You’ve secured remote work and are ready to book that dream trip, but find out the country is power insecure. Now, you are franticly searching Google for tips, wondering if you can still make it work. You absolutely can!
I have travelled almost exclusively to power insecure countries, with a 9-5 remote job. If you are looking for a care-free holiday, then I wouldn’t recommend it. But it’s definitely possible to do, with a little preparation. Here are some of my tips I’ve gathered along the way. Note that some might be more suitable to longer-term stays.
1. Invest in a Laptop with High-Battery Life
My first work issued laptop was one of those DELL bricks. Although it claimed up to 8-hours of charge, I got a solid 2-hours if lucky! Seriously. If you are doing a lot of web calls, downloading, streaming, or simply have loads of security software in the back-end (most companies will do this) than its going to eat that charge up fast. I have since upgraded to a newer business model. It has 12-hours of battery life, and I can basically do a whole days work on it.
In the event of a power outage, you need to be able to do a full 8-hour day. Often times, in lower income countries, power outages can be city-wide. Internet cafes won’t always be an option depending on where you are. When I was living in Arusha, Tanzania, power would usually go out for a half day. Businesses would rarely run generators, as it was costly. Just things to keep in mind!
Always keep your devices charged. You won’t regret it, when it comes to your remote work!
2. Get Unlimited High-Speed Internet with at least 10mbps
Technically, a Zoom or Teams call can run on 2mbps. However, the video quality is going to be fuzzy and the audio might cut in and out. I am frequently taking global calls, so it’s a must for me. Even if your job doesn’t require that though, it’s still a good idea. On 2mbps, my phone sometimes won’t even load TikTok or Instagram reels.
Big emphasis on the unlimited though! A lot of plans will give you a certain level of GBs (let’s say 20GB) high-speed at 10mbps or greater. Once you use that up though, they will drop you down to low-speed. So just make sure you ask lots of questions and read the fine print.
If you’re traveling throughout Africa, Vodacom is a good provider. They offer decent high-speed plans. Pro-tip: SIM cards actually go in the portable modems they sell. So, you can request to have the same modem plan in your phone. This isn’t advertised though.
3. Research Co-Working Spaces or Internet Cafes
As I said, you can’t always rely on businesses to provide internet or power. However, it is still good to map out key “relief points”. If you’re in an urban center, try to find one on either side of the city to diversify your options. For those of you in rural areas, identify the most accessible mode of transport out of the dead zone.
I have lived in East Africa and the Middle East. Even in lower-income countries, there are at the very least cafes and restaurants that you can work in. Contrary to the U.S., hotels abroad are far more open to the public. Often times, they will let you use there services on a day-use basis. Some larger cities are even starting to create co-working spaces for remote work. Although, these can be quite expensive given there are a limited number of them. A membership is usually required, so I would plan these in advance.
4. Purchase a Generator
I like to stay in one place for three to four months. So, purchasing a generator is actually a reasonable investment (that definitely returns!). On my last trip, I bought a Pioneer Pi 1500 for $300. It uses normal petrol and can run non-stop for a whole day. I was able to charge multiple devices at once. Realistically, you will only be using it once or twice a week for a couple hours at a time. However, when you are in the middle of something really important, it is a life-saver! I can’t tell you how many times the power went out right before I needed to jump on a call. As a plus, most internet modems can also be hooked up to a generator. So, a mobile hotspot won’t be needed.
Make sure that you use a stabilizer in conjunction with the generator. It will serve as a barrier between your devices and the generator to regulate currents in the event of a power surge.
5. Avoid Power Surges
A lot of companies (like Apple) are making dual-voltage devices now. This mean that they accept both 110-120V and 220-240V. I advise purchasing dual-voltage electronics to increase your versatility while traveling, especially if you have remote work. While it’s mostly fail-safe, I still like to use an adapter with a voltage indicator in it just in case. You’re likely going to need an adapter anyways, since wall plugs are different in every country. So, it doesn’t hurt to go the extra mile. If you don’t have a dual-voltage device, then you will need a converter.
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