Why a VPN is Crucial to Remote Work Success

February 10, 2024February 22, 2024 / Adam Smith / Leave a comment

Are you using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)? If you’re not, you should be!

A Virtual Private Network creates a secure connection between your device and a computer network, when you’re using a public wifi network (or even your AirBnB/hotel’s network). A number of VPN services are offered in this era, including Surfshark VPN, ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN, and others.

To set the stage, you’re working in Mexico while on vacation. You log into your company’s website, and get a browser error: You are blocked for connecting via an unsecured network. You go to another site to order some food for lunch. The site recognizes your Mexican IP address and shows you the site in Spanish. Finally, when the day’s over, you settle in to watch some Amazon Prime Video. Your viewing options are extremely limited, since it recognizes you’re out of the country. Oh well, time for bed.

Good news: A VPN could solve all of these issues.

In an era where online privacy is paramount, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) stands out as a powerful tool, offering a plethora of benefits.

Here are just a few important benefits of VPNs:

Access Anywhere, Anytime:

Bypasses geo-restrictions, providing access to region-specific content.

Enables unrestricted browsing and streaming, irrespective of location.

Enhanced Security:

Encrypts internet connections, securing sensitive data.

Shields against cyber threats and potential hacking attempts.

Privacy Assurance:

Masks IP addresses, ensuring anonymous online activities.

Guards against tracking and surveillance, promoting a private browsing experience.

Business Efficiency:

Facilitates secure remote access for employees to corporate networks.

Ensures encrypted communication, safeguarding confidential business data.

Whether for personal use or business applications, a VPN is a versatile solution that seamlessly combines security, privacy, and accessibility in today’s interconnected digital landscape.

Which VPN should you use?

Let’s compare and contrast.

	NordVPN	Surfshark	ProtonVPN	ExpressVPN
Privacy & Security	Independently audited no-logs policy Double encryption for extra protection 256 Bit AES encryption	Independently audited no-logs policy Private server infrastructure	No-logs policy audited by third parties	Independently audited no-logs policy 256 Bit AES encryption
Features	Proprietary VPN protocol NordLynx for enhanced speed CyberSec feature for ad blocking and malware protection Kill switch to ensure data protection	Camouflage mode keeps VPN use a secret Surfshark One for malware protection, data leaks	Secure email Secure calendar Encrypted cloud drive	Proprietary Lightway VPN protocol to protect user traffic
Speed	VPN servers 6,000+ DL 225 Mbps UL 218 Mbps	VPN servers 3,200+ DL 228 Mbps UL 167 Mbps	VPN servers 1,200+ DL 240 Mbps UL 240 Mbps	VPN servers 3,000+ DL 230 Mbps UL 210 Mbps
Prices	From $3.39 / mo Click here to get 63% off a 2 year subscription and 3 months for a friend!	From $2.29 / mo Click here to get 79% off and 2 months free!	From $4.99 / mo	From $6.67 / mo

Out of all of the above, NordVPN clearly checks most of the boxes, and this is why I prefer it.

Why did I choose NordVPN?

It’s the fastest VPN, according to independent studies. Here’s a full AV-TEST report.
6000+ servers in over 61 countries — more options to connect and less lag.
No bandwidth or data limits for VPN traffic.
Connect up to 6 devices at once, which is great for AirBnBs.
Specialty servers tailored to specific needs, such as P2P or extra security.
Threat Protection blocks malicious sites, ads, and trackers for extra peace of mind.
Meshnet connects devices remotely for secure file sharing or team work.

How to sign up for NordVPN

Click here for an exclusive deal on a NordVPN subscription!

If you’d like to sign up for NordVPN, they offer a 30 day money back guarantee.

A free VPN trial? Why not?

I used this when I first started out, and they were very prompt with the refund.

After evaluating some other VPNs, I ended up signing on full time!

Landing Your First Job with Adrian Pinon

April 20, 2023February 20, 2024 / Adam Smith / Leave a comment

In this Origin Story session, I speak with Adrian Pinon, a first generation college grad who took an unlikely path of self-promotion to his first job: Visiting tech company HQs around California with his message on a sign, garnering attention from ABC News, CBS News and other outlets. By doing this, Adrian proved himself to be a master marketer.

We talk through the journey Adrian took to land his first job out of university: Not knowing about college until late in life, overcoming naysayers, and learning how to market himself. Adrian even founded his own events app before graduation!

**Words of wisdom:**
• A closed mouth does not get fed.
• Talk to a person. Don’t let applicant tracking systems hold you back.
• Attend that networking event. You could randomly meet a lifelong connection.

**Check out Adrian on social media!**
Instagram: @pinonxo
TikTok: @pinonxo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianpinon

Like this session? Watch Growing Up First Generation with Jesse Meza!

How to Sustain Remote Work

June 15, 2022June 15, 2022 / Adam Smith / Leave a comment

On this session of Origin Story, I speak with Nadia Harris of Remote Work Advocate. We chat about emerging issues like location bias, the viability of hybrid offices, and how young professionals can build relationships during COVID. Surprisingly, we also touch on workplaces where in-person work may be most appropriate!

Find Nadia on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

If you liked this session, also make sure to check out Nomad to Entrepreneur with Omar Mo.

The Road Warrior: Work Remote on the Road

October 21, 2021June 8, 2022 / Adam Smith / 1 Comment

DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.

In this article, I’ll walk you through my own experiences living on the road, moving from vacation rental to vacation rental. Being a digital nomad takes a lot of effort. This is especially true if you’re working while doing it.

