Discover the complete checklist for working from anywhere: which work can be done fully online, how to keep a steady base on the road and what to sort out before you leave with your laptop.
Max from Remote SkillsWorks from Portugal and builds in public
Departures💻 Work travels along
LisboaWifi tested
ValenciaBuffer ready
Cape TownInsured
Chiang MaiBoarding
Hotspot as plan B
Why this guide
Before we start
Max from Remote Skills · works from Portugal
Working from somewhere else sounds like a long holiday, until the wifi drops or a client calls you in the middle of the night. I work from Portugal myself and I learned that freedom is mostly a matter of preparation.
The good news: you already carry the most important part. Your experience, your expertise and the way you deal with people work everywhere. Combine them with a valuable AI skill and you have work that travels with you, wherever you open your laptop.
This checklist goes through what to arrange in advance, from work that goes everywhere to money, gear and paperwork. With a fill-in canvas and a route map, so you can work on the road instead of putting out fires.
Max
For whomFor anyone who wants to work from anywhere and lay a solid foundation first.
At a glance
What you will discover
Four questions this guide answers, plus your route map. Tap a topic to jump there.
Before we start: what are you doing it for? Pick everything that speaks to you, there is no wrong answer. Your choices end up on your canvas later.
What matters to you?
Let us be honest
What is in your way right now?
Everyone runs into something, that is part of it. Pick what applies to you, even if it is more than one thing. It goes on your canvas, so you see what your next step needs to be about.
What is holding you back right now?
Your head start
Why your work travels more easily than you think
Many people think digital nomads are influencers or programmers. In reality it is mostly anyone with a skill that can be delivered fully online. And you have one sooner than you think.
💻
Delivered online
Content, websites, AI employees: you deliver them through a screen, so it does not matter where that screen is.
🧭
Independence
Anyone who travels sorts a lot out alone. That is exactly the attitude clients look for in someone who works remotely.
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Planning
Planning a trip is project management. You think ahead, build in buffers and adjust when something goes wrong.
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A fresh perspective
Seeing other places means seeing other solutions. That makes your work more interesting for your clients.
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AI as your assistant
With AI you do in a few hours what used to take a week. That leaves time for the place you are in.
🤝
Your network at home
Former colleagues and people you know with a business do not need to see you to work with you. They need to trust you, and they already do.
✦ The formula
📚What you bringWhat you can already do
Your expertise, your experience and the way you work with others. They do not need to go in your suitcase, they are in your head and travel along by themselves.
+plus
🛠️What the skill addsOne online skill
One online skill you deliver with a laptop and wifi, with AI as your assistant. That way you do not depend on an office or a fixed place.
=equals
✦What it deliversWork that goes everywhere
Your client gets someone who knows their trade and delivers reliably, wherever you are. You get an income that does not stop at the border.
Freedom is mostly a matter of preparation. First work that travels, then a buffer and a plan B, only then the ticket. This guide puts it in that order.
Exercise
What can you do, and who benefits online?
Grab a cup of coffee. Write down what you can do, from work or life, and next to each line put who benefits from it. Ask yourself for every line: can I deliver this fully online? Your answers are saved on this device and come along when you save the guide as a PDF.
What I can do, from work or lifeWho benefits online?
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Your starting cardIncluded when you save the guide as a PDF.
Fill in something above and your starting card appears here. Pick your skillset further down and it is added too.
What I bring
What I am proud of
My skillset
Next step
Pick your skillset, look at the earning models and tick off the route map.
The four skillsets
Which skill suits you?
There are four kinds of work businesses are looking for help with right now, and each one solves something different. You only need to pick one to start. Choose the skill you like the look of most, not the one you think you should choose.
🎨AI CreatorCreative
Brings visibility and attention
Suits
For people who like to write, tell stories, take photos or come up with ideas, and enjoy making something beautiful.
What you mean to others
You make content for business owners who want to be visible. An idea, a laptop and AI: that is all you need to prepare a week of posts from anywhere.
What it brings you
A steady place with a few clients who count on you every week, with work you can put your creativity into.
📈AI ScalerCommercial
Brings clients and revenue
Suits
For people who are results driven, like goals and enjoy it when something actually happens.
