‘I was in Mexico when UK borders closed – so travelled the world while working’
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A jet-setting woman has traveled the globe while she 'worked from home' in nearly 30 different countries.
Anna Pelova, 33, runs a marketing business from her laptop and hopes to visit the entire world while making money remotely.
So far, the globetrotter has passed through dozens of stunning countries across South America, Africa, Europe and Asia.
READ MORE: 'I get paid to go on 10 holidays a year – it's the absolute dream'
She hopes to hit her hundredth country by the middle of 2023.
While Anna has always managed to travel and move around while running her business the Covid-19 pandemic saw demand rise and her revenue increased.
This meant the jet-setter could afford to work abroad anywhere in the world – no matter how far it was from her home in London.
Anna said: "My business allows me to work from anywhere in the world, as long as I have my laptop.
"For me, when the pandemic hit, demand for my services really skyrocketed, so I decided to use the money to travel the world, one country at a time."
Anna originally moved to the UK from Bulgaria to study advertising at university.
She completed a work and travel module in San Francisco before returning to England – but had gained the travel bug.
Anna began to travel extensively from 2015 by taking remote jobs to help finance the trip.
Then, when she decided to launch her own business she was really able to explore the world.
In November 2020 the business-owner travelled to Mexico – but the UK shut its borders due to Covid-19 and Anna was stranded away from home.
Luckily, her business took off and she was able to travel from country to country while working and staying in hotels.
Anna said: "I've always been well travelled, and Mexico was the 49th country I'd been to.
"But it wasn't until I got stuck there that I officially decided I wanted to visit every country in the world.
"The UK borders shut, so I thought my business is doing really well, why don't I just go wherever's open and work while on my travels?
"It felt right at the time, so instead of going home, I headed to south America which is where I started my journey."
She went on to visit Columbia, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru before flying to Africa to see Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Kenya and Egypt.
Next, she headed to the Balkans, including north Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia, and after that, Anna ticked off central Europe.
The remote worker flew to Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, France, Spain and Portugal, before flying to Pakistan for a friend's wedding a month later.
After a short break back home in London, Anna then jet off to see he Maldives, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
She then went to see a military base in Azerbaijan.
Anna hopes to make her next trip to Central America to see Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador and Honduras,
While it may sound like heaven, Anna has to invest a lot of time into her work.
She said: "I treat each place I stay in as a new home – that's the mindset you have to have.
"Sometimes I get a sim card for the country I'm in and work on my phone.
"I have to make an effort to reply straight away to clients so I don't lost business because people think I'm off travelling and not taking work seriously.
"If I'm not on my laptop, I'm on my phone, giving instructions to freelancers and a part-time assistant.
"Even if I'm walking around sightseeing, I have to make time to be clear with them.”
When in Brazil, Anna was unable to explore the area for a week due to her world load and in Kenya she spent a fortune on 4G so she could access the internet.
So far, she has visited 79 countries.
Anna noted: "Having the discipline to work can be tricky sometimes, but I know that my work is what funds my lifestyle, and I wouldn't be able to travel without it.
"In my early 20s I used to go to hostels and stuff.
"Now I usually work from hotel rooms, rather than an Airbnbs, as I need the privacy of having my own place.
"The temptation is very strong to explore new places, but I have to do the work first, then after that I can go exploring in my free time.”
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