If you’re going to travel by vehicle, vs. by air, you need to be prepared.

If you haven’t checked it out, also see my article on how to prepare to be a digital nomad!

Rent or Buy?

The rental market for vehicles tends to fluctuate immensely. A few months into the virus crisis, many rental centers were practically begging customers to lease cars and trucks from their lots. Now post-crisis, rental and used vehicle prices are sky high, with a car computer chip shortage meaning fewer new vehicles are produced.

Buying a vehicle is a big decision to make. It comes with many commitments: Doing your own upkeep, inherited mechanical problems, and having to register in a home state. Rental centers typically will take care of maintenance, repairs, and you can drop your vehicle off in most major cities. This means you’re never worried about where you’re located.

The upside of buying is that (if purchasing with cash), you’ll never have to make a monthly payment again. You can also customize your vehicle however you like. For whatever money you put into buying the vehicle, you can get most of it back when reselling it.

Choosing a Vehicle

It’s important to choose a vehicle that suits your nomad lifestyle. Do you spend most of your time in urban areas? Perhaps something smaller, faster with better miles per gallon is best for you (like a Honda CR-V or RAV4). Do you do lots of off-roading to get to remote trailheads? You’ll need a truck or SUV with 4 Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive capability and high ground clearance. Do you tend to sleep or camp in your vehicle often? You’ll want an SUV or van with a lot of space. Pickup trucks with a fitted canopy work well for this too.

Choosing Where to Do your Registration and Title

Believe it or not, the state or province that you register your vehicle in matters a lot. You may have to return there once a year to renew your registration, or to do emissions testing. You can only register in a state where you hold residence.

Outfitting your Vehicle for Weather Conditions and Terrain

There are all sorts of conditions that can pop up on the road.

If you’ll be doing any sort of off-roading, you’ll need tires that can take a beating. You’ll also want to carry Bunker Indust traction mats to put under your tires (just in case you get stuck in mud/sand). If you’ll be going through snow/mountain passes, some roads *require* vehicles to carry snow chains.

For comfort, it’s a good idea to buy sun shades, mesh window bug screens, and a Thule roof box (in case you have extra belongings).

Loading your Vehicle for the Road

If you’re traveling on the road, you’re going to need a lot of space. For this reason, it’s best to be a minimalist with your belongings while traveling.

We managed to stuff all of our things into the backseat of a 4-door Ford Ranger pickup, but it was quite a squeeze. Now, with a Honda Pilot, we’ve got a 6 seat SUV, able to fold 2 of those seat rows flat. That makes for a lot of room.

Another great trick for pickup trucks: Make use of that flat bed space. Our solution was a large sports cooler and a Thermos strapped into the back of our truck. We used 4 elastic straps to secure both containers, and not once had an issue, even on interstate highways.

You’ll want to load your vehicle up the night before your rental reservation ends. The reasoning? You’ll be spending checkout day cleaning the place up. You don’t want to be searching around for lost possessions.

Protecting your Vehicle

If you’re going to be taking long-haul road trips, you need to do regular upkeep and maintenance on your vehicle.

Even if you may think you’re in the “middle of nowhere”, you may be surprised. Trailheads and rural areas are some of the most common points of theft and break-ins. They are community gathering points where most people leave their vehicles unattended. This makes it easy for would-be thieves. To prevent this, make sure to buy a vehicle with a car alarm, or have one installed (Banvie car alarms are great and cheap). More importantly, buy a tarp to cover your belongings, so thieves can’t see what you “have to offer”. I recommend a Guard Rhino tarp, they’re only $14, and you can use them for many other purposes like camping and as a rain shield.

In the SUV, we also have a secret compartment under the truck bed, which contains a camp stove, fuel, a first aid kit, and a tire jack. (A Big Red 10 ton bottle jack should handle pretty much any vehicle). These emergency supplies will help us to survive a night in the wilderness with a flat tire, if we really need to.

Last but not least, protect the exterior of your vehicle. Desert sun can actually melt your paint. Too much water can make it rust. You can sustain scratches from not just rocks, but even tiny branches. So be sure to buy an external ceramic coating (like TriNova Hydrophobic Sealant). By doing this, you’re also insuring the resale value of your vehicle.

Happy Travels!

Okay! You’re ready to hit the road. Just remember: Vehicles that are loved and cared for have better resale value. Have fun in your vehicle, but be careful with it. You want to be able to trade it in for an even better model eventually, or to sell it if you want to “digital nomad” by plane, or “settle down”.

Remote Work Will End the Business Travel Romance

October 7, 2021January 24, 2024 / Adam Smith / Leave a comment

DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.

When is the last time you took a business travel trip?

If you’re fresh out of college, that answer may be never.

Business travel has been romanticized in popular culture since the inception of passenger airlines. How many movies have you seen where a suited figure in first class reclines, sipping on a cocktail while reading through a business newspaper? How about a group of industry colleagues rolling up in a private car to an extravagant hotel? If you’ve watched Mad Men, Don Draper sharing a glass of whiskey during a business pitch may have come to mind.

The virus crisis has changed business travel forever. Will business travel exist after the pandemic? Certainly. However, its absence during the crisis has shown numerous companies just how many resources they were expending on business travel.

Brief history of business travel

The first scheduled passenger plane flight departed on January 1st, 1914. Some of the longest standing airlines were KLM, Qantas and Avianca. Since the U.S. entered WWII later than European countries, they had more time to spend developing commercial aircraft. The U.S. industry since 1945 essentially set the standard for international air travel.

