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How to Answer “Are You Willing to Travel?” (Interview Question)

By Biron Clark

Published: December 5, 2023

If a job involves any travel, you’re likely to hear interview questions like, “Are you willing to travel?” “How much are you willing to travel?” etc.

So in this article, I’m going to walk you through how to answer all of these interview questions. And we’ll look at how to understand the meaning of “travel percentage,” so you’ll know what the job is really going to require before you say “yes” or “no.”

And finally, I’m going to share multiple word-for-word example answers to help you get confident and comfortable with this type of question.  So make sure you read until the end. 

Let’s get started…

Answers to “How Much Are You Willing to Travel?”

If they ask an open-ended interview question like this about your willingness to travel, you should state your answer as a percentage.

For example, you could say:

“I’m willing to travel up to 30% of the time. That’s what I did in my last job, and I know I’m comfortable with that amount.”

They may ask you directly for a percentage, with a question like, “what percentage are you willing to travel?” and you’d answer that in the same way. What does travel percentage mean, though? If you’re not sure, it’s essential to understand. So let’s discuss the meaning of “travel percentage.”

Travel percentage meaning: What is travel percentage?

So what does 70 percent travel mean? It means that the employer expects you to be traveling or in cities other than your home city for 70 percent of your working days. So you would expect to spend seven days traveling or away from home for every three days in your home town/office.

This is a very high amount of travel. In my experience working as a recruiter , most travel jobs are 50% or below, because this is less stressful and more sustainable for the worker. So, this is something to keep in mind when deciding how much you’re willing to travel, and whether you’ll take or decline the job offer . 

How to Answer, “Are You Willing to Travel X Amount?” – Examples

The hiring manager may also come out and tell you how much travel is involved, and then ask an interview question to determine if this is an acceptable travel amount. In this case, if it’s acceptable to you, then you can indicate that you are on-board with what they’re proposing. For example, you could say:

“That amount of travel will work for me. In my last company, I traveled that same amount, and it worked out fine.”

(It’s always good to show you’ve done something successfully in the past. This is the best way to improve to a new employer that you’ll be successful with them, too!)

No worries if you haven’t traveled for a job before, though…

Here’s an example of how you could still answer this question:

“That amount of travel sounds acceptable to me. I have no problem doing that for this role.”

Here’s another example:

“That sounds acceptable to me. I’d love to hear more about the role, and if it’s a good fit, then I am able to travel.”

Make Sure You Know What You’re Agreeing To

Another thing to keep in mind is the actual travel schedule. Two jobs could both have the same travel percentage – let’s say 50%. But one could have you spending two weeks away and then two weeks at home, while the other could have you traveling for 2-3 days at a time, returning, and doing it all again a few days later.

Depending on your family, children, etc., you may be able to handle one of these travel requirements but not the other. So the travel duration and schedule are two factors you should clarify before answering. You can say, “I would like to understand the company travel schedule a bit better. Can you give me an example of how long each trip would be, or what a typical month looks like?” This will help you get a clear picture of what your work schedule would look like before you answer the interview question. So don’t be afraid to ask questions of your own. You can’t answer interview questions like, “Are you willing to travel for this job?” without knowing what the company expects! For example, if they ask, “Can you travel if the job requires it?” you’d want to respond by saying, “How much travel is expected in the role?” You can’t give a good answer without knowing what they’re proposing or asking, so clarify that first. Once you know what the company expects, then it’s time to directly answer their question and indicate whether you can travel the amount they require.

You Can Also Try to Negotiate Your Travel Percentage/Willingness to Travel

If you’re interested in the job but can’t travel quite as much as they’re proposing, you can say:

“I don’t think I can travel quite that amount. The job and work sound interesting, and I’d love to consider the position if the travel requirements can be reduced to 30%”.

This may work, or it may not (depending on the role and company’s flexibility), but it’s worth asking! This way, you’ll find out the best they can do! You never know if they’re asking, “How much are you willing to travel?” because it’s a hard requirement, or if they’re just wondering how much you’re willing to do So give an honest answer and don’t be afraid to make a counter-proposal.

A lot of job seekers are afraid to set limits or “push back” in a job interview, but this can actually make you more attractive to the company. It shows confidence! However, you also don’t want to rule yourself out in an interview. So if you’re not quite sure, but think it’s possible to travel the amount that the company would like, just say “yes” for now. You’re not accepting the job or signing a contract. You’re just indicating whether this might be possible for you. And your goal in any interview is to get invited to the next step in the process… or get a job offer. So if you think it’s even remotely possible to travel the amount they want, then yes “Yes” and keep interviewing!

You can always go home and talk to friends and family and make a better decision about whether this is right for you! You do NOT need to decide this in the interview!

How to Answer, “Are You Willing to Travel or Relocate?” – Examples

This is a slightly different question. But just like with the questions and sample answers above, you should give an honest, upfront answer. There’s no sense in wasting their time if you absolutely cannot relocate. But if it’s even slightly possible, say “Yes” when an employer asks if you’re willing to relocate. Don’t rule yourself out. 

Remember: Your goal in the interview is to impress them and get invited back to the next round – so keep going with the job interview, and ask questions to learn more as you go! You’re NOT wasting the recruiter’s or hiring manager’s time by exploring the opportunity, as long as there’s a tiny chance you’d be willing to travel or relocate for the job. They want the opportunity to sell you on their position! I can’t stress this enough: You’re not wasting their time. I hear a lot of job seekers bring up concerns about this, so I just wanted to set the record straight!

You should now know what travel percentage is, and how to answer any time an employer asks about what percentage you’re willing to travel.

Remember – you’re not signing a contract or agreeing to anything in writing; you’re merely indicating whether this could potentially work (for the right opportunity). So stay calm, use the sample answers above, and be direct/concise when responding in a job interview.

This isn’t one of those interview questions where the hiring manager needs to hear a long-winded answer. So once you’ve answered the question, stop and let the interviewer move on!

About the Author

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How to Answer: Are You Willing to Travel?

Here are some things to keep in mind when preparing your answer.

Do your homework.

If the job description states that the position requires travel, apply only if you’re willing and able to do so. Do some research about how much travel is typically required for the position you’re applying for so when the interviewer follows up by asking how often you are able to travel, you can give an appropriate answer. For example, if you’re applying for a job as a campus recruiter for a particular company, you should know that you’ll be traveling quite a bit during the academic year when you attend college career fairs and major industry conferences.

Find out the details.

If the job description and interviewer don’t outline the travel requirements, you should be prepared to ask. In fact, asking questions will show your prospective employer that you’re really interested in the role and invested in making it work for both parties.

Tell the truth.

Be upfront about how much you’re able to travel during any given timeframe. Even if you’re willing to travel every week, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can take off for London at a moment’s notice. Be sure to frame your answer in terms of what you’re able to do, demonstrating flexibility and wrap up by asking the hiring manager to offer more details on the travel requirements.

Say something like: “I’m definitely willing to travel, and actually love traveling! I’ll admit that I have some prior commitments that prevent me from traveling every weekend, but I’m more than happy to travel every week if necessary. Do you know how much traveling would be expected of me?”

Above all, make sure to focus on what you can do for the company and not the other way around. By doing your homework beforehand, asking follow-up questions and being honest, you’re positioning yourself as a strong and memorable applicant.

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Deal with Multiple Internship Offers and find answers to common interview questions such as  How Have You Displayed Leadership?

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6 Great Remote Jobs If You Love to Travel

If you love to travel, having just two or three weeks of vacation time a year can seem a little bit stingy. With so much to see in the world, a few weeks won’t cut it.

Looking to indulge your wanderlust while maintaining a meaningful career? The range of great jobs if you love to travel spans many industries and can offer meaningful work-from-anywhere flexibility.

With a remote position you may find that, rather than parceling out trips here and there, you can capitalize on travel flexibility that removes many of the restrictions that come with a traditional job. A remote job could allow you to live a digital nomad lifestyle, for example, that’s a more free-flowing way to blend travel and career. Or the goal may be to simply have the ability to take off to another location (near or far) on a whim, without interrupting work or eating up your vacation days.

A  2018 annual survey  on flexibility and the workplace conducted by FlexJobs, our sister site, found that 50% of respondents want flexible and remote jobs because they want to travel more often and have the ability to pay for travel. Other industries beyond those represented below can also  allow you to travel  while earning a living, and working in the travel industry can also be compatible with keeping up you career and enjoying life on the road.

Consider these 6 great remote jobs if you love to travel:

Content reviewer.

Take a break from your travel schedule to review and critique content as an independent contractor. Your professional area of expertise determines the content you’ll be tasked to review. The company is looking for professional attorneys, doctors, financial planners, and others to fulfill this part-time role.

Assistant Assigning Editor

Proficient travelers likely have extensive experience using travel rewards and loyalty programs. This employer seeks an Assistant Assigning Editor to work on the travel rewards team. Collaborate with writers and other editors while you fulfill your passion for travel.

Virtual Assistant

Work to support an entrepreneur 15 to 30 hours per week while you’re on your journey. Help build a business and support a business owner in day-to-day operations and manage daily workflow while you work remotely.

In this truly unique role, you’ll be connected with those who are blind or have limited vision to allow them immediate access to visual information. Perhaps you’ll even assist a visually impaired person in their travels.

Online English Teacher

Work as a contractor to teach English to Chinese students. Depending on where you’re traveling, you can adjust your sightseeing schedule to attend to your teaching duties, which are based on weekday evenings and weekends, Beijing time.

Fact Checker

Will you be focusing your travel schedule in the U.S.? Then this could be a good way to work while you explore. If you enjoy snuffing out inaccuracies and have a sharp mind, consider this flexible career.

Looking for more work-from-anywhere jobs?  Check out these remote jobs hiring now !

Christine Bernier Lienke contributed to this post. 

This is a version of a post that was originally published October 9, 2018. It’s been updated with new jobs. 

Photo Credit: bigstockphoto.com

By Adrianne Bibby | Categories: Work Remotely

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How to Answer Job Interview Questions About Travel

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If you're applying for a job that will require some regular travel, you should prepare for that question in your interview. When an interviewer asks this question, it’s to see if you’re willing and able to travel as much as the job requires. If you’ve  applied for a job  like this, it’s a good idea to think about how to answer questions about travel.

How to Answer Interview Questions About Travel

When answering this or any other  interview question , you need to be honest with your answer. Think about how much you can travel, whether or not you can be flexible, or if you have family ties or other obligations that require you to plan ahead when it comes to making travel plans. 

Know the travel requirements beforehand.  Ideally, you should know if the job requires travel before you apply. If you know you absolutely cannot travel for work, simply don't apply for those sorts of jobs.

There is nothing to be gained by saying you’re willing to travel if you know you are not.

State any travel limitations you may have.  If you have any limitations that might restrict travel, be sure to state them clearly. For example, if you have to be home with your family on weekends, you’ll have to explain that you can only travel Monday through Friday. Again, you should be as forthright as possible in your answer, so you don’t get hired for a job you ultimately have to turn down.

