A life change. My family has become digital nomads
Two years ago we have slowed down drastically. We've changed our approach to work and realised, that the goal isn't building a family house and looking after a garden. I bought a caravan, furnished it with the most essential stuff and together with my wife & kids we've started to live on the road.
I am a designer and illustrator for a living which is a profession I can manage from all around the world. Since traveling is my biggest inspiration and thanks to the internet I can work from wherever I like, I don't want to sit at home in one place, tied to the garden, worrying about the family house.
The change of my lifestyle didn't come out of the blue, it was all very unobtrusive and rather subtle. I have reassessed my priorities one by one. I thought to myself: “One who wants to do something will find a way; One who doesn't will find an excuse.” That is my approach.
At first I began to focuse more on my job and also to give more and more to every minute of working. Low-cost clients have left, and those looking for the price-performance ratio have stayed. This change has allowed me to work six hours a day which leaves me with more time for my family. I believe that work should give freedom to the whole family, not the other way around.
After changing my working habits, I bought the English Caravan Coachman. It cost about as much as a vacation in Caribbean for one person, so it didn't ruin our family budget.
Don't expect your home trailer to have as much space as you have at home. But when you think about it, it' doesn't matter at all. Whether it comes to a house or a caravan, it is always the same. The greatest value is in the location, the surroundings. And living in a caravan, you can change that every single day. Once it is the sea, sometimes the mountains or the rush of the big city.
A small dwelling makes you sort things out, choose only what's the most important and focus on what you really like. We enjoy good coffee, so we take a coffee maker with us and kids take their favourite toys.
On the road I work similar hours as in the Czech Republic. Only transfers are work-free.
I can work from anywhere in the world. Here is my little work area.
And then, of course, there is also the matter of a computer and internet access. I realise that combining job and traveling isn't for everyone, but if you are already practicing a home office, you are on the best way to move it to the next stage.
When it comes to packing, you shouldn't forget about food and dishes. There is also a filter pot (water purifier) necessary to provide clean water for the kids. Water should be also counted in consideration when it comes to washing yourself. Such a simple thing as a shower is a real glutton of dozens of litres.
After packing is done, we leave our cat with the relatives, ensure someone to pick up the mailbox and we're ready to go. It's a perfect cleansing of consumer and ordinary life full of useless junk. On the road we suddenly understood everything. We have found that the purpose of our life is not to build a house, reproduce and die.
It can be so much more than that. Long journeys away from our homeland have shown us that goals can be fulfilled. We don't need to take care of the house, the garden, or the car, which would only waste a large part of our days.
On the road, I'm working the same amount of time as when I'm with my family in the Czech Republic. Only transfers are free of work and sometimes we exchange a workday for a trip. Eventually the whole family benefits. We get to know new environments and new people. We don't have to hurry. When traveling with the caravan, the journey becomes the destination.
Sunshine Harmony in Hungary 2012
Stop saying: I can't.
Fight a little, get rid of the habit of piling up stuff and go for your new experiences. Even though you will be surrounded by people who do nothing and just complain all the time. An example of such a typical nature is the behavior of drivers on the Czech roads. European roads say: “Only after you, sir.” The Czech ones say: “Move aside, I'm more important.”
Forget about these immature boys. Help them and show them the way like a grandfather teaching his grandson how to carve a boat from the bark. The decision of my family has inspired many other people, which motivates us to improve further and to write down our experiences. You can read about that in the beginning of our story.
Here you can find the original article in the Czech language.
