Swastika is a remote assistant at Wishup who is currently based in Ahmedabad. She joined Wishup as a VA in June 2020, working with clients in marketing, social media group management, administrative assistant and project management.

Swastika has gradually grown with the company and is now a shift supervisor, where she leads a team of around 30 people, supports them in their tasks and closes the gap between the VAs and the customers.

For her, traveling is much more than just an opportunity to get to know new places. It’s free expression and a chance to connect with nature, something she finds great happiness in.

Much of her professional life has been spent in Bangalore, where traffic jams and avoiding rush hour were part of her everyday life. However, making sure she logged on on time was more of a challenge than her actual job itself, until one day she decided she couldn’t take it anymore.

She started looking for job opportunities where she could work from home without worrying about it, which left an undesirable void on her resume. She started working as a freelance recruiter for a consulting firm until the right opportunity arose to learn more about remote working and whether it suits her needs.

Make the best of both worlds

One day while browsing her news feed on LinkedIn, she came across the opportunities offered by Wishup, a remote work organization, and decided to give it a try. A decision that she considers one of her best to date.

After feeling comfortable in the remote work environment and getting used to working in different time zones, she decided to pursue her passion for travel more actively, from short weekend trips around Bangalore to longer trips around India.

Traveling to new places isn’t easy and requires a lot of planning and lots and lots of plan changes, but at the end of the day it is well worth the effort. Thanks to her remote work profile, she has managed to see more places in the past year than she thought possible. Swastika loves her job, and the view of the mountains makes her love it even more.

Planning their travel adventures

As an avid traveler, she plans every trip in as much detail as possible. Start by outlining a basic map of the place she wants to visit, how long she will stay there, and which places are essential to visit during this trip.

Then she writes down the transport arrangements, accommodations, and most importantly, where to eat, with chalk, as she has to be careful with the food she eats so as not to become unnecessarily infected. So no local delicacies from vendors with questionable hygiene, because of which they sometimes forego roadside delicacies like pani puri and momos.

To make the most of her time and work schedules, she usually travels on the weekends. This ensures that she doesn’t waste her coveted leaves on reaching the destination or coming back from there.

She also ensures that she arrives at the hotel at least 4 hours before her check-in time. This leaves you enough time to unpack, set up and start the working day stress-free. It also ensures that she has enough time available when she changes hotels and has to clarify contingencies.

Problems she faces in her travels.

Not all trips go smoothly, and she has had more than an equal share of difficulties in her travels. Since she has to meet her professional obligations even when traveling, she is very dependent on a stable internet connection, which is unfortunately not easily possible, especially in remote places or in the mountains. Fortunately, she has a backup service provider and router, but it still gives her nightmares.

The next important point would be the time zone difference, especially if you are traveling with friends. If you’re out with a group of working friends, they will mercilessly leave you and go sightseeing when you log in. On the positive side, she makes fun of her sleepy friends who log in at 9am on Mondays while enjoying her sleep !!

Based on her travel experience, she would like to advise women who are planning to travel in the future: “If in doubt, choose the safest route via a hotel, a bus or a shopping arena. She also advises them to bring enough food and water with them, no matter how short the trip is.

Favorite travel destination

Her favorite destination is Tosh. She calls it the best place she has ever visited. She stayed in a place with beautiful French windows, where she woke up to the sight of a snow roof covering every inch of the earth and eye-catching evergreen conifers.

The warmth of her coffee cup and the fresh, cold morning breeze made her feel like she was in paradise. As she struggled downhill from this picturesque spot, she watched as older and younger people carried heavy goods, daily necessities, and children up the hill. That made her appreciate the facilities she had even more.

Why does she love working remotely?

When asked what she enjoys most about working remotely, Swastika replied, “The list is long; but here are the highlights way), I can choose my desk that ergonomically suits me best, I save travel time and save the planet by using less fossil fuels! “

She added, “In my opinion, any work that can be done from a laptop should be done remotely! I believe in this system enough to say that when I become an entrepreneur all of my people will work remotely. It’s a great way to reduce fuel consumption, traffic, and overall stress. I feel like I’m helping to reduce global warming by not going to the office every day 😊 “

Her advice to those who are actively considering remote work opportunities

“Remote working is like good coffee, and it may not be for everyone (no pun intended). But you have to like it, want it, be prepared for the pros and cons, and understand this is not the case. ” a bed of roses. When you bring work into your home, you lose the luxury of leaving your worries at work. ”

“Working alone at 3am is scary and you need to find a way to break the ice with your co-workers. The pros outweigh the cons at any time, but learn about the cons and prepare for them. Make a place for yourself, don’t work anywhere else, it will help you focus, focus and be more productive. “

Swastika further advises: “When you take a break, get away from your laptop, avoid dinner at the desk, take a walk around the house, open a window and don’t let anyone tell you that your job is easy, because you work from home. It’s just as demanding and demanding as any job that is done in the office. Finding friends at work is the only way to stay alive and above all awake! “

Your sincere advice to travel enthusiasts and teleworkers

Remember that because of your job, you can afford your vacation and enjoy yourself. So choose a place that will be your desk, work there, leave your laptop there when you are done, but while you are there, remember that you are at work. ”

Enjoy the best of both worlds responsibly.

Given the extensive travel and work experience Swastika has, it makes sense to heed her advice, especially those on working from home. Remote working is not easy, however, and requires adequate discipline, focus, and honesty to meet your work expectations, especially since no one is constantly watching you.

Make the most of your remote work environment and enjoy it while you dedicate yourself equally to your work commitments.