As I sit here from the southernmost region of West Texas while camped on the Rio Grande, I’m awestruck by the tranquility that occurs when broadband connectivity disappears. The campground is so quiet that every neighbor’s conversation is within earshot. And despite the fact that Jim and I are at least 30 miles from any kind of cell connection, I’m still able to write this blog post and conduct business as usual. Between our satellite Internet connection, Honda EU2000i generator and a well-stocked RV we’re ready to live life off-grid until we feel compelled to return to civilization.
Obtaining this kind of confidence hasn’t come easy or cheap. It’s taken us seven years of hard-luck lessons in the outback to ensure that we arrive with enough confidence to ensure a worry-free excursion into no-mans-land. If you’d like to enjoy this kind of solitude, here are three ways that you can do it:
Invest in a mobile satellite Internet system.
I don’t care what anyone says about how they can get online “just about anywhere” with their personal WiFi hotspot device. While phone connectivity has improved greatly since we began full-timing in 2007, the fact is that broadband connectivity provided by cell phone companies still doesn’t reach some of the best places in the country. If your goal is to see these remote areas and you still need to make a living as I do, satellite Internet is the only way to conduct business while you’re there.
A word of caution though: this type of mobile RV Internet system isn’t cheap or for novices. Systems start at a couple of thousand dollars and you’ll also need a certain level of technical aptitude about computers and networking when troubleshooting be needed.
Have redundancy.
Remember that portable WiFi hotspot device I just mentioned? It’s a good idea to have one for those occasions when you can’t figure out what the heck is wrong with your mobile satellite Internet system! Personal WiFi hotspots also come in handy when you’ve maxed out your daily bandwidth allotment by using your dish. Unlike companies like Verizon that impose a maximum monthly allotment of broadband usage for subscribers, mobile satellite companies like MobilSat have a daily allotment. When we are within range of our broadband provider, we use both devices to get maximum use of the broadband that we pay for (about $250 per month for both).
Work Consistently and Be Dependable.
How will you pay for the ability earn money anywhere in the nation? By working hard to build your business. Jim and I do our best to keep consistent work hours, plan our days and meet self-imposed deadlines for growing our various ventures. Living this lifestyle allows us to change our office scenery whenever we want to, but it doesn’t mean that we can goof off every day. The only way we can live the way we do and be able to sleep at night is to know that we’re maintaining good relationships with companies and people that help grow our business and put food on our table.
As you can see, living as non-retired, working-age full-time RVers isn’t a constant party on wheels. But it sure beats the heck out of suffering through brutal winters in a house with a mortgage while working at a job we hate!
Rene Agredano and her husband, Jim Nelson, became full-time RVers in 2007 and have been touring the country ever since. In her blog, Rene chronicles the ins and outs of the full-timing life and brings readers along to meet the fascinating people and amazing places they visit on the road. Her road trip adventures are chronicled in her blog at LiveWorkDream.com.
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