Life on the road

Life on the Road

In addition to the travel modes, accommodations, and my pack, here are the things I needed (on my 2021 five-month US trip) to constantly think about on the road in the US:

1. Water
2. Bathroom access
3. Food
4. Internet access (with a reasonably quiet place to take meetings and a power source)

Obviously, all of these - except, perhaps, public restrooms - are readily available in the US. But they can be quite expensive over time, especially if you do not plan ahead.

Water

Keeping a steady supply of water is essential for long-term travel. Bring two water bottles (my second is a folding Platypus I use as a backup). Fill up, top up, whenever you can. Especially if you are trying the hashtag-vanlife thing. And make sure to wash the water bottle every so often.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms were actually often the toughest, when you are transitioning from one place to another or exploring a city on foot. My best advice is to always use the bathroom before leaving a store or restaurant where you bought something. Worst-case scenario, if you share your desperation with a staff-person, they might be able to make an exception and let you in.

Food

The variety of foods you have access to is one of the best things about traveling. So many amazing restaurants, wherever you go! (My favorite Google search is “vegan food” - or use Happy Cow.) But it can get expensive. So go to the grocery store!

Depending on how fast you are moving, cooking at your host’s place, or at an Airbnb, may not be a very good option. I ended up buying olive oil at every Airbnb I stayed at and just leaving it there if I was getting on a train.

I enjoy making food for my hosts, like a big Sunday breakfast or some pesto pasta with mushroom and onion. It’s a great way to say thank you and pitch in. Sometimes I’ll also buy them a bottle of (natural) wine.

Something I could have done better was bringing reusable bags/wraps for taking food away from restaurants, when I had refridgeration available.

Some folks are excellent dumpster divers. I have yet to do that, myself.

Internet

When you’re in a new place, and engaging in remote work full-time, you also need internet and a quiet place (and electricity) to work dependably, on-demand. After a while, being on the road won’t be a good enough excuse for being late to meetings or having a poor connection. Thus, I found that when I needed a good connection, and when I didn’t have it through my accommodation, I would choose corporate businesses like Starbucks and WeWork over local ones, simply because I could be 100% sure they would work.

The back-up for internet is always a mobile hotspot. In my case, I could tether my laptop to my phone. This was especially useful when I was living in a van for a week, and when I was traveling by plane.

You’ll want to keep your laptop and phone charged as much as possible. I kept a power block with me and fully charged as much as possible. In a couple cases, I used my laptop as a glorified power block so I could use my phone to navigate in the wilderness of eastern California.

For international travel, I recommend using an e-sim service like Airalo or Monty. I go with whatever is cheapest.

Arrival

When you first arrive at your accommodations, explore the whole building, open every door, look through all the areas of your room, check under the bed, and dig through all of the kitchen cabinets. Any interesting ingredients or tools? Anything missing? Let your home inspire you, and make sure you have what you need.