The
travel bug has undoubtedly bitten a few information technology contract
workers, who often find themselves with a month or more to spare between
projects. But Web developer Nancy Andersen, a member of Contractor's
Resources Inc. in Iselin, N.J., has spent a good part of the past
two years combining work with globe-trotting.
Andersen's wanderlust has taken her through Cambodia,
Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, where she now lives. She is developing
a Web site for the Bali International Marina and is a regular graphic-design
freelancer at New York-based Merrill Lynch & Co.
But this IT nomad will leave her tropical paradise
at the end of this month to return to the U.S. In the meantime,
she shared her experiences with Computerworld's Julekha Dash.
Q: How and when did you get bit by the travel
bug?
A: I started out in desktop publishing,
and it's a job you can only have on-site. As I started moving into
Web site work, I realized they don't really care where you are as
long as you can produce the work and have a phone line to deliver.
. . . I was contacted by Merrill by e-mail, and they had no idea
whether I was in New York or Bali, and they really didn't care.
That was my dream come true.
Q: How do you get the technology to work?
A: I do often fall behind the latest techniques
when I am off-line for several months. . . . However, Singapore
is a technological mecca of sorts, so I pick up all the latest versions
of my applications when I pass through.
Q: What equipment do you have?
A: The power source for my laptop and digital
cameras are all 110 to 240 volts, so I just carry the necessary
adapter plugs. And I travel with my Zip drive, with all my backups,
for the inevitable crash.
Q: How do you keep your equipment safe?
A: The worst thing I have to deal with when
traveling in the tropics is making sure my computer doesn't overheat.
I need a dry box; it's what photographers use. I purchased the laptop
I am currently using just before leaving the States, with a "global
warranty" so I wouldn't be dead in the water in Asia.
A:
Basically, it comes down to "have laptop, will travel." I can work
anywhere, from the wheelhouse of a yacht to the balcony of an Indonesian
guest house. I usually copy the files to diskettes and find an Internet
café to FTP the work. Even in the tiniest, remotest places in the
Third World, there's an Internet café. However, online access in
Southeast Asia is nowhere near what we are used to in the States.
Keeping
the critters from crawling into the keyboard or under the rim of
the LCD panel is a full-time concern.