Ask the interviewer clarifying questions.  Questions about your willingness to travel give you the chance to ask questions about the type of travel required. Even if you’re willing to travel, you can ask follow-up questions to learn more about the travel that may be required. For example, you might ask how much travel is involved (if the job listing didn’t state this).

You can also ask how the travel is broken up: for example, will you travel one day every week, or for one month every year? You might also ask where you’ll have to travel, or whether or not weekends are included. With this information, you can provide a more honest answer to the question. This will also keep you from being surprised about the amount of travel later on.

Explain how you’ve traveled in the past.  When answering questions about traveling, explain how and where you traveled for previous jobs. Answers like this show that you have experience with work-related travel, which will place you ahead of other candidates who lack this experience.

Focus on how you can help the company.  When answering questions about travel, avoid answers that explain how you enjoy the benefits of travel. For example, don’t say that you love free hotel rooms or the chance to travel the world on the company’s dime. Instead, emphasize why you think travel is important for the job.

Examples of the Best Answers

Here are a few examples of how to answer questions about your willingness and availability to travel.

I’m very willing to travel. I have worked as a sales representative in the past, and that work required 50% travel time. I know this job requires 25% travel time, and I’m willing and able to travel when needed for this company.

Why It Works:  This candidate uses percentages effectively to quantify her experience and to demonstrate that she is well-versed in travelling for her job.

I’m definitely willing to travel. I believe it’s extremely important to meet regularly with my clients face-to-face to develop our working relationship. However, could I have a bit more information on the type of travel required for this job, to get a better sense of the job schedule? Would this travel be weekly, or once every few weeks or months?

Why It Works:  This is a good example of to ask clarifying questions to ensure that you have enough knowledge about the company’s travel requirements to provide an honest response.

While childcare commitments require me to stay in town on the weekends, I’m very flexible with my schedule on weekdays. I traveled extensively for my previous job and am comfortable with a high percentage of travel days. Would the travel for this job be on weekdays only, or on weekends as well?

Why It Works:  While this answer is honest about the candidate’s limited availability on weekends, it also shows that he can be flexible and is willing to travel during the normal work week – a mark in his favor.

More Job Interview Questions and Answers

While questions about travel are important to answer appropriately, there will be many more questions to answer. Familiarize yourself with these potential  interview questions and answers  so you’ll feel more comfortable and confident during your interview.

Your interviewer will also expect you to have several questions about the job or the company in general. If you’re not good at coming up with questions, take a look at this guide about  interview questions to ask  your interviewer.

Key Takeaways

BE HONEST: Don’t be tempted to misrepresent your availability to travel, thinking that this requirement might be negotiable. If an interviewer asks this question, that’s a sure sign that some travel is expected.

BE FLEXIBLE: Even if there are times, like the weekends, when you cannot leave home, emphasize your willingness to travel on those days you are free to do so.

CAPITALIZE UPON YOUR EXPERIENCE: If you have travelled as a regular part of a previous job, describe this experience to your interviewer. If this has involved international travel and you are proficient in a foreign language, this would also be a good thing to mention.  

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So You Want to Work Remotely: A Guide

As more employers offer flexibility, countries, travel brands and entrepreneurs are stepping in to make working from anywhere easier, with everything from special visas to work pods.

By Nora Walsh

Months into the pandemic, Jess Romano moved from California to Croatia, becoming the third person to receive that country’s “digital nomad” visa when it launched in 2021. “When I worked in the office, my time off — and more important — the flexibility around where, when and how I could work was limited,” she said. “Now I can spend months or years at a time living and exploring new places while working full-time.”

Now, as coronavirus cases have fallen and working patterns are being reestablished, many companies are acknowledging the seismic shifts in the workplace and giving their employees increased flexibility about where they work in both the long and short term.

Kayak , the travel search engine, embraced remote work early in the pandemic, letting its staff set up anywhere the company has a legal entity, which includes 25 countries around the world, and counting. “If we have a legal entity somewhere, we can make payroll, pay taxes, and offer health care. They would just need the appropriate visa to work there,” said Steve Hafner, a co-founder and chief executive.

“We used to always compete for talent on the basis of how awesome our offices were to work,” he said. “Now we compete on a totally different dimension, which is flexibility.”

Companies like Spotify, Twitter and Airbnb have also adopted work-from-anywhere policies. In a report released in June 2021, Gartner, Inc., a technological research and consulting firm based in Stamford, Conn., found that by the end of 2021, 51 percent of what it calls knowledge workers worldwide are expected to be working remotely , more than double the number from 2019.

As remote workers flood the market, governments, travel companies, hospitality brands and entrepreneurs are responding with innovative ways for location-independent professionals to make the world their home. Here, a guide to new developments in the work-from-anywhere world.

Remote work visas

More than 20 countries across the globe offer specialized visas that let foreigners live and work remotely within their borders, including the European nations of Portugal, Norway, Georgia and Malta. Spain is working on a new Start-ups Law that’s expected to pass by the end of the year, making it easier for professionals and their families to relocate there. The bill proposes 12-month visas for remote workers with the option to apply for a three-year residence permit that’s conditionally renewable for another two years.

In Latin America, Brazil was the first South American country to offer a remote work visa in September 2021. When requesting the one-year digital nomad visa (which can be renewed for additional periods), applicants must provide proof of an income source outside Brazil, have health care coverage, and earn at least $1,500 per month or have $18,000 in the bank. Brazilian Consulates abroad have so far granted 197 digital nomad visas to citizens from more than 15 different countries, including the United States, Germany and Colombia.

A popular vacation spot for U.S. travelers, Costa Rica signed its new digital nomad visa into law this August and has already received 27 applications. “We estimate that each remote worker who stays in Costa Rica to work will generate $46,400 per annum for the country, which will contribute to tourism industry revenues, and mean more jobs for Costa Ricans,” said Carolina Trejos, director of marketing for the Costa Rica tourism board.

Thailand’s new 10-year long-term visa , which launched in early September, seeks to supplement an aging work force by attracting a fresh pool of foreign talent that will drive economic activity, explained Janthapat Saichumin, the deputy director of Thailand’s board of investment. The visa is available for remote workers, highly skilled professionals, pensioners and wealthy global citizens who receive a range of benefits, including tax exemption for overseas income, permission to work locally and fast-track service at international airports throughout Thailand.

Those who love island life can set up a toes-in-the-sand office and work remotely from a handful of Caribbean countries or head to far-flung shores of Bali, Mauritius and Dubai.

Companies get in on the act

As part of its new Live and Work Anywhere program, Airbnb is partnering with 20 destinations around the world to create custom digital hubs featuring information like visa requirements, tax policies and a comprehensive list of the best long-term-stay accommodations. Buenos Aires ; the Austrian Alpine region of Salzkammergut ; Tampa Bay , Fla.; Tulsa , Okla.; and the Caribbean have already launched, with more to follow later this year, including Thailand, Cape Town and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in Italy.

“Remote work is where the world is going,” said Brian Chesky, the co-founder and chief executive of Airbnb, in an email to employees . “The right solution should combine the best of the digital world and the best of the physical world.” Airbnb employees can now live and work in more than 170 countries for up to 90 days a year in each location.

As of the second quarter of 2022, Airbnb said it has seen long-term stays (28 days or more) increase nearly 25 percent from 2021 and by nearly 90 percent from 2019.

Sojrn , a new travel brand that started last year, offers monthlong experiential learning programs for remote workers around the world (from $3,199 for four weeks). “It’s like work from home meets study abroad for adults,” said the founder, Tara Cappel. “We scout great places to stay, Wi-Fi-enabled work spaces and immersive experiences centered around an educational theme, which adds an element of purpose to the trip.” Top sellers include Spanish in Medellin and Wine in Tuscany .

Yaroslav Prygara, a Ukrainian entrepreneur, founded Remo last August as a creative solution to hotels’ growing need for flexible work spaces that guests can use during short- or long-term stays. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more people working remotely than from the office in the next decade,” he said.

Remo builds prefabricated mirrored-glass cubes that house work spaces kitted out with reliable high-speed internet, ergonomic office furniture, temperature controls and terraces. The modular cubes are designed to make use of a hotel’s underutilized outdoor locations. In July, the first Remo work spaces launched at Sensira Resort & Spa on Mexico’s Riviera Maya (rates from $385) with four individual offices and one team pod located on the fourth floor terrace with sweeping ocean views. Guests who book their hotel stay through the Remo.Club app receive complimentary access to the office spaces for the duration of their stay. (They are usually priced at $50 per day.) The brand plans to expand to seven hotels in Miami by the end of year, followed by Austin, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Hotel brands double down

Hotels that already had their hand in the co-working game are seeing investments pay off as a global work force pushes back against traditional nine-to-five office jobs.

In 2019, Accor started Wojo , a brand of co-working and flexible work spaces, across its economy, mid-scale and luxury hotels. “ Accor was ahead of the curve and saw this movement coming,” said Markus Keller, the company’s chief sales and distribution officer. Today, it has 400 Wojo installations at hotels in Europe and Latin America, with sub-Saharan Africa in the pipeline.

Wojo work spaces range from shared desks to meeting rooms and closed offices, all of which can be booked by the hour, half-day or day through the website or the app (starting at $30 per day for a shared desk). Longer-term contracts are also available: Shared desks are on offer from $300 per month and private offices start at $500 per person per month.

The Hoxton hotels launched Working From in late 2019 at its Southwark, London (co-working rates from $125 per person, per month) and Fulton Market, Chicago (co-working from $75 per person, per month) properties. A new outpost at the Hoxton Brussels will open next spring with four floors of co-working spaces. Each location is equipped with steady (200 megabits per second) Wi-Fi, on-site tech support, full-time baristas, stocked pantries and on-site showers (day passes for hotel guests and the public are available for about $30).

Also quickly expanding throughout Europe is the British aparment-hotel brand Locke Hotels , which features fully serviced studio apartments, co-working spaces, lively restaurants and community programming (rates from around $200).

Crowne Plaza , a premium brand from IHG Hotels & Resorts , recently released a white paper on “blended travel” that notes 80 percent of travelers plan to tack on leisure days to upcoming business trips as well as capitalize on the opportunity to work from anywhere.

Crowne Plaza properties have undergone significant renovations to create flexible WorkLife rooms (rates from about $180) and public spaces where guests can work comfortably. Its new brand, Atwell Suites (rates from about $215), caters to long-term stays with work areas equipped with counter-height tables, office chairs and virtual-conferencing-ready backdrops. There are also co-working zones and huddle rooms in common areas.

