How did you find the remote work? Is it with an existing client who is flexible or do you take short term contracts instead?
I'm completely unaffiliated with, but would recommend: https://remoteok.io/
150 days of living and coding in a van
151–160 of 445 posts
Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van
#152My friend Tynan wrote a very indepth guide on working from a van, some years before it was cool: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006XLK2LW/
Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van
#153We've been doing the same for a few years now. Funny.. these days I just want to go to Berlin and stay for a while! That's because I have wound up missing the buzz of a tech scene. I lived 5 years in SF & then the Hacker Dojo was born just as I was leaving. Since then, while sitting in my van, I just dream of sitting at the hacker dojo! Some of it is a great lifestyle. Tips on cheap data: Morocco, Portugal, Italy, Sl…
Thanks for the informations, what kind of panels would you suggest (watts or better model and maker, if it doesn't go against hn rules)?
I succesfully used a small foldable panel during my bicycle nomadism
Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van
#154I'm curious - don't people miss big monitors when coding on a laptop? I've done a fair amount of coding on laptops while travelling and it's okay, but I feel like a big monitor is optimal for most work and wouldn't want a permanent situation with just laptop. I like to have logs, command line, and editor all visible, and ideally a browser too. The editor alone is much more useful in a big window where you can see a f…
Personally, I've never had a problem developing on a 13" MBP with no peripherals except headphones.
There are plenty of options for portable monitors these days though, if you do want a second screen while traveling.
Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van
#155I'm curious - don't people miss big monitors when coding on a laptop? I've done a fair amount of coding on laptops while travelling and it's okay, but I feel like a big monitor is optimal for most work and wouldn't want a permanent situation with just laptop. I like to have logs, command line, and editor all visible, and ideally a browser too. The editor alone is much more useful in a big window where you can see a f…
I have a thunderbolt display and the my macbooks screen when at work. Text editing, bash, and web browser are on the monitor, with e-mail and slack on the laptop screen.
Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van
#156I am doing something somewhat related. I built a Jeep Wrangler into a house on wheels [1], and am driving around Africa for two years. I am freelancing for Magazines, and earning money through my website and social presence. I have not done any coding on this trip, mostly becuase I find it hard to get remote work that meets my flexibility needs - i.e. weeks off-grid and only occasional checkins/calls. Last time I dro…
I think work is the big issue with this sort of lifestyle (leaving aside children, as others have mentioned). Many remote gigs still want a daily standup, a weekly sprint retrospective and planning session, etc, and none of that really works if you're truly nomadic and can't really guarantee where you are or how good your Internet connexion is at any given time. The article talks about the flexibility of his lifestyl…
I work in a remote team, and even my co-workers who work from home sometimes have bad internet days. It's just something you learn to deal with.
In my team there are two others (there are a handful of teams in our company - all remote), sometimes we need to work together (e.g. to solve a bug) but most of the time we are all just working on our own tickets. If we were in an office we'd be the same - eyes down, headphones on.
You just need to trust people enough, to know that they are going to do, what they say they are going to do. Admittedly that's hard for some people (the trust and being trustworthy), which I'd say is why remote work often gets a bad rep.
Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van
#157I am doing something somewhat related. I built a Jeep Wrangler into a house on wheels [1], and am driving around Africa for two years. I am freelancing for Magazines, and earning money through my website and social presence. I have not done any coding on this trip, mostly becuase I find it hard to get remote work that meets my flexibility needs - i.e. weeks off-grid and only occasional checkins/calls. Last time I dro…
I found your webpage three years ago when preparing for my silk road motorcycle trip. Never thought that you were a HN member as well. Beautiful Jeep, if somewhat overengineered for my taste! :-D
I'm planning on doing the silk road (well, actually Bali to London) in the next year or two. Do you have a writeup, or any crucial tips that I wouldn't find elsewhere?
Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah. That happened to me. Cannot recommend this. AT ALL.
you have to home school to be on budget, otherwise they come home from school wanting new things. which also means your partner cannot have a full time job or has to work remote too. you could start a remote business and make the hours longer allowing for kid related interruptions.
otherwise they come home from school wanting new things
Indulging them is probably the worst thing you can do, just say no.
Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van
#159Good for him... I would totally hate the lack of space and comfort. I'd sleep really poorly at night when it's super hot in summer and cold in winter. I'd hate it to have to look for a good internet to work. I'd miss my friends all the time. I'd dislike having to socialize with random van neighbors every time I want to not dine alone. I wouldn't last a month of this...
Hey! I'm the author of that article. I respect your opinion and I totally agree that van life is not for everyone. However it's seems funny that I've never experienced one of your concerns: > I would totally hate the lack of space and comfort. I have 12 square meters and my bed is super comfortable. Most of the time I'm outside. Works perfect for me. > I'd sleep really poorly at night when it's super hot in summer an…
> for Christmas I will fly back to my hometown
Where do you plan on leaving your van while you are away? Are you worried about security?
Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van
#160This reminds me of those tiny houses you've seen where people can live very well on a low budget but with the benefit of being mobile. I've thought about it but it becomes impractical quickly with a family.
When I'd go on week long + backcountry hiking or canoe trips I always felt like all the other stuff you have just don't matter. Time away from stuff doesn't make you miss it, it makes you realize you don't need any of it.