Credit: Yuri Arcurs on Photodune

“Free” is both exciting and scary, always followed by skepticism. If something is free we wonder what the catch is, so no wonder the “free” in “freelancer” makes us shady people. I mean, how can we say we work if we don’t have jobs, if we just sit at our computers all day…at home! I mean, the only people who do that are lazy bums, right?

Freelancers are the black sheep of their circles, idealist flakes, slackers who embrace laziness, and are sources of embarrassment to their corporate parents. In an article on annoying questions freelance writers get asked, right here on FreelanceSwitch, commenters mentioned what they go through as freelancers:

• A freelancer and stay-at-home mom is asked, “but you’ll go back to work once your daughter goes to school, right?”
• A guy’s wife thinks he’s playing computer games all day.
• An author is excited about showing her mom a copy of her book not because she’s proud of her work, but just so she can show her mom that she works for a living and no, she doesn’t need to borrow $20, mom.

Why do people think we’re slackers for opting for freelance freedom? Freedom might be something we all say we want, but freedom is also highly feared and misunderstood.

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This is the forth article in a series on resources for the traveling freelancer. Jump over to Traveling Freelancer #1, #2, or #3, if you haven’t read them already.

While you’re working on the road you’ll need to keep in touch with your contacts while keeping your expenses low and your load light.  In this special edition of LinkSwitch we have a number of links to resources that will help you out, as we wrap up this traveling freelancer series.

Keep in touch with clients and other contacts

Skype is probably the most popular communications software out there.  It offers free computer-to-computer calls, including conference video calls, and call quality is generally good.  For the iPhone user there’s also a Skype app.  Prices for computer-to-phone calls are not particularly inexpensive but they’re not too horrible either.  SMS prices are decent.

Send and receive free SMS messages around the world (sort of)

I’ve heard many good things about WhatsApp, a paid app for the smartphone.  If you use it with a WiFi connection you pay nothing to send and receive unlimited text messages to other WhatsApp owners anywhere in the world.

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Credit: *sean on Flickr

This is the third article in a series on resources for the traveling freelancer.  You may find the first article here and the second here.

This article is about exchanging work for room and board on the road, which is good for those who want to take it easy with their work or even for writers looking for new material.  There are farm owners, hostel and hotel owners, and home owners who are part of global networks offering room and board to “volunteer” workers (there are also country-specific sites and Australia and New Zealand seem to be very popular destinations).  Arrangements vary widely and the volunteer must do good research to find the right agreement and host. Continue Reading

credit: whateva87 @ Flickr

This is the second article in my series of resources for the traveling freelancer.  You can find the first one here.

Finding Friends & a Place to Live through Hospitality Exchange

When traveling extensively a person starts to feel a bit alone and her wallet starts to get lean quickly.  Measures must be taken to alleviate these negative side effects when living out a dream!  An option for the adventurous traveling freelancer is a hospitality exchange, which is good every once in a while but will interfere with your work if you do it often.  Through sites like Hospitality Club and CouchSurfing travelers can stay with local members for cultural exchange and free accommodation in most cases.

A good experience can end in guest and host becoming friends, while in a bad experience host or guest might steal from the other. For obvious reasons, it is really important to be conscious about safety.  I have been a couchsurfer for more than three years, and I have made several good “couchsurfing friends” through hosting and surfing.  I also have been stood up by guests and made to feel uncomfortable by male hosts.  There are many positive and negative aspects of using couchsurfing, most of which can be applied to similar sites: Continue Reading

Photo credit: Foxtongue@Flickr

I did my first trip as a traveling freelancer in June and July, spending 35 days traveling around Spain and Portugal.  The traveling part was great but the freelancing part was much, much harder than I thought.  I had read plenty of articles about freelancing while traveling but being on the road is a whole different thing.  And so I’ve put together some resources for the traveling freelancer.  This first article is about finding places to live that feel like home, mostly spending less than one would at hotels.

Hostels have been the traditional option for long-haul travelers because of their low price and sociable atmosphere but they’re not known as the most secure places for gear and usually don’t offer the most peaceful of spots for sleeping and working.  They also don’t feel much like home . When the traveler’s on the move for a long time, he starts getting homesick.  There are some options worth looking into where you can find real, welcoming homes as well as potentially friendly hosts who will give you tips and share insider knowledge of their cities. Continue Reading

My mom was chief nurse in an exclusive spa in Brazil and her 3-month stint for quick cash in the United States turned into a very profitable 11-year housecleaning career in that country.  I learned a lot from my mom about being an independent worker but trained through higher education, I perceived freelancing as an option for those who couldn’t handle the challenges of full-time, “serious” work.  I know better now of course and since becoming a freelancer last year, I’m constantly referring to my mother’s strategies and ethics, which won her some very satisfied clients.  I figured I’d share a few lessons, especially with those who are just starting out. Continue Reading