“This new generation of remote workers has the flexibility to travel any day of the week, every month of the year, not just on weekends and major holidays. As a result, we’re seeing a rise in longer stays and midweek travel,” said Lisa Checchio, chief marketing officer of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts . To accommodate demand, Wyndham is launching a new extended-stay economy brand in the U.S. later this year with a starting portfolio of 72 hotels. The company is also expanding its Wyndham Residences collection for longer stays in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (suite rates from $63 per night plus tax).

Remote workers interested in living and working from abroad can turn to a spate of new digital resources for help. Rowena Hennigan , a globally recognized expert in remote work based in Spain, introduced a LinkedIn Learning course in June called Becoming a Digital Nomad ( $24.99 or free for LinkedIn Learning subscribers). The 27-minute beginner’s guide covers the pros and cons of a remote work and travel lifestyle, as well as important details like how to navigate visas, how to tap into the community and ways to decrease your carbon footprint while traveling.

Ms. Hennigan is an adviser for the start-up Boundless Life , which specializes in remote work family travel, providing furnished homes, educational programs for children, and co-working spaces in Portugal, Greece and, come January, Italy.

The Italian start-up Nomads Embassy is planning to launch a new digital nomad visa platform at the end of the year that connects visa applicants with immigration lawyers (legal services will range from $600 to $3,500, depending on the firm). Remote workers will be able to upload required documents, communicate with lawyers and track their visa status in real time through the platform.

“The application process usually takes from 10 to 28 days, but as we test the platform, we’re seeing that time decrease to less than a week,” said Brittany Loeffler, who founded the company with her partner Jacopo Gomarasca. The website, which gets about 20,000 unique visitors a month and has been seeing that traffic increase about 20 percent a month, is updated daily with each country’s digital nomad visa requirements, fees and processes.

Tanja Polegubic, the founder of Saltwater Nomads , a remote work consultancy company based in Croatia, recommends MeetUp for community building, Wolt for food delivery, Discord for communicating with other remote workers, and Revolut or Wise for skirting hefty A.T.M. and international money transfers fees.

“As a Black woman traveling alone, my travel research must always take this into account,” said Marquita Harris, a journalist who participated in Airbnb’s Live Anywhere initiative last year. “I often use The Xpat App , which is amazing for connecting with other Black expats living abroad and getting insight into their experiences.”

Two new booking platforms, RemoteDream and NomadStays , help remote workers find accommodations with work-ready spaces, speedy Wi-Fi and a community focus. App in the Air ’s newest travel tool, Remote.ly , enables users to filter destinations by preferences such as “sea” or “mountains” and find information related to fees, regulations and requirements to live and work in destinations worldwide.

Kayak’s Work from Wherever guide ranks the best countries to work remotely based on categories like time zones, weather, safety and social life. “Once we’ve eliminated the thicket of regulations of being able to work from anywhere,” Mr. Hafner said, “everyone is going to be a global citizen.”

52 Places for a Changed World

The 2022 list highlights places around the globe where travelers can be part of the solution.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022.

An earlier version of this article included a caption that incorrectly described Jelsa, Croatia. Jelsa is a town on the island of Hvar in Croatia, not an island itself.

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Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

How to Take Advantage of Flexible Work Arrangements

If your company allows you to work remotely from anywhere, should you take that opportunity to travel for an extended period of time?

Guide to Flexible Work Arrangements

When Meredith McIntosh and her husband Chris both found themselves working remotely full time, they discussed the possibility of not renewing the lease on their apartment in the Washington, D.C., suburbs and instead traveling for a year, taking their work with them on the road.

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“It was a lot of conversations around the logistics of it all, like good internet, the cost of staying wherever we are, maintaining our car, where does the mail go?” says McIntosh, a technical support engineer for subscription commerce company Recharge Payments. “A lot of those pieces we eventually figured out and decided to make the move.”

In November 2021, the couple loaded their two dogs and minimal personal belongings into their Jeep and hit the road. More than six months later, their travels have taken them from coast to coast, switching time zones and scenery while keeping full-time schedules for their respective employers.

As flexible work arrangements become the norm for a variety of roles and companies, employees who work from home may find themselves with the freedom to visit family or go somewhere else for a change of scenery without using vacation days to do so.

Benefits of Remote and Flexible Work Arrangements

U.S. News recently conducted an internal survey of 200 companies in technology, digital media and financial services. The findings show that of these 200 companies, 77% offer remote job opportunities, 74% offer hybrid job opportunities – where employees are expected to be in the office part time and work remotely part time – and a whopping 86.5% have offices outside the U.S., opening the door for employees to virtually work from anywhere. Only 5% of companies surveyed do not have any kind of flexible work arrangements.

“I’ve noticed companies being more open to hiring talent from other parts of the country, which of course we know is a great way to bring diversity into the workforce because you’re not pulling from the same pool that’s kind of niche to your geographic area,” says Tiffani Foster, a Nashville, Tennessee-based leadership recruiter who has been working from home since 2017. “So it’s actually a benefit for companies and employees altogether.”

But just because a company offers remote roles doesn’t mean every job opportunity with that company can be done remotely, or that “remote” means working from multiple locations, potentially in varying time zones. Before you apply for a new job, you should understand the expectation for remote, hybrid or return-to-office work associated with that position. Foster’s team at her current company was remote prior to the coronavirus pandemic, which means guaranteed flexibility, but not all remote work arrangements are created equal.

“Within any organization, there will be some teams that are fully remote and some teams that don’t have that option,” she says.

Traveling While Working Full Time

If your company allows employees in your role to work from anywhere, should you take that opportunity to travel for an extended period of time? Life on the road isn’t for everyone, and there are some things to consider before taking the plunge.

Make sure your employer is supportive of employees working on the road. Just because a company allows you to work from home doesn’t mean your job is compatible with a full-time travel schedule. So before you start planning to take your work on the road for more than a few days, ensure you get the green light from your employer. Some companies may even assist you in your travels; McIntosh, who spoke to U.S. News over the phone from a WeWork in Phoenix, says her employer pays for her coworking fees when she utilizes coworking spaces in various locations.

Have a cushion in your bank account. It’s important to make sure you have the money to cover unforeseen expenses while traveling. For example, taking an extended road trip means putting wear and tear on your personal vehicle faster than if you just used it to commute back and forth to an office each day – something McIntosh has experienced while driving across the country over the past few months. “Since traveling – don’t get me wrong, it’s been a beautiful adventure – but we had transmission issues that we had to get fixed in Pensacola. We had a tire blow in the middle of nowhere Texas. And we just had to get our windshield replaced … because we got hit by a rock in our travels and got a huge crack going across the windshield,” McIntosh says. “Life still has surprises even when you’re traveling.

“We said we were not even going to consider doing this until we had X amount in savings so we could handle little emergencies like that,” she adds. “And I feel like it would be so much more stressful if those unexpected traveling things happened without having that safety net.”

Make a lodging plan that works for you. While RVs and van life are popular among some travelers, investing in a vehicle like this might not be the best choice for everyone, especially if you’re not sure what the future holds for the vehicle after your trip. When your time on the road concludes, will you have somewhere to park the RV or camper van, or are you confident you’d be able to find a buyer if you try to sell it?

McIntosh and her husband researched multiple options before embarking on their yearlong road trip and found that staying in Airbnbs is the best fit for them. They also discovered that in many places, booking an Airbnb for an entire month rather than a few days results in a substantial discount.

“A lot of times, our rent for Airbnb is cheaper than our rent was in Alexandria, Virginia,” McIntosh says. “We’re about to go to LA and San Diego; they’re going to be more. But it kind of balances out because we’re not paying for water, we’re not paying electric, we’re not paying for trash – just a lot of those things that are additional to rent.”

The couple usually checks out of an Airbnb on Sunday morning and drives to their next location so they’re ready to log in to work Monday morning. They also try to reserve their lodging for each stop three months in advance to ensure they have a pet-friendly place to stay in their desired neighborhood at each destination.

Ensure you have good internet connectivity. It’s crucial that you’re able to do your job effectively while traveling. If your job includes video conferencing and responding to emails, having a strong internet connection is essential. If your lodging doesn’t provide good Wi-Fi, you may need to find another location that does.

“That’s one of the most important things about being remote: You have to have solid internet,” McIntosh says. “Sometimes we’ve tried to work at our Airbnb but the internet wasn’t great, so we had to do some last-minute quick trip to make sure that we both make our meetings, our deadlines and our metrics for work.”

And if you work from a coffee shop or other place using a public Wi-Fi network, logging on to your employer’s VPN can add a layer of security between your work and potential hackers.

How to Manage Work-Life Balance in a Remote Role

Traveling or even working from the comfort of your own home may sound like an automatic way to improve your work-life balance , but figuring out the balance that works for you takes effort.

“You should consider that as fun as it sounds, it’s actually a very steep learning curve,” Foster says of remote work. “I know that I made a calculated decision: ‘This will be better for my work-life balance,’ but I will say within the first year, I think my work-life balance actually suffered because it was harder to draw those lines between work and home.” She found that having a designated place to work – her home office – helps her separate her job from the rest of her life.

“The door between my office and the rest of my house is pretty much that thick line between work and everything else,” she says.

Fully taking advantage of flexible work arrangements at home or on the go involves determining when and where you do your best work so you can give the right amount of attention to your job and your life outside of it. Here are some ways to make a remote role work for you.

Find your work-life pattern. Foster says she’s taken work with her on multiple trips and has learned that a few consecutive days off followed by working for a few consecutive days is best for her. On a trip to Disney World, for example, she says she would go to the theme park the first half of the week and log on to work the second half of the week.

“I’ve known some people who say, ‘I’ll work on Monday and I’ll go have fun on Tuesday, work on Wednesday and have fun on Thursday.’ But that never works, because it’s too jarring, especially being in a new environment,” she says. “I know people have different ways of doing it; I’ve just found that personally, I need to almost prepare myself for work.”

Find ways to connect with other people. Remote work means eliminating the in-person interactions you’d have with coworkers in the office, but it’s still important to build community. On her travels, McIntosh says doing her job at a coworking space is an ideal way to interact with locals.

“You’re around people who live in the area, so they share their favorite restaurants or places to get coffee,” she says. “So while working, you kind of get to immerse yourself in the area while you’re there.”

Even when you’re not in the same physical space, it’s important to stay connected with your colleagues. You should still be as accessible to your supervisor and teammates when you’re traveling or at home as when you’re in the office, and you should contribute the same amount of work as if you were working in-office. Your teammates shouldn’t have to pick up any slack from you because you’re on the road, and your company likely will evaluate whether the remote work arrangement is a good fit . If you do have to be offline for part of a day occasionally to run an errand or make an appointment, communicate that to your colleagues and give them an estimate of how long you’ll be offline, if possible.

Foster acknowledges that while many people are tired of Zoom and other virtual meetings, actually seeing your coworkers’ facial expressions and hearing the tones of their voices on those calls can help build lines of communication. She also encourages building a network where you live by spending time with neighbors who are also remote workers.

