Home Office Highway, a Digital Adventure that reveals how to workation from the open road, will travel from Florida to Chicago in Summer 2009.

The Midwest saw 6.7 million travelers last summer. In ‘09, travelers will see the tools needed to transform a hotel, lake house, sedan, minivan - or RV - into a perfect workplace for the home officer, road warrior, teleworker or parent. Check back often to learn more!

Vocation meets Vacation on HomeOfficeHighway!

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I’m sitting at my kitchen counter, HP laptop powered up, and pondering what we just completed.

Home Office Highway was an unbelievable exercise, in freedom, family, adventure, escape, work / life balance (and then some), technology and the power tools that empower the remote worker, personalities, workstyles, and what it takes to get all these concepts to meet up on the same page.

I have no doubt that we’ll do this again. I’ve spoken with my partners, and the interest is there. My clients were buoyed by the concept, and for the most part, were none the wiser — or at least didn’t seem to mind — that I was working from Lord knows where.

To be sure, there’s some balancing that needs working out. A few thoughts in retrospect… Read More »

I’ve planted my flag and staked my claim to the front-facing perch of the dinette table in our mobile home office. It is here I’ve created my workspace. And I’m settling in quite nicely.

With a few common supplies, a couple of hardware gadgets, and a little ingenuity, I’ve made it my own

My Foray Mobile Workmate has packed with my laptop (a killer new HP Compaq 2710P tablet ultraslim notebook) and my accessories abound. I’ve got several cameras (a Sony Cyber-shot 8.1 megapixel, and my two-year-old HP Photosmart 5.1 megapixel. Nicole brought her Casio Elixim. And the phones have cameras(of course). The Workmate fits perfectly between the driver and shotgun seats while moving. And when I’ve relocated to my office, it opens right beside me.But what’s really cool are the little tweaks I’ve made.

With a pair of inch-square patches of Velcro, I mounted the Ativa surge protector to thee wall behind me. Up and out of the way, it’s become the power charging station for the phones, cameras, printer, laptops and all our other accessories.

The other occurred in that place where A-Ha! meets the right-designed product. The dinette table has two cup holders set in holes routed out from the wood. I popped out one of the holders, unscrewed the in-desk USB hub, and slip the top through the wood. I then screwed the backing behind the table, screwed it into place and — Viola! — I had an in-desk USB hub.

Working from an “alternative” home office requires a bit of make-shift thinking, a few epiphanies and some luck. More tweaks and creativity to come.

It’s positively a unique experience. Except Sponge Bob’s on the cable. So I guess it’s not that unique at all…

Imagine taking a three week trip. Then imagine packing the family — and home office — for that trip. The details are innumerable, intimidating and seemingly insurmountable.

From packing kids’ duffel bags for camp, and outfitting an RV for almost a month of workation, it’s a daunting task — for mom and dad alike. How to do it all? It reminds me of a quote I once got from someone when I asked what they wanted for the holidays? Overworked as she was, she said, “A clone, with insomnia.”

We’re eyeballing the RV with keen interest on where things should go for most effective ergonomics and functionality. Where should the home office be kept — when it’s not a home office? Where should the travelers’ stuff be stored on a vehicle with limited storage?

Thankfully, we have a few products that are helping organize the space. My Foray Mobile Office Workmate will stash one laptop almost all my accessories, and some files and paperwork. This way, when I’m ready to work, I just roll it out (from where yet, I still don’t know), open it up, pull out and power up the laptop, and — Voila! — I have an office.

I’ve put a batch of supplies behind the driver’s and passenger seats. One weatherproof storage container will stash all my printer paper, cartridges and the like. My inlaws — veteran RVers of more than 40 years — said to keep supplies in the shower stall, and fetch them as needed. Talk about maximizing space.

In tight quarters, whether it’s an RV-turned-home office or a Manhattan apartment or the corner of your den, the key is to improvise with a keen eye on functionality. We’ll make it happen.

I’m just waiting for the clone to show up.

As I walked the aisle of my local Office Depot, I wondered what I would need for my home office road trip. Laptops and routers, storage devices (for paper, pixels and docs) and organizational stuff. Just like I worked from home, really.

But then I saw it, and knew I had to have it. Knew I’d be lost — or at least in an entangled mess — without it. Velcro cable straps and the Ativa Cable Burrito. Absolutely.

Yet my wife had other ideas. After asking her to peruse RV Vacations For Dummies, I inquired what the top three items she said were Must Bring accessories. Robbie whittled it down to one: rubber gloves. Anyone who’s seen RV with Robin Williams knows where Latex gloves would come in — though he needed a hazmat suit. (Robbie’s other two items were a broom and binoculars to spot low-cost fuel from a distance. One suggestion there: GasBuddy.com). Read More »