Take Your Home Office On The Road
Times are tough, so stop looking for a boring nine-to-five.
Use the stalling job market as an excuse to get the hell out of dodge—and into an Airstream, Winnebago, or Fleetwood.
With an RV and a few tech hacks, you can create a flexible, self-employed lifestyle on the road.
Yesterday’s freeloading hippie is today’s wireless world traveler.
We talked to some nomadic geeks to find out how to trade in your mortgage for flexible hours and an ever-changing, million-dollar view.
Your clients probably won’t care whether you’re in Albany or Argentina.
Josh Strike, a web developer who worked his way across Australia, says you may have to lower your rate in exchange for not always being available.
But without house payments, you can afford the wage decrease.
You don’t need the fanciest wheels to get your show on the road.
Web designers Nathan Swartz and Olivia Meiring packed their work and 7-year-old son into a 115-square-foot 1996 Dutchmen they bought for $12,500. “The RV is less of a house and more of a room,” Swartz says. “We have all of the outdoors as our workspace.”
With gas prices changing daily, a trip down the interstate on the wrong day may lead to bankruptcy.
Consider converting your ride to burn vegetable oil. Sara Janssen, a freelance photographer who spent 18 months on the road in her 36-foot mobile home, did just that—then picked up free oil from restaurants and biofuel co-ops.
Photo by Serolynne.
Imee on April 17th, 2009 3:55 am
I never thought of working at home on the road that much, but I do have an in-office job that allows telecommuting. A colleague of mine went on vacation and was still paid because she worked on the road, so I guess it’s pretty feasible. The environment change ain’t that bad either.
Jaimie Hall Bruzenak on April 17th, 2009 4:17 am
This is quite feasible. There is a whole subculture of RVers who work and travel on the road. Some get seasonal jobs, others conduct business from their rigs as they travel. It’s a great way to see the country, relax, yet still make money! The RV lifestyle can be quite economical plus is so much more flexible.
Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
author of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider’s Guide to Working on the Road
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