“There are people on my block who work remotely too, and that’s a good way to build community and make sure we’re still connecting as people,” Foster says. “It’s easy to become a hermit crab; you don’t ever have to leave your house. But we are people who love and crave connection, so make sure you’re fostering that.”

Take breaks when you need them. One perk of remote work is the flexibility to step away from work when you need to. Go for a walk on a nice day to give your eyes a rest from staring at your computer screen, or run an errand in your neighborhood during your lunch break.

“Use that 15-minute break to kind of disconnect,” Foster says. “If your kids are in the next room, check in on them.” She adds, “It can’t be understated: Get out of the house sometimes. Go for a walk. Go for a drive. Do something else. Just like you get office fatigue, you’ll realize you can get home fatigue kind of quickly.”

This principle also applies to life on the road. McIntosh says that during the course of their trip, she and her husband have stayed at some places for a week or less, and that those stays are more tiring than monthlong stays. Because they’re in a city for such a short period of time during weeklong stays, they feel like they have to go out and explore after work in the evenings, which means less time to rest. Monthlong stays allow the couple to spend some evenings and weekends immersed in their new surroundings, and others to recharge their batteries in the Airbnb.

“At the end of the day, we’re human, and I don’t think we’re built to adventure every single day,” McIntosh says. “You definitely need those days to breathe. We have to be like, ‘It’s OK that we just sit at home and watch a show and eat popcorn and not explore.’”

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15 Jobs that Allow You to Travel

Explore the exciting career possibilities that let you travel while earning an income.

If you have been dreaming of exploring a new city and tasting food from different cultures, you’re not alone. The possibility of remote work has increased as a result of the pandemic, so you can travel and work from anywhere with a good internet connection.

Studies show that those who traveled multiple times a year at least 75 miles from home were 7 percent happier than those who did not [ 1 ]. Incorporating travel into your life can be beneficial for your career as it can foster empathy, creativity, adaptability, and resiliency—invaluable skills in any workplace.

In this article, we’ll cover the different types of jobs that are both in-demand and offer the flexibility to allow for more travel.

Types of jobs that allow you to travel

There are plenty of opportunities to incorporate travel into your career. Perhaps you want to work remotely to explore a few different locations. Or you're interested in a career that allows for occasional travel, to conduct research, or to execute events.

Here are the different types of jobs that can be conducive to travel:

Fully remote jobs

Trade jobs that allow continual or frequent travel

Jobs that offer long breaks or sabbatical leave

Jobs based in a foreign country

*All salary and job outlook data represents median salaries in the United States and is sourced from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (January 2024), unless otherwise stated

Having the freedom to work remotely means you may be able to work just about anywhere with an internet connection. This may require you to be extra vigilant of time zones so you don’t schedule meetings with your clients or colleagues at odd hours. Remote jobs can be an excellent way to stay employed while traveling.

Read more: 10 Remote Work-From-Home Jobs that Pay Well

1. Web designer 

Like many others on this list, plenty of web and graphic designers today are becoming digital nomads, meaning they are location-independent. Whether you’re a freelancer with your own clients or working under a fixed contract with a company, design work can typically be done anywhere with a good internet connection.

Median salary: $80,730

Job outlook: 16 percent (faster than average)

Entry-level education: Bachelor’s degree

Read more: What Does a Web Designer Do?

2. Software developer 

This in-demand career is a great option for analytical, detail-oriented individuals with a background in computer science or information technology. Software developers write code to create or update computer applications and programs, work that can often be done remotely. 

Median salary: $124,200

Job outlook: 25 percent (much faster than average)

3. Cybersecurity analyst 

As a cybersecurity analyst , you are responsible for executing security measures to protect a company’s computer systems. Like web-based designers and engineers, this work can be done remotely. Take advantage of this by working from home and taking short trips, or switching up your location every few months.

Median salary: $112,000

Job outlook: 32 percent (much faster than average)

Read more: 10 Popular Cybersecurity Certifications

As a writer, you have the opportunity to work from anywhere. Your salary can vary depending on whether you are a content or SEO writer, copywriter, grant writer, academic researcher, journalist, or novelist. Since writing tends to be done on a computer, you can typically continue working while you travel.

Median salary: $73,150

Job outlook: 4 percent (as fast as average)

Trade jobs that allow for frequent travel

Some trade jobs enable you to continually be on the move or to be assigned to a location for a few months at a time. Some of these jobs require only a high school diploma plus training. If you crave continuous movement and change, then these may be a good fit for you.

5. Flight attendant 

As a flight attendant, you can travel to many cities around the world in addition to receiving flight benefits for you and your family. To become a flight attendant, you must be physically fit to stand for long periods of time and help passengers with luggage, have experience with customer service, and be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Median salary: $63,760

Job outlook: 11 percent (faster than average)

Entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent and FAA certification

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6. Travel nurse 

Travel nurses are employed by a nursing staffing agency instead of a hospital, which means you can travel domestically or internationally to a new location when hospitals need temporary nurses. To become a travel nurse, you need to be a licensed and registered nurse with at least a year of experience working in acute care. Salary depends on location and demand.

Median salary: $81,220 (registered nurse)

Job outlook: 6 percent (faster than average)

Entry-level education: Associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing, plus licensure exam

A huge perk of becoming a pilot is being able to travel to different destinations. Depending on the airline, pilots tend to have a minimum of 12 to 15 days off per month, called “reserve days,” that are often spent in hotels far from home. Becoming a commercial pilot requires a license from the FAA. Pilots tend to start out flying charter flights and tours.

Median salary: $148,900

Job outlook: 4 percent (as fast than average)

8. Yoga or sports instructor 

This is perhaps one of the most exciting jobs with flexible hours and travel potential. Teaching yoga, sports, or recreational activities like diving, skiing, ziplining, surfing, or soccer can be a fun way to live in a new place. These jobs tend to be popular in tourist destinations—think living in the mountains or dreamy beach locale while earning an income.

Median salary: $45,380 

Job outlook: 14% (much faster than average)

Entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent, plus yoga teacher training or other sports certification

Jobs that allow you to take long breaks

These jobs operate either on a school timeline or a project basis, allowing for weeks or months of free time. Pursue one of these jobs, and use that extra free time for travel.

9. Professor

Becoming a professor usually requires a PhD, making this job a good fit for someone already pursuing a graduate or doctoral degree. Professors often get summer and winter breaks during which they may attend conferences, plan classes, or conduct research. Sabbaticals are typically six months and are available every seventh year, unless the university’s policies allow otherwise. This time can be used toward conducting fieldwork abroad (researching sea turtles in Costa Rica or archival studies in Egypt, for example), writing a book, or developing new programs and pedagogies.

Median salary: $80,840

Job outlook: 8 percent (faster than average)

Entry-level education: Usually a PhD, but sometimes a master’s degree is enough for community colleges

10. K-12 teacher 

As a K-12 teacher, your summer breaks provide a relief from 180 days of teaching. During the school year, teachers spend a lot of extra time planning classes, grading papers and exams, and developing fun activities for students. When summer rolls around, take advantage of the extended break to travel. 

Median salary: $62,360 (high school teacher)

Job outlook: 1 percent (little or no change)

Entry-level education: Bachelor’s degree, plus state-issued certification or license

11. Management consultant 

Management consultants take on projects with companies where they lead strategy and business analysis to improve efficiency. For some consultants, this requires traveling up to four days a week (Monday to Thursday) or being based in a new location for months at a time. 

Management consulting is notoriously competitive because it is considered prestigious, well-paid, and good training for entrepreneurship, at the cost of long hours. If you don’t mind a bit of grind while you explore a new city or location, this might be a good career choice for you.

Further, there is a growing trend of companies providing benefits such as flexible paid leave and sabbaticals.

Median salary: $95,290

Job outlook: 10 percent (much faster than average)

These jobs allow you to live abroad for months or years. Often, these jobs require you to teach, research, or work collaboratively with the local community. If you are excited about a purposeful career advocating for a social issue or an adventurous job reporting news on global politics and the economy, then this might be a satisfying career option.

12. Non-governmental organization (NGO) worker 

As an NGO worker, you may be in charge of implementing programs in countries with developing or emerging markets, usually addressing social or political issues such as poverty, hunger, disaster relief, environment, or peace and security. You might be in charge of communications, partnerships, or fundraising. The exciting part is that you get to live in the countryfully immersed in the local culture. It can be a life-changing and rewarding experience.

Median salary: $74,240 (social and community service managers)

Job outlook: 9 percent (faster than average)

13. English teacher  

Teaching English can be a fulfilling way to spend a year living in a foreign country. Outside of the classroom, enjoy sightseeing, attending local festivals, eating street food, and embarking on adventures with new friends. Typically, a TESOL or TEFL certification is required.

There are many teaching exchange programs, such as Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) , English Program in Korea (EPIK) , and the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) that hire young adults to teach English abroad. Other similar reputable programs include the British Council and Council on International English Exchange . Another option is to teach subjects like history, literature, science, art, or math at international schools, which tend to be located in cities globally.

Median salary:  $57,588 (average salary from Glassdoor)

14. Foreign correspondent  

If you are trained as a journalist or photojournalist, you may be interested in taking your career abroad. There is a great need for reporting on the political and economic situation in other countries. As a journalist based overseas, you have the opportunity to interview and interact with locals on a daily basis to understand what’s really happening on the ground, while enjoying an unconventional and exciting lifestyle.

Median salary: $55,960 (news analysts, reporters, and journalists)

Job outlook: -3 percent (as fast as average)

15. Anthropologist 

Conducting fieldwork and ethnographic research is a significant part of studying the development and behavior of humans and their environment. Fieldwork for research organizations, government agencies, consulting firms, and universities often requires traveling for extended periods. While some anthropologists today are beginning to study local cities and towns to create sustainable social change, many conduct participant observation in foreign contexts for an unbiased perspective.

Median salary: $63,940

Requirements: Master’s degree or PhD

Tips for transitioning into a travel-friendly job

Traveling more does not necessarily mean losing your place in your career. These options offer opportunities for you to continue working while satiating your desire for new adventures.

When considering whether to switch careers or plan ahead for a future role, it is important to understand whether you want to travel with your work or simply have a job that offers more vacation time to travel for pleasure. Here are some tips to help you decide what feels right:

Start small. If you are considering a remote job or living in another country for an extended amount of time, perhaps you can visit that country first on vacation before committing to a year. Or, take a weekend trip nearby to know whether you seek an urban or rural outdoorsy lifestyle.

Understand what type of job works best for you. Consider your lifestyle and family needs, and figure out what your transferable skills are.

Don’t quit your day job right away. If you are hoping to transition into a remote career, such as graphic design or writing, start by taking classes to brush up on your skills or creating a portfolio in your spare time. 

Take the leap . Once you have decided on a financially responsible plan, pushing your comfort zone can be scary. But oftentimes, a calculated risk can reap positive rewards. Try to adopt a growth mindset. It may be a tough adjustment moving to a new city or country, but trust that you can make it work.

