Why work from home, when you can work from anywhere?
After all, you only need a stable wifi internet connection and some courage to step out! While COVID had us all locked up in the houses, when the restrictions eased, it presented a unique opportunity to travel without worrying about leaves. From quaint villages to royal palaces, from pristine beaches to lush green mountains; here are the places that I worked from while balancing my love to travel without compromising on the work.
1. Remote village in Konkan (Dec '20)
Working from a village was a mix adventure. We didn't have the luxury of washing machines, air conditioners, maids, or cooks; which meant everyone had to contribute towards household beyond 9 hours of work. While Jio ensured smooth working with a good hotspot speed, my primary number of Airtel was out of range completely. All calls were put on auto-transfer and had to travel 7 km whenever I needed an OTP! Pleasant morning walk through dense green roads, thatched huts, and the chirping of birds made me fresh for work. Evenings were spent lighting a barbeque or playing carrom, badminton or other games. A memorable working experience!
3. Palaces in Rajasthan (Jan '21)
A couple of weeks in Portuguese style AirBnB, staying with a lovely local couple and feasting on Goan Chorizo was a perfect break. We rented a bike for 2 straight weeks. Evening calls were taken from the beach while watching the sunset and then followed by some cocktails and fish. We stocked up our kitchen with essentials so that our daughter didn't face any issues. On weekends, we hopped from one beach to another. The generally busy crowded beaches wore a deserted look which made the experience all the more surreal.
Enjoying 5-star luxury at the most affordable rates, getting complimentary suite upgrades and the experience of working from the palaces and hawelis is definitely worth it. While a detailed blog covering the itinerary is below, one has to be ready to manage a busy schedule in such times. I worked while traveling for 5 hours in the car and weekends were spent visiting places of interest. Who gets a chance to work on the sand dunes or from the royal gardens of a palace or watching the sunset over Blue city!
Check out the details of the Rajasthan Travel Blog
4. Hills of Nagaland (March '21)
Meghalaya & Nagaland were always part of my bucket list. A week in Shilong and Kohima each was a refreshing change from the COVID impacted city life. Enroute, we also did the Kaziranga national park spending time with the Rhinos. The travel amongst destinations was arduous due to hilly terrain and poor roads. But working in Mawlynnog; the cleanest village in Asia or the fog-filled Garo range or the hilltops of Kohima was memorable. Here too, we were lucky to have great BnB hosts with whom we spent evenings chatting about local culture, politics while munching on delicious Naga pork!
Yes, this all seems great fun and adventure. But we took utmost precautions while traveling, multiple RT PCR tests, daily steam, and a strict mask-on rule. Do keep a close eye on the budget & travel safe!