How to work remotely & travel abroad: The HR manager-approved approach

If you want to travel the world while maintaining exceptional performance at your remote job, presenting your human resources (HR) manager with your thoughtful and clearly documented plan can earn their approval and maximize the benefits of your travels. 

By researching, preparing, and communicating with your employer all the ways in which you’ll stay:

• Available
• Productive
• Safe

… you can seamlessly work remotely from practically anywhere.

In the past couple years, I spent two separate months abroad (in Costa Rica and Peru) while fulfilling my role as Liquibase’s Human Resources Manager. I wholeheartedly believe in the personal and professional value of travel and exploration. I also understand the importance of supporting coworkers, teams, customers, and the business at large without disruption. 

Taking a vacation improves the health of your mind, body, and soul while also boosting your confidence, creativity, productivity, and problem-solving abilities. Policies like flexible paid time off (PTO), remote work, and home office allowances help employees at Liquibase (and other companies that embrace benefits like these) easily shift into vacation mode and find additional time to embrace other parts of their lives.  

There’s immense opportunity for personal and professional growth when you step out of your comfort zone to live and work in a far-flung environment. 

As one of our HR leaders, it’s my job to ensure a healthy work/life balance while supporting our company’s lofty goals. The best-case scenario when working remotely abroad is that coworkers don’t even realize you’re in another country – your standard of work and availability are maintained as if you were right next door. 

Working from a coffee shop or while on the road – that’s pretty simple. Traveling to the other side of the world for a month and working from an Airbnb? Actually, that’s no big deal, as long as you follow this advice. 

Get employer, HR, & manager approval

There’s no need to hide behind a VPN and virtual background of your home office if you have your employer’s support and approval to travel abroad while working remotely. The goal is to demonstrate how you’ll maintain your exceptional working standards no matter where you land. 

At Liquibase, employees become eligible for this kind of travel benefit after nine months. Your company may or may not have such a policy, but requesting or confirming eligibility would be the first step. 

The key to getting approval from your team and HR is a comprehensive documentation of your request and how you’ll fulfill your duties without disruption. 

Creating your remote work-travel approval request

Compile an official document that keeps track of everything your employer needs to know about your travel period. You’ll want to include details about:

• Eligibility
• Trip summary
• Travel timeline (dates)
• Location(s)
• Travel Advisory Level
• Lodging details
• Working hours during the trip
• PTO you will be taking (or requesting) during the trip
• Internet access and IT security
• Personal security
• Pre-selected co-working spaces

When you present your documentation to your manager and HR team, be prepared to provide further details or go back and gather additional research to earn their confidence. You’ll also need to be savvy on any legal, tax, or visa requirements for the destination you choose, as well as health insurance caveats. 

Additionally, you can propose proactive solutions to other possible issues like:

• Local infrastructure challenges (power or internet, etc.)
• Time zone differences
• Team communication
• Company event or scheduling conflicts
• [any more to add??]

Essentially, you want to highlight your performance historically and how you’ll ensure there are no disruptions while you embrace the benefits of travel and remote-first workplaces.  

Ensure reliable internet (multiple options)

Staying connected to work means getting online when and where you need to, without delay or disruption. You need speeds of at least 25 Mbps – but ideally more in the range of 100+ Mbps – to handle video calls, file sharing, and the rest of your digital work-life. If your job is more data-intensive, determine what your personal minimum speed would be. 

I highly recommend getting the vacation rental host to run a simple internet speed test and send you the screenshot to confirm. 

Research additional options for internet access in your travel destination, too, plus any local infrastructure issues to consider. Before traveling to work remotely from Costa Rica, I learned how common rolling blackouts could be, so I booked lodging with a backup generator and dual Wi-Fi networks. If I had lost power, that would have kept me online. 

While your smartphone’s hotspot is another viable option for backup internet, you should also line up a few go-to co-working spaces within an easy commute from your local base. 

Consider your time zone

My company’s headquarters in Austin, TX, falls in the Central Time zone (UTC/GMT -5 hours), so I chose destinations also in that zone. This allowed me to explore completely different cultures – Costa Rican and Peruvian – while my schedule stayed aligned with my team’s back home. 

That doesn’t mean you necessarily need to limit yourself to traveling only directly North or South, within the same zone. It just means you need to prepare accordingly. While it’s common to have teams working across Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Time (which opens up destinations from Alaska to Argentina), you’ll have to schedule late-night or early-morning shifts if you want to spend the month in Tokyo or London. 

While the flexible nature of working remotely can accommodate global schedules, you’ll want to consider how adhering to a U.S. time zone impacts your experience in the foreign country. It’s just one element of travel-work-life balance to consider, but one that could potentially make or break your trip. 

Plan out your work-life balance

I love to work remotely while traveling abroad for about a month, which allows me to immerse myself in the local culture. I typically stick to a single destination for the majority of the trip to minimize the stress and risk of extra travel planning. This approach also allows me to slow down, embrace the pace of the neighborhood, and settle into a healthy work-life balance seasoned by the sights, sounds, and tastes of my new surroundings. 

I try to stay outside of busy tourist regions and instead live a somewhat “normal” everyday life while discovering the stores, cafes, and people of the region. This slower-paced location also helps me keep focus on work during the day, blending into the normal routine of the locals. 

Your preferences might vary – maybe you want to pack in three or four smaller trips while working from a home base. Or, you might reserve multiple vacation rentals to spend a week here, week there. The added complexity can disrupt your work-life balance, though, so consider how much of your trip you want to spend in-transit rather than working and exploring. 

Regardless of how you schedule your overall trip, avoid slipping into vacation mentality. Just as if I was at home in Texas, I schedule my day trips and other adventures during off-hours and set clear boundaries that protect both productivity and personal time. 

Get the right gear for the location

Most of the work-travel advice out there will remind you to bring international chargers and adapters to keep your phone and laptop powered up, plus an international data plan and a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. Even if you speak the local language, a handy translation app is good, too. 

But you also need to think location-specific. 

For example, when I traveled to work remotely from Costa Rica, I brought a waterproof laptop case. Coming from a dry region, I typically don’t have to worry about heavy rain and humidity. Ensuring my work-essential devices stay protected was another way to build confidence in the trip – for myself and my employer. 

Think beyond your workspace, too. When I traveled to Cusco, Peru, packing altitude sickness medicine, layered clothing, and local currency kept my travels convenient and comfortable. Research the destination and read stories from others who have worked in the region to uncover the unique items you won’t want to forget. 

Stay safe

We’ve talked plenty about staying available and productive while working remotely while traveling, but you also need to prioritize personal safety. Don't leave unless you and your employer feel confident about your comfort and safety. Consider natural disasters and local weather, but also political and cultural differences. 

As a solo female traveler, I built confidence by researching safe destinations and connecting with other digital nomads in the area or with nearby experiences. I also reached out to Liquibase’s IT team to ensure the safety and security of company data, since I’d be taking my laptop beyond borders. 

Where will you work next?

Remote work offers the incredible freedom to explore the world while maintaining your professional commitments and career trajectory. By researching the nuances of your destination, documenting your plan, earning approval, and maintaining productivity, you’ll gain life-changing cultural experiences while supporting your team, customers, and company. 

At Liquibase, we value the personal and professional growth that comes from these experiences and enthusiastically support employees who take advantage of the unique benefit.  It’s one of the many ways we’re distributed by design, a company built for the modern age of remote work. 

Join us on the journey

Whether you’re a seasoned remote worker or just dipping your toes into the digital realm, we invite you to join us! Explore our job openings.