Perks of Work Freedom

We are preparing for an epic road trip through the Pacific Northwest in a freshly restored lime green 1979 VW Westfalia Camper Van. Obviously, the biggest fear we have is breaking down. This last Sunday, our work freedom allowed us to spontaneously chuck supplies in the van and head out on an overnight camping trip to test her out.

While working for myself and escaping the drama and long hours of an office was my first priority in walking away from a corporate career, not caring what day of the week it is has to be my favorite perk.

I can still vividly remember that regret and depression that would set in starting Sunday morning, growing worse until the precious weekend was clearly gone and I was setting my alarm for 6 AM. The difference between waking up to go to a job and waking up to have coffee on the porch are night and day.

One of my new favorite resources is a probably an old go-to for you campers: FreeCampsites.net. Crowdsourced by fellow campers and hippies, there are always a few no-cost camp sites within driving distance. Part of living this lifestyle, at least until you reach financial independence and probably even then, is frugality.

Here in Salt Lake, it costs $44/night to car camp at a lame paved site in the nearby Wasatch Mountains. Instead, we drove the VW 90 minutes down south to Mount Nebo, allowing us to effectively test the gas mileage. Even at 16 miles per gallon, the free camping saved us some cash while simultaneously introducing us to the most gorgeous and nearly untouched mountain range I’ve seen.

Our overnighter test in the van proved to be quite revealing, identifying several gadgets and supplies that we had neglected to anticipate. We also got a taste of sleeping in a twin-sized bed. Let’s just say that 20-30 nights in that bed is way more intimidating now.