VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[NYCVO21]

Now that I have more experience, better gear, and more clients, I'm thinking about finally spending the winter(s) somewhere warm--not one place but different locations each time, overseas. Thailand is one place I'm considering but also parts of Latin America, Europe and other parts of Asia.

If you or another VO have done this before, how has it worked out in terms of logistics, etc.? Obviously you can't do VO from a coworking space, and just having wifi in your rental is not going to be sufficient in most cases. What about this, and about time zones, and the finances, etc? What locations have you done this in?

[Bruce]

I haven’t had the experience you’re describing but it’s fun to think about. I think I’d shift away from work that requires short turnaround or live sessions. Audio books come to mind first along with other long form narration with looser deadlines.

I’ve been at this long enough I do very few live sessions right now. I have clients that trust me to record and edit and send files on my own.

You’ll need an effective travel rig and to gain expertise in sound deadening different locations. Go to the Search folder here and enter - travel AND rig - and any other two word descriptions you can think of.

A bank account with a bigger bank that handles international direct deposits will be useful. PayPal works in most countries but not all. A Google search for international banking might be helpful.

We have members in many parts of the world so hopefully they’ll chime in.

Bon voyage!

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[NYCVO21]

I will do that. At the moment, I'm thinking the south of Thailand. I like doing live sessions actually. Not an audiobook guy. But I also wouldn't be opposed to making myself available for live sessions at odd hours.

[Dan-O]

There's a Facebook group that is specific to this topic: VO Roadtrippers. Most of the talent are in the promo and radio imaging worlds and have to deal with tight deadlines and the such. From what I recall you will need the following:

* Laptop
*Tablet to read scripts
* Two wireless data cards from international telcoms. This way you don't rely on wi-fi and one of the cards will usually have a better signal than the other.
* An international cellphone plan
* Source Connect Standard
* ipDTL
* An audio interface that's compatible with ipDTL
* Sennheiser MKH-416 or your choice of mic that keeps ambient noise at bay
*And if you wanna go first class, pick up a Tri-Booth

Also, be prepared to work third shift.

[NYCVO21]

Wow - that's awesome. I had no idea that group existed and I'm fairly active on FB. Fortunately, I already have most of things you mentioned. Thanks so much for the tips.