During the Golden Age of air travel, flying was a novelty experience defined by fine dining experiences and upscale services. The experience back then was probably similar to today’s first class section. The first “business class” was rolled out in December 1977 by Thai Airlines.

The decades leading up to the pandemic were filled withpractically unlimited expense accounts, luxury hotels, and exorbitant meals out. Business travel has not returned to its pre-virus levels. We’ll likely be videoconferencing for some time to come. I discuss this a bit in my recent article “We’re Never Going Back to the ‘Office‘”.

Business tourism? Yeah, that was a thing.

Pre-crisis, business travel would often be tauted as a perk. You would do the business trip at the end of the week, then stay the weekend to explore on your own time. Some individuals would even bring their spouse/partner who’d fly out separately.

My own dad still displays plaques for the company trips he won on the wall. The U.S. Virgin Islands. The Bahamas. Lake Tahoe. Vancouver, BC. He would take my mother along on each of these trips. In his own words, “I was in the top percentile of the entire country to win those trips.” He says they’re going to mean something, to somebody, and that I should “keep them in the family”. I’ll probably just put them in storage.

Environmental impacts of business travel

For service-based organisations, business travel and aviation are the biggest contributors to their total emissions, often above the collective carbon footprint of their offices. Air travel impacts the local environment through increased nitrogen pollutants, particulates and noise levels.

Companies across the spectrum discovered an unexpected benefit of grounding their employees during the pandemic: a lowering of carbon emissions from business travel.

Many businesses are announcing new promises to reduce (and offset) business travel emissions as a way to reach their sustainability goals. Only one in four organizations consider their “carbon footprint” to be a top priority.

Employee wellbeing

Environmental impact is not the only pitfall of business travel. A World Bank study showed that 75% of staff reported high or very high stress related to business travel. Americans took more than 500 Million business trips in 2016. (Harvard Business Review)

Stress, sleep interruption, unhealthy eating and drinking, and lack of exercise are all common factors of business travel burnout. The odds of being obese are 92% higher for those who traveled 21 or more nights per month, compared to those who traveled only one to six nights per month

Business travel could mean traveling to company HQ abroad

I recently wrote about my personal return to the office experience. With much of the knowledge workforce still remote, and business travel at an indefinite standstill, the show must go on. As such, large annual company offsite meetings may now turn into ONSITE meetings. This entails all of the domestic (or international) staff flying into the company headquarters to “reconnect”. If that would prove too difficult, employee visits to the headquarters could be staggered.

Take advantage of a geographically diverse team

Distributed teams have been the lifeblood of tech businesses since the dawn of the internet. The model was much harder to achieve before global telecommunications. So why is remote work such a hard concept to justify, when your engineering team is already in India, your HR team is in London, and your office is in New York City?

In many businesses, regions are divided up by time zones. For example, The Americas, EMEA and APAC.

What we forget, however, is that these also represent shared time zones. For instance, someone in Bogota, Columbia could work the same hours as a colleague in New York. The same with Lagos, Nigeria for London, or Tokyo for Sydney. Location bias doesn’t have to be a concept anymore.

Distributed workforce could be opportunity for businesses to extend their reach

The other benefit of a distributed workforce is the ability to meet customers where they are, and *when* they are. The pre-crisis world had executives flying all over the world for “face time”. As a requirement of the role, this lifestyle was popular for some, but not for all. For instance, working parents were often strained to find child care or juggle their home life while on the road.

Instead of this, why not embrace decentralized command by briefing the representatives located closest to customers to meet them on their terms? This tactic has been used by regional sales teams for decades, and can be extended to any aspect of business.

To be an effective leader, regular check-ins and ensuring decentralized command is important

Remote work calls for a different kind of management style. Gone are the “hall monitor” management days of the “Bill Lumberg” character looking over the shoulders of staff. We live in an age with a broad amount of productivity platforms that can be accessed anywhere in the world.

Instead of a checklist, an idea for status meetings is to set milestones beyond “next steps”. It’s important to teach core concepts, set an agenda, and train “microleaders” to act as an extension of command. A robust project management tool can show visibility into tasks without constant Slack check-ins.

Mother remote working with son embracing Photo by Ivan Samkov on Pexels.com

Temporary rental platforms are assigning importance to customers that are now permanently remote

You may have heard that “the office is not a place, it’s a concept”. This is more true than ever. We are at the point where opening a satellite office doesn’t require a multi-year lease. Even the most stalwart of commercial real estate companies are looking into an office-as-you-need model, mirroring companies like WeWork, Convene and Regus.

Finally, vacation rental platforms like AirBnB and VRBO realize the classic business model of working out of an expensive (or no-frills) hotel room isn’t that comfortable. Business travelers can book a vacation rental instead, and stay in a private house without neighbors who frequent the hotel bar keeping them up. Even better news? It’s cost-effective, too.

Traveling while working remotely is true freedom

With remote work, there’s no more “caboose trips” after a business conference. There’s no more sweating a flight delay because you have to be back in the office the next day. No more late nights figuring out your personal expenses vs. company expenses.

You can travel over a weekend, work or meet business contacts during the week, go to a different attraction each night, and fly out the next weekend. All on your own schedule. How cool is that?

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woman in black t shirt using macbook pro

Do You REALLY Miss Your Commute?

