Remote Work by Travelling Changed Me a Lot, and I Love It

I started in July last year. My first stop was Zaporizhia in Ukraine.

Don't think that I chose this city for its history, nature, or entertainment life. My wife's family lives there. Let's say that we went for a visit, but we can still consider it the beginning of everything.

I had so many questions in my mind before I set off.

• Where do I start?
• Will I be able to live for a long time without coming back home?
• What if I get bored in the places I go?
• Should I trust people?
• What if I run out of money?

The questions will never end. It doesn't matter; I already got my courage. As if that wasn't enough, I was trying to convince my wife. She was more worried than I was. Saying that already a few months passed.

It was necessary to stop thinking and take action. When I bought the plane tickets, I could say that I realized that there was no going back.

A task was assigned to my calendar that shapes my entire life, and there were no coming back.

On the day we left, I felt like I did when I went on an ordinary vacation. I didn't even realize how the first two weeks passed; I literally felt like I was on vacation.

It all started after two weeks. I couldn't find comfort the same as at my apartment; I found fault with everything. I sure missed my home, but I couldn't bring myself to go back. I didn't return.

So what has changed at the end of a year? What did I learn?

I live with less

When I was living in my apartment, I realized how many things I own. Did I really need them? Or was it just because I was bored? I'm not even sure. For example, I have so many legos and figures on my shelves that I can't even find a place to put them.

I feel like there are thousands of things in the kitchen that have never been used. Because there were so few kitchen utensils in almost all the apartments, I stayed. Sometimes eggs were fried in a pot because there was no pan, and sometimes I drank soup in glass because there was no bowl. Okay, okay, I admit, I went to the store a few times and bought missing kitchen utensils.

What about the food I buy when I go to the grocery store but then rot and throw it away because I don't use it?

I'd be lying if I said the stuff I pack in my luggage met all of my needs, but I don't need enough things to fill an entire apartment.

After I got home, when I opened the wardrobe and saw how many clothes there were, Nobody could believe I bought them all.

I can't go on vacation anymore

I used to work in the office all year long, and when the time comes for vacation, I will go somewhere for a week or two. Now I can live longer than a month with the same amount of money.

Weekdays are usually busy in the cities where I stay, and when the weekend comes, I prefer to fınd an event like a local. It makes more sense to enjoy the place in the off-season rather than be tormented by ridiculous tourist prices on the busiest days of the season.

Will I ever be able to go back to my old life and take a vacation in the same way?

More to discover

There is so much to discover wherever I go that I sometimes wonder where to start. Instead of looking at where to do what on the internet, I throw myself into the streets. I meet local people and leave myself to their guidance.

I admit, sometimes I find myself in ridiculous places and question why I'm doing this, but life comes with good and bad. How can we enjoy the good and the beautiful without living and seeing bad things?

Instead of rushing from one point to another, I like to walk, enjoying the city. The goal is not to reach the destination but to enjoy the journey.

They are lying to you

Yes, they lie to us. They keep posing as digital nomads on the beach while sipping a cocktail with their laptops. To make it weird, I put the guy sitting on the floor in the middle of the sidewalk in the cover photo. Maybe some people work so comfortably, but I definitely can't.

The situation might have been different if I had worked as a freelance. Still, as a remote worker in a corporate company, I prefer a quiet and comfortable workspace at the place I rent or a cafe to talk comfortably in meetings and sit for hours and concentrate.

Working in a cafe cannot replace the comfortable chair and desk at home, but I can easily say that it gives me a different motivation.

I am not in a hurry, it's time to live

Before I set off, I thought that I would travel every week, if I stayed in the same city for two weeks I would get bored. It doesn't happen like that. In fact, if you travel frequently, it becomes so tiring, and you feel exhausted from looking for an apartment or a flight.

Since I work during the weekdays, there are evenings and weekends left. If we don't forget to take out the routine grocery shopping and training, even a month is hardly enough to explore the place I live. So staying for at least a month, if possible for a few months, gives me peace of mind.

. . .

When I look back, I think that the questions that appeared in my mind before I set off were not things to worry about. But I still think it would be beneficial to come back home from time to time, spend time with my family and friends, then set off again.

I can't stay at home for long anymore, even though I want to. After a few weeks, something begins to bother me, and I feel the urge to go. I guess once you start living like this, it's hard to go back to the old life.

I am writing this article by sitting on the couch at my apartment, but in 4 days, I will pack my things for a new trip.

I will meet new people in another city. Maybe someday we will meet you while you are reading my article in a cafe.

I hope all your wishes come true.