200 Nights

Laura and I made a decision a few years ago. We wanted to live our lives in a way that blended future and present.  We didn't want to postpone all our fun until some future "retirement" phase.  We wanted to enjoy our lives now without selling out our futures to do it. I had spent over 20 years working for large corporations, and I wanted to do something on my own. We loved to travel and we loved working together. Laura's intuitive artistic brain and my deductive engineering brain seemed to complement each other perfectly. We had the raw materials.

We started a company that reflected our values. There would be no office. Every member of our team would work from home – with a laptop and cell phone. We wanted to be mobile and portable, so we could travel and do the things we wanted to enjoy at the same time as we managed and grew our business. The amount of work was insane, but the rewards were exactly what we hoped for. After thousands of hours of work, late nights, and early mornings, and crazy work-a-thons, our company has succeeded and grown for eight years now, and our vision of simultaneously traveling and working on something we enjoy is a reality.

Last night was the 200th night we have spent in our 2010 Airstream 27FB. That represents about half of the nights since we bought it. Many of those nights have ended with long days glued to our laptops, watching wistfully as vacationers surfed, sailed, fished and camped right outside our panoramic window. It takes some practice to work on the road – you have to be able to simultaneously be faithful and disciplined in your work while letting yourself enjoy the trip at the same time. You have to be patient, and you must remember to appreciate the situation you've created. Even if you're captive in your trailer working while others play, it makes a nicer view than the parking lot out an office window or the vacation photos on your neighbor's cube in the office. You have to push yourself to both work and play.  

It is similarly challenging to spend every hour of the day for weeks on end in 188 square feet with your partner – working and playing together. You must have patience, tolerance, and superb communication in your relationship. Otherwise, the close quarters could swiftly destroy you.

We can't wait to follow these 200 wonderful days and nights with 200 more. While our lifestyle certainly is not right for everyone, we love it and are very happy about the choices we've made.

Thank you for joining us on part of our journey!

(Posted by Kevin)