April 1, 2021October 16, 2022 / Adam Smith / 2 Comments

Before the crisis, I had a daily commute to Times Square. It was an improvement on previous years, when I’d travel from Brooklyn to “the city” proper. I was now living in the Financial District at the south end of Manhattan. My alarm would go off at 7 AM. I’d sometimes get a chance to go on a ultra-quick jog, before my shower (7:30). After showering, I’d throw on my clothes, scarf down a yogurt and a cup of coffee (8:00).

I’d then speed walk the 20 minutes to the subway train (8:20). Once on the train, I’d hopefully make it to my stop in 30 minutes (8:50). Some days, the train would be delayed for up to an hour. (9:50). Either way, I’d be speed-walking through the Times Square crowds, getting into the office out of breath with scrambled thoughts.

This would be similar for someone who commuted by car (which I once did). The difference is that they’d be worried about wrecking their vehicle in a fender bender, versus avoiding characters and bodily injury.

Do People Actually Want to Go Back to the Office?

There have been a lot of articles recently reminiscing about the commute. The status quo says “people miss the office environment”, but data often points to the opposite, that “workers prefer a hybrid office model”.

Research has also shown that workers are more productive when working remotely, with most managers agreeing to the same.

Many companies that flirted with the idea of long-term remote work are now calling employees back. Some have slated a return to office as early as this summer.

Another frequent nod, “With remote work, there is no separation between work and home life”. Why do we feel we need to be forced to commute, vs. making that time for ourselves?

Take a Break from your Devices

When you worked in the office, how long did you stare at your computer screen before taking a break? Probably 30 minutes. You walked over to a coworker to ask a question, or stopped by the kitchen to grab a snack.

Why is working at home any different?

An estimated 58% of people who work on computers experience “Computer Vision Syndrome”. The symptoms include eye strain, blurred vision, headaches, neck and back pain.

Lucky for you, there’s ways to mitigate this. Like me, you could purchase prescription (or non-prescription) blue light glasses. If you work on a Macbook Pro, there is a feature called Night Shift. It’s quite easy. You can also set when it turns on, “Sunset to Sunrise”, turn it on manually, and select the color temperature.

Just click on the Apple Icon > System Preferences > Displays > Night Shift

Time Management

With no commutes, there has been a time shift. Some people do not realize this.

If you’re working in a different time zone (Pacific, for example), you’re starting your work day 3 hours earlier than the East Coast.

Let’s say you start your work day at 8 AM PST, that’s 11 AM EST.

If you end your work day at 2 PM PST, that’s 5 PM EST.

However, you have only worked for 6 hours, not a full 8 hour day.

Instead of going to run errands, why not power it out and finish your day at 4 PM PST?

Commutes are Bad for the Environment (Poor Health, Wasted Gas & Electricity, Pollution)

This may seem obvious, but commutes by vehicle or train are extremely harmful to the environment.

Studies show that the average drive to work adds 4.3 metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere a year, per car.

People with longer commutes tend to be less physically active. They also have higher rates of obesity and high blood pressure.

I was personally gobsmacked, when the MTA announced they’d be bleaching subway trains every night at the dawn of the virus.

How often was it cleaned before then? What kind of microscopic virii were floating around the subway car?

These are a few (of many) risks that workers will face in the return to the office.

Mother working from home Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

The Importance of Setting Boundaries at Home

If you co-habit with a family, significant other, or roommate, working from home can be a strain. It does not have to be, as long as you keep distance between yourself and your “boarding mates”.

Being a parent is a whole other ball game. However, balancing structure and play for your kids is a good idea. If you’re driving eachother nuts, go outside for a bit, or recommend they go outside to play.

Many people have a “home office” room where they lock themselves away, and yet their kids or dogs still find a way into their lap. What if you actually created your working space outside? During warmer months, you could work from the garage or even the garden shed if you wanted to.

If you work from a laptop, creating a mobile workspace is also an idea. Move around the house. I’ve used any variety of surfaces as a desk – The kitchen table, a recliner, the garden table, even wide window ledges (as a standing desk).

As the crisis comes to an end, it’s more likely that you’ll work out of a coffee shop or a co-working space within your own neighborhood.

Recommended for Remote Work:

Woman facing a speeding subway train commute Photo by Fabrizio Verrecchia on Pexels.com

So do you see? It’s not so bad.

There will be a need for companies to subsidize remote working office setups. It pays for itself as those workers may not be using office resources (office equipment, printers, snacks, etc.). There are even companies dedicated to working from home, like WFH Zone UK.

Much of the workforce has now had a taste of remote working. The likelihood they’ll want to go back to an outdated, 20th century office is highly unlikely.

Since you’ve made it this far –

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Nomadland: Old Age and the American Dream

March 25, 2021November 15, 2023 / Adam Smith / Leave a comment

photo of a man in white long sleeved top on blue and white pop up camper — Photo by neil kelly on Pexels.com

The release timing of Nomadland could not be better. Here we are, in a national crisis that has put millions out of work. The employed and the unemployed are suddenly living remote lifestyles.

A few weeks ago, Nomadland started gaining major attention on Hulu, and I decided to watch it. The movie is liberating, realistic, and heartbreaking all at once.

Here is a large group of past-retirement adults. They roam around the United States working seasonal jobs for different reasons. Some do it for pleasure. However, many do it as a necessity. This is due to the lack of the social safety net that was seemingly certain when they were kids.

Great Recession and then COVID

The rallying cry after the Great Recession was “What about the Millennials?” The lopsided focus ignored the fact that many adult homeowners across the country had lost their homes and careers. This got to the point that some were delivering pizza to stay afloat.

