The idea began on a trip to Joshua Tree with a friend from college. I was out in the desert when my phone started receiving calls, texts, and notifications. There was enough signal to stay connected, which got me thinking about whether I could use my laptop there too.
The next day, I packed a chair, laptop, phone, USB battery, water, and food, then walked about a mile and a half into the desert. I found a place to sit, opened the laptop, and worked.
I enjoyed being there while doing my usual work. The meetings and emails hadn’t changed, but sitting outside in the desert felt different from working at home. Before leaving Joshua Tree, I told my friend I wanted to return the following year with an off-road trailer.
At first, I pictured something small, with enough room to sleep, work, and cook. As my wife became interested, comfort for trips together became part of the decision. A bathroom, shower, air conditioning, and enough room for both of us mattered.
We went to South Carolina to look at trailers. In one of them, we turned on the air conditioning and stayed inside for close to an hour. The idea was becoming an actual purchase rather than something I had talked about in the desert.
A motorcycle accident also changed how I think about waiting. The recovery involved surgeries and ongoing problems with my leg. Hiking and backpacking became harder. That experience is part of why I want to travel while I can instead of putting everything off until retirement.
I’m 53 and thinking about retirement, but remote work gives me the opportunity to try this now. My work still needs to get done. The trip will fit around it, with time outside work to see places I haven’t visited.
My wife won’t be on this first extended trip. I’m looking forward to trips together later, but first I want to learn what living and working from the trailer is actually like.
I don’t know yet whether I’ll enjoy it as much as I hope. Towing, finding campsites, and managing water, power, and internet will all become part of daily life. The Desk Out There is where I’ll keep an account of how it goes.
— The Guy Behind the Desk
