One Step Closer: Build Your Work-from-Anywhere Toolkit Before You Pack a Bag
Dreaming of a remote lifestyle? Here’s one smart step to take before you book a flight: build your work-from-anywhere tech toolkit so you’re ready for anything.
Welcome to One Step Closer, a no-fluff series to help you take small, intentional steps toward a location-independent life—without burning out or starting over.
When I found myself staring down a deadline from a rural house rental in Nicaragua with no wifi or cell signal, I realized something: I hadn’t actually built a work-from-anywhere setup.
I’d just attempted to relocate my home office and hoped for the best.
I had the wrong local SIM for that region. No vehicle to get to the nearest town. No idea if there were cafes anywhere nearby (there were not). Just a sinking feeling and a half-written document sitting there in the cloud.
Today’s step is not glamorous, but it’s powerful.
Set Up Your Work-from-Anywhere Toolkit (Before You Leave Home)
One of the best ways to prepare for location independence is to build and test your tech systems now, while you're still in a stable environment. That way, when you do leave, whether it’s for a one-month trial run or a full-time shift, you’re not troubleshooting in a hotel lobby.
Here’s what to start with:
Reliable Internet Access
Try using a VPN (like NordVPN or Surfshark) even at home, so you're familiar with how it works.
Look into eSIM options like Airalo or Holafly to see how mobile data pricing compares in destinations you’re eyeing.
Check if your current phone is unlocked and dual SIM compatible, and run a test on hotspot tethering.
Device Redundancy & Backups
Set up automated cloud backups (Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud) for your key folders.
Keep a USB thumb drive or SSD with critical documents and templates, because sometimes the cloud doesn’t load. (I let myself get lazy with this and lost an important set of notes I’d been working on offline just last week 😬 )
Consider carrying a lightweight Bluetooth keyboard, so you can work from a tablet or phone in a pinch.
Digital Security
Use a password manager (like 1Password or Bitwarden) and enable two-factor authentication on your key accounts.
Practice logging in from a new device using your VPN, before you’re 3,000 miles from home with a locked bank account.
Get Ready to Work from Anywhere, With Less Stress
Prepping your systems now gives you freedom later. You’ll know exactly how to get online, protect your data, and recover files, no matter where you are.
More importantly, it removes that low-level anxiety that can creep in when the tech feels fragile.
When you’ve done even a basic dry run—swapping SIMs, logging in with a VPN, working from a coffee shop with just a hotspot—you go from hoping you can work from anywhere to actually knowing you can.
Take this one step today:
Make a list of 5 tools or systems you rely on daily, and ask yourself: “Could I still use this from another country tomorrow?”
If the answer’s no, pick one to prep this week. Test it. Tweak it. Own it.
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