Even in the midst of strong post-Recession economic growth, the economy of many U.S. counties was actually shrinking. The people in these areas were already relatively poor. The Recession made them even poorer. Six states, eight years after the Recession, showed outright contraction. (See map above)

“Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century”, the book version, was published in 2017 about a decade after the Recession. It clearly reflects that for many, the Recession never ended.

The American Dream is not Necessary

As many “Millennials” found, the American Dream is not necessary to actually being happy in America. It’s easy to see that we weave back and forth from “do it ourselves” mentality to wealth worship, ever more frequently. It took longer for Baby Boomers to realize this, but when they did, they ran with it.

Older workers’ paychecks are not only threatened during the virus crisis. Their very life is at risk when working people-facing jobs. Staying in a hyper-dense urban area could be fatal for them.

Becoming an “involuntary nomad” is a way out.

Frances McDormand’s character “Fern” is an outstanding case study. She’s a 60-something widow in a one-business gypsum mining town in Nevada. Fern lost both her house and job. She decides to pack her belongings into a van she comically nicknames “Van Halen”.

It’s notable that real people who were profiled in the book constitute most of Nomadland’s cast.

How real is the movie? Here’s a perspective video from a real nomad, Carolyn, who was an extra in the cast of Nomadland.

Ageism

As of 2019 U.S. census data models, 19.4% of the U.S. population were over age 65. 38.5% was over 50, including the previous segment. 19.1% of the previous set were between age 50 and 65, not yet retirement age, and “in the workforce”.

Non-retired Americans tend to experience difficulty finding work, even if they had been in a leadership role. And yet, the age 20-50 demographic (39.5%) ends up shouldering much of the work burden for the rest of the country. This is not sustainable.

In 2018, an AARP survey found that:

Nearly one in four workers (age 45 and older) have been subjected to negative comments about their age from supervisors.
About 3 in 5 older workers have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace.
76% of these older workers see age discrimination as a hurdle to finding a new job. A report found that over half of these older workers are prematurely pushed out of longtime jobs. 90% of them never earn as much again.

The biting reality of ageism as a bias is this: We will all one day grow old.

Temporary Jobs / Lack of Work

In Nomadland, many of the nomads represent a transient workforce. The “campers” travel seasonally from worksite to worksite. They go where work takes them, since a conventional work environment would not “take” them.

While inherently different, this parallels the archetype of “migrant workers” as overwhelmingly Hispanic and working in agriculture. It underlines a need for a renewed focus on that. My mother worked for years as a teacher/home worker with United Migrant Opportunity Services and Head Start, and poverty is something that touches everyone. People face unique challenges, and the problem must be looked at from a birds’ eye view.

Somehow we all survive. Carolyn, mentioned above, relates her nomadic decision to “how they keep you in a job for 40 years and a mortgage for 30 years, so you’re shackled as workers for the powerful and rich elite”.

The nomads in the movie/novel aren’t completely detached from “the rich and powerful”, however. One of the standout scenes features Frances McDormand doing seasonal work at a corporate warehouse. The company actually hosts a jobs program specifically for nomads.

So there is a symbiotic relationship with gig labor that allows them to live their lifestyle. What does that say about the companies that host them? That’s at your discretion.

Beyond seasonal gigs, these nomads will also work as campground hosts, for low pay ($800 per month on the high end). This can sometimes be perilous, even if it fits the lifestyle well. On our recent trip to Death Valley, we had the pleasure of being greeted by one of these hosts, who had plenty of stories from the road. He seemed to genuinely enjoy hearing about our journey, and even gave us tips for the next leg.

What You Want vs. What You Need

Many of these nomads believe that they are living better and cheaper than they did when they actually had an apartment or house. Their vehicles are mostly set up to be self-sustaining. Some even have solar panels which can power everything they need, sans electricity bill. One can live the recreational vehicle lifestyle on $500 per month. Your consumption costs will go way down.

They also feel that they are using their “good years in a good way”. One nomad referenced Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden”, “Why would you work all your life to have a little bit of freedom at the end of your life, when if you could live efficiently, you could adventure through life now?”

Bob Wells is the leader of the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, a national gathering of the nomads in Quartzsite, AZ. His story is unique. He just finished a divorce, making payments to alimony and child support. Like many divorced fathers around the country, he had lost so much of his life. This was a turning point for him. He decided living in a van was actually a step up for him, hasn’t looked back, and has grown to lead the gathering each year.

Open freeway with rush hour traffic and hole in chainlink fence Kehn Hermano on Pexels.com

The Places We Left, the Places We’re Going

The towns that these nomads left will continue on without them, but may continue to shrink and dwindle. However, I pointed out something important in my recent articles, Why Are We Ignoring the Midwest? and 4 Reasons You Should Leave the City. The post-virus “Great Dispersal” could repopulate those areas with new infrastructure, regenerating economy and services around it.

In a completely apolitical sense, the “Buy American” act seems destined to pass through Congress. According to a White House press release, “The U.S government should, whenever possible, procure goods, products, materials and services from sources that will help American businesses compete in strategic industries and help America’s workers thrive.”

The electric vehicle (EV) sector is also in review in a White House supply chain order, and solar cell usage is heating up all around the country. These changes could be a replenishment to rural areas, in both the private and the public sectors. Most of these industries fall under manufacturing and union labor, a key driver for these “elder nomads”.

We are in the midst of a seismic change in America. If a rising tide lifts all boats, why not lift up our aging workers?

