Working from home (a.k.a. my van or mobile office) certainly creates a buzz of questions when I’m on client calls.
Ninety-nine percent of the time, when I’m on video Zoom calls, my clients ask the following questions:
- Where are you?
- Are you in your car?
- Can you please start every call telling us what state you are in?
- Is that a virtual background? (I get this one when I’m sitting in my outdoor office and the forest is the background.)
I LOVE these questions and sometimes I blush because I am certainly living a unique experience. =)
I can honestly say that I love van life and I love running a marketing company out of a van. I have proven to myself that this is totally doable and fun!
I have certainly experienced so many obstacles along the way but the number one thing I make sure I have at all times during my work week is a reliable internet connection. This was easier than I originally thought. My phone carrier, Verizon, has been powerful enough to work in most states and towns {unless I’m going into the heart of the National parks and forests.} When that happens, I just jot down what I want to say later, and/or make some video clips to post when I have an internet connection again. It helps to check Verizon’s coverage map ahead of time so I can plan ahead for these “dead zones” moments.
Other obstacles are often the typical ones travelers face. The van may get a flat tire or break down. Gas runs out when you discover that there are over two hundred miles between gas stations, or if you have an electric/hybrid vehicle, you can’t find a charging station. Stuff like that I have just learned to deal with over time and with experience so that I don’t have to worry about it every time I decide to go exploring.
At this time, I am less than one week away from hitting the open road again! My plan is to leave New England during the winter months and continue to explore this beautiful country.
Along the way, I plan to visit the National Parks that I did not see last year and meet with a variety of individuals and businesses practicing sustainability. Despite some uncertainty in the present moment, I am signed up to attend multiple conferences along the way to learn more about how we can bring our strategy of sustainability in marketing to our clients and our community. (By uncertainty I am recognizing that many events are frequently shut down and canceled at the last minute because of the pandemic. I’m still traveling on the assumption that my plans are not canceled and just accept the changes as they come.)
If you want to brave the outdoors and attend some of the same events, I’ll let you know which events are still open and which ones you can attend. Who knows? Maybe we’ll run into each other and “talk shop!” See you around!