Start building the skills you need for an in-demand, remote-friendly job with a Professional Certificate in user experience (UX) design , cybersecurity , social media marketing , or teaching English as a second language (TESOL) . Learn from industry leaders at your own pace, and earn a credential for your resume. Your journey begins today with a free 7-day trial of Coursera Plus .

Article sources

Tourism Analysis. “ Would You Be More Satisfied with Your Life If You Travel More Frequently? , https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ta/2021/00000026/00000001/art00006;jsessionid=1djuiwphlb0fg.x-ic-live-03.” Accessed January 26, 2024.

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MockQuestions

Common Interview Questions

To help you prepare for your next job interview, here are 30 common interview questions and answer examples.

Common was updated by Rachelle Enns on October 26th, 2021. Learn more here.

Question 21 of 30

Are you willing to travel for work?

What to avoid, how to answer, answer example, admin example, manager example, marketing example, retail example, sales example, teacher example.

Community Answers

Depending on the role you're interviewing for, the hiring company may require you to travel for work. The interviewer wants to know your thoughts on work-related travel and how much travel you are comfortable performing. The goal of your response is to express that you understand any travel requirements for the role and that you can be relied on to meet these needs.

Avoid giving a basic yes or no response. Saying, 'Yes, I am willing to travel for work,' is too vague to help the interviewer accomplish their goal of gauging your availability and flexibility. Saying 'No, I cannot travel for work' sounds inflexible and will quickly close the conversation between you and the interviewer. - Instead of giving a flat yes, try offering a measurable answer such as, 'Yes, I am willing to travel for work up to 15% of the time.' Instead of giving a flat no, try saying something like, 'My overnight travel availability is limited; however, I am happy to be as flexible as possible with some notice.'

If you aren't entirely clear on the travel expectations for the role, it is okay to ask questions. The number of expected overnights and the overall travel schedule are essential factors for you to know before accepting a job offer. Most jobs that include overnight travel require 50% or less time away from home. If the position in question requires more than 50% travel time, be sure to consider if this expectation works with your personal life.

If overnight travel is an expectation in your current role, answer by expressing the amount of travel you currently perform and the amount of travel you are comfortable performing in your next opportunity. When you respond, consider providing a percentage or number of days. For instance, 'I currently travel 30% of the time and am comfortable with this level of travel in my next opportunity.' Or, 'I am comfortable with overnight travel up to 10 business days per month.'

"I understand that regular travel is not a requirement of this role; however, I am certainly willing to travel up to 20% of the time for trade shows, conferences, or client appointments as needed. Could you share with me a bit more about any travel requirements for this position?"

"Travel requirements are new to me, but I am certainly happy to accommodate the travel needs for this position. Could you share with me how much travel is involved in this position?"

"In my current position, I travel approximately six overnights per month, which is a comfortable pace for me. I am willing to discuss your travel schedule further and come up with a solution that works well for the company and my family responsibilities."

"Much of what I do as a marketing director can be done from remote work situations. For that reason, in my previous roles, I have not traveled more than 10-20% of the time. With that said, I am happy to discuss your travel requirements and accommodate the needs of this position."

"Traveling for work is something that has always interested me. Could you share more details with me regarding the travel opportunities in this position?"

"As a sales professional, I am accustomed to a great deal of travel. Currently, I spend half of my month on the road for overnight trips. Your job posting mentioned 40% travel time. I'd like to know more about your travel requirements and the preferred schedule."

"As an educator, travel is not something that I have truly considered; however, I am not opposed to the idea! If you could share more details of potential travel requirements for this position, I would appreciate that very much."

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How to Answer: Are you willing to travel for work?

21. are you willing to travel for work.

Written by Rachelle Enns on January 8th, 2022

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How to Work and Travel at the Same Time

• Pam Kosanke

There’s a right and wrong way to do “bleisure” (business + leisure).

If you’re finding it tough to work remotely while on the road, your best bet is to put some practices into place to keep yourself organized and your performance level on track.

• Define what you want to get out of your travels — and out of your job. What would be my ideal day-to-day work life? How does it feel, and what does it look like? The more well-thought-out your own goals are, the less friction you’re likely to encounter when structuring your days.
• Create a structure that supports the lifestyle you want. The simplest way to avoid burdening yourself or your colleagues is to construct a detailed plan. Know where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing the whole time you’re traveling. How much time do you need between transitioning workspaces? How far apart are these locations? Will there be a place to charge your laptop and headphones?
• Overcommunicate with your manager and colleagues. Be respectful and honest. Communicate your availability and average response times well in advance and in multiple media channels (via Slack, one-on-one texts, live meetings, etc.)
• Hold yourself accountable for meeting expectations. Keep yourself focused by traveling with all the accountability tools you need. These can include business operating system tools and project management solutions, as well as reliable devices. Make sure you’re able to update everything regularly and track your progress.
• Travel with people who understand remote working. Explain your commitments to your traveling pals. For instance, you may want to establish times of the day when you need to hop onto Zoom calls or be available for business.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

By 2025,  more than 40 million Americans  are estimated to be working remotely. As such, they’ll be introduced to one of the most highly attractive benefits of telecommuting: the freedom to travel without taking vacation days.

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How to Travel With a Full-Time Job: 6 Creative Ways

Posted on Last updated: April 10, 2024

I’ve been living and working abroad since 2013 and I can confirm there are MULTIPLE WAYS to travel with a full-tome job. No, you don’t need to give up your career. Yes, people will actually pay you!

The pandemic truly made us re-evaluate our priorities and I’m 100% here to help. If you’re dreaming of a more flexible work environment that will allow you to travel while working full-time, I have 5 creative ways to make that happen for you.

In this article, I’m going to discuss:

• Choosing the right travel/work balance for you
• 6 ways to travel while working full-time
• My favorite apps to make working while traveling easier
• Important tax considerations when you’re on the road
• Ways to get sh*t done at work while away from your normal set-up

If you think this path is right for you and you want to pick my brain about your specific circumstances, book a one-time 45-minute private coaching session with me.

Is Traveling with a Full-Time Job Right for You?

Not everyone is meant to be on the road 24/7 so you’ll want to figure out what’s the right path for you and your work style. There are a few important questions to consider

• Will I be traveling alone? Or do I have a partner or family members to consider?
• What countries can I currently work in easily? Do I need a work visa?
• What’s my budget for traveling while working full-time? Can I make less in exchange for greater flexibility?
• What are my career goals? Is there a specific timeline I need to be conscious of?

After evaluating these questions, your strategy should become clearer about what sort of circumstances are right for you when it comes to blending your career-travel ambitions.

For example, when it comes to traveling while working full-time, I have a partner I need to consider – but no children – so it’s easy to take off whenever I want to for up to a month without feeling guilty.

For anything longer than a month, I would need to have a conversation with my partners to ensure we’re on the same page.

However, backpacking for a year while being a digital nomad is not really conducive to my professional or personal aspirations.

I don’t want to be apart from my family that long and this becomes a tax nightmare for me.

You’ll need to decide what type of travel you want to do while working full-time (long-term backpacking vs shorter trips) before moving on to my 5 recommended ways.

6 Creative Ways to Travel while Working Full-Time

If you want to work full-time and travel easily in your spare time, here are your best options! I’ve done nearly every single method so you can trust me when I say – it’s totally doable.

1. Transition Your 9-5 Abroad (Indefinite)

No one ever tells us this in America, but if you’re a skilled person, you can take your career overseas!

Whether you’re a teacher or a Product Manager (like me!), there are international companies who are eager to bring you to their offices abroad!

Currently, I work for a global travel tech company as a product manager. I started working for them in London (in 2017) and I was able to negotiate a transfer to their Germany offices in 2020. I’ve been in Germany ever since.

You don’t need to abandon your career ambitions to move abroad if you’re a competitive person. Visa, Facebook, and all the other international companies have global locations that you can transfer to with enough effort.

Read my article about finding a job abroad here.

Once you’re outside of America, travel becomes naturally easier. As I’m writing this blog post, I’m currently waiting in the Berlin Brandenburg business lounge on my way to Rome.

I’m taking my laptop and I’ll be remotely working from Italy for the next week!

When I was living and working in Beijing, I was able to take off to Hong Kong and the Philippines without much money or planning.

Frequent travel while working full-time is much easier once you get out of the United States; trust me.

As Americans, we have an additional tax reporting responsibility when we work abroad, but don’t let that deter you.

You need to understand that it’s really just a reporting responsibility and only under extreme circumstances will you be double taxed.

Read my article about American expat tax requirements here.

2. Negotiate a Remote Contract (1+ year)

If you’re lucky enough to negotiate a remote contract, congratulations! You’ve truly secured a golden ticket that most people would kill for!!

I was able to negotiate a German remote contract in Aug 2021 and that’s how I have so much flexibility.

So what is a remote contract?

Essentially, a remote contract specifically removes any location-dependent clauses from your work contract. However, remote contracts will likely include a country-specific reference because they need to abide by some sort of legal framework.

With a remote contract, you can easily travel while working full-time because there’s no expectation for you to come into a specific office. You only need to get the work done wherever you are in the world.

For example, my remote contract is specifically a German contract. This means I pay tax to the German government and I get to enjoy the social security and healthcare benefits of living in the European Union.

If you’re able to negotiate a remote contract and want to move outside of the country that your contract specifically references, you’ll need to consider how that will affect your tax liability and immigration status.

A good rule of thumb is: if you’ve been in a country longer than 3 months, you should start exploring if that country expects you to pay tax locally and if you’re in violation of your tourist visa.

Some countries and regions (like the UK) have super generous tourist visa allowances, but tourist visas are not work visas so tread carefully.

Furthermore, if you’re paying taxes in the United States, but haven’t been in the country for more than 35 days, you might be entitled to a massive tax refund since you’re not technically a full-time resident.

Set up a consultation with my trusted tax partner – My Expat Taxes – to find out more about tax and reporting responsibilities as a remote US worker.

3. Volunteer Abroad (2-6 months)

If you’re just starting your career or are less concerned about bringing your 9-5 abroad, you should seriously consider volunteering abroad.

There are a variety of websites that match volunteers with hosts in different countries to do a ‘work-exchange.’ In a ‘work-exchange,’ you’d exchange your labor and skills for food, room, and board.

A few things that you can do when volunteering abroad include:

• Organic Farming (WOOFing)
• Working at the front desk of a hostel
• Becoming an Au Pair (in the EU or America)
• Work as a camp counselor (I did this in Morocco!)
• and so much more!

There are endless opportunities if you want to volunteer abroad, but you’ll need to bring some savings with you as you won’t be paid for this work.

My favorite websites are:

• workaway.info
• Worldpackers.com

It’s also important to know that since this is a volunteer opportunity, you’ll need to be extra careful with your tourist visa allowance because there are always time limitations. You cannot get a work visa through a volunteer opportunity.