“Everything in life is security and comfort vs. freedom. You guys live in nice houses, you have all the comforts, you have very limited freedom.”

– Bob Wells, “Perspectives on Mobile Living” Documentary

Gray concrete road beside brown mountain during golden hour Pixabay on Pexels.com

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How to Take Your “Gap Year” While Working

February 24, 2021May 3, 2024 / Adam Smith / 6 Comments

DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.

What roads will a gap year take you down? - Pixabay

2022 is a “gap year” of opportunity! Are you still sitting in a leased apartment or mortgaged home during the virus crisis? If so, why?

There are many who wanted to undertake this journey before the virus, but were prohibited by outstanding cost, time, or just life.

Most companies are trending to support remote work or hybrid offices indefinitely. I’ve written more about this in my recent article here.

In the post-Corona era, you can have both: Work and life!

My partner Elise and I had wanted to become digital nomads for the longest time. The week New York City went into lockdown, we left. Even with an international flight ban, a plane to Palm Springs, CA and a pickup truck rental did the trick.

You don’t have to forgo a “financial gap year” of your career to be a digital nomad. You don’t even have to leave your country!

Even if you have a significant other or children. There’s something for everyone.

Useful Gear for Digital Nomads:

So how do you get started?

Leaving home is not a small decision. There is a lot of pre-planning that needs to happen before you depart.

While my perspective is in the U.S. – This could work in whatever country you may call home.

I’ve tried to compile many of these steps below, to make things easier for you.

Figure out where you want to go.

A plan is like insurance. Don’t leave home without it.

Are you planning on getting to your destinations by driving? By air?

A general rule of thumb is planning 3 months in advance.

This is long enough that you don’t have to be panicking, planning where to go next.

However, it’s short enough that if a major interruption occurs (family / work event, etc.) you can cancel your itineraries.

Packing for a gap year trip - Pexels.com

Check your documentation and registrations.

Is your documentation current?

If you’re driving you’ll need a valid driver’s license (surprise).

Is your license renewed? Is there a risk of it expiring while you’re abroad on your gap year? You don’t want to have to go back to your home state to renew it.

Where will you be receiving mail?

It’s important to have a solid home address for important documents and letters.

This could be your parents’ house/apartment or a P.O. Box.

Services like Earth Class Mail will actually act as a “virtual P.O. Box”, and securely digitize your mail into PDFs. No physical interaction required.

For packages while you’re on the road – Always have a tracking number, and it’s preferable if you’re staying in the same area at least 2 weeks.

Secure your travel plans (including a car if you need to)

How are you going to get to your destination?

Do you own a car?

If so, check your registration. We found that some states may require you to return to the state for emissions testing, etc. You may need to re-register in a state that’s closer to where you are.

In the case you don’t, is renting, leasing or buying a vehicle most cost-effective?

I’ll go into detail on this in a later article. There are big differences, and distinct advantages between renting and leasing. See a helpful Investopedia summary here.

If you’re flying, have you looked up travel restrictions and the quarantine times for your destination city?

Do they require a virus test? Is there a limited visa? If so, how many days/months are you allowed to stay?

Expert Vagabond gives other helpful tips on overall logistics and making money as a digital nomad.

Figure out your housing situation

Are you locked into a lease? When does it end?

Most apartments in big cities will let you break your lease. However you have to think about the cost vs. benefit.

A helpful guide by Trulia here breaks down all the things you should consider when breaking a lease.

You also have the option of waiting out until your lease expires.

If you have a mortgage, you’re in a bit more permanent situation. Lucky for you, home buying is at a record high.

No lease? No mortgage? Not a problem. Continue on to the next point.

Booking digital nomad trips Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Book your first places to stay

During the virus, volume on vacation rentals is ultra-high. You need to book months in advance. The last thing you want is to be is stuck without a lease, and without a place to live.

You would be surprised how quickly places get snapped up. It’s important to keep a wishlist of future stays you wish to book. Some sites will even send you an alert when an item on your wishlist becomes available.

AirBnB not the only option. There are other sites like VRBO that offer a similar service. Here’s a helpful list of other platforms, like Flipkey and Tripping.com, which are all slightly different. You should compare and see what’s best for you.

There are even guides to vacation rentals by yourself, independent of these services.

If you are younger, you may not mind staying at a hostel or co-living space with other people to save money.

Hostelworld is a great resource for this. Just be aware of your requirements for working and living. You’ll want to read reviews and book a location with relatively low people volume.

Move and put your things in a storage locker

Even if you’re not currently tied to a lease, you need somewhere to put your belongings.

You can find some affordable storage lockers if you’re willing to drive a bit out from the city center. If you need a more central location, be prepared to pay more.

Take an inventory of how much “stuff” you have.

The smallest unit most storage facilities offer is 5 ft. x 5 ft. That will perhaps fit one big piece of furniture (not a couch) and a room’s worth of small belongings (such as lamps, clothes, etc.)

The biggest unit is often a 10 ft. x 30 ft. This can fit a couch, a refrigerator, and about 2 rooms worth of “stuff”.

We use a company called StorageMart. This helpful storage comparison site Sparefoot allowed me to find it, which is like the “TripAdvisor” of storage.

Hitting the road!

Have you checked off all these items? Do you have everything together? Congratulations, you’re ready to head off on your “gap year” adventure!

There are plenty more things to learn about working as a digital nomad on the road during the virus. Stay tuned for a guide on that.

