How it Started

As many of you know, I've decided to branch out on my own to live and work in an Airstream travel trailer while I roam the US. My wanderlust has always been strong and I plan to use the next few months to my advantage and take a bit of a sabbatical to adjust to this new way of living, explore, and use the time to decompress from the last several years of high intensity (not to mention a pandemic thrown in for good measure!). I'll start taking on regular clients and gigs in the future (although there is one coaching client that is just too special to hand off - thanks Rob!). I'll keep you all updated when I "open the doors" for more work. For now…read on about this journey and join me as I document my learnings, my ups, my “oh shit” moments, and the downright beautiful landscape I will explore!

Why Did I Want to Live This Way?

Having lived alone through the pandemic, in June 2020, I took my then teardrop trailer on a road trip through Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and to Breckenridge to visit one of my closest friends and her wife. My soul was filled and I felt so free! While I was technically on vacation, I was easily able to hop on a video or mobile call to connect with co-workers when needed. And yet the freedom I felt being back in nature instead of my home or office was inspiring. Prior to my 15 years in Corporate America, I had worked in the outdoor industry for almost 10 years and loved nearly every minute. Somehow, it felt like I had connected back to my roots.

I’ll admit the financial savings appealed to me, as I’ve been a real estate investor over the past 15 years. I didn’t need to make a Bay Area salary to be fully content. In fact, if I budget wisely, I can live an incredible life annually for much less than I was paying just for rent alone. Win!

My teardrop trailer in Mammoth Lakes, CA

After that trip, it took me well over 5 months of research to first determine which type of RV I wanted to buy to be able to take trips more often. From there, I realized it didn’t matter where I lived as long as I had a solid internet connection to work. Could I do this? Could I work remotely while living on the road? YouTube easily answered this question and turned me to the many, many people who have done this before.

Decisions, Decisions…

There were so many things to consider! Did I want to live and drive in the same vehicle? Did I want the hassle of hooking up/unhooking every time I moved? Where could I stay that would have cell service AND be inexpensive? How could I get reliable Wifi? How much space would I need? There were so many decisions to make and I was becoming overwhelmed at the options and information out there. Yo, hook this lady up with a quickie guide to living and working on the road! Isn’t there a Cliff Notes version of this?

The Ultimate Decision

When I decided on an Airstream, I knew it would be more expensive than I had planned, but they are known for their quality and longevity, so I started the hunt. At first I was looking at buying new, but with the pandemic - they were 6-9 months out from delivery and I most definitely didn't want to wait that long. Soooo, like any good little shopper, I searched and searched for used trailers and couldn't believe my luck when a family was selling their 2015 25FB! Nice solar install (380 watts), two lithium batteries, a composting toilet (more on that in another post) - it was exactly what I was looking for. After I bought the trailer, the real planning began.

Trying her out to see if I could work reliably on the road

Downsizing 

I had started considering leaving the Corporate America life in December, but only peripherally. I was burned out, not doing my best work, and felt exhausted logging into video calls for hours on end each day. In February 2021, I decided the independent route would give me the greatest flexibility to live this life, and in March I left my job and started the process of downsizing. Honestly, it was disgustingly ugly. I’m giving you a full glimmer into the ugly truth that was real life in realizing I had hauled and stored stuff since my college days. Whyyyyyyy did I keep moving stuff I never even looked at? I literally went through every picture and document to decide if I needed to keep or toss.

The local Goodwill and Grey Bears (Santa Cruz) benefited heavily from my donations. I probably made nearly 10 trips in total.

Donate/Sell/Store

I was trying to decide whether to sell/donate/trash all of my stuff or get a storage unit and ultimately decided to have the storage unit with a bed, couch, dining table, and a few other things just in case this lifestyle isn't a long-term one for me. I'd rather have a few essentials than have to spend money buying everything brand new. I had set March 31st as my "launch" date, and let me tell you my friends…it was literally down to the wire. In fact, I was two hours behind in leaving my rental in Santa Cruz, CA (a dream location to live, but ummmmmm a wee bit pricey).

All the Feels

That last month I was so full of anxiety, decision-making, and self-doubt that I could do this. I questioned if I made the right decision, worried about getting everything done to meet my self-imposed deadline, and at times I was paralyzed to even know where to start. In case anyone else has found themselves in that situation, I wanted to share what worked for me: 5 minute mini-sprints of getting shit done. I would pick a task that I could do for 5 minutes - it's not that much time and it at least got me started. I also picked a room to focus on, and when I would get bored with that room, I didn't guilt myself into not finishing. Instead, I found another room and would do another 5-minute task. I found that once I got started, I would do much more than 5 minutes, and I would capture it all down as a list of accomplishments (not a check list, but an accomplishment list).

Following this approach is what helped me to launch on the day I had planned, and hit the road for this new adventure!

What Now?

Please follow this journey, let me know what you're curious about, and what you'd like to read about. I'll try to post once a week in what I'm experiencing, exploring, and learning and hope you'll join me!

For all of this, I got this as my view…worth it! My next blog will be all about my first week on the road and will have lots of pics from my hikes, as well as some not-so-fun moments. Stay tuned!

Tuttle Creek Campground, Lone Pine, CA