Work anywhere: on the go!
My name is Víťa Válka and I am an illustrator and a designer for a living. After the birth of our children, I've completely changed the way of our summer vacation and my work. Untouched by caravan travels, I reassessed my options in 2012 and I bought the English caravan Coachman. It's fully equipped for traveling, no matter how long. I could not have believed it myself.
Our family
Is the caravan expensive?
I didn't want to get into the financialy demanding caravan purchase. It felt unnecessary. However, it was eventually the best thing I could do. I describe it in detail in other articles (odkaz?). When I look back, it was definitely one of the best decisions of my life. Not a bit exaggerating!
I was completely overwhelmed with the positive reactions on our whole story about finding freedom and purpose of life. It's been only two seasons of long-term stays on South and I already know some people who got inspired to do the same after reading our stories. Caravan is not just cheap and flexible summer vacation. On the contrary, it is the perfect way how you can liven up the family travels without wasting unnecessary and ridiculously high amount of money for stays longer than 14 days.
All of this is possible because of the cultural changes going on in our society. More and more people are becoming freelancers, as you can read in many medias in the US. The Internet has become as available as the electricity itself. And its 3G connection speed in your cell phone is comparable to your connection at home. So there is nothing to stop you from merging your job with “vacation”.
For some people Crotia means vacation. But what if you move your office in there…?
So is it a holiday or a job?
Of course, long absence from work is not easy for everyone. But there is always a solution for those who look for the way. Since my wife is on maternity leave and I work “online”, all we need is a facility for kids and internet connection.
It is true that when we travel abroad, I work almost the same amount of time as I would back at home. The only days I'm not working are when we are moving from one place to the other. My wife takes care of the running of the household and together we go shopping for groceries to the local markets or simply to the nearby town.
All of this is less hectic than going on a vacation, where you keep thinking about the work for few first days and you start again the days before you leave again. On the go I continuously manage the Email and the demand, whether we are at the seaside or in the mountains. And when the sun shines? We go to the sea for a few hours and I catch up with the work at night. However, it is good when you like your job. Otherwise, you can hardly convince yourself in the evening not to get a glass of wine with your neighbors in the camp.
An office in the shelter by the caravan
If it sounds like a walk in a park, there are of course many things that need to be organized. We have a cat and our relatives have to look after it while we are traveling. There is also the option of using a service of a pet hotel. For long journeys, it's also good to arrange someone to pick up a mailbox for you. And eventually it's convenient to order doctor visits so you can resolve everything after your return.
My dream is Airstream, the symbol of freedom
Source: http://www.idesignarch.com/airstream-flying-cloud-mobile-home/
Wally Byam was wonderfully involved in the philosophy of long-term caravan travels in the twenties of the last century. As part of the product he loved, he created an incredible series of stories and records and inspired thousands of people. Thanks to this, the brand is still alive even though the price makes it one of the most luxurious caravaning solutions.
Even today, there is a community of travelers who have spent several years with the whole family in the Airstream caravan. In the Czech media, this trend of living on the road is only beginning to emerge, and perhaps that is why the individual stories are even more powerful.
The future of traveling is amazing
I believe that even now you are wondering how you can turn around your life in order to enjoy more experiences. Forget about the prejudices of the people around you and think mainly of how you can make yourself stronger. Only when you are strong and experienced you can help your family and your neighbors to have better tomorrows. I keep my fingers crossed for you!
The article was originally published in Czech at eCaravan.
