📍 -Tiny-Home-on-Wheels

If you’re a member of the fortunate rising majority who have the new-found privilege of working from home, you may want to explore just how far this freedom can take you. I mean, why wouldn’t you? With the technology we all have at our fingertips, our home office doesn’t have to be limited to the corner of our studio apartment. Perhaps some changing scenery is just what you need to get your creative juices flowing. 

Picture this. You’re a resident of the road, traveling the country of your choice in whatever way you fancy. You wake up in a new place every week, or perhaps every day if you’re a roadrunner. You get your work done by day, and explore the vast beauty of our plant by night. Sounds dreamy, right? I know from experience that the life of a digital nomad is equally as mysterious as it is exciting to experience. Life on the road is truly a world all its own, so how the heck are you supposed to know how to get started? With the help of seasoned professionals, of course!

Discovery Detour was created, and has since blossomed, from my mobile office, so you can say that I know a thing or two about how to work while on the go. And after months of trial and error, I am sharing all that I have learned with you, Young Grasshopper. Here are the 11 essential items that you need to order to take your home office on the road. No awkward transition phase required.

Calyx Institute Membership

I value your time, my friend. To prove it, I’m jumping right to the juicy bits, letting you know the best way to get reliable internet on the road. I bet my bottom dollar that you’ve never heard of the Calyx Institute, and how it’s been so under-discussed, I’ll never understand. This best kept secret for the working nomad is a gold mine of national 5G service. The Calyx Institute was founded back in 2010, right after Sprint finished negotiations for expanding their network which included them signing a contract that guaranteed their cooperation in providing affordable internet to non-profits organizations. As a non-profit, The Calyx Institute provides its members with a 5G hotspot with truly unlimited and unthrottled 5G speeds from T-Mobile and Sprint towers. If you’ve done any bit of research on this subject, you know this deal sounds almost too good to be true.

WeBoost Cell Signal Booster

If you have a traveling spirit, then you probably don’t want your adventures to be limited to places that have decent cell service. Here is where your new best friend comes in: a WeBoost Cell Signal Booster which will instantly improve your cell reception and thereby all internet speeds that you’re picking. My husband and I have been those people in a dead zone of a campground happily working away on our laptops on more than one occasion. Sometimes we even have strangers come up to us and ask how the heck we’re able to sustain a zoom meeting when they can’t even make a phone call. It’s not a secret. It’s a WeBoost.

Lumbar Support Seat Cushion

The mobile lifestyle simply isn’t conducive to cumbersome office chairs, and if there’s a serious downside to working while traveling, it’s that your lower back will be the subject of the cruel and unusual punishment that comes with extended use of an unsupportive chair. We learned this the hard way, feeling the effects of our slouched posture after just our first few weeks on the road. It’s a silly thing to suffer through given the fact that a supportive memory foam seat cushion is a cheap and easy addition to any mobile office. Leave it in your home on wheels, or bring it with you during a work day at a coffee shop. If strangers think it’s a hemorrhoid donut… well… you won’t see those people again anyway. I say there’s no shame in the game of taking care of your spine.

Lightweight Laptop

A reliable laptop that doesn’t require a mild workout to relocate is crucial while working on the go. Your laptop is your best friend. Your laptop is your biggest supporter. Your laptop is everything. I know I have a tendency to be a bit dramatic, but choosing a reliable laptop really is one of the most important decisions, as well as the biggest purchase, you will make while setting up your mobile office. Modern laptops are extremely powerful, all but eliminating the need for a desktop unless you’re a serious gamer. Feel free to do this research on your own, but we personally recommend the MacBook Air, or the MacBook Pro if your job requires extensive processing power. Apple products are unparalleled when it comes to tiny products that pack a punch of high quality performance. In addition, they pair very well with iPads which we find to be ideal options if your work requires an extra monitor.

