The pandemic has changed the way we work in a number of ways, but one of the biggest impacts we have seen is the large number of people who have shifted from working in an office to working from home.
The plus side of this is that people are not just relegated to their homes to work – they have discovered that they can actually work from anywhere. Enter Lauren Melnick, a travel writer and location independence coach, who has spent a good portion of the past five years as a digital nomad.
Prior to the pandemic, Melnick was traveling rather frequently. She started a blog, Wanderlust Movement, when she started her digital nomad experience as a means to keep friends and family up to date on her travels and to inspire South Africans to travel more (and for less!). Working with many travel brands as a travel writer and freelancing with other travel companies, this year was panning out to be busy and full of new destinations for her. As the pandemic hit, however, much of her work slowed—as it did for many of us.
With so many travel restrictions in place, she found herself back in her home country of South Africa looking to help those outside of the travel industry. This is when her location independence coaching took off. She began creating digital products and courses, aptly called Road to Remote, appealing to so many who now did not have to go to the office.
The pandemic has really reinforced the sink-or-swim mindset. It separated the entrepreneurs from the masses as those who focused on finding opportunities in the newly changed world.
Despite travel restrictions around the globe, Melnick has still been able to create travel content. She found that her previous blogs that focused on more local excursions in and around South Africa were being engaged again. Naturally, local travel has been the go-to option for those looking to scratch the travel itch around the world. She then noticed PR agencies focusing on virtual campaigns, working with some bloggers to create content for what can be called “armchair travel,” as well as repurposing content with influencers from previous trips.
All in all, the goal is to get people excited about traveling again – once they are able to.
Melnick’s work can be seen on the Matador Network, Culture Trip, Forbes and even on the Plann App.
