The pandemic has left us in a society that is forced to social distance. Many of us live alone and find our only solace in things like delicious CBD edibles. While CBD edibles are admittedly one of my favorite things on the planet, there is, for better or worse, more to life.
I am usually a fairly devout hermit, but social distancing doesn’t have the same feel when you’re forced into it. After a few months of solitude, stagnancy began to take its toll. It wasnt that I necessarily missed people, but I missed the intermittent interruptions to my reality. It was enough to distract me from the fact that I was spending my time in one place. Seemingly accomplishing a lot, but ultimately not going anywhere.
Times were hard and getting weird, so I decided to hit the road. I’ve been living and working remotely in a school bus for quite some time now, and I have some hard earned tips for the hopeful nomadic worker.
1. Get a Vehicle You Can Stand to Live In
The first part of living and working remotely is figuring out what you’ll be doing it in. Are you the type who wants to buy a cabin in a remote location? If so, that is what I am leaving. It made me feel incredibly stagnant. I don’t want to live in a city either, so the happy medium for me was to live in a vehicle.
For me it’s a 22ft school bus, but I know plenty of people who are perfectly happy in minivans, and even saw a guy with a pretty nice setup in a compact car. Selecting a vehicle that you can comfortably live in for extended periods of time is important. You may think you’ll be outside in the wilderness the whole time, but the reality is that week-long rain or snow storms will trap you inside from time to time.
2. Find a Companion
This suggestion is easier said than done. Getting a dog is your safest bet for finding a companion to bring. If you already have a companion, plan to replace them with a dog at some point.
When you get out on the road, two people are always going to have different ideas, desires, and feel that they are entitled to them. They are, but so are you. This is where things get tricky. Don’t get a dog before splitting with your companion, because you might have to suffer double the emotional loss, and at that point a new doggo might just remind you of the one that left with your partner.
Dogs don’t complain much, they don’t try to pick fights with you. They can’t do some of the really nice things a human companion can do, but believe me, it’s worth the exchange.
3. Get Your Food and Water Situation Dialed
This part is far more important than finding a companion to come with you. A companion is far preferable to going at it alone, but you won’t be going anywhere without food and water. I suggest getting a vehicle big enough to fit a small fridge and a large water storage container. 25 gallons of water will last you about a week and weighs about 250lbs. You aren’t going to put that in the back of a prius.
Surviving off of dry-goods is certainly possible, but there’s a big difference between surviving and living. You’re going on the adventure of a lifetime, treat yourself right and get a mini fridge or at very least a cooler. You need to be able to store food.
Cooking can be done in a number of ways. Remember that you will be trapped in your vehicle from time-to-time, so it’s important to find a way to cook inside. If you’re in a large vehicle, get a camp stove and make sure to vent your cooking area. If you’re in a small vehicle, get a jetboil.
4. Figure Out Wifi
When it comes to wifi, you have two options: constantly rely on cafes and restaurants with wifi, or use your phone as a hotspot.
The first option is completely impractical. If you have to find a starbucks every time you need to get some work done, you’ll never get outside the city. The best thing to do is to pick yourself up a wifi antenna and use your cell providers service map. This will allow you to work just about anywhere in the country.
5. Keep Moving
The whole reason you hit the road is to break the stagnancy and see the world with the short time you’re here. Don’t stay in one place too long. It will kill your momentum and make you question your decision to go for it. Two weeks is my personal limit.
