Where does my stuff go? That one statement has expressed the bane and misery of this occasional road warrior’s travels from the first time I loaded a laptop bag and headed out of the home office and hit the road.

Sure, laptop bags have a place for the namesake product. But what about the rest of the stuff that invariably comes along? Even the power cable and transformer have to find a make-shift home, tucked in some side pocket or stuffed in a Zip-Lock baggie to avoid entanglement.

Then there’s the portable mouse, the USB adapters, and all the other accessories. Where do these orphans go — neatly  — so that they’re accessible and don’t end us as a tangled mess on the bottom of the bag? Read More »

I have this uncle. We’ll call him Sam.

The 15th of every month, Sam wants a little scratch — whether I’m at my home office in South Florida, or playing road warrior somewhere along the Eastern Seaboard. Sam doesn’t really ask for his money. He doesn’t have to. I know to pay him — or else he’ll sic his business-suited henchmen on me. I’ll get a letter saying, “Mr. Zbar, You’re Delinquent.” The mere thought of raising his suspicions is enough to make any home office worker toe a very straight line.

Truth be told, I try to be a stickler about the money owed me, too. I want my money so I can pay myself, my vendors — and the Good Uncle.

Thus, making these two spokes in the money wheel of business spin in sync are core to running a successful enterprise.

Collections are no laughing matter. And tax payments are nothing to mess around with. And just because I’ll be on the road for three weeks doesn’t mean Uncle Sam won’t expect his estimated payroll tax payment, or I won’t expect my clients to pay me. Read More »

Alex Johnson is an ardent shedworker. From his home in St. Albans in England, Alex works from a shed — and blogs about the shedworking concept on Shedworking. He’s even written about it in the forthcoming book, Shedworking: The Alternative Workplace Revolution.

So when Alex and I got to talking about Home Office Highway, he commented on his summers spent working virtually at his in-laws place in Spain (those Europeans are SO cosmopolitan. I’m trying to have a little cosmo-mojo rub off on me by writing about Alex’s exploits).

I asked Alex to share his thoughts. Here’s what he had to say… Read More »

Think an RV is no space to set up an office? Put on your thinking cap and envision your ideal workspace from the road. For those accustomed to road-trippin’, moving the SOHO into a recreational vehicle isn’t impossible. It just requires a bit of thought, planning, preparation, ability to hit the curveballs, and a healthy spirit of adventure.

Check out this video. Envision this as your home office. Can you do it?

What do you think?

As I walked the aisle of my local Office Depot, I wondered what I would need for my home office road trip. Laptops and routers, storage devices (for paper, pixels and docs) and organizational stuff. Just like I worked from home, really.

But then I saw it, and knew I had to have it. Knew I’d be lost — or at least in an entangled mess — without it. Velcro cable straps and the Ativa Cable Burrito. Absolutely.

Yet my wife had other ideas. After asking her to peruse RV Vacations For Dummies, I inquired what the top three items she said were Must Bring accessories. Robbie whittled it down to one: rubber gloves. Anyone who’s seen RV with Robin Williams knows where Latex gloves would come in — though he needed a hazmat suit. (Robbie’s other two items were a broom and binoculars to spot low-cost fuel from a distance. One suggestion there: GasBuddy.com). Read More »

Home Office Highway isn’t the first to hit the road with a home office on wheels. The “Workamper” concept has been around for years.

Writing consultant and author Marcia Yudkin took a two-month sabbatical back in 2007 (albeit from the family sedan) — and her business never missed a step (check out her report).

The people at RV Sales of Broward travel the region and close deals from aboard the 42-foot Fleetwood Revolution RV-turned-mobile office pictured here. I just spoke with Marc Gilenson, who runs his mobile office-based consulting and business process re-engineering enterprise — and The Association of Entrepreneurs (MyBizUniverse.com) from his 32-foot Damon RV.

I’ve worked from the family minivan. And I’ll work from the ZRV — a 23-foot Fleetwood Jamboree. Check back soon for pix of an interior outfitted for business.

What does it take for you to work from the road? Some technology, the right mindset — and a free spirit. Have you got the right stuff?

Plates and utensils? Check. Bedding and toiletries? Check. Clothes, food and other necessities? Check, check, check. Once the mainstays of an RV trip have been bought, gathered and stored, then you turn to the office supplies.

When I leave on a business trip, I try to remember all the accessories and accoutrements I’ll need — lest I go without something or have to buy a replacement on the road. But what will I need for a three-week RV trip that seeks to truly replicate the office?

Let’s review the stuff… Read More »

If you live in Jacksonville, Fla., Union City, N.J., Glen Allen, Va., or Orlando, Fla., you’re in luck: Home Office Highway will be stopping by.

ZRV — the country’s first Home Office on Wheels — has set its tour dates. See below for locations, dates and times. In each market, we’ll showcase the technology and tips to creating a balanced workation. And every visitor will receive a copy of Home Office Highway: A Digital Adventure Where Vocation Meets Vacation on the Open Road, a free booklet on virtual officing courtesy Office Depot’s Design Print Ship Depot.

For aspiring business owners in Central Florida, we’ll also be presenting on “Managing the Home Office Experience” at the Disney Entrepreneur Center.

Monday, July 7 (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Office Depot No. 2744 (932 Dunn Ave. @ 8am)
Verizon Evolution (Location TBD, afternoon)

Thursday, July 17 (Union, N.J.)
Office Depot No. 2459 (1701 Morris Ave. @ 8am)

Sunday, July 20 (Glen Allen, Va.)
Office Depot No. 565 (9700 W. Broad St. @ 9am)

Thursday, July 24 (Orlando, Fla.)
The Disney Entrepreneur Center (315 E. Robinson St. @ 830am)

Attendees at the Disney Entrepreneur Center presentation also will receive a free copy of The Chief Home Officer’s Guide to Home Office Design & Set-Up.

Hope to see you at the stores — and on the road!