My COVID Experiences in an RV: Life on the Road While Growing My Business
In February 2020, we sold our house and were excited to buy a new one in Austin. One month later everything changed with the COVID crisis. As we adapted to the ‘new normal’ of physical isolation from friends, family, and everything we loved so dearly about Austin (music, town lake, the Greenbelt, etc.) my wife and I found ourselves feeling isolated miserable- trapped between two worlds without any way out but up. When you’re stuck in a state of unhappiness there are two things you can do 1) do nothing and remain unhappy or 2) change something and fight for happiness! We chose option 2 that came in the form of a 32' foot RV, which we named Pierre Ace Chateau, that allowed us to travel around the country visiting places we never thought we’d find ourselves in.
Our time living in an RV was a transformative experience for my wife and me. By the end of our RV journey, we were closer to each other than ever before and had grown immensely personally as well as professionally. I cannot speak for my wife because she experienced her own personal revelations on our adventure but can say that we grew together while exploring different parts of America one state at a time.
A lot of people ask me how I managed to fundraise, sell, and grow my company from miles away with no office or phone line connection? Here are some key components to RV living that allowed us to work full-time.
Data Plans: My wife’s therapy practice turned virtual and I work remotely so we always needed internet connection. In fact, we needed a good connection because she was using video for every session. We upgraded our Verizon phone plans to add hotspots plus purchased an additional line for another hot spot in case we ran out of data on one device. We also purchased a hotspot from another carrier in case there were areas where Verizon was weaker (this only happened two or three times out of hundreds that were used during the year though!
Cell Phone Booster: We also had a cell phone booster that would help in areas when there was little to no signal. It gives you an extra bar so this came in handy when we had no signal and gave us enough for text messages or making calls.
WiFi Extender: This ultimately helped set up our own internal network which meant we didn’t need repeated wifi connections whenever we parked at a park or someone’s house. This also helped grab wifi from someone’s house to the street or if the router was far away at a park.
Dedicated Workspaces: This was important because as mentioned my wife is a therapist, and needed her own space where other people couldn’t hear her conversations. We ended up with our Class C Motorhome because it had the division between the bedroom and the rest of the living space- it came equipped with an actual door that could fully close giving us both privacy during phone calls. I set up in the kitchen area while she transformed our bedroom into her office. We also noise-canceling headphones as well as sound machines for each person so we couldn’t hear each other.
Balancing Travel Time and Work: As mentioned, we were in a new location every one to two weeks. Since we are both self-employed, we were able to set our own schedules. We usually dedicated Fridays for traveling so we could use the whole weekend to explore the newest place! I would catch up with my work by doing later hours during the week as well as Sunday evenings. This routine actually made me more productive- COVID meant less time spent out at restaurants etc — so anytime outside of exploring I was able to work.
The Power of Environment: On our adventures, there were a number of moments that I noticed the power in surrounding environments. Some places had more energy and others provided solace and peace; each with its own unique vibe. For example, at Zion National Park we would drive through miles upon miles of mountainsides while Florida’s beaches was always so refreshing and an escape from stress. Some places gave me more creative inspiration while others provided peace of mind when I needed it most.
If you’re looking for a way to live more simply and spend less time in the rat race, an RV is worth checking out. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to try living on our own terms for 10 months. What did happen was that after one year of travel through North America, exploring new places while working remotely with my company from wherever there’s wi-fi or cell service, I came back refreshed and ready to take on life again — this time without leaving my home base. I always tell people you never know until you try it, but it may be possible that RVing could just change your life too!