What you mean to others
You build websites, funnels and follow-up that bring businesses new enquiries. A client never needs to see you to see the results.
What it brings you
Work with a result your client sees straight away, and therefore clients who like to keep working with you for a long time.
⚙️AI OperatorSupportive
Gives people their time back
Suits
For people who like to help, keep things organised and are happy with a tidy workplace, a digital one included.
What you mean to others
You let AI take over the manual work of business owners. A system that answers customer questions keeps working while you sleep in another time zone.
What it brings you
Grateful clients and recurring work, because nobody wants to lose a system that saves them time.
💻AI VibecoderAnalytical
Builds custom apps and software
Suits
For people who like puzzles, think logically and enjoy figuring out how things work.
What you mean to others
You build tools and apps by telling AI what you want. Focused work, ideal for a quiet morning with good wifi.
What it brings you
The finest custom projects. It is the most advanced profile though: expect a bit more steering, that is part of it.
💡 Max's tip
Torn between two? Start with the skill you feel like doing most. You combine later, once the first one runs well.
Earning models
What you can earn with it
What you earn depends on your offer, your clients and your effort, so I make no promises about that. I will tell you how to set it up smartly. Roughly speaking there are four ways to sell your work.
⏱️
By the hour
You charge for every hour you work.
Pros
Easy to start with
Fair and simple to explain
Cons
You only earn while you work
Work faster with AI and you earn less
📦
Per project
You agree a fixed price for a clearly scoped result.
Pros
Your client knows where they stand
Work smartly with AI and you keep time to spare
Cons
After every project you look for the next job
Your income goes up and down per month
🔁
Subscription
Your client pays monthly for a service that keeps running.
Pros
Predictable, month after month
Every new client stacks on top of the last
Cons
Harder to start with before you have proven results
You keep delivering every month
⭐⭐ Our favourite
Project plus subscription
You build something custom for a fixed price. After that your client pays monthly for use, maintenance and improvements.
Pros
A solid start and an ongoing base
Your client stays helped, you build something up
Cons
Needs an offer that keeps working after delivery
⭐
Why this is our favourite, especially on the road: every client you help, stays. A monthly base makes a quiet travel month less stressful, and you need to chase new jobs less and less. That is where the freedom is.
Finding clients
Four routes to your first clients
You do not have to start with strangers. Pick one route, do it well, and add another one later.
🤝01→ Start here
Your network at home
Start with the people who already know you: former colleagues, former clients, friends with a business. They already trust you, so it matters little to them where you are. Send ten short, honest messages before you leave.
✍️02
Content about what you do
Show on one channel what you build and how you work, not how nice the view is. People buy craftsmanship, not a beach.
📞03
Contacting businesses directly
Pick an industry you understand and approach businesses personally, with a concrete idea. A short video or demo works even better than a meeting when you are remote.
📢04⭐ Our favourite
Advertising
Once you have a good product and know who your audience is, advertising is the fastest way to grow. It takes a small investment, but you no longer depend on luck or on your calendar.
Your route map
From work that travels to your departure
Ten points, in this order. Tick off what you have sorted: your ticks are saved on this device.
0 of 10 done0%
🚩Start
✓Ready to go
💡 Max's tip
Do not plan your first stretch too short. Two weeks feels like a holiday, two months shows whether your work really travels.
This is not legal or tax advice. Rules differ per country and per situation, so always check important choices with a specialist.
Your canvas
Everything you chose, on one page
Your goal, what is in your way, your experience, your skill, your earning model, your client route and your route map in one overview, with a conclusion that writes itself from your choices. Save it as a PDF or stick it on your fridge.
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What next
Which route suits you?
We have several concepts: a training programme, a business in a box, ready-made apps to license, implementation programmes and coaching tracks. Which one suits you depends on your goal, so we would love to talk that through with you.
Want to taste in practice which skillset suits you best and set up a first plan straight away? Then choose the tasting, the AI Starter programme.
Want to build seriously, or do you already have something running that you want to scale? Then the Founder or Builder track probably fits, and it is good to talk briefly about which route helps you most.
Remote SkillsFree · Checklist
Max from Remote SkillsWorks from Portugal and builds in public