Naturally, as a freelancer you sometimes want to go on holiday to recover from all the hustle and bustle. That was the case with me too. A few months after starting my freelance career, I got the holiday itch. Doubts immediately arose as to how I could go on holiday without missing assignments or disappointing clients.
It became a decision that lasted for days between 'a freelance translator also needs a holiday' and 'I don't want to miss any assignments'. Eventually I found a way to combine the two and made a checklist so that I could feel good about my holiday. Excellent planning Tip 1 Do you have regular clients? Please inform them well in advance of your holiday period so that they can take this into account. Also state on your website and social media accounts that you are temporarily less accessible due to holidays.
Tip 2 Plan your work well in advance. The most practical option is a schedule in which all assignments are processed and delivered a few days before your departure. There is still room to accommodate any delays in your work.
Tip 3 Use the days before your departure to tidy up. Put your emails, quotes, assignments, invoices, etc. in clear folders per client and copy everything to an external hard drive. That gives you a tidy feeling and when you return you start with a clean slate.
Tip 4 During your holiday it is useful to have limited accessibility. After all, you want to get back to work on new freelance assignments after your holiday. Being available by telephone abroad is usually very expensive and as a freelancer you also have to pay attention to the little things. Leave a perfect voicemail asking for an email address so you can contact us at a time that suits you. Install the handy app of your favorite freelance platform on your smartphone. This way you are still accessible to potential clients.
Tip 5 Limit your work-related matters to a minimum, for example half an hour per day. Listen to your voicemail in the morning, respond to questions by email and make quotes. Read your messages on the platform for freelancers, view the new assignments and respond. For the rest of the day, you and your travel companions can enjoy all the beauty that your holiday destination has to offer.
Tip 6 Haven't you booked a holiday yet? ProLinker recently started working with a new partner, who provides new subscribers with an annual account with a cheap holiday! Existing subscribers can also go on holiday when they extend their account for a year. Do you see yourself taking a romantic walk through beautiful Venice with your partner? Take a quick look at our holiday page now.
WiFi without worries A point of attention in terms of accessibility is the WiFi connection at your holiday destination. Of course I checked in advance whether there was free WiFi in the accommodation because I did not want to be confronted with high costs for data roaming and data consumption afterwards. I blindly trusted the promise of good coverage and free WiFi in the accommodation. In practice it turned out to be a very unstable connection. What is an 'excellent WiFi connection' for the owner of the accommodation, can be a downright annoyance for you as a user. Not useful if you want to send some messages and emails in a short time in the morning. Also disastrous for your positive holiday feeling. Extra tips: - Read the independent reviews on the internet about the accommodation of your choice. Visitors there honestly describe how good or bad the WiFi connection and range is.
- You can also choose to bring a mobile WiFi router. Handy for those who want to be sure of an optimal internet connection on holiday.
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