I‘ve lived abroad for many years and love helping others find work abroad and figure out their “Move Abroad Plan.” Check out my class below to get you started ASAP!

4. Become a Digital Nomad (1 month-2 years)

Becoming a digital nomad can be super exciting!…. but it can be tiring toward the end lol.

Moving from place to place every 30 days to make sure you’re not in violation of your tourist visa gets to you after the 2nd year, but I would still encourage everyone to do this if they have the opportunity.

So what’s the difference between being a digital nomad and having a remote contract?

Not much actually. I think the real difference between the two classifications is probably how stable the income is. A remote worker still has a traditional 9-5 whereas a digital nomad is often an entrepreneur or freelancer.

As a digital nomad, you have two options when it comes to creating a home base.

First, you can choose to bounce across countries every 1-2 months to ensure you can take advantage of all the financial benefits that come with not being tied down to a single location.

Your second option is to take advantage of a digital nomad visa in a foreign country, which will allow you to establish your tax residency there for 1 to 2 years.

There are benefits with both options; it just depends on how comfortable you are with uncertainty and constant movement.

If you choose option 1, not only are you going to need to find clients and establish a consistent cash flow, but you’ll also need to change countries every few months. This might feel overwhelming to some people; I know it was overwhelming for me.

Read this article about easy countries to move to for Americans to start your digital nomad research.

5. Short-Term Contract (2-6 months)

Contract work is often a great way to gain international experience and travel while maintaining a 9 to 5.

Essentially this means that your company sends you to a different country for a brief amount of time to complete a specific project.

These temporary contracts will likely send you abroad for 2-6 months and your company will provide you with an ‘Expat Package.’

This means that they will pay for everything; which includes housing, flights, a food stipend, and more!

I was sent on a short-term contract to Turkey for less than 2 months and it was a wild experience!

I was able to work as an emergency aid worker and was given a company apartment with a spending stipend. I saved every penny of my paycheck!

If you’re interested in doing a short-term contract, it’s important that you focus on getting the best package possible because you are uprooting your entire life to pursue this opportunity.

For example, these are the things that I would absolutely require if I was going to a new country on a short-term contract.

• My accommodation to be found and paid for in full
• Private health insurance and international medical facilities
• A food and living stipend for everyday costs
• My flights to and from paid for

Obviously, if you are volunteering to work on a short-term contract these things are not going to be guaranteed. However, any company that is reputable will likely provide all if not the majority of the following things in addition to your normal salary.

6. Travel Scholarship (3 months -2 years)

Did you know that there are travel scholarships that will pay for you to study and volunteer abroad for a certain amount of time? These are often called paid travel opportunities.

My favorite way of discovering paid travel opportunities is through my friend’s website packslight.com.

Gabby is an absolute master when it comes to applying and finding paid travel opportunities that will get you across the world at no additional cost to you.

What you’ll need to do is send in an application for the various opportunities.

Then, someone will contact you as a finalist or if you are successful in the application you can expect the company to organize and pay for your travel abroad.

My Favorite Digital Nomad Apps for Employees on the Go!

When you’re traveling and working abroad, there are certain apps that will make your life more bearable as you jet-set across the world!

Here are my favorite apps and websites for digital nomads:

If you’re ever wondering how you’re going to watch your favorite American Netflix shows while you’re abroad, then look no further than Nord VPN!

They will help you keep in contact with all of your country’s pop culture references no matter where you are in the world.

TransferWise

Because I have multiple clients that are international and have outstanding student loans to pay, I need to send money in different currencies back and forth across the world.

The most affordable way to do that is via TransferWise . You can load all sorts of currencies into your account and then exchange them into different currencies for a fraction of the cost that your bank will charge you.

If you’re interested in setting up a coaching business, look no further than Teachable .

Teachable is an online platform that helps me keep in contact with my customers all over the world and they make taking payments easy with the Stripe integration.

Whenever I’m looking for freelancers, I always start on Upwork.

Upwork allows me to hire people from all over the world and their payment protection plan gives me the confidence I need about the quality of work my freelancers will perform.

I believe in Upwork so much, that I’ve been using it for the last eight years.

When I first moved abroad, I don’t think I truly understood how much emotional stress the move was going to cause me.

That’s why I really enjoy using online therapy services, like BetterHelp , because no matter where I am in the world I can always stay with the therapist I trust and I can do my sessions in my native language.

Opening a bank account as a foreigner abroad is incredibly difficult. I’m so grateful that N26 allows me to spend local money in Europe despite having an American passport.

The flexibility of N26 made it possible for me to sign an apartment lease and start my life in Germany properly.

Important Tax Considerations for Traveling while Working

Something I wish someone would’ve told me before I moved abroad was the fact that there is no way to avoid taxes, no matter where you are in the world.

Even if you have a company registered outside of the country you’re living in currently.

If you are American or a green card holder, you are expected to report and file taxes every single year no matter where you are in the world.

But reporting and Filene doesn’t necessarily mean paying additional taxes to the United States if you don’t currently live there.

If you stay out of the US for at least 330 days in a full calendar year, you will potentially not need to pay taxes to the United States government.

However, it is likely that you are a tax resident in another country and will owe taxes there instead.

If you are a digital nomad from the United States, and you don’t take up residency in any one country then you could potentially receive a large tax refund from the US government come tax season.

Use Form 2555 to claim the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.

For more specific information on what forms to file and how to file correctly, head on over to my trusted partner My Expat Taxes .

My Expat Taxes is a wonderful resource and software to ensure you get the maximum refund possible while still remaining budget-friendly.

Ways to Get Sh*t Done while Working and Traveling

It’s definitely not easy to stay focused while traveling and working full-time. Somehow corporate meetings just aren’t as interesting as cenote dives and adventures across the ocean. [LOL]

Here are a few ways I stay focused while working full-time and traveling.

First, be sure you have a good set-up in your new home to do your work. There’s nothing worse than trying to get work done in an awkward sitting position or just on your bed.

Next, some countries are not known for their strong Wi-Fi signal, be sure to inquire before you arrive with your Airbnb host that the Wi-Fi is suitable to conduct meetings and streaming.

Third, check to see if there are any low-cost co-working stations in the city that you’re traveling in.

They often have day passes or short-term agreements so people just like you can come in and work in a normal environment every so often.

Finally, make sure to adjust your work calendar based on the different time zones that you’ll be traveling through.

This is an automatic feature but you have to enable it in order for your meetings to be expressed correctly.

Now You’re Ready to Start Traveling while Working Full-Time

I hope you found this article to be helpful in giving you ideas regarding how to balance a full work schedule with your ambitions to travel.

There are so many opportunities to travel and work full-time, you just need to find the right option for you.

If you want my direct support and feedback on your specific circumstances, schedule a private coaching session with me here.

If you’re interested in learning more about working while traveling abroad, read these additional articles that might be of some help:

• This is how you can find a job in another country
• Here I go into more detail about how to find affordable travel opportunities
• Consider doing a master’s abroad, because you can also work while you study
• Here’s information about how I was able to put it into the tech industry in London

If you want additional support in your move abroad, consider taking my Move Abroad Master Class for everything you might need to know regarding your international relocation.

Thanks so much for reading this post and I hope to see you on Instagram!

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Remote Work Policies Are Changing Leisure Travel

Business and leisure travel is blending in 2022 for longer, more frequent trips.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many of the world’s biggest industries, but the travel industry has inarguably been one of the hardest hit. For both leisure and business trips, travel priorities have changed, making a significant impact on airlines and hospitality businesses.

Some in the industry believe that the pandemic is the most transformative thing to happen to the travel industry since the advent of commercial air travel. One global change that has had a significant impact on travel is the rise of the ability to work from anywhere.

The ability to work remotely has the potential to permanently change the way people travel. As long as workers are meeting deadlines, relaxed office policies make it possible to travel even mid-week. Flexible work arrangements have made it easier for people to travel more frequently and for more extended periods.

In early 2021, vaccines became more widely available, and many work-from-home policies were still in place, which triggered a desire to travel to warmer, far-flung destinations. 

For remote workers based in Europe, many flew to warmer climates in Dubai, Spain, and the Maldives. Remote workers in America have easy access to tropical destinations like Hawaii, Mexico, and many islands in the Caribbean. These work vacations can last weeks or even months as long as the locale boasts strong Wi-Fi.

Travel industry insiders are calling this idea of mixing work and travel “bleisure,” which is a combination of business and leisure travel. Travel trade publication Skift believes that the continuation of remote work and the rise of bleisure travel are the greatest change-makers in travel for 2022. 

Business and leisure travel will blend in 2022

According to a 2022 travel industry outlook from Deloitte, people on working vacations plan to travel twice as often in 2022 as travelers who planned to unplug while on vacation (called “disconnectors” by Deloitte). Deloitte calls bleisure travelers “laptop luggers” and says they will take two or four trips in a year, compared to the one or two trips planned by the disconnectors.

Workers with extended work-from-home policies tended to have fared a bit better financially during the pandemic to increase their travel budgets. These same travelers are liberated from an office, giving them the freedom to book longer trips more often.

In the past, hotels and destinations have become reliant on busy high seasons where the number of travelers peaks. These high seasons usually coincide with traditional, convenient times to travel, like summer breaks from school and the time between Christmas and the New Year.

The rise of bleisure may distribute tourists throughout the year, benefiting the tourism industry and creating a less crowded experience for tourists. 

In addition to vacations popping up across the calendar year, trips are also getting longer. Airbnb shared that in the third quarter of 2021, almost half of the nights booked on its platform were for stays of longer than seven days. One out of every five nights booked was for 28 days or longer stays.

Data from the vacation property management platform Guesty shows that 14-plus-day bookings grew 33% in 2021, with a cumulative increase of 121% since 2019.

Business travel has become less common since 2020, but it has not disappeared entirely. As teams have become more distributed, the need to bring colleagues together for occasional in-person meetings has increased. 

The Great Resignation has brought company culture into the spotlight. There is a new expectation for these team gatherings to be fun, team-building events. Sometimes in-person events occur at the company’s headquarters or in a hybrid fashion, but more companies are splashing out on big getaways . 

Called the “great reconnection” by some, it’s a push to bring colleagues together and inject joy into the work experience. Retreat-planning companies such as Troop and NextRetreat are among the travel industry startups leading the work retreat space. And Salesforce.com Inc.’s Marc Benioff is even considering building a ranch-style resort for employees where in-person team-building and training can take place and feel like a vacation. Managers are working to reduce burnout and resignations, so these in-person events will have a dual purpose of accomplishing work goals and making workers feel like valued members of the team.

Although the future of business travel is still in flux, especially as many companies continue to evaluate their work-from-home policies, many can expect more work trips in 2022. Most of these trips will likely be quarterly visits to company headquarters, but some expect to see more fun and unique off-site events that bring colleagues together.

