This is how we turned our RV dining room into my rolling office. You can use these tips and add what works best for you to make your dining room, living room, bedroom, or extra room into an office. When we first moved into our RV, I was working full-time with the government for one year before we hit the road. We were stationary at a campground near where we sold our house for one year. I worked from a government laptop and that was all I had, working from a laptop on a table is not the best way to work. I knew that I had to get creative because I didn’t want my dining room table to look like an office, but I also needed to function as one. I also had a few other part-time jobs; one is teaching online. So not only did my office need to function, but it needed to function in different ways for each job, and look pretty at the same time.
One of the first things I purchased was an adjustable laptop stand. I teach online and
because I have video calls and meetings with clients, this was a must. The stand raises your laptop up so that you are not looking down at the videos. It is also better for your neck and back to work with the monitor at eye level. This stand is adjustable so I can move it up and down, even high enough that I can stand up to work if my back is bothering me from sitting too much. Another reason I like this one is that it is lightweight and folds down flat to be easily stored away when I am not using it. It can be stored in a cabinet, closet, or behind your couch or a chair. That is the one thing about my little office, I love that everything is easily put up out of the way after I am working for the day.
The next thing you might want to purchase for your office is some kind of storage. I purchased this small cabinet from IKEA, but I can't find it on their website. I found this one on Amazon, that is very similar. This one fits perfectly in our space in the dining room. I use it to store my printer,
extra paper, and contracts, and I also store my laptop and Tri-Screen from Xebec. The cabinet is not very heavy and travels right here in this space with no issues on our travel days. I don't need to strap it down or anything. But, our slide comes up to our table and the chairs kind of hold it in place. If you are worried about it moving, you could always attach it to the wall in the back of the cabinet. This functions great for me by adding storage for my office, and I added plants and my WiFi router on there as well.
If you don't have the space for a cabinet like this one you can always find a smaller one or use an empty cabinet in your RV, a basket, or even make a space in a closet or under your bed to store supplies when you are done for the day. I also have a basket under the table for storing all my teaching props and toys. I teach very young students sometimes so I have toys and puppets that I needed to store. This decorative basket is great for storing your office supplies as well. It looks like it is just a pretty basket that I added that looks like it belongs here and is not meant for storage.
The best upgrade I made was adding the Tri-Screens by Xebec to my laptop. This gives me three screens to work from. I can work on a project, teach a class, or write a blog and have my calendar and emails up on the other two screens. The best part is how easy they are to install and how portable they are. We now have a truck camper for smaller trips, so I pack my laptop and my Tri-Screens in a bag and then have a rolling office in there as well. It takes seconds to set up, just pop it on the laptop, plug it in, and you're ready to start working.
This is great for us traveling nomads that don't have room for large bulky extra monitors. I can now be so much more productive and I can travel anywhere with my setup because it is so portable. Love that I can take it and work from anywhere.
I also like using it when making our travel plans. I keep a map up on one screen, a calendar on one, and the campground reservations website on the main screen. This makes booking our travels so much easier. Shane even has one now for his laptop, although he uses it for watching multiple sports games so he can see all the scores.
A comfortable chair is a must for your office space. I wanted one that was not just functional, but also pretty and matched my decorations. I found these brown chairs that are much more comfortable and definitely nicer looking than the ones that came in the RV. I added a lumbar pillow to help my back when sitting for long periods of time. Also, the blue just adds a pop of color and makes it pretty to look at.
The last and probably most important thing you need for a rolling office is some kind of WIFI. There are so many types of traveling internet out there these days. When we first started looking three years ago it was very hard to find portable internet that could travel with you, and it was very expensive. We have a couple of ways we get internet now because I need backups to make sure I have internet for my jobs.
The first way we get internet is from ATT unlimited router through a company called Millenicom.
The second internet we use is T-Mobile unlimited home WIFI. It has traveled with us and done very well, especially for the price, we only pay $30 a month because we have the military plan. But, if you don't it is only $50 a month. Lastly, if all else fails we use the campground WIFI. But, for the last 3 years, we haven't had to use theirs. Here is a tip, you will need your own WIFI because the campground's internet is never reliable.
You can make any space in your home or home on wheels an office. Whether you are at your kitchen table, a tiny desk in the bedroom, or a huge office space in a bunkroom or toy hauler, any space can become a rolling office. I even like to work outside sometimes when the weather is nice, and it is great that most of my stuff is portable and I can work from anywhere. As long as you have the basics that you need to work, and you are comfortable that is all that matters. Some of the items I have added are not necessary, but they sure do make it a lot easier for me to get my work done.
