If You Could Write From Anywhere In The World, Would You?

By Dan Smith

One of the most attractive benefits of freelance writing is the ability to be completely location independent.

It’s not one of the benefits that first attracted me to freelance writing, but the more times goes by, the more it becomes appealing. I mean, can you imagine one day waking up in New York, firing up your laptop to carry out some work, before jumping on a plane and starting to do work again in Paris 12 hours later?

In a few weeks, I’m heading off on holiday and although I’m not aiming to carry out any type of work for the two weeks I’m away, things have been a little hectic lately and it has crossed my mind a few times in the last couple days that I could potentially take my laptop with me. I don’t have to work everyday, but having it there to be able to open up every few days, check my e-mails and catch up on some bits and pieces is tempting — if not for the fact it will ensure I don’t have a few hundred e-mails to come back to.

But then I thought about the reality of this. Am I just humouring myself thinking I’d work when I was away?

I always say that people need full breaks from work and this holiday is the first lengthy break I’ve had in 18 months. Yes, we’ve had the odd weekend away and I took time off over Christmas, but this fortnight holiday will be the first ‘real holiday’ we’ve had since early 2011.

It’s because of this why when I think about the reality of working whilst away, I don’t think I’d do it. I don’t think I have the discipline to tear myself away from relaxing on a beach. I’m strict with myself when I’m working normally, but I’m not certain I could wake up one day and decide to do work.

And I guess this is the reason why as much as it could be great, I don’t think I could be location independent. I talked a while ago about how I found the transition from salaried role to full-time freelance more difficult than I first thought it would be and although I’ve grown to love it, I’m not 100% sure I could trust myself to work as much as was needed if I was travelling around the world.

Imagine if I decided to work whilst I was away in the next few weeks. It would mean that I wouldn’t be as pressed to get up-to-date with all of my work before I go, but it would mean I have to work whilst I’m away. There would be no two ways about it — even if the weather is absolutely glorious each and every day and my friends and family are off enjoying their holiday, I would have to work.

If you were in this situation, do you think you could it? I honestly don’t think I could.