Working in Digital: That Time When the National Parks Became My Home Office

Last year, I embarked on a 38-day road trip across the Western U.S. with just my dog, Vulcan, by my side. Together we covered over 8,000 miles, visited 13 National Parks, and explored 11 states on a whirlwind trip that some have called “slightly insane.”

Although I began planning this trip months before, I didn’t determine my exact route until the day before I left home. Even then, there were plenty of unexpected changes along the way.

Left to right: City of Rocks, Idaho; Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming; Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho; Glacier National Park, Montana

Left to right: Garden of the Gods, Colorado; White Sands National Park, New Mexico; Joshua Tree National Park, California; Las Vegas, Nevada

Between the pandemic and the public safety precautions associated, numerous wildfires, and extreme weather, I’m still in awe that we were not only able to go on the trip, but that we made it back in one piece! In a way, I’m thankful for all the bumps along the way because they forced me to be present and problem-solve in real time, with only myself to rely on. (And, let’s be honest, we could all use a little routine shake-up right now, so I was more than happy to dive right into the unknown.)

Left to right: Antelope Island State Park, Utah; Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming; Death Valley National Park, California

Thanks to the amazing support of my team, I alternated between using PTO to completely unplug when I was camping and working remotely when I stayed somewhere with Wi-Fi. This trip has been a dream of mine for a while, but I never thought I’d actually be able to skip town for over a month while employed and make it a reality. I am truly so lucky to work for a company that not only tolerates my wild ideas but encourages this kind of exploration and personal growth outside the workplace.