We have all witnessed countless layoffs and the Great Resignation since the beginning of the pandemic. Many individuals were laid-off, pivoted careers, some launched their entrepreneurial journey, or went on sabbaticals. The theme being, people were seeking more fulfillment in the workplace. Therefore, as an engineer with a passion for exploration, it was essential that I find a fully remote company. I joined FMG as a Full Stack Engineer back in March 2022. Beyond the perks of working remotely, it has been refreshing to join a team of creatives that prioritize nurturing their hobbies and passions, resulting in a stellar company culture.
My partner and I started The Garcia’s Moving Castle to document our adventures on the road while also providing detailed resources on how we did it. If you’re curious to read more about our day-to-day and save yourself hours of research, check out our blog.
Why We Got Into RVing
My love for the RV lifestyle started in my childhood… I remember driving from Texas to California to buy a 1979 Dodge Shasta motorhome and driving it back to Texas with my family – a 23 hour trip I still cherish. Each new trip would be something I would look forward to with anticipation. Every holiday and most weekends, we’d be at South Padre, Garner State Park, or another Texas state park. Once I had graduated college, I set out to buy an RV of my own.
As someone who loves a good project, my first two attempts at RVing included purchasing a couple of motorhomes that needed significant work. After struggling to get either of those motorhomes running well enough to trust on a long road trip, we decided to get a travel trailer to pull behind our Chevrolet Suburban.
This is where our RVing story really kicked off.
While trying to plan our first trip, we kept coming across more and more places we wanted to see. First, it was the Ozarks, then the Grand Canyon, then it was a thousand little things in between. We realized that if we wanted to truly appreciate the incredible beauty of this country, we were going to need more than a holiday weekend or the occasional vacation.
Finally, we decided that 2021 was a good year for an adventure, and so the journey began. There’s a lot of change that comes with a full-time adventure like this, which is why we started documenting our journey in hopes that it’ll inspire and help others take advantage of working remotely.
What We Love About RVing
One of the things we’ve come to love about living on the road is our appreciation for all that shapes our ever-changing environment. We’ve become familiar with the smell of desert shrubs in the spring, the sound of summer storms rolling through Ponderosa Pines, and the countless sunsets, each with something a little different to appreciate.
In the past, while traveling on vacation, there had always been pressure to see everything and do everything as quickly as we could. Now we generally have 2-3 weeks in an area and can enjoy the local sites and attractions at a comfortable pace.
One thing we didn’t expect was all the friends we’d make on the road. There’s quite a bit of community amongst full-time RVers. A simple ‘Hey neighbor’ normally leads to a couple of hours of exchanging stories over beers.
On the weekends, we try to go on at least one adventure, over the past year, we’ve seen and done more than we would have imagined! From off-road motorcycle adventures in Arizona to touring art galleries, the weekends always hold something to look forward to.
The Challenges of RVing
Being able to enjoy the peacefulness of having thousands of acres of public land to yourself does come with some challenges. The biggest challenge I’ve found is maintaining water and electricity. Depending on how often we shower in the RV versus our gym, we go through 10-20 gallons of water a day. We have an onboard fresh water tank, but after a few days, we have to start running into town with water totes to refill.
Electricity is what keeps this show on the road. Between all of our work devices and running our air conditioner, we go through more electricity than we initially expected. Even with our solar and lithium battery, we still need to run our generator a few hours a day. This adds up to a few gallons of gas a day that we need to run into town to fetch.
The last challenge I’d like to mention is something we came across on our most recent trip. Driving through the mountains in the summer pulling a large RV is a very involved experience. Trips that were supposed to be 5 hours were taking 8-9 hours. We took it in stride, though, and pretended that we were sailors in rough waters, having to check our gauges, cycle the heater, and shift gears at the right moment. At the end of a long day of driving, we were happy to open a bottle of wine and discuss the chaos and excitement of the long drive.
While I consider myself lucky to have found a partner to join me on this adventure, this is an endeavor one can also tackle alone! Read more about our day-to-day resources and logistics on our blog. So, whether you decide to take advantage of working remotely and crossing state lines or simply going for a short road trip, we’ve put together a road trip station for you to sing along to as you ride! Listen here.
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