Written By: Holly Frush
The Texas sun is blazing, emails are piling up, and instead of staring at the same four walls, we are opening the side door of our Pleasure-Way in Santa Fe. A cool breeze drifts through the van, laptops hum, and suddenly “the office” feels like a vacation spot. This is the mobile office we did not know we needed.
Why We Bought a Pleasure-Way as Two Full-Time Professionals
Like many couples these days, we both work from home, but in very different ways. I run my own interior design business, which takes me to client meetings, new construction sites, and installations in different cities across Texas. My husband, Jim, works remotely for a global company, which means his office can be wherever his laptop and Wi-Fi connection happen to be.
We realized early on that with our flexible work lives we did not have to stay tethered to the same home office every day. Why not trade the usual view out our windows for something a little more inspiring. Maybe the mountains of Colorado, the riversides of Texas, or the desert skies of New Mexico? Even if we are not “getting away” from work, we are getting away from the house, and that sometimes is exactly the reset we need.
Our Mobile Office Setups
One of my most enjoyable work locations this summer was from a picnic table at the KOA in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with crisp mountain air and blue skies overhead. Working on deadlines and not missing the sweltering southern heat or the mosquitoes back in Texas. Other days, I spread out at the lagoon table inside the van, turning our sofa into a cozy workstation. And when we are on the road, I have a custom little table that I use from the passenger seat, that turns long drives into productive ones.
Jim can join a meeting from just about anywhere. When he offers to drive me to new construction projects in other cities, he sets up shop in the van as I do my lengthy walkthroughs with contractors and vendors. He also has taken calls by lakeside, joined virtual meetings in the desert and even conducted business calls at rest stops when the need to quickly connect arises.
Staying Connected Anywhere
People often ask how we manage reliable internet when traveling. The short answer? We are more than covered. Between our Starlink, personal hotspots, and even the built-in Mercedes-Benz Wi-Fi system, we have yet to find ourselves without a way to connect. Whether we are in the heart of Dallas or tucked away in a quiet state park, we have never missed a meeting or struggled to send off a client presentation. It has been seamless and honestly better than we expected.
The Perks of Taking Work on the Road
Our Pleasure-Way has completely changed how we approach work and travel. After a long project installation day in a city farther away from home than I would prefer, I no longer feel the pressure to drive all the way back to Dallas. Instead, we will find a nearby campground to explore, sometimes a beautiful Corps of Engineers site, grill dinner and simply decompress for the night. What could have been an exhausting workday suddenly becomes restorative.
Even short escapes close to home feel like a mini getaway. We might decide to set up by a lake for the day, finish our work from the van and then trade screen time for a sunset view or a quiet moment outside surrounded by nature. It is productivity with a side of adventure. Changing scenery sparks creativity, sharpens focus, and helps us to avoid burnout.
The flexibility of working on the road has also brought unexpected benefits. Once while out of town for a client presentation, I was able to connect with one of my tile vendors who met me in a parking lot. She brought samples, and without delay we had an impromptu design session in front of the Pleasure-Way surrounded by stacks of tile in the open air. Not exactly a showroom, but it was convenient, productive, and a little reminder that with our van, work can happen anywhere.
A Lifestyle of Freedom
Our Pleasure-Way is more than a van; it is a lifestyle upgrade. It is the freedom to blend work with travel, the flexibility to follow cooler weather or scenic backdrops, and the comfort of knowing that home and office travel with us. Our Pleasure-Way has given us something we never thought we would find in our careers: the ability to balance full-time work with part-time travel, to meet deadlines while still enjoying the freedom of the open road and to mix productivity with adventure. Our mobile office truly gives us the best of both worlds.
