Having a lot of time on your hands can be a double-edged sword or a gift. There’s bound to be a time as an RVer where you will have some downtime and get the chance to reset and accomplish some tasks and goals that have fallen by the wayside. We tapped into the immense knowledge of our expert RV affiliates to learn how they spend their downtime, and how they are planning to get back on the road once it’s time to get moving again!
Tips on WFH, Having a Routine and Resuming Normal Travel Plans
Working from home is definitely a great benefit but it can get tricky at times. Creating a designated workspace that doesn’t interfere with your dining or sleeping area is important. Separating work from your personal time will add to your overall well-being. Try to stick to a work schedule to maintain normal hours and maximize productivity. Set up a workspace with ergonomics to keep yourself physically healthy and comfortable. For example, an adjustable office chair with arms, a keyboard tray, laptop stand, and footrest.
Start and end your day with a walk as your “commute” to separate your work from your personal time. Your well-being is very important and it’s essential that you make time for yourself. Take a shower, get dressed, and do your hair, even a bit of makeup for women to get you feeling more in work mode. Carrying on as if you had “somewhere” to go can give you a feeling of accomplishment. Also, try to limit your news consumption to short focused periods, twice a day at the most. Hearing too much of one thing can be unhealthy and cause stress.
Resuming normal travel plans can be very exciting. Remember planning and anticipating is a part of the fun. Use this time to plan your routes so you can just put the RV in drive and go if and when travel bans are lifted. Read up on campground reviews now so you know where you want to stay when the time comes. It’s important to note that being flexible with your travel plans will ensure a more rewarding trip. RVers know that plans can change at any moment.
Tips for Heavy Computer Users
My tip for working from home is really for anyone who works on a computer all day, and that is to give your eyes a break on a regular basis. I’ve been experiencing increased eye strain and dry eyes for the past year, especially after a full day of staring at a computer screen, so I recently installed a timer on my laptop that reminds me to follow the 10-10-10 rule (every 10 minutes, look up from your laptop and look at objects at least 10 feet away for 10 seconds). (This is the timer I use from the Mac app store.) Since I started using that timer and giving my eyes a break throughout the day, I’ve noticed a big difference and decrease in eye strain and eye-watering.
Emily & Mark Fagan- Roads Less Traveled
How to Resume Normal Travel Plans
One of the best ways to take your mind off of current events and make good use of whatever confinement you may be experiencing is to start making plans for your future RV travels. Spending time reading and looking at photos of beautiful destinations you’ve always dreamed of visiting will not only brighten your spirits but will help you begin to put together an itinerary for your next trip.
Shocking worldwide events like the pandemic or the 2008 financial crash or 9/11 often make us reevaluate our life’s goals, and more than one person, including ourselves, has completely upended their lifestyle and chosen a different life path with all new goals after an event like this one.
Even if you aren’t sure how you will put it together, filling your imagination today with inspiring imagery and exciting stories from adventurers who have gone before you, will help you make your dreams come true. Visit a few RV blogs or online RV magazines to get your travel juices flowing, and make plans to see the many wonders that our wonderful country has to offer!
Luann and Bryan- Where the Streets Wander
WFH, Routines, and Resuming Travel Plans
Working at home or in your RV presents challenges for sure! We have to be careful to set boundaries for our work time so work doesn’t spill over into everything else. We actually schedule our day and set up work times. When work time is over, work time is over! We shut it down and know that it will all be there tomorrow and rested minds and eyes are way more productive than overworked ones!
Since we live and work full time in our RV, we learned early on that having a routine is important. While the RV life is fun and adventurous, you do need anchors in your day to feel stable. We have a morning and evening routine that helps us feel stable. We wake up and do our morning routine and then we are set for what comes next in the day, whether it is working, traveling, or exploring. When we end our day, it’s a routine too so things become stable again, even if the whole day was spent going down the road to a new destination.
After this physical and emotional setback of a pandemic, feeling hesitant to get traveling again is perfectly normal. You may be thinking about all the what-ifs. Or maybe you are chomping at the bit to get to go somewhere and you just want to get out there. The most important thing to do is plan travel. Planning ahead will bring hope and excitement to your RV life. Plans also create confidence to help you get the what-ifs out of your head. Planning ahead will make sure you have reservations at your next stops and know what to expect. Then, taking that first (after pandemic) trip or next destination will seem easier and not so scary.
Luann and Bryan have an awesome travel planner for you to check out!
Brian & Michelle- LivinRVision
Looking Forward to the Future
We are looking forward to doing more of the same[travel]. Take our time and explore the country, especially the West and Southwest. There are so many places that we want to see and we always end up finding unexpected “treasures” along the way to these new destinations. In the future, we would love to do a caravan and go to Mexico, Canada, and Alaska. We also have some big surprises planned for the future.
Marc & Trish- Keep Your Daydream
Living 24/7 w/ Your Spouse or Family, Peacefully
Ok, we know this is a long article! Marc and Trish discuss the topics below in their podcast, so follow some of the great advice in this article and give your eyes a break from the screen, and listen instead! Check it out!
- The Golden Rule does not apply to relationships
- What are you bringing to the table?
- Have important conversations about what you need, when you don’t need it!
- Creating personal space even when space is limited
- Have a premeditated plan for how you will respond to avoid reacting
- Focus on the bright spots
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