Working on the Road

We always knew I would need to work during our travels, continuing to support the luxurious lifestyle we've grown accustomed too : )
Seriously though, we saved for years, putting a small nest egg aside. The economic downturn took a couple of those eggs, but we kept moving forward.

The initial "plan" was to limit my workload, eliminating new client contracts and slowly allowing the smaller clients to fall away. That would leave a few cornerstone clients and allow much more free time and scheduling flexibility.

What we didn't count on (among  a dozen other things), was an increase in workload from those cornerstone clients. Needless to say, we aren't turning away the work as we would love to replace one or two eggs. So the last few months have been pretty busy...

So Mr. Thomas. How's working in a 3' x 3' cubby-hole on the road, you ask?

My answer: Just fine!

We have actually used the small space very efficiently, our new MAC fits perfectly (pre-measured before purchase) on the desktop with plenty of mouse room as well as a small current file folder, pencils, notepad and of course a cup-o-joe.

Neatly tucked away in the cabinet below the desk is the printer, just open the door and SHAZAM! printed pages spill out all over the floor! : ) The original floor plan came with a fake fireplace in this spot. We opted for the extra storage/office space.

Keeping connected to world has been an educational experience. I've had plenty of "free" advice from many a camper along the way as well.

What we have now is a four level internet connection system.

LEVEL 1: (preferred) Use the local campground WiFi network. In most cases free, but not always reliable. Band width decreases as more campers pull in, so things can slow down pretty drastically. In some case...no connection at all. This always seems to happen when I need to send a file of course.

LEVEL 2: Tethering thru our iPhone. Cost is $30 a month for 2GB of data transfer. AT&T does allow us to turn the service on and off as needed so we can get the usage pro-rated. Many opinion has been "tethering sucks", especially with AT&T. We have found that even having only a couple bars with the dreaded "E" for access speed (the slowest) we can manage ok. And in most cases, the 3G network speeds are just fine. Funny thing. I think we have been away from DSL in a home for so long, we don't know what kind of "speed" we're missing anymore.

LEVEL 3: Purchasing from a local service provider. The cost for this can very from $19 - $39 a month. Half the campgrounds we've stayed at have some kind of local service provider. There are a couple providers that are picking up hundreds of campgrounds as they have seen the writing on the wall for the full-time travelers. Quality is usually good as you're actually paying for it, but still not guaranteed.

LEVEL 4: (have not had to resort to this yet) Put files onto the iPhone and find a Starbucks : ) Or carry the desktop computer in with you. LOL : ) Just picture that for moment. Me carrying my desktop system into a Starbucks and setting up for the day...

Nope, no laptop yet. We've had that discussion several times...I would never work from one, so just for file transfer or emergencies.

Most days I just wake up and decide if it's a work or play day, always reminding myself how wonderful it is to have that choice every day : )
Thanks for reading!
Sean