In the meantime –

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The Great Dispersal: 4 Reasons You Should Move Outside the City

January 21, 2021March 14, 2022 / Adam Smith / 2 Comments

DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.

This year I’ll have driven east and west across the country twice. I’ll have visited over 23 states: California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

On a fateful night in March, immediately after returning from caring for my father (who was fresh out of the hospital) in Wisconsin, New York City was on the verge of a crisis. I narrowly made it back to New York for fear of a domestic flight ban, and here was NYC about to go into lockdown due to the virus crisis. So after just having been told nobody was going back to the office, we packed our bags, gathered as much as we could, and booked a flight to Palm Springs the next morning.

I’ve spent the last 8 months living on the road. It’s not something we’d expected to be doing this year, but it’s a pleasant surprise. I’ve been thinking about doing this for years, but kept waiting for the right chance to work remotely. The only limitation is that we can’t leave the country. So within these 4 borders, we’ve made the most of it.

Joshua Tree, California AirBnB — Yes, that’s me!

A decade of cost of living increases in major metropolitan areas has exhausted urban residents, and often priced out new transplants. Those would-be transplants have settled on more mid-size cities that weren’t so prohibitively expensive. During the crisis, San Francisco has witnessed an unprecedented 35% drop in rent. The most high profile shifts recently have been Elon Musk‘s and Oracle‘s announcements that they’ll relocate to Austin, Texas. Another benefactor has been Miami, whose Mayor Francis Suarez has recently courted VCs from Google, Andreessen Horowitz, and others – ending the week with a discussion on the popular Clubhouse app. As much spotlight as that city receives, however, there are plenty of other areas that are making waves.

A recent U-Haul study catalogued which states their consumer base were making one-way moves to.

The list came out as follows:

1. Tennessee

2. Texas

3. Florida

4. Ohio

5. Arizona

….Continued.

As you can see here, Americans aren’t moving to any one place, and they’re largely avoiding coastal states (sans Florida). Middle America is going to see a boom like it hasn’t seen since WWII. Read more about that in my article “Why Are We Ignoring the Midwest?“.

What Are the Perks?

Cheaper Cost of Living

The pandemic has resulted in an unforeseen real estate boom. Shortly after prices dropped in March 2020, buyers snapped up homes at a rate unseen since before the Great Recession. Note that those were permanent home purchases, not rentals. Mortgage rates continue to drop to record lows, even as we enter the new year. Will those buyers sell their homes and move back to the city when the pandemic is over? Highly unlikely. For the areas that benefitted, they will receive a longterm influx of commerce and development.

The real estate market will always have peaks and troughs, and with the next dip in the market, we may see even more buyers getting in on growth opportunities in those scattered areas. Think of it like an investment in a small, lesser-known company. They’re getting in at the ground level with a lot of upside potential.

2. Shifting Demographics

Any way you look at it, the country is more divided politically and culturally than in recent memory. A historic exodus of urban workers has rewritten the political landscape. This includes largely “blue” liberal urbanites moving to smaller “red” cities and states, as well as “red” conservative rural dwellers moving to mid-size cities with newfound opportunities. 2021 may look a lot more “purple” than any of us realize. And with that will come cultural shifts. We may find that mid-size cities feel a lot more like metropolitan centers, and that metropolitan centers become more focused on suburbs, much like how workers in San Francisco and Seattle have commuted to the outer reaches of their cities for work.

3. Decentralized Urban Areas & More Space

The “city center” is going to matter less, and we may see more compartmentalized “cities within a city” as the pandemic tapers out. Recent research has found that many companies realize the loss in time productivity and overhead they experience keeping an office, and mandating workers to take 1 hour-each-way office commutes. I recently wrote an article on the subject, “What Will Happen to Cities?“

With many post-pandemic return to office plans seeking to have no more than 50% of their workforce on-site at one time, that other half of the workforce needs to go somewhere. They’ll spend that time in their home communities, and hopefully will have everything in 15 minutes of where they live — Groceries, schools, shops, healthcare and more. Having a co-working space close to home can provide an in-person meeting space for much more intensive meetings. This can create the physical closeness with clients and colleagues we had before COVID, while providing socially distanced safety precautions.

4. “Work Anywhere” and Live on the Road

Services like AirBnB, Vrbo, HomeAway and other companies were some of the hardest hit by the pandemic. However, they’ve seen a surge in rural bookings. AirBnB’s remote area listings earned $200 Million in June 2020, a 25% increase from the previous year. One of their new slogans is even “Go Near”, emphasizing local travel. On our journey, we’ve stayed in these types of rentals the entire time.

While many have opted for mortgages outside the city, for apartment renters, the practicality of being tied down to a lease is just not there. Why have a set lease for a year, when you can live anywhere you want within the country for months at a time?

Conclusion

Being in a big city isn’t for everyone. Some love it, and will continue to. The biggest development of the past year is that now you have a CHOICE.

• Do you want to live in a big metro like New York or L.A.?

• Do you want to live in a mid-size city with more space to breathe, or for your kids to play?

• Do you want to take a “gap year” and travel without even having to quit your job?

Any of these options are yours. It’s 2021 and the year just started.

What are YOU waiting for?

The Great Dispersal: We’re Never Going Back to the “Office”

January 13, 2021March 14, 2022 / Adam Smith / 5 Comments

DISCLAIMER: This article represents my personal views and not those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.

If few like the traditional office environment, why would we go back to it?

What even is an office? You go to an office every day. Where are the roots of office culture?