Hotels are evolving to meet remote workers’ needs

Accommodations — from hotels to home rentals — are evolving to meet the needs of laptop luggers. For those taking a working vacation, home rentals offer the space to spread out and to separate work from play.

Hotels are fighting to attract these same travelers. The hotel chain Citizen M created a membership program that provides fixed nightly rates and discounts on food and beverage when digital nomads commit to a month-long stay. The membership fees are approximately $1,500 a month, which is a steal in markets like New York and Paris.

Hoxton hotels offer special rates for commuters who need an overnight stay close to their office, and a number of hotels — including the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C. — are offering day rates for remote workers who want a temporary change of scenery.

Across the industry, hotels are upgrading their dated business centers and adding a more comprehensive array of office supplies (and printing services) to the standard in-room desk, and strong, reliable Wi-Fi is now a must-have amenity. Some hotels are going a step further and adding fitness equipment and nursery gear to their in-room offers. Hotel developers are even looking into the future and building new hotels that feature spacious suites.

Blended travel benefits the travel industry, and it makes travel more flexible for workers, but there is one possible downside: fewer opportunities to unplug and unwind while on vacation. Despite this, laptop luggers should not count on getting a reservation. Pent-up demand for traveling freely again, or as freely as can be under COVID restrictions, has resulted in an increase in “revenge travel.” 

How to Travel with a Full Time Job

L ooking for tips on how to travel with a full time job? You’ve come to the right place. A big reason for my pivoting to become a travel blogger was to share how I travel while working full time. Since catching the travel itch in 2012, I have taken a combination of 4-5 or more domestic and international trips a year without spending much money or quitting my day job. While scrolling through Facebook, a friend of mine posted this as his status:

Maybe I’m hating, but I’m seeing a lot of people take 4 and 5 vacations a year. When do you guys get time to work?

After informing him that he was indeed hating, I decided to share these easy tips on traveling with a full-time job and maximizing your vacation time. Taking multiple trips while maintaining a full-time job might seem impossible, but it’s possible and rewarding with the right strategies. In this guide, I’ll share my best tips on how to travel with a full-time job without breaking the bank or jeopardizing your career.

Make the Decision to Travel More

This is sometimes easier said than done, but if you want to start traveling while working full-time, you have to decide that this is something you want to do. The bottom line is if you keep making excuses, it won’t get done. Plan out the bucket list of destinations you want to visit, create a travel bank account, and start saving money .

Use Your Vacation Days Wisely

I create a strategic plan to maximize my vacation days when researching ways to travel with a full-time job. I look at the number of vacation days I receive for the year and plan my trips around the work calendar. Working as a contractor in FinTech, I didn’t get a paid vacation, so I worked ALL THE TIME. Most companies provide at least ten to eleven annual leave days (or two weeks) a year for new employees to start, with an increase after five years of employment.

If you work at a company that doesn’t let you roll over vacation days, MAKE SURE TO USE THEM! When looking for a new job, I researched companies that provided good benefits that mattered to me, including enough time off for frequent travel. Fortunately, I have found a company that provides plenty of time for vacation leave upon hire and encourages us to use our days.

Travel During Public Holidays

As I learned how to balance traveling while working full-time, I took domestic and international trips during holiday weekends. Vacation days normally don’t include personal days or the 7-10 or more national holidays. If the holiday falls on a Monday, you can travel during the bank holiday weekend, making it a Friday-Monday or Saturday-Tuesday trip.

I have the advantage of living in New York City and being close to the airport, so direct flights to the Southern US and the Caribbean sometimes take 2-5 hours. Plan your vacations before or after the blackout days if you work in a field that blocks off specific times of the year, like back to school, inventory, tax season, or the holidays.

Take Day or Weekend Breaks

One of the easiest ways to travel with a full time job is to take a day trip or multiple short trips on the weekend. A road trip to the next city or town within your state counts as travel, and you can have as much fun as you would if you were halfway around the world.

For a short weekend trip, I usually book a flight or drive off on a Friday night and return home on Sunday night or Monday morning. I try my best to leave early on Saturday or Sunday for day trips and give myself as much time to explore. Whether flying or driving, I have a maximum 3-hour travel time to enjoy most of my time at the destination.

Schedule an Evening or Red-Eye Flight

I don’t do this often and don’t suggest doing so if you can’t fall asleep on the plane, but booking an evening flight or red-eye allows you to work the whole day and sleep on the plane. If I book a red-eye flight, depending on the destination, I usually land in the morning or afternoon so I am ready to venture out or take a nap after a post-flight shower .

Travel on Extended Weekends

Unless your job specifically says so, you do NOT have to use all your vacation days in the same week. Take off for a couple of days in the week or create a 3-4 day long weekend by taking off on a Friday and/or Monday. Some of my favorite domestic trips, like to Miami and New Orleans , have been during extended weekends, using one or two vacation days at a time.

You can also combine extended weekends with bank holidays like I did for international trips to Tobago , Cuba, and Aruba . If I visit a new city, I use Trip Advisor to see what activities can be done during my stay to maximize my time.

Work Remotely

I can work from home as long as there is a reliable internet connection and I notify management in advance. I took advantage of remote work for the first time during the holiday season in the first year at my current job. My family planned a last-minute trip to Ocean City, MD, and my vacation was denied due to my coworker being a senior employee.

Luckily, my manager informed me of the department’s optional work-from-home schedule during Christmas and New Year’s week. We didn’t stay in Maryland for the full week, but I was able to work and enjoy time with my family for the holidays. Not every employer offers the option to work from home, but it is a plus during family emergencies, cold days, snowstorms, or if I find a great flight deal and have limited vacation days.

Travel for Work

A great way to travel with a full-time job is to get a job that includes travel and go on a business trip. Many jobs outside the air and transportation industries have employees traveling on domestic and international work trips, whether for a work conference or recruitment. A benefit of business trips is that the company pays for expenses. You may even be able to squeeze in extra days for vacation time while there to extend your trip.

If you get a job with business travel, ensure you’re always on your A-Game. You don’t want to get fired for silly things like missing an important meeting or deadline because you decided to enjoy the nightlife or sleep in.

Be Flexible

Typically I travel at least once a season. Some shorter trips are spontaneous, while a big trip to Southeast Asia or a week-long trip to a different country is planned well in advance. When I finally pick my destinations, I check prices on flights and hotels at least 2-3 months prior.

Since I usually travel solo , it is easier than figuring out someone else’s travel schedule. If I find a glitch fare or awesome deal online. I send a quick text or social media post with my travel buddy or best friend and book the trip. You have 24 hours to cancel the flight if you change your mind.

Take Advantage of Good Deals

Another way to travel with a full-time job is to take advantage of flight deals . Airfare can be expensive, so finding a glitch fare gives the ability to save money for future trips. Subscribing to The Flight Deal , Airfare Watch Dog , and other travel-related sites on social media has led me to receive great deals on available flights from NYC to cities in the US and foreign countries.

Traveling while working full-time is a skill that can be perfected the more you do it. You can travel frequently without sacrificing your professional life by strategically planning vacations, embracing flexibility, and leveraging travel-friendly career opportunities.

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Do you have tips on how to travel with a full time job? Share them below.

The post How to Travel with a Full Time Job appeared first on Joanna E .

Carolyn Hax: Can one spouse tell another to stop traveling so much for work?

Adapted from an online discussion.

Hi, Carolyn: I’m writing this as I manage a level of exhaustion and frustration I haven’t felt in a while. (Yes, I’m already reaching out to a therapist because it’s scary.) What right do I have to tell my husband to travel less for work? He used to have a two-nights-every-other-week routine that we, as a family, managed fairly okay (tiring but okay). But now it has become a weekly routine of two to four nights a week where I am left alone with both kids, 7 and 10. I also have my own job — I own my business, flexible but SUPER stressful — after-school activities, etc.

When he travels, I can’t work out, which makes me SO happy; don’t have backup for anything, from taking a breather to being late, to socializing with my friends; the house becomes kind of unmanageable; and, yes, the kids and I miss him a lot. The whole vibe of the home is off.

I get it that all spouses in all marriages deal with it just fine, but it doesn’t make ME happy. At all. Everything about me worsens — food intake, insomnia, moodiness, stress, etc.

Do I have the right to tell him not to travel as much? Most of my friends (moms) in the same field don’t travel remotely as much. Heck, I’m in the same field, and I don’t work past 4:15 p.m., because someone needs to be home with the kids after school. Can one spouse say, “No, you don’t get to do that for your career”?

— Exhausted

Exhausted: “All spouses in all marriages” aren’t relevant.

Your marriage is: Why is it all tell-tell-“No, you don’t”? Did you (or he) skip the part where you started a conversation?: “I’m losing it here, the extra travel is overwhelming to me, so I would like us to talk seriously about other possibilities.”

About Carolyn Hax

If you haven’t said it that way yet, then do so right away. Inviting your partner into the solution is so much better, so much happier and more effective for the marriage, than saying, “Do this.”

If you already tried that and he didn’t take you seriously, then there’s your opening: “I said to you, very clearly, that I am not doing well with this arrangement, and you didn’t take me seriously. So now on top of feeling overwhelmed, I feel dismissed. Please take this seriously — it is starting to scare me how tired and frustrated I am, and since it is your home and family, too, you belong in the discussion about what needs to change.”

I don’t know how much of this is in your husband’s control, short of getting a new job — which is possible, too, but also a bigger ask with a longer lead time and a steeper learning curve, plus a bunch of other unknowns. So you might need an interim solution while you work toward lasting ones.

In fact, the interim solutions might add up to a more workable household: Hiring household help, delegating more weekend responsibilities to him, carpooling and setting dedicated workout times (because you’ve hired out/delegated/carpooled your way to more free time) in combination can be enough to restore some equilibrium. But it’s not happening if you don’t get it started together.

As always, if he resists even this conversation, then your stress has a marital source bigger than his travel schedule and probably belongs in a couples’ therapist’s office. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

More from Carolyn Hax

From the archive:

Dad struggles with wedding toast to ‘selfish’ son

A DNA test and a long-kept family secret

Honey, I’d like you to meet bill, a lifelong acquaintance

A step-parent acknowledges a past betrayal

Unemployed spouse puts chores, hobbies above job search

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Carolyn has a Q&A with readers on Fridays. Read the most recent live chat here . The next chat is May 3 at 12 p.m .

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Singapore says it'll let workers ask for their dream schedule. There's just one obstacle.

• Singapore employees can formally request flexible work arrangements starting December 1, the government announced.
• The guideline is part of a global trend toward workforce flexibility.
• While not legally binding, workers can approach unions for support if requests are not considered.

Singapore's government just announced that employees in the country will soon be able to request arrangements like working from home , shorter workweeks , and flexible hours.

