There I was, sweat pouring down my face, with what felt like one millions pounds of stuff strapped to my back. After consulting with my sticky note. Double checking with my phone and then staring back at the vacant building in front of me I determined that I was in the right place, however, my hostel was no longer there!
While 4 days in Bangkok, in the heat of summer is not ideal. It was my trial run, could I really teach anywhere and everywhere? Less than a day into this adventure, I hit my first snag, my hostel had disappeared, and left no forwarding information.
I wandered into the small coffee shop next door to try and figure out what steps to take next. The helpful barista informed me that I was not the first stranded travel to land in his shop. After further chatting, he pointed out another hostel up the road, where luckily, I found a comfortable bed for 3 nights. Now I had to find a place to teach 3 days of classes!
Is it possible to travel and teach?
In the days before leaving I carefully combed through reviews and hostels, trying to find the best place to teach at night. Those plans now had to be carefully re-worked as I no longer had a private room, and reliable internet. Luckily, if travelling in Asia has taught me anything, it is to always have a plan B. I searched out a few co-working spaces, and bought a Thai SIM card. The first set of classes I taught in Thailand were at a co-working space. The following day, I decided to tempt fate, and taught in my little “pod” in the hostel.
Working away in the co-working space 
The “pod” set-up
Until visiting Thailand, I was careful to only teach at home, or in places where I knew there was reliable internet access to teach. Sure, I taught a few classes in dark due to power outages,but never taught in unfamiliar places. I have big plans to travel Europe and wander around India for weeks at a time. In order to do this, I needed to know that I can still teach along the way!
My three weeks in Thailand, I taught 30 classes, saw 3 different cities and had countless adventures. I spent an amazing morning meeting and feeding elephants near Chiang Mai. Explored caves, dry waterfalls and hot springs in Pai, and saw the famous Wat Arun in Bangkok!
Visited Kanta Elephant Sanctuary and spent a glorious morning with a dozen elephants 
Pai Canyon Sunset 
The colorfully mesmerizing decorations of Wat Arun
Some Lesson From Thailand
- No matter how much you research, you should ALWAYS have a plan B.
- It is possible to teach in a hostel, with a bit of luck, a privacy curtain and USB lights/ Your students will be none the wiser.
- When teaching on the go, plan to stay in one place for 3-4 days at the very least. Then you can leisurely explore your surroundings and also have plenty of time to teach!
- Save one weekday off for day trips and excursions, as it is easier to get around and see more during the week.
If you want to travel and teach, or are interested in learning more about my job as an online English teacher, please follow my referral link, and feel free to email me with any questions you have!