We started our full-time travel lifestyle 5 1/2 years ago and over that time have both experienced a transformation in our careers. We started by transitioning to remote work, then establishing a business, and finally found ways to supplement our income so we could retire early.

Watch the video or read on to learn all about our approach:

Our Transition to Remote Work

I was able to transition my position to remote work before we even started RVing. I did this by developing a proposal for my employer explaining how I could perform my position remotely. I had a six-month lead time before our move and proposed a trial period with me telecommuting 3 days per week. Although my position was never intended to be fully remote, I had proven my value to the company over the previous 5 years and was able to demonstrate that I could be just as effective working remotely.

Sean was finishing up a 20-year military career and searched for remote work opportunities online. He used sites like Flexjobs.com, as well as researching specific companies. When he found a company he wanted to work for, he would go directly to their website to see job opportunities. Using this method, he secured a position managing the laboratory component of a medical research study that traveled around the United States. The position was not advertised as fully remote. However, it did indicate the availability of some telecommuting. During the interview and selection process, he was able to negotiate the remote work arrangement.

Want to learn more about finding legitimate remote work opportunities? Click here to sign up for a FREE masterclass to learn how to Find Remote Work in 90 Days (or less).

Starting A Business

Three years ago, we decided to start a business. We formed Chickery’s Travels as an educational and motivational website for others who are interested in full-time travel. Our business includes this blog, a podcast, and a YouTube channel. We quickly learned it takes a lot of time to create all that content, so I resigned from my full-time remote position to focus on Chickery’s Travels. 

Click here to sign up for a FREE 7-Day Beginner’s Blogging Course. 

While Sean is still working in his full-time remote position, we decided to take on a new branch of Chickery’s Travels, public speaking. We speak on a variety of RV-related topics at RV shows and rallies around the country. 

I’m a freelance writer for numerous publications (online and print), and Sean co-hosts a podcast, Beyond the Wheel.

What’s Next For Us

We’re both in our early 50’s and plan to continue working for ourselves and growing our business. 

I’ve also started consulting with other bloggers to help them build a business of their own. I’ve co-hosted workshops on “Blogging for Business” at the Workamper Rendezvous and created a Blogging Course, Blogging Camp with 3 other full-time RV bloggers. 

Building a successful blog is not something that occurs overnight. Don’t be discouraged. Network with other bloggers or entrepreneurs to help you stay motivated. The thing that helped me the most was working together with 3 other full-time RVers who are also bloggers. We shared successes, failures, and lessons learned with each other along the way. Now we are all earning an income through our businesses in different ways.

If We Can Do It, So Can You!

We were able to take our skills and experience and transform it into new opportunities that allowed us to continue to earn an income while realizing our travel dreams. I know that you can too! We created a program called Full-Time RV Finance to help you earn an income, save money, and get control of your finances while traveling full-time. 

Click here for additional methods to earn an income while traveling. 

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Sean travels quite a bit for work and I like to accompany him as often as I can. This leaves us with a regular need for short-term RV storage. In this article I’ll share with you some of the options for short-term RV storage, as well as what we have chosen as our preferred method.

Economy Parking

Many airports, cruise terminals and similar transportation hubs provide economy parking. Some even allow RV parking in these locations. Of course, it depends on the size of your RV, and since ours is two pieces (a 44′ fifth wheel and a truck), it is not really an option for us. It works out especially well for folks with vans and small Class C’s.  However, using this method would require you to dispose of all your perishable groceries and may not be a great choice for a short trip.

Storage Facilities

The most common place to leave an RV when not in use is a storage facility. We’ve used them for longer term storage when we lived in a traditional home, but don’t feel it is a good fit for our short-term travel needs for two primary reasons. First, as mentioned above if we’re only leaving for a week we don’t want to empty the refrigerator and freezer if there is no power. Second, most of the storage facilities we’ve encountered want a minimum of one month’s rental fee paid.

Peer to Peer Storage

A company called Neighbor, connects land owners willing to allow RV parking at their location to those looking for storage. Simply enter the zip code where you want to store the RV and look at available options.

Leave It At The Campground

Our preferred method is to leave our RV hooked up at our site in whatever campground we’re currently residing. This allows us to keep the refrigerator and freezer stocked. Here’s what I do to know if we’ve lost power while we’re gone: I freeze water in a small plastic container and put a penny on top of the frozen water. If it thaws and refreezes while we’re away, the penny will be in the middle of the bottom of the container. We always turn off the water and propane. Finally, we let the campground management/camp host know what dates we’ll be away and provide contact information. Since we pay the monthly rate to save money on our campground stays, this option is not typically cost-prohibitive.

Suggestions

Please leave a comment below and let us know where you leave your RV when you are away for short trips.