At its most basic parts: “An office is that part of business enterprise which is devoted to the direction and co-ordination of its various activities.” No part of that definition which mentions it needs to be conducted in a physical space.

What’s the future of the office?

Office Culture Through the Ages

The word office stems from the Latin word “officium“. Interestingly, an officium was not a place, but rather an often mobile ‘bureau’, in the sense of a human staff.

Offices began in classical antiquity as part of a large palace or temple. The “chancery” rose in the Middle Ages as a place where most governmental letters and laws were written. In the 18th century, large conglomerate companies first came about, requiring many offices for clerks. Flat-top desks actually began around this time, as a way for managers to easily see activities of employees. By the 1950’s, it became clear that privacy had to come along with discretion, and we got the cubicle.

Workplace culture in the 1950’s was much more hierarchical, and soon cubicles started to be denigrated by workers as “little boxes”, while upper management received the corner offices. That brought us to the “open office” layout, now the de facto standard for major companies around the world.

Pre-Pandemic Office Culture in the 1950's

And yet, “the office” has both positive and negative connotations.

For many people, the office is a separate environment from home, where they can relieve themselves from the pressures of home life and focus on work. Many modern companies also have a fully stocked kitchen with snacks and drinks on-the-house. Some even regularly get catering at no charge to the employee.

You have to live in close proximity to the metropolitan area your office is in. You lose maybe 2, even 3 hours of commuting time on the way to and from work. You have to attend events and office gatherings as well, which you’re not formally compensated for. In doing this, you lose time to see your significant other or kids.

COVID-19 heralds a new era. It represents all kinds of other risks and precautions to be taken. As workers return to offices in 2021, you may see temperature checks, one-way walking paths, assigned seating during meetings, and plexiglass shields everywhere. Simply riding the elevator presents a whole other kind of conundrum.

Offices just don’t make sense anymore.

What Does the Future of the Office Look Like?

Shows like the Jetsons imagined a future where George Jetson went to work in a flying car that fit into a suitcase, to an office where a boss remotely checked in on him via telescreens. While we may not be driving flying cars, they were not too far off with remote working. Unlike the TV show, there’s no reason to micromanage someone OR force them to come into an office. Post-pandemic, it seems common sense that eliminating large office spaces and not forcing commutes creates huge savings in both overhead costs and productivity.

Okay. So What are Some Solutions?

The Home is the New Office: Here’s an obvious one. Many companies are subsidizing office equipment for employees’ homes. Of course, there are certain things or equipment that couldn’t be included there.
Co-Working Space: Companies could keep a shared space for those who wanted to come in. This space could house equipment or services employees couldn’t use at home. Spaces like Convene can be rented out on short notice. There are also reports that furnished apartments are growing in use by remote workers visiting cities.
“Hot Desks”: An expansion on the co-working space idea, hot desking allows employees to use the same space at different times of the day. This could be an even bigger cost savings for smaller companies, in cities where real estate costs are high. Read more on how cities are changing here.
“3-2-2” Work Weeks: Following the themes above, many have advocated for 3 days in the office, 2 days working remote, and 2 days off. In-office staff’s calendars could be staggered to meet office capacity limitations.
Quarterly Conferences (Virtual or In-Person): With “Zoom fatigue” setting in, in-person interactions are still valuable. Every quarter, companies could hold in-person conferences where staff drive in, or fly in, to convene one-on-one about the events of the next quarter. In early stages, the seats could be spaced out and the majority of the time would be spent in breakout rooms. I just attended my first virtual conference, which included group activities, breakout sessions, and more.

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Regional Segmentation Will Matter Less

When a workforce is spread across the globe, it is important to break it into manageable regions. That is here to stay. However, remote working opens up bandwidth. Workers in North America will share time zones with their South American counterparts. European times are adjacent to African/Middle Eastern times. And Asian times largely overlap with India and Australia. For example: If someone from your New York office takes an extended trip to Bogota, Colombia, they will be on a relatively unchanged time schedule. In a recent article, I laid out the common sense reasons and cost savings to move to the Midwest.

Flexible Hiring & Time Off

Flexible vacation is a growing benefit of many companies. While it’s not truly “unlimited”, as long as you have your manager’s approval, you can take the time off. There’s stats upon stats about how working mothers should not have to end their career because of a pregnancy, but have the best of both worlds: driving their career and parenting from home.

An uptick in temporary maternity and paternity leave policies has also meant a continually shifting workforce. This opens up space to bring on freelancers, or allow colleagues to try new disciplines while those workers are away. It could also open up regional opportunities for, say, someone in Santiago, Chile or Buenos Aires, Argentina to work with a team in New York. There would also be less limitations on hiring outside the major world commerce hubs, for example, in oft-overlooked regions like “Middle America”, “The North of England”, or in Pacific island countries for Asia-Pacific.

Not Everyone Will Want to Work Remotely

There are certain people who will want to come into an office – Parents who need a separate working environment, as well as those who have a small dwelling and need extra space to work, free of distractions. Some people find working remotely to be isolating or disorienting. At the same time, companies are seeing the need to deliver increased autonomy and trust to workers to fit their lifestyle.

Conclusion

Sprawling cubicles of yesteryear are left to “Dilbert” and the dustbin of history. The overhead costs of keeping an office open, and the pain of a commute and daycare for working parents makes ditching the office an obvious choice. In the 21st century, professionals are remote-ready and in-person interactions should be on their time.

The workplace evolved over centuries of history, why should it stop now?

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