Hoverbar Duo Tablet Stand

As mentioned above, any iPad or tablet can be used as a sleek second monitor, which is exactly what my husband, Drew, utilizes for his workspace while crunching out some code. To make this happen, though, you’ll need a sturdy tablet stand, and nothing serves this purpose better than the Hoverbar Duo from Apple Accessories. The reason this stand is better than any others for your mobile office is because it is heavy enough to not fall over even when jostled (hello bumpy backroads), can support your tablet in a vertical or horizontal position, folds down for moving days, and even has a spot to hold your smart pen. Heck, I’m pretty sure a regular pen would fit there as well. Perhaps one of my readers who still uses such tools can fill me in in the comments.

Folding Table

Unless you’re truly going to be living out of a suitcase, your home-on-wheels will probably have storage space for a folding table somewhere. It sounds simple, but the luxury of being able to unfold your work station in whatever wilderness you are currently calling home is freedom like many people never get to feel. The one we use is nothing fancy, and was a last minute purchase from Walmart when we first set up our stationary at-home office during the initial 2020 lockdowns. It’s small, low profile, lightweight, has adjustable legs for those uneven surfaces, and even has a small handle which helps when we’re dragging it out of our RV storage compartment. It’s simple, and yet it is exactly what we need.

Standing Laptop Stand

Right next to your folding table, in whatever compartment you can fit it in, should also be your compact standing desk. Before hitting the road full-time, we used to have a stationary standing desk which Drew could lower and raise with the push of a button. Those days are behind us now, but that doesn’t mean we have to live without the luxury of a standing desk with small and collapsible standing laptop stands like this one. We use our standing laptop stand inside on our kitchen table during days of inclement weather, and outside in the sun in combination with our folding table for days that must be enjoyed to the fullest.

EyeBuyDirect Glasses

Blue-light glasses are all the rage nowadays, but the importance of them really shouldn’t be overstated. You wouldn’t subject your eyes to harsh rays all day on a sunny hike, would you? Likewise, you shouldn’t overexpose them to the blue-light from your computer screen for days on end either. Us modern nomads depend on our technology to keep us connected with the world, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be wary of its harmful effects. In order to save your eyes so that you may see more spectacular natural wonders of our world, you should protect them from the degrading effects of the intense blue-light that comes along with your technology. EyeBuyDirect is the brand we personally use, so we can vouch for their quality and style, but there are many options out there which can be found with a quick Google search.

Wireless Accessories

On the road, wires will be the bane of your existence. There’s not a lot you can do about your laptop charger, but you can eliminate the unnecessary cords that come with an external keyboard and mouse. We choose to use the Magic Keyboard from Apple and a Logitech Mouse which was leftover from our days of intense PC gaming.

Sound Canceling Headphones

One thing which isn’t frequently considered when choosing to take your work life mobile is that you will frequently be surrounded by people on vacation. Hotel rooms, national parks and campgrounds are primarily filled with individuals who are there to take a break from the hustle and bustle of their day to day life. They may be rowdy, stay up late, play loud music, and be accompanied by gaggles of screaming children. It probably will never cross their mind that they’re sharing a sound barrier with a person who is trying to get some actual work done, so try your best to avoid blowing a gasket. Sound Blocking headphones will do wonders for both your sanity and your frustration. Drew and I have a pair of Google Pixel Buds which we use to take meetings or listen to music without disturbing the other. Alternatively, we keep a pair of Sony Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones charged and ready for those times when the neighborhood block party has gotten a bit out of hand.

Durable Backpack/Briefcase

Do not underestimate the value of a decent messenger bag. Being able to hold all of your essential work items in one place for the days when you want to work wherever the wind blows you is an indescribable luxury while working on the road. For this purpose, I recommend a Classic Leather Messenger Bag from Man-PACK due to its durability, large storage capacity, and loads of pockets to organize all of your knick-knacks. No, you don’t have to be a man to use it, and I am a testament to that.

With that, we have reached the conclusion of these 11 essential items that you need in order to take your home office on the road. With time and experimentation, you will figure out if you need to add anything else to this list in order to take your mobile setup to the next level. When that happens, please come back and let us know so that we can help other nomadic workers, together! And don’t forget to subscribe to Discovery Detour so that you don’t ever miss a new nomadic living insight.