 6,000km). When it was my partners turn to drive I took the opportunity to catch up on some business admin in the passenger seat - replying to emails, invoicing, phone calls, mood-boarding and small design tweaks. Luckily I don’t get car sick, so for me driving can be quite a productive time (however it’s defiantly too bumpy and difficult for large design work or illustrations).
One of my favourite things to do is to check out new cafes, which lucky for me cafes are one of the better places to work from when you’re working on the road. You can grab a coffee, plug your laptop in and use the internet connection all while enjoying new surroundings. Usually there is a comfy chair, a flat surface to put your laptop or i-pad on, good lighting and a constant supply of food. Working from a cafe was also a great opportunity to charge my million and one technology items (camera, drone, phone, laptop, i-pad & watch) the list goes on.
However, working remotely is not always glamourous. Some of the more unique places I worked was on my fold out camping table and chairs next to my tent on a 40 degree day, or lying in my sleeping bag at night with a beanie on. They definitely weren’t ergonomic working spaces. Luckily a few of the camp grounds I stayed at had camp kitchens with with air-con (a life saver) and power points, which is all you need in order to get some work done.
Some days of being a digital nomad would consist of eight or more hours of driving and other days would be filled with exploring beaches, towns and wild life, which meant I had to get work done in the evening. This is when I would usually try and plan ahead and book an Airbnb or a hotel, so I could work in comfort and get some of the bigger design projects done.
Overall I managed to keep on top of my work, all while maintaining a good balance of client work and travel. I always prioritised work deadlines over travel, and kept my clients updated with their projects along the way. The most challenging thing I found being a digital nomad was keeping everything charged all the time and having a constant supply of internet, as without those two things you can’t work or contact your clients. I would defiantly try being a digital nomad again, and I am looking forward to seeing what opportunities 2021 brings.
I had a lot of people asking if I could provide a list of places I visited on my trip. So below I have put together a list of my favourite places I visited and some must see tourist spots.
TOP PLACES TO VISIT:
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
McClaren Vale
* Down the rabbit hole cellar door & Source of love- run by the stunning Elise Cook
* Cube D’arenberg Winery - You can also check out a Salvador Dali exhibition at the site
* Manna Cafe - Cute cafe to work from
Adelaide
* Sellecks beach (Incredible views)
* Port Willunga - Beach caves *for all those insta photos
* Terra and Sol - Cute cafe to work from
Hahndorf - Just a short drive from Adelaide you will find this cute German town filled with German architecture, artisanal food, gingerbread coffees and so much history
Port Elliot
Port Elliot on the Fleurieu peninsula is one of the cutest towns in South Australia filled with cafes, delicious bakeries, homewares and fashion stores on the beach.
* @yeohaus.coffeehole - Cute outdoor cafe you can work from
Barossa Valley
* @seppeltsfield - Stunning winery in the Barossa Valley
Eyre Peninsula
* Coffin Bay National Park (is a must) - Soft sand, oysters, wildflowers & camp grounds
* Murphy’s Haystacks - Incredible part of nature
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Esperance
* Esperance Chalet Village - Stunning a-frame accommodation
* Downtown Espresso Bar - Cute cafe to grab a coffee and set up work for the morning
* Twilight Beach - One of the most incredible beaches
Cape le Grand
* Lucky Bay beach - Great camping location and kangaroos on the beach
* Frenchman’s Peak - Easy mountain to climb with a great view
Perth
* Citadines Hotel - Hotel you can stay in with your dog in Perth
