Meet Annie Tan, a New York remote engineer who made her way to Singapore and South Korea for two months

Annie during her travels in South Korea. Photos by Annie Tan.

As a female solo traveler and software engineer, my main priorities were safety and access to fast, reliable internet. I decided to go to Asia—Singapore and South Korea to be specific. Both countries easily satisfied those requirements and I’d never been to either of them, so I was definitely interested in exploring those countries!

How did you prepare to go overseas for your trip? Share about how you were able to work remotely overseas and how this idea was presented to your manager. 

After I booked my one-way ticket to Singapore, I looked into accommodations that focused on co-working and co-living, did research on SIMs vs. portable WiFi pockets, and bought anything I needed before my trip, such as travel adapters, camera equipment and any tech gear to ensure a productive work environment. I had a list of things I needed to pack so after ticking everything off, I started packing a week before my flight since I’d be away for a few months.

While I was job searching, I already had in mind that I’d like to work remotely internationally, so I specifically interviewed with companies that would allow me to work remotely outside of the US. Once I got the job, it was a green light for me once I built up a good reputation with my manager and team. It was just a simple ask and wait-for-approval before I started looking into flights!

What were the surprising things about working remotely? Things you didn’t like or did like? 

One thing that surprised me was that I could be much more productive when the rest of my teammates are asleep—on a day where I’m working normal NYC hours, there are meetings and a bunch of slack notifications once people sign on. But in Asia, I get to spend that time working without any distractions. One thing that I didn’t like was sleeping and waking up later, but it was something that I was able to look past to be able to spend more time traveling and exploring a different part of the world. 

What has been your favorite travel story?

I don’t have any crazy travel stories, but I loved being able to meet people from different countries whether that’s through activities, online Facebook groups (Asian Wander Women and Subtle Asian Travel), dating apps (!!), or through mutual friends! But my favorite destination was definitely South Korea, especially if you’re enthusiastic about beauty, fashion and next-level cafe aesthetics.

What advice would you give to those looking to do the same travel adventure? Are you planning on going back again next year in 2023? 

Pack light! I brought 3 luggages with me (carry-on, medium and large sized suitcases), but I think I’d just bring 2 next time. It was a hassle lugging around suitcases whenever I moved to a different accommodation, or was at the airport. If you’re traveling with someone, it might be okay to bring more since you’ll have help, but if traveling solo (like me), then pack light. If you plan to buy a lot of things, you can look into shipping things back home instead of bringing them back on the plane with you. I haven’t tried this before, but it could be an option for the future.

I’m definitely interested in going back! Japan and Taiwan are now open, so they’re on my radar.