Balancing Work Life With RV Travels

RV Life

As a full-time traveling family, one of the things we struggle with most is balancing work life with RV travels. This has gotten easier over the years, but it’s something we still find ourselves struggling with from time to time. Especially as things are constantly shifting in our world. This means I am constantly thinking up new solutions to the problem.

Spring break is just around the corner. Now’s a good time to share the most useful solutions that help us balance our work life with RV travels.

Create a Family Calendar

Something we’ve recently decided to do is create a family calendar that hangs on our fridge. We add everything to the calendar, including Zoom meetings, hours that are blocked off for work or school, field trips, plans with friends, etc.

It’s really helpful. It allows everyone to see what is going on on any given day, meaning we don’t have problems with double-booking. I also appreciate that my teenager is no longer reliant on me to keep track of everything he has to do. He can write it down and keep track of it himself.

Note: For this to work, it is important that you add absolutely everything. This means scheduling work hours, school hours, chores, and outings in advance. Doing so will help you see how you can fit everything in without overlapping. Writing in pencil can be helpful for those times when you need to add something late in the game, meaning other plans need to be adjusted.

Get Up Early (or Stay Up Late)

One thing we don’t do right now (but have done in the past) is make time for work early in the mornings or late at night.

This worked great for us because most of the work we do can be done any time, including times when the kids are normally sleeping. Some days we would get up early, get work done by noon, and have the rest of the daylight hours to explore or go out on adventures. Other times we’d go on outings earlier in the day, then in the evening we would put the kids to bed and work late into the night.

Both versions worked equally well, but I am not a morning person, so if we even use this tactic again, I will be choosing the late nights.

Be Aware of Time Zones

Time zones are such a pain when you’re traveling. I have missed more than one meeting or online dance lesson because we changed time zones, and I’ve had some traveling dance students miss lessons for the same reason.

Make sure you are keeping track of time zones and changing things on your calendars as you move. I know some families will even hang multiple clocks in their RVs so they have a clock for each US time zone and can easily convert times as needed.

Plan Work-Heavy Days

Some people like to work just a little bit every day. This works out alright if you don’t want to get out and sightsee regularly. It also works if you can work early in the morning or late at night. That said, we are currently on a schedule that includes a few work-heavy days and a few “adventure days” each week, and that is working well for us.

Basically, I plan my work in so that I can finish it all in three long work days each week. This leaves us four days to explore the area or travel to the next spot. Obviously this won’t work with every type of job, but if it’s an option for you, it can be super helpful.

Work Efficiently

Of course, balancing work life with RV travels works best if you can work as efficiently as possible during those early mornings, late nights, or long days. This allows you to finish as quickly as possible so you have time left to go and play.

Some ways to do this include…

Having a dedicated and comfortable office space with all the right tools.
Wearing noise-canceling headphones to block out the noise of everyday life in an RV.

Set Boundaries

If you’re somebody who tends to get really wrapped up in work, set firm boundaries with yourself. Make yourself go into “off work” mode at a certain time each day. Dedicate the “off work” time to family activities.

If someone tries to set a meeting during your down time, simply ask for another time. Likewise, if someone calls you while you aren’t in work mode, send the call to voicemail.

Have Small Adventures in the Evenings

No matter how you set up your work schedule, keep in mind that it is possible to squeeze smaller, shorter adventures into a day even if you don’t have an enormous chunk of time.

Trying a local restaurant, coffee shop, or ice cream shop is a quick and easy way to familiarize yourself with an area. Going for a hike on a nearby trail can also be relatively quick. We also like to visit local libraries and playgrounds with the kids. Both of these activities can be done with just a couple of hours of free time.

Stay Longer

Easily one of the best tips I can give a person trying to balance work with RV life is to stay longer. When your home has wheels, it can be tempting to hop from one place to another very quickly. That said, moving fast makes it difficult to see everything an area has to offer while also keeping up with work, school, and chores.

We try to sit in one spot for at least two to three weeks. Sometimes we even spend an entire season in one area. This gives us plenty of time to see everything we came to see without falling behind on work and school.

Note: Sometimes we can’t book a spot for more than a few days, either because it is booked up or we can’t afford to stay longer. In these cases, I will usually work ahead and have my kids get ahead on school work. Doing so means we can spend the entirety of those few days exploring. We’ll then go spend a longer period of time in another spot to play catch-up.

We’ve also been known to sit in a “boring” spot for a few weeks purely because we need to catch up on things and don’t want to be distracted by fun things to see and do.

Use Weekends Wisely

Last but not least, let’s talk about weekends. For our family, weekends don’t mean much. In fact, I tend to use the weekends as some of my long work days because I prefer to go out during the week when crowd levels are lower. That said, some people don’t have that luxury, including many of our RV friends.

If your job requires that you work regular office hours during the week, it is important that you use your weekends wisely. Our friends who are in this situation tend to stay three weeks in a place. They use evenings to do chores, and most Saturdays and Sundays are for sightseeing. Then once every three weeks, they use a Sunday as a travel day to get to the next spot. If getting to the next place requires two travel days, they will use the whole weekend to get there.

Obviously this takes a little more planning, but it seems to work well for them and would be a good way to balance everything if working 9–5 is necessary.

These are my top tips for balancing work life with RV travels. Hopefully these tips help you as you attempt to find your own balance. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even come up with some tips and tools of your own that you can come back and share below!