When I took the leap into full-time filmmaking and travel writing in 2018, I knew my travel style would change drastically. Gone (for now) are the days of shutting off and unplugging on the road. Instead, my travels involve enjoying my surroundings half the time, and squeezing in projects whenever possible. I realize to some that sounds less than appealing. Travel’s a time to get away from it all, isn’t it?
Initially it was, but after my trips of “getting away from it all,” I’d come home to a full-time office job daydreaming about places I may never actually get to with 10 measly vacation days per year. I knew I’d have to adjust my lifestyle and focus on building a location-independent business that would support not only myself, but the on-the-go, free lifestyle I so desired.
While traveling whenever I want may sound glamorous — I can’t lie, the idea of picking up and going somewhere at the drop of the hat still gives me butterflies — it’s a lot of work. You don’t have your regular workstation (like your trusted dual monitor) or the rest of the gear you’re used to. Running my own business means I need to edit videos and photographs on the fly. Like all things, the first few months were a bit trying, but I’ve finally uncovered a few gadgets and tricks that help me save time, meet deadlines and enjoy the benefits of location independence.
1. Use a trusted hard drive
My go-to? The LaCie Rugged External Hard Drive. This hard drive has, without a doubt, changed my life. It’s small, speedy, incredibly tough, and is built with the traveler in mind. Its Mac-compatible Thunderbolt cord wraps neatly around the hard drive’s sides for tidy storage. And, my favorite part? It’s small enough to fit on the tray table right behind my laptop as I plug away at hours and hours of editing, which leads me to my next tip…
2. Edit on the airplane
As a freelance filmmaker, I salivate at the thought of six, seven or eight hours of uninterrupted editing time. I rarely get that focused time at home, but on an airplane? Oh yes. It’s incredible. I spend the first part of my flight—when I’m freshest—choosing selects and piecing together the story, with the second half of the my flight doing more tedious tasks such as color correcting.
Of course, you’ll need a charging strip for your laptop, so if you do plan to utilize this time wisely, check into the plane’s power situation ahead of time and consider spending extra to get a charging seat if basic economy doesn’t have one. If nothing else, you can consider it a business expense that has even more return on investment the longer the flight.
(Word to the wise? Don’t count on airplane editing for a deadline; something can — and often does — go wrong with power strips on an airplane, and the last thing you want to add to your trip is the stress of a missed deadline.)
3. Keep headphones handy
Whether you’re editing on an airplane or at a local coffee shop, you’ll inevitably need a good pair of headphones to drown out the noise as you focus on your film’s audio. Be warned, though. While you may think noise-canceling headphones are a must, they’re actually not the best option for filmmakers. The noise cancelation actually slightly distorts audio, so you’re better off focusing on headphones designed specifically for filmmakers. The Shure SRH145 in particular are portable — and affordable.
4. Protect your valuables
Sure, your hotel might have a safe, but in many cases it’s hardly enough space to fit your camera, let alone a laptop and hard drive — and I’ve yet to stay at a vacation rental with a secure safe option. That’s where the Pacsafe Travelsafe comes into play. This portable safe has a cord that you can attach to a sturdy item in the room to keep your valuables locked up. This tiny safe packs up easily, even for carry-on-only travelers.
Whether it’s new technology or a productivity hack, my location independent workflow is constantly evolving, but the one thing that remains constant is my strong desire to make the most of this free and independent life I’ve built for myself. While I may edit through planes, trains and automobiles, you better believe I’m spending every minute I can out in the world, enjoying the wonderful travel opportunities I built this life to have.
Feature photo by Matthew Kwong on Unsplash
