The flexibility to work from anywhere takes on many different forms. While some people choose to use their workplace freedom conservatively by working from home, others seize the opportunity to explore their mobility and quite literally go halfway across the world.
Jimmi, Mike, and Larry are three entrepreneurs who have taken advantage of the global coworking movement and the abundance of virtual communication tools. Each of their experiences and interpretations are unique and prove that whether you’re looking to explore the entire world or to travel one city a time – you can have it all.
THE SHORT TERM TRAVELER – 3 MONTHS
Jimmi Heiserman is a flash web and game design freelancer, and the developer of Quadradius. He is no stranger to coworking and has worked out of a variety of spaces all around the US including Citizens Space in San Francisco, Workabr in Boston, Hive 4A in Allentown Pennsylvania and Indy Hall in Philadelphia.
In January of 2012, Jimmi decided to test the true limits of his flexibility as a mobile professional by spending 3 months working and living in Tokyo, Japan – a city, culture and language that was completely foreign to him. Jimmi knew that his trip would have two purposes: to get work done and to experience the city of Tokyo and its people. He felt that if he was going to be spending between 6 to 10 hours a day working, he wanted to do it alongside others, so that something as simple as taking a lunch break could be a vacation.
Ultimately Jimmi found Tokyo to be a very welcoming coworking community through which he made friends very quickly. Jimmi met programmers, entrepreneurs, restaurant owners, cucumber farmers, English ESL teachers, public relations professionals, record producers and a yoyo world champion - all while coworking.
THE LONG TERM TRAVELER – ONE YEAR+
Mike Rheaume is currently a nomadic coworking entrepreneur and co-founder of SnapKnot. He and his girlfriend are traveling across Europe for the next year (at least) while running their online businesses from remote hotspots like coworking spaces and their monthly Airbnb rentals. When planning his trip, Mike had counted on using coworking spaces throughout his travels. He explained, “it improves the way I work no matter where I am. I tend to be more productive working out of a coworking space than I am working from home or in a coffee shop. Just as importantly, it's a great way to meet new, interesting and smart people working on projects that I wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to. I saw it as an opportunity to meet people in a new place.”
THE BUSINESS TRAVELER
Larry Yu is the Managing Director and co-founder at Kite Global Advisors, and travels between Boston – New York – and London on a regular basis. He’s worked out of spaces such as the Grind in New York City, Workbar in Boston and The Cube in London. When he travels, Larry always looks for coworking spaces, even if he doesn’t always have the opportunity to use them. For Larry, “knowing I have the option of coworking if I really need to crank out a project is valuable for peace of mind, even if I don’t end up taking advantage of it.” Larry primarily uses coworking spaces to get work done in between meetings. For more extensive, month-long trips to London that mix business with pleasure, these spaces provide an invaluable separation from holiday distractions and a place to focus and get work done.
