Tech secrets for successfully working overseas

Two years ago, I spent a month in Paris with the intention of working part-time. It was an experiment, and I documented my experiences in this column. With a nine-hour time difference, I was able to sightsee during the day and work in the evenings. The experiment was a great success. So, now I am on my way to Seville, Spain, for the month of May.

My travel colleague and I learned a few lessons on a previous work trip to Paris and we’ve made sure to pay attention to important details this time around as a result:

• We scheduled no appointments for the first few days. Jet lag is real. It’s better to give ourselves time to adjust than to invite problems.

• We chose an apartment with superior, high-speed DSL internet. Our place in Paris had internet, but it was frequently slow and we could only use it in the living room.

• We did not schedule ourselves for any large projects. Working from Europe is wonderful, but it’s more fun to explore. It’s unrealistic to expect that we’ll do more than keep up.

We each are carrying essentially the same tools as two years ago: laptop, iPad and iPhone. Technology marches on, so there are some differences.

• My laptop is a thin, lightweight, new Dell. It has a terabyte of storage and runs super fast.

• Instead of TRX’s VoIP, my RIA firm’s phone system has been configured for use as a soft phone. I haven’t used it yet, but my IT guy says it will work fine, and I trust him.

• My cell carrier offered a new deal for travel this year. For $10 a day, I can use my iPhone just like at home, which means unlimited phone calls and texts with a huge data allowance. With this plan, I’m not sure I will even need the soft phone, but better safe than sorry.

We’ll be landing in Madrid soon, then on our way to Seville. I will keep you posted!

Sheryl Rowling is head of rebalancing solutions at Morningstar Inc. and principal at Rowling & Associates. She considers herself a non-techie user of technology.