Business on the road

There’s a lot of talk about the joys of being able to work remotely. It’s a fine idea, but to actually do it can be a pain sometimes.

One of the big issues is getting access to everything. The financial stuff can be the worse. I ran into some problems with one of my banks. Sure, I remembered the password, but because I was logging in from a new location they asked challenge questions. Even when you know the answer that doesn’t mean you can successfully log in.

Here’s an example. Let’s say the question is the name of the doctor who delivered my first child. I know it was Doctor Jones. However, did I write Doctor Jones, Dr. Jones, Doctor Bob Jones, or Dr. bob Jones, or Doctor Bob O. Jones? The spelling has to exact. I guessed wrong on the spelling and was locked out.

Yesterday I had a meeting over Skype. It took almost an hour to get all the connections and the audio just right. Later one of my partners sent me an audio copy . . . and the file would not open.

That’s with a good wifi connection. It can be tough to get a decent connection. I still haven’t gotten my hotspot device to work properly. Maybe later today.

Next month I’ll be in a remote location where the only cell service is provided by AT&T. I’m not sure if I’ve got anything that can connect with that service. Worse come to worse I’ll look for a burner phone that piggybacks on AT&T.

One of these days satellite communications will be fast enough and cheap enough that none of this will matter . . . or the whole technological world will collapse. Either way, my problems will be solved.

-Sixbears

Some more Internet issues

The internet went out at my step-mom's yesterday. Usually it's pretty reliable here but it seems even the most reliable systems go down from time to time.

It did get me thinking. One of the items that didn't survive our shipwreck was my AT&T hotspot. Hotspots, at least all the ones I'm familiar with, are rather expensive ways to connect to the Internet. On average people use about 35 gig of data on their home system. That seems about right, but I'm sure my home usage is higher. Netflix movies and Spotify add up. That's not a problem with the average home plan. On the road it's different. Mobility doesn't come cheap. My hotspot was costing me $75 for 10 gig. Sometimes at the end of the month I'd add another $10 or $20 worth.

That's expensive, I know, but since I do a lot of business on-line, it was worth it. Say what you want about AT&T, they have an extensive and reliable system. Since it was a pay as you go plan it didn't cost me anything the months I was home not using it.

Recently, someone gave me his old Netzero hotspot. Anybody have any experience with them? It doesn't get a signal where I am now, so I wonder how useful it will be while traveling. Often the cost of a hotspot is minor compared to the price of monthly data usage. Anybody up on what the best deals out there are?

For the next month I might just live with sketchy Internet. In another month or so we'll start heading northward anyway.

-Sixbears

Road life and breakdowns

There's quite a few folks living on the road in everything from small vans to big RVs. It can be a pretty cheap way to live. There are more free camping places in the western part of the country, but even in the populous east there are free options. Even campgrounds can be pretty economical. They also have the advantage of having useful services: hot showers, laundry, pump out stations, electric power, and wifi.

One thing that can put a real damper on the lifestyle is vehicle repairs. I know of one family who's converted bus just suffered a blown engine, a $7000 repair. That certainly throws a monkey wrench into frugal living. Major problems with one's vehicle not only leaves you without transportation, you lose your house at the same time. Things can get very expensive very quickly.

Most long term road warriors know a fair amount of vehicle repair and maintenance. However, sometimes you need the service of a full time garage. I've a had a small taste of it myself. Some years back my lovely wife and I were traveling through Louisiana, and our vehicle suffered a major breakdown. We found a garage that could do the job near a cheap motel. It took days to get the right parts and the repairs done. While there were some restaurants and stores close by, nothing was set up for walking. Every time we went somewhere we risked being run over by high speed traffic.

It pays to have stayed in contact with friends and family. Right now I'm at my dad's in Florida. I'm going to check the wheel bearings on trailer and install better lights. If the van needed something my dad could drive me around to get parts. If I needed local services, my dad knows who does good work for a reasonable price. Another time we stayed with friends in Kentucky while my truck got broken springs replaced.

If you travel on the road long enough odds are a major repair will have to be dealt with. If you are lucky you'll have local contacts who'll help you. However, you'll still have to spend some money to fix your problems. Nothing beats having an emergency fund. Call it the price of freedom.

I'm not a big fan of credit card debt, but a credit card can save you. It's better than nothing. Last year I had to resort to that myself. It was at the end of our winter travel and funds were low. It allowed us to fix the problem and get home. A few months later the bills were all paid up and we were ready for the road again.

People who live in regular houses have unexpected expenses too: furnaces die, roofs leak, AC units fail, pipes leak, and so on. People's cars break down too, making life difficult. Every lifestyle has its challenges.

-Sixbears

Long dark dreams of the Apocalypse

Apocalypse has already happened. It's been estimated that up to 95% of the native population of the Americas died from introduced diseases. If that's not an apocalypse I don't know what is.

Disease destroyed whole civilizations, often well ahead of the white invaders. By the time explorers and exploiters arrived, complex societies had collapsed. There weren't enough people to keep them going. All that were left were scattered bands of hunter gatherers. This is an over simplification, as collapse is complex, but it's good to be aware that big complex societies have fallen before.

I wonder how many people secretly dream of apocalypse? They imagine themselves as some kind of road warrior or zombie killer. Maybe they read a few too many survivalist books and cast themselves in a leading role.

They hate the life they are living, but it would take the end of the world as we know it for them to change. How many jobs are filled with the dead eyed masses? Have most resigned themselves to the dull routine of pointless work, TV, games, and Internet porn?

Maybe they even think they have the skills. It is surprising how many people people think they'll live off the land, but have never hunted, fished, or eaten wild plants. The more real world survival skills you acquire, the harder you realize this stuff really is.

I've watched quite a few of those survive in the wild type shows. They almost all focus on getting rescued or making it back to civilization. Making the wilderness your home is a whole different process.

Some think they can just go live like a wild Indian. Yes, that might work. Take your typical pre-colonial Native American hunter. He's skilled enough to be able to kill a deer with a bow. That's not an easy task, but he's trained for it all his life. When he does get a deer, it's a big deal. However, most day to day calories were provided by the women of the tribe. The were busy gathering nuts, berries and wild plants. Acorn soup might not be as great as roasted venison, but it'll keep you going. If you want to live like a wild Indian, you'd better have a tribe with you.

Maybe people want change in their lives so badly that even an apocalypse would be greeted as an improvement. It's sad when you think about it. Finding a life of adventure isn't something they can just go out and do. They haven't given themselves permission. Besides, their friends and family would frown on the whole idea.

Of course, the romantic idea of the post apocalyptic hero is better than real adventure. Real life is often too hot, too cold, too buggy, and the meals can be poor and irregular. Do they think that if they were sudden forced into such a life it wouldn't be so bad? Maybe the mosquitoes wouldn't bite as hard? Perhaps they would suddenly become taller, smarter and stronger?

Do you want to live like Mel Gibson in The Road Warrior? Let's start with the basics. Get yourself a case of dog food and live off of that for a while. Romantic, isn't it?

As far as I'm concerned, the world has enough adventure in it without an apocalypse. Are you so stuck in your life that it would take seven angels blowing trumpets of doom to change?

-Sixbears