Biz RV: Change of Heart
After Reevaluating Their Priorities and Shifting the Vision for Their Future, a Couple Hits the Road Full-Time in Their RV
Image Caption: Photo Credit: Kimberley Hamilton
Scott and Kimberley Hamilton, who raised four children, love to travel. When they traveled in the US, though, it was mostly for business, so they didn’t see the country like they wanted to.
That changed in the spring of 2020 when their daughter and son-in-law bought an Airstream travel trailer to escape the COVID-19 confinement. Scott and Kim decided to join them and bought a new 20-foot Winnebago Minnie trailer, their first RV. Scott discovered that he could comfortably work remotely, and that got the ball rolling to sell their house and take life on the road full-time. Kim, who had recently sold her business, dove in to make an escape plan for the following spring.
“Everything in our 2,200-square-foot Chicago condo went to our adult kids. It was very liberating,” said Kim. They ordered a new 25-foot Airstream Flying Cloud, which was their rolling home for six months, then traded up for a 30-foot Flying Cloud Office edition so Scott would have a separate space for work and a mini music studio.
Photo Credit: Kimberley Hamilton
Part-Time Work, Full-Time Fun
Scott, a professional consultant and business advisor who works three days a week, coaches top teams of financial advisors to reach new levels in their businesses while serving fewer clients. The best part about his job, Scott says, is that he’s able to share his experiences and diverse scenery on Zoom calls. “It has given me a unique perspective on how to better coach them. I can use our travel to broaden the scope of what they can do to become more successful and better define what success actually means to them.”
The Hamiltons delight in seeing new locations—the Pacific Northwest being their favorite—and are usually on the move once or twice a week. “There are so many options. We can mix it up with state parks, Army Corps of Engineer parks, RV parks, Harvest Hosts, Hipcamp, boondocking, and occasionally an Airstream community owner who offers an overnight stay.” They avoid the parks during the high season with the larger crowds, which has “made a big difference in the ability to see things.”
Much of their time is spent on the West Coast since Scott starts calls at 6 a.m. as he works from a central time zone. “This gives us a lot of extra daylight during the week to hike, bike, and do things that we would not be able to do in other time zones.”
When he closes his laptop for the workday, the first thing Scott and Kim do is hit the trails to explore the area. They typically get in 4–5 miles of hiking or 12–20 miles of biking. After dinner, they like to take a short walk before heading inside for an episode of their favorite cooking show. Scott enjoys cooking, and Kim says he is an excellent chef. They visit farmers’ markets and eat very healthily, preparing just about every meal at camp.
On Scott’s days off they tackle large hiking opportunities, mountain and road biking, boating, and their newest hobby—fly fishing, which they’ve taken up since becoming full-timers.
One of the biggest changes they’ve experienced is that spending so much time in the outdoors has made a difference in their sleep patterns—going to bed earlier—but also that “every night is a great night’s sleep!” They have lost weight and “gained a great deal of extra energy.”
Photo Credit: Kimberley Hamilton
Office Space
The only modification they made to the rear office 30FB was to remove the single foldout bed and turn it into a cabinet that holds Scott’s keyboard controller for music, a printer, and lots of hidden wiring. They stay connected via Insty Connect and, more recently, Starlink.
All of his computer, lighting, camera for Zoom calls, and audio equipment is anchored down, and everything else is clipped or attached to the walls. The efficient setup is completed with the ergonomic chair supplied with the trailer that has a strap to secure it during travel.
“We have been lucky enough to find people who have become friends through our travels and spend time camping with them in other places as we’ve invited them to join us. And we’ve been invited to the homes of folks we’ve met. Canada was a magnet for these kinds of surprises.”
The Hamiltons have six grandkids—and two more on the way—and they love to take them camping. It’s an annual event to have Santa come visit the grandkids while camping with the entire family at their favorite Florida campground.
Since starting this journey, they’ve had a shift in their visions and attitudes, “We’ve lost loved ones over the past couple of years and realized that there is no time like the present to carve out time for ourselves as we are not getting younger, no matter how great we feel! We have the full support and encouragement from our kids, which has made it even more possible. Life is good.”
Photo Credit: Kimberley Hamilton
One-Man Show
Scott had a country band in Chicago before he and Kim became full-timers, and his “Scott Hamilton 61” is available on Apple Music. He plays a lot of genres and plays guitar, saxophone, and keyboard.
Now he performs at various campgrounds or Harvest Host wineries or breweries where Kim books him during their travels. His hobby of writing music has turned into 16 new songs since starting the full-time RVing lifestyle. He’s currently working on getting those songs onto CD, Spotify, and Apple Music.
