Working on the road
I am very lucky to work for a company that has remote capabilities. I have been with the same company for 15 years and have worked an alternating office and home schedule for all of that time. I appreciated the benefit but, for some reason, I would have never thought of working while traveling if it weren’t for my husband. I was hesitant to make that leap from the beginning. The compromise was that we would only be gone, this first trip, for 3 months. That would take us to November. It is January now and we are still on the road. Enjoying every minute, the good and the bad. Why hadn’t we done this sooner!
I work in a technology oriented job so it is important for me to always have an internet connection. As I mentioned in a previous post we switched from AT&T to Verizon because Verizon has a wider network. We purchased the unlimited data plan and have three iPhones, one SmartHub, and two Gizmo Gadget watches for the kids. The monthly total is around $212. Truthfully, I think this would be a similar amount for AT&T but Verizon has better coverage. It still is rough when you get deep into some National Park areas, though. Going through Delaware Water Gap I lost coverage but Acadia was pretty good. The worst RV park, so far, has been Sherwood Forest RV Park in Kissimmee. This is most likely due to the hundreds of people who had Verizon and were using their unlimited data packages, too. Big downside, Verizon.
When it comes to logging in to work, I have never had an issue with being able to connect to the Internet. At this point I VPN into my company network so, for many things I do, I don’t need to utilize much data. I use the SmartHub when we are in an RV park and my phone hotspot if we are in the car. The speed has never been an issue for if the SmartHub is being throttled too much, I use my phone. It isn’t 100% perfect. My biggest issue with Verizon is that they throttle us if we use too much data. But this really only bothers me when we want to use the Firestick to watch shows or movies. (Side note: We did find a setting on Netflix to reduce the quality so it doesn’t use as much data as HD feeds. I wish other apps had this capability, too.)
My particular job function requires little in accessories. I really only need my laptop and phone. Because of that I don’t need much room to work. I work primarily in the bedroom, alternating between sitting in the bed and standing, using a bed tray to lift my laptop to a comfortable height. Maybe not ideal but I tried working at the dinette once and ended up with the worst backache I have ever had. After four months I have found my preference is to stand and work. An added benefit to that is I feel my back pain has improved.
My biggest drawback to working on the road is that I don’t get to experience everything with my husband and kids. During the week I need to be available for meetings and have some quiet to focus. When they are out it helps but then I wonder what they are doing and seeing. I often feel like I am missing out on the experience and watching my children in their experience. I still wouldn’t change it for the world. They are HAVING the experiences and when they come home I can experience it through their eyes. Is there anything better?!
