I just got back from two weeks in sunny Bali and wanted to write a quick and dirty post on the main productivity takeaways from our trip.
What are your tips for more productive travels? Let me know in the comments!
Here we go…
1. Save blog posts for offline reading.
Inevitably when you travel, there are going to be occasions when you need to kill some time and you don't have an Internet connection to keep you entertained. Before we left I saved a bunch of articles from my Pocket account for offline reading. I did this by saving them to my Evernote account and tagging them with “offline reading”. I'm a premium user, which means I can use Evernote offline and download notes to my iPad.
Another way you could do this is with Pocket itself. I'm not a Premium Pocket user but there is a way to save articles for offline reading within Pocket.
2. Take a USB hub
Unfortunately I didn't do this. But I've already bought one in preparation for future travels. International plug adapters are expensive, so instead of loading up on these, just take one USB hub and one travel adaptor with you. Then you can charge multiple devices in one go.
Because so many of the devices we had with us (GoPro, Kindle, phones, iPads) charge via USB this would have been a god send.
3. Chill on the email
Don't worry about email piling up in your inbox. You're on holiday, so relax.
I simply made a point of jumping into my inbox every 2-3 days to respond to anything important. This was a nice way of taking a break from the midday sun (which was painfully hot at times).
Simply explain to people that you're on holiday and apologies for any delay in your response. At the end of the day, don't let email ruin your trip. By all means keep an eye on it so there isn't a mountain of work to do when you get back, but take it easy.
4. Plan blog updates advance
(This isn't going to be relevant for everyone, skip ahead if you want)
I wanted to make sure I still had blog content going up on my website while I was away. I wrote a couple of posts in advance and prepared all of the featured images and things I would need ahead of time. Then during the drip I simply needed to login to my website and hit publish. Easy as!
By planning in advance you to can make sure that your absence has the least impact on your work.
5. Pack your suitcase using the clown car method
I've used this method of packing for my last few trips and it's by far the best way to fit more into your suitcase without squashing or creasing all your stuff.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJvpOOjXkow]Watch the video and refer to it next time you pack your suitcase.
6. Digitise your important documents
Before we left, I scanned and saved our travel itinerary to my Evernote account. So no matter where we were, or if we lost our travel documents, I had a copy of our itinerary and passports, just in case.
Fortunately we didn’t need this. But it’s better to be safe than sorry.
7. Relax!
Above all else, make sure you use the time to relax and recharge your batteries. You work hard during the rest of the year; use this time to get some be lazy, get some extra sleep and stop worrying about being productive.
What are your tips for more productive travels? Let me know in the comments!