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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Home Office Highway always was envisioned as a two-part program. First, a family would travel the highways and byways — and see how technology would keep a business owner connected to work back home, and vacation on the road.

Second, we wanted to share the tools we used on the road. More than 60 people entered the Home Office Highway drawing for a chance to win an Ativa wireless router, surge suppressor, USB flash drive and “Cable Burrito”; a Targus Flare laptop bag, and even a copy of the Home Office Highway booklet.

So watch the drawing and to all those who entered, accept out thanks.

… you’ll know you’re coming up on Home Office Highway.com. Graphic designer Angela L. Moses at JMM Graphics in Parkland, Fla., worked with DigiGraphics in Dania Beach, Fla., to create the vehicle signage for the ZRV.

We’re on Turn Three of pulling the tour together. A few details left to iron out. Check back in a week for the FREE downloadable booklet, Home Office Highway: Where Vocation Meets Vacation on the Open Road. It’s packed with useful strategies and tips on the technology needed to work successfully from the road — and ways to keep your work schedule and client expectations in check.

Departure Countdown: One month until the RV hits the road. The partners (Office Depot and Verizon Wireless) are in place, and the family’s getting excited.

I visited our RV partner, RV Sales of Broward, to check out the recreational vehicle we’ll call home for three weeks. While it’s no John Madden-esque luxury coach, it’ll be perfect for the tour.

It’s a 23-foot Fleetwood Jamboree. It’ll sleep our family of five comfortably, and not chug the petrol like a much bigger coach. Apparently it’ll get somewhere near 10 MPG. Now I’ll know what a once-proud Hummer owner feels like as oil tops $137 a barrel.

Now’s the time to start getting the fine-print details into place:

- Signage. I contacted a local vendor who’ll print and install laminate signage for the sides.

- I ordered a copy of Over the Road Wireless for Dummies (Wiley, 2006), and downloaded a copy of Marcia Yudkin’s Taking Your Business On The Road. Written from her two-month sabbatical across the U.S. and Canada, this is quickly becoming my must-read tome on the work-from-the-road advanture.

Much to do, and time’s running short. Have ideas, links or resources for me to explore? Send them along.

Coral Springs, FL (June 6, 2008) – Home Office Highway, the digital road show and contest that this summer will showcase how consumer electronics and small business technology can empower the digital lifestyle from within a recreational vehicle, has partnered with RV Sales of Broward.

“From a compact camper to a luxury motor coach, RVs are a perfect way to have fun and work efficiently during a road trip,” said Jeff Zbar, the show’s creator and host. “Smart technology, tools and creature comforts can enable productivity from the road.”

“This promises to be an exciting, educational adventure that will highlight how the RV lifestyle and road warrior workstyle can coexist,” said Gigi Stetler, owner and CEO of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based RV Sales of Broward, and creator of the Riding Gigi Style line of RV linens. “Jeff and his family will show how an RV can be an ideal office.” Read More »

Coral Springs, FL (May 30, 2008) – Home Office Highway, the digital road show that this summer will showcase how personal electronics and small business technology can empower the digital lifestyle from within the comforts of a recreational vehicle, has signed Verizon Wireless as a presenting sponsor.

“Verizon Wireless is an ideal sponsor because its communications products are vital to any road warrior or digital consumer,” said Jeff Zbar, the tour’s creator and host. “People who work from the seat of a car or a tech-laden V must be able to reliably log on to the Internet or communicate with their wireless hone. It’s essential to working and living in the Digital Age.”

“Home Office Highway is a great new concept that relates to such a large part of today’s mobile society,” said Chuck Hamby, public relations manager for Verizon Wireless in Florida. “We’re glad to have the opportunity to show off a variety of our wireless technologies that meet the dynamic lifestyle wishes to work and play while on the move.” Read More »

Coral Springs, FL (March 31, 2008) – Think you can’t take a month-long holiday and still keep your business or family finances from taking a permanent vacation? Think again. This summer, Home Office Highway: A Digital Adventure – will hit the road to prove vacation and vocation can travel hand in hand.

Setting off July 4th weekend in a recreational vehicle packed with the latest small office technology, Jeff Zbar and his family will showcase just how productive the modern family can be when traveling the nation’s highways. Wife, Robbie, will manage the family’s home finances. Their kids will stay connected with friends. And Zbar, a widely published technology columnist and author, will chronicle the adventure each day in blogs and videologues as the RV travels from up the Eastern Seaboard – and back again.

“We take a family road trip each summer, so I’m used to mixing vacation and work. This year I got the idea to share my experience with others, and show that through technology, you can leave home for vacation and take the office with you,” said Zbar, creator of the site ChiefHomeOfficer.com. “That’s how Home Office Highway was born.” Read More »

The Tour Route: The show will leave from South Florida soon after July 4th Weekend and wind its way through Orlando, north through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine.

The Roaming Home Office will stop at popular tourist destinations, resorts, business development centers, campgrounds and retailers along the route.

At each location, visitors will be able to peek at a mobile home office — a fully functional workspace, including laptops and wireless Internet, webcams and headsets, and all the tools you need to work from home. Even if the home is motoring down the highway.

Check back to learn more…