Under the new guidelines, which will kick in on December 1, bosses will officially have to consider requests for flexible arrangements that help workers manage their personal and professional lives, according to a government release on Tuesday.

Bosses will not, however, be legally obligated to meet the employee's request.

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The announcement highlights a global effort by governments to give employees more flexibility and relax in-office policies. The UK, Ireland, and Australia have implemented similar arrangements.

In Singapore, 73% of young employees said they preferred remote jobs, according to a 2023 survey by research firm Universum. 

While the guidelines are not legally binding, employees can seek assistance from the national trade union or their individual union if they feel their request was not properly considered, the government said. Employers can reject the request if they believe it affects the company's productivity and ability to meet a client's demand.

Women and older workers are more likely to request flexible work arrangements, the government said. Women are more likely to work from home than men: 41% of women, compared with 28% of men, worked remotely in the US, according to the 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics survey.

"Flexible work arrangements can be beneficial for both employees and employers," said Gan Siow Huang, Singapore's minister of state for manpower, in the press release. "They enable employees to achieve better work-life harmony, and give employers a competitive advantage in talent attraction and retention. "

Singapore's version of the guideline applies to all businesses, regardless of size. It includes all workers once they have completed probation, the trial period at the beginning of the job when the employer can asses if someone is a good fit.

Having a formal process in place for workers to make requests can improve employees' mental health and work-life balance, Theodoric Chew, the CEO of workplace mental health platform Intellect, told Business Insider.

If early adopters, like government agencies, show that flexible work helps employees without sacrificing productivity, companies will follow, Chew said.

Several American leaders, including Bernie Sanders, Point72 CEO Steve Cohen, and IAC and Expedia chairman Barry Diller, have called for, or predicted, four-day workweeks.

Watch: Nearly 50,000 tech workers have been laid off — but there's a hack to avoid layoffs

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What the New Overtime Rule Means for Workers

One of the basic principles of the American workplace is that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. Simply put, every worker’s time has value. A cornerstone of that promise is the  Fair Labor Standards Act ’s (FLSA) requirement that when most workers work more than 40 hours in a week, they get paid more. The  Department of Labor ’s new overtime regulation is restoring and extending this promise for millions more lower-paid salaried workers in the U.S.

Overtime protections have been a critical part of the FLSA since 1938 and were established to protect workers from exploitation and to benefit workers, their families and our communities. Strong overtime protections help build America’s middle class and ensure that workers are not overworked and underpaid.

Some workers are specifically exempt from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime protections, including bona fide executive, administrative or professional employees. This exemption, typically referred to as the “EAP” exemption, applies when: 

1. An employee is paid a salary,  

2. The salary is not less than a minimum salary threshold amount, and 

3. The employee primarily performs executive, administrative or professional duties.

While the department increased the minimum salary required for the EAP exemption from overtime pay every 5 to 9 years between 1938 and 1975, long periods between increases to the salary requirement after 1975 have caused an erosion of the real value of the salary threshold, lessening its effectiveness in helping to identify exempt EAP employees.

The department’s new overtime rule was developed based on almost 30 listening sessions across the country and the final rule was issued after reviewing over 33,000 written comments. We heard from a wide variety of members of the public who shared valuable insights to help us develop this Administration’s overtime rule, including from workers who told us: “I would love the opportunity to...be compensated for time worked beyond 40 hours, or alternately be given a raise,” and “I make around $40,000 a year and most week[s] work well over 40 hours (likely in the 45-50 range). This rule change would benefit me greatly and ensure that my time is paid for!” and “Please, I would love to be paid for the extra hours I work!”

The department’s final rule, which will go into effect on July 1, 2024, will increase the standard salary level that helps define and delimit which salaried workers are entitled to overtime pay protections under the FLSA. 

Starting July 1, most salaried workers who earn less than $844 per week will become eligible for overtime pay under the final rule. And on Jan. 1, 2025, most salaried workers who make less than $1,128 per week will become eligible for overtime pay. As these changes occur, job duties will continue to determine overtime exemption status for most salaried employees.

The rule will also increase the total annual compensation requirement for highly compensated employees (who are not entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA if certain requirements are met) from $107,432 per year to $132,964 per year on July 1, 2024, and then set it equal to $151,164 per year on Jan. 1, 2025.

Starting July 1, 2027, these earnings thresholds will be updated every three years so they keep pace with changes in worker salaries, ensuring that employers can adapt more easily because they’ll know when salary updates will happen and how they’ll be calculated.

The final rule will restore and extend the right to overtime pay to many salaried workers, including workers who historically were entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA because of their lower pay or the type of work they performed. 

We urge workers and employers to visit  our website to learn more about the final rule.

Jessica Looman is the administrator for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Follow the Wage and Hour Division on Twitter at  @WHD_DOL  and  LinkedIn .  Editor's note: This blog was edited to correct a typo (changing "administrator" to "administrative.")

• Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• overtime rule

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Follow our news, recent searches, ensuring local workers stay competitive is key to normalising flexi-work: gan siow huang, advertisement.

Mixed workforces of local and overseas staff are already a natural part of Singapore's economy and will be part of the future of work, say tripartite partners.

People seen at the Central Business District (CBD) in Singapore on Mar 29, 2022. (Photo: CNA/Marcus Mark Ramos)

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Davina Tham

SINGAPORE: Flexible work arrangements have become a talking point in recent days with the launch of guidelines for employers to fairly consider such requests.

And as Singapore looks to normalise flexible work arrangements, ensuring that the local workforce stays competitive in skills, productivity and work ethic will be key, Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang said on Tuesday (Apr 23).

At the same time, mixed workforces combining local and overseas staff are likely to be part of the future of work, employers' associations said, given the difference in labour costs.

Ms Gan and representatives from the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) were speaking to the media a week after the launch of new tripartite guidelines on requests for flexible work arrangements.

From December, Singapore will require all employers to fairly consider employees’ requests for flexible work arrangements . This is aimed at making it easier for some workers, such as caregivers and seniors, to remain in or return to the workforce amid Singapore’s tight labour market and ageing society.

But some employers told CNA that as managing remote teams becomes more common, they may rethink hiring local staff and look overseas for recruitment, particularly given the difference in costs.

Deep Dive podcast: Do flexi work arrangements boil down to trust?

'Singaporeans need to level up': Companies say flexi-work could push them to hire overseas

Asked to respond to these concerns, Ms Gan said that the competitiveness of Singapore’s workforce was key. Local workers must have in-demand skills and be able to meet business productivity needs.

Another area in which they must remain competitive is their work ethic or “the softer things, like being reliable, trusted”, which are attributes of the local workforce that businesses appreciate, she said.

“These are the … positive things that we have to continue to sharpen for our Singaporeans to remain competitive and to be in demand,” she said.

Ms Gan noted that many companies practised hybrid work arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic out of necessity, and many would continue to do so even without the guidelines as it made sense for their business.

Yet many companies also still hired locally after the pandemic. This was because apart from the competitiveness of local workers, in-person interaction was needed for collaboration and teamwork, she said.

Mr Ang Yuit, president of ASME, said that businesses were already looking to build mixed workforces combining local and offshore talent before the guidelines were announced, and that this was “a natural situation given the cost differential” in hiring.

He added that mixed workforces will increasingly be the case in more companies, and that such “multination” arrangements will be part of the future of work.

Tripartite partners hoped that the flexible work arrangement guidelines would allow local manpower to be more effectively deployed within the companies that require it, he said.

The guidelines “hopefully allow companies and staff to provide that degree of flexibility and agility to target where the pain points of businesses are and effectively plug those gaps”, he added.

Want to WFH? Here's how to ask your boss when guidelines for flexi-work requests kick in this December

Commentary: Why Singaporeans are less likely to quit when they work from home

Mr Edwin Ng, honorary secretary of SNEF, stressed that the tripartite guidelines do not prescribe how or where companies hire, and that these are driven by business considerations.

“I think this is a matter that the economics of business will decide,” he said. “We prefer to let businesses decide what’s best for and what works for their business.”

He said that it was important for Singapore’s companies to evolve in parallel with the country’s economy, and for workers to upskill to harness these new opportunities. 

SNEF’s executive director Mr Sim Gim Guan pointed out that the labour market in Singapore remains “very manpower tight”.

According to government figures, there were 174 vacancies for every 100 jobseekers in December 2023, with the proportion of vacancies for professionals, managers, executives and technicians rising last year. 

“The idea is that the more we are able to increase our capacity, even including outsourcing, actually the more we are able to grow our economy,” said Mr Sim.

IN FOCUS: 4-day week in Singapore – some workers want it, but are businesses ready?

The Big Read: Is 4 the new 5? Clamour for 4-day work week but it may not be viable for all

No guarantee of four-day work week.

Ms Gan and the business associations also sought to clarify the tripartite stance on four-day work weeks, after this was mentioned in foreign media reports about the guidelines.

In general, Mr Ng said that SNEF’s endorsement of the guidelines was based on three principles: That employers have the prerogative to decide whether to grant a flexible work arrangement request; that the arrangements must not negatively impact productivity and service quality; and that not all roles and jobs are suitable for all forms of flexible work arrangements.

He stressed that the tripartite guidelines do not advocate a four-day work week and do not mandate any outcome or prescribe any form of flexible work arrangements on businesses.

“Treat it as a tool to facilitate the discussion so as to benefit both parties, so that there is a way for these (flexible work arrangement) requests to be put through,” he said, adding that companies were expected to continue emphasising a “strong organisational culture”.

Elaborating on this, Mr Ng pointed out that Singapore’s economy is globally connected, and depends on the workforce “being active and being very flexible”.

“I would hesitate if this whole suggestion of a four-day (work week) becomes a widespread culture, because there may be huge consequences on businesses and the economy,” he said.

“To look at whether it’s suitable, I would suggest that we really look at the role itself and the nature of the company, rather than to make it a general kind of culture.”

An example that meets the intent of the guidelines would be if a senior worker wants to retire, but agrees to stay on a four-day work week basis so the company can continue to benefit from his experience and plan succession, added Mr Ng.

Ms Gan said that given Singapore’s labour shortage, it would be difficult for employers to accommodate a four-day work week.

“There might be some companies out there that are able to. That’s good for them, if they’re able to manage their work process, the nature of their work, that they can implement it. So be it. But I don’t see that becoming the norm,” she said.

Employers who can implement a four-day work week for an employee without affecting output or hiring more workers may be able to carry on without reducing the employee’s pay, said Ms Gan.

But if the employee’s productivity and responsibilities are reduced as a result of flexible work arrangements, it would be fair to consider a reduction in remuneration, she added.

ASME’s Mr Ang noted that a four-day work week can take different forms. One that involves shorter work hours without a reduction in pay would not work for most businesses, and the request would be “flatly rejected”.

Companies have to assess the flexible work arrangement requests that they receive within certain boundaries of productivity and effectiveness, he said, but in the longer term, there are many options in performance management and job design to consider.

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