How We Work Full-Time While Traveling in an RV with Four Kids
- Dana Shik
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
We make it work by planning our driving around work, starting our workday before the kids wake up, choosing kid-friendly campgrounds, staggering our meetings, using a flexible mobile office, and taking hourly PTO when we want more time to explore.
One of the questions we get asked most often during our RV trips is:
"How do you both work full-time while traveling in an RV with four kids?"
The short answer is that we don't try to fit work around travel. We plan our travel around work.
We're fortunate that both of us work remotely, but remote work is still work. We have meetings, deadlines, projects, and full-time responsibilities throughout the trip. The difference is simply that our office changes every few days.
How We Plan RV Travel Around Our Work Schedule
Before we even leave home, we look at our work calendars and try to anticipate which days are likely to be busier than others.
If we expect a heavy meeting day or a larger workload, we'll either avoid moving between campgrounds or keep the drive short. On lighter days, we'll often drive our RV a few hours before or after work, and when possible, we save the longest driving days for weekends. Mostly, because driving a 36ft bus and a towed SUV sums up to about 50ft long vehicle, which is challenging to maneuver and exhausting to drive for long hours - this is partly why we try to not "mix" long drives with work days.
We also give ourselves flexibility. If we know we'll want to spend more time exploring a particular destination, or if work simply doesn't fit into the day because of travel logistics, we report hourly PTO instead of trying to cram a full workday into an unrealistic schedule.
That flexibility has made extended RV travel sustainable for us.
Our Daily Remote Work Schedule
One of the biggest changes we've made over the years is shifting our workday earlier.
Whenever possible, we start working while the RV is still quiet and the kids are asleep. Those uninterrupted early morning hours are often our most productive and allow us to finish a surprising amount of work before the day really begins.
If needed, we'll continue working during the afternoon while everyone is resting or enjoying some downtime at the campground, and sometimes we'll log back in after the kids go to bed to finish anything that couldn't wait.
Breaking the workday into several blocks gives us much more flexibility than trying to work straight through from 9 to 5.
We've put this system into practice during multiple RV trips over the years, from a few days to multi-week journeys, and each trip has helped us improve the way we balance full-time work, family life, and travel.
Our RV Office Setup
Working from an RV obviously isn't the same as working from a home office, but we've found a setup that works well for us.
Our workspace changes throughout the day. Sometimes one of us works at the dinette while the other takes meetings from the bedroom. Other days, we'll switch places depending on who's presenting, who needs quiet, or who's on camera.
Over the years, we've added a few simple tools that make remote work much easier. We use a foldable laptop table that can be moved anywhere in the RV, a portable monitor that connects to our laptops for a second screen, and noise-canceling headsets that help us stay focused and block out the normal sounds of family life.
Our motorhome also has a small fold-down desk at the front, which has become one of our regular workstations.
For everyday meetings, that's usually all we need. But if one of us has an important presentation or a high-profile meeting where we can't risk interruptions, we'll move into the bedroom or even into the SUV that we tow behind the motorhome. It may sound unusual, but it gives us a quiet, distraction-free space when we need one.
None of this equipment is particularly expensive or complicated, but together it has made working from the road far more practical.
Why We Choose KOA and Jellystone Campgrounds for Workdays
The campground itself plays a surprisingly important role in making our workdays successful.
When we're planning a longer stay, we often choose family-oriented campgrounds like KOAs and Jellystone parks because they give the kids plenty to do independently. Between the playgrounds, jumping pillows, pools, sports courts, organized activities, and the friends they quickly make with other camping families, they're usually happy entertaining themselves for long stretches.
We also try not to schedule meetings at the same time. That way, one of us is almost always available if one of the kids needs help with something while the other is working.
That simple adjustment has probably been one of the biggest contributors to making this lifestyle work.
We Explore Around Our Work
One advantage of traveling for weeks at a time is that we don't feel pressured to see everything in a single day.
If we're staying somewhere for four or five nights, we might spend part of the day working and still have plenty of time to explore. During the summer, the long daylight hours make that surprisingly easy.
Then, on weekends or lighter workdays, we'll plan the hikes, scenic drives, or full-day adventures that require more time.
Instead of separating work and travel, we've learned how to blend them.
Flexibility Is More Important Than a Perfect Schedule
No matter how carefully we plan, things change.
Weather changes.
Meetings get rescheduled.
Road construction adds an extra hour to the drive.
Sometimes we discover a place that's worth staying an extra day, while another destination takes much less time than we expected.
We've learned not to build an itinerary that's so tight it falls apart the moment something changes. Leaving room for flexibility has made both our work and our travels much less stressful.
Would We Recommend It?
Absolutely - but with realistic expectations.
Working remotely from an RV during extended travel isn't a full-on vacation. There are deadlines, grocery shopping, meal planning, laundry, unexpected RV maintenance, and all the ordinary responsibilities that come with everyday life.
For our family, though, the trade-off has been worth it.
Instead of waiting for retirement or trying to squeeze everything into however many paid time off we have for vacation, we've found a way to experience more of the country while continuing our careers. It takes planning, communication, and flexibility, but after several weeks-long RV trips, we've found a rhythm that genuinely works for our family, and applied it to an extended summer-long adventure.
What Gear Do We Use for Our RV Remote Work Setup?
Working remotely from an RV doesn't require an elaborate office, but having the right equipment makes a noticeable difference.
Here's what we've found ourselves using every single day during our extended trips:
Starlink is our primary internet connection and has allowed us to work from campgrounds and remote locations where cellular coverage alone wouldn't have been enough. See the Starlink we use here.
A portable monitor gives us a second screen, making it much easier to review documents, attend meetings, and multitask efficiently without sacrificing productivity.
Noise-canceling headsets help block out the normal sounds of family life inside the RV and make meetings much more professional. See the headset we use here.
A foldable laptop table gives us flexibility to work from different areas of the motorhome instead of being tied to a single spot. See the portable table we use here.
The fold-down desk at the front of our motorhome has become one of our favorite workstations, especially for focused work between meetings.
Our towed SUV doubles as a private office whenever one of us has an important presentation or a meeting where background noise simply isn't an option. It has turned out to be one of the most useful "offices" we've had on the road.
Most of these items are affordable and not complicated, and together they've made it possible for two full-time remote employees to work efficiently while traveling with four kids.
FAQs
Can you work remotely while traveling in an RV?
Yes. With reliable internet, a flexible schedule, and some planning, we've been able to work full-time throughout multi-week and even two-month RV trips while continuing to meet our regular work responsibilities.
How do you get internet while working from an RV?
Our biggest strategies are starting work before the kids wake up, choosing campgrounds with plenty of activities, avoiding overlapping meetings whenever possible, and splitting our workday into morning, afternoon, and evening blocks when needed.
What internet do you use for working from an RV?
We primarily rely on Starlink, which has provided dependable internet throughout much of our travels. We also keep cellular data available as a backup whenever possible.
How do you stay productive while working from an RV?
We keep our workspace simple, plan driving around our work schedule, and use practical tools like a portable monitor, noise-canceling headsets, and a foldable laptop table. Just as importantly, we accept that not every day looks the same and build flexibility into our itinerary.
Do you have to take vacation time while traveling?
Not necessarily. Because we work remotely, many travel days don't require taking time off. However, if we want to spend extra time exploring a destination or know we'll have a shorter workday, we report hourly PTO rather than trying to fit a full workday into our travel plans.
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