Have you ever dreamed of combining work, travel, and family life? Join us as we explore this unconventional lifestyle with our special guest, digital nomad Kristen Ryan. Kristen shares an intriguing glimpse into how she manages work remotely, irrespective of her location. Kristen discusses the essentials for a remote office setup, from a stable internet connection to balancing the computer on your lap - and how this approach to work isn't restricted to any specific career. We also delve into the ups and downs of this lifestyle, juggling work demands and occasional interruptions from her adorable trio of kids.
Have you ever dreamed of combining work, travel, and family life? Join us as we explore this unconventional lifestyle with our special guest, digital nomad Kristen Ryan. Kristen shares an intriguing glimpse into how she manages work remotely, irrespective of her location. Kristen discusses the essentials for a remote office setup, from a stable internet connection to balancing the computer on your lap - and how this approach to work isn't restricted to any specific career. We also delve into the ups and downs of this lifestyle, juggling work demands and occasional interruptions from her adorable trio of kids.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Rural Venture Collective podcast, the show that celebrates the strength, innovation and resilience of women across the Eskips Land.
Speaker 1:
Whether you're a local resident or someone curious about the unique spirit of Eskips Land, this podcast is for you. Together, we'll explore the triumphs, the lessons learned and the dreams that fuel these Eskips Land women. Through this podcast, we'll dive into the heart of Eskips Land and shine a spotlight on the incredible women who are shaping business, creating art, nurturing the land and fostering connections across this vast region. Get ready to be inspired, to learn and to be a part of a collection that celebrates the shared experiences that make Eskips Land more than just a place but a home. So grab a cup of your favourite local brew, find a cosy spot and tune in as we embark on a journey of connection and discovery together. I'd like to acknowledge the Gunai Kurnai people as the traditional owners of the land on which we are gathered and pay my respects to their elders, past, present and future.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Rural Venture Collective podcast. Today we're talking about digital nomads, what they are, who they are, where they are and what they're doing. Today we welcome Eskips Land's very own digital nomad, kristin Morning, kristin, morning Liz. Thanks for having me, no worries. Thanks for zooming into us all the way from the west coast of Australia. We want to find out more about what it means to be a digital nomad and, if you'll indulge me for a second, I have an image of you right now sitting on a white sandy beach, the wind gently blowing through your hair, great big smile on your face, laptop on your knee, waves lapping at the beach and a pot of dolphin swimming by. Have I just described your office?
Speaker 2:
Look, you have described it quite a few days of that being my office, but today it's not that, and I guess that's something that maybe we can delve into. Is that not every day is the same when you're being a digital nomad, and where you're located is different as well.
Speaker 1:
Can you define digital nomad for us?
Speaker 2:
It is funny when you're saying digital nomad. In my mind I'm picturing my parents and grandparents nomadding around the country in their caravan and feeling really old.
Speaker 1:
They'd be the great nomads, Kristen.
Speaker 2:
Yes, I know I guess that is exactly what we are. We are living in a caravan and working remotely while we're on the road exploring Australia. It's fantastic lifestyle and opportunity that.
Speaker 1:
So is it complicated to set up an office on the road?
Speaker 2:
Kristen, Not really so you just need to make sure that you've got a working laptop Headphones are very advantageous and also stable internet. That's something that, as you're traveling around Australia, you'll realise. Whether you're with Telstra, optus or whatever telephone provider, you're not going to have telephone reception everywhere. So thankfully, elon Musk came through with the goods and developed Starlink and we connect that to our caravan when we stop and just connects to our battery system and it's a satellite internet. So it doesn't matter if there's no telephone reception. We can have satellite internet, which it's faster than our home internet anyway.
Speaker 1:
Well, that sounds amazing, but it's a great time to point out Starlink and not contributing to this, you're just a big fan of their product.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I would like it if they would like me to collaborate with them, because it is a little pricey to run that internet but it does work, just like your home Wi-Fi, so you can connect your phones to it, your TVs, whatever. So it is fantastic. Just a little bit more expensive because of the fact that you're roaming. But I do think no wonder Elon's such a billionaire, because if you look around caravan parks or anyway, you see the little white satellite dish outside everyone's caravans. It would have to be every second or third caravan. At the moment has nearly got one of the satellite dishes.
Speaker 1:
Really so, would you come across a lot of people who are doing the same sort of thing as you and travelling with their family, but still holding down a job at the same time?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, there is quite a few people that have stopped and they've actually kept their existing jobs from home and just gone hybrid. If they're family, there might be that the mum's going off physically to work in a location like they might stop for a few weeks and then maybe the dad might be still doing his job online. I've even met some electricians and carpenters that usually are on the tools but they're actually doing like scheduling and estimating now for their previous business back home doing it on the road. So it's not just kind of your white collar jobs. There's all kinds of trades and careers and industries that are working remotely now.
Speaker 1:
That's great. So, in full disclosure, now's probably a great time to mention, kristin, that you and I work together at ATMI. Yes, we do In part. Of actual fact, we've never met in person. No, that's right.
Speaker 2:
So I guess we hit the road in January this year and, liz, you started in March, so we didn't get to cross paths face to face. However, we do meet several times a week and I certainly feel like I know you Absolutely and really.
Speaker 1:
when we get together and brainstorm, there's no limits to our creativity. The distance makes no difference at all. We do feel like we know one another.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that's right. And think of, even right now we're recording a podcast and I'm sitting here in Western Australia and you're in sunny Benz now.
Speaker 1:
So this all sounds idyllic, but there's got to be challenges along the way, kristin, what have you come across?
Speaker 2:
So I guess there are challenges. One of them is if you're off grid, it's all fine. If you're in a caravan park, you're connected to power, you know you can charge your laptop, starlink and have everything ready to go. But sometimes when you're off grid, battery life or if it's not sunny and your solar panels aren't charging up enough, it's a little bit limited how much time you can spend with the internet on or your laptop charging, phone charging and whatnot. So it's choosing, I guess, like the hours of the day to work when you are somewhere really, really remote, making sure you're in full sun, not parked up underneath a tree. Another challenge is that it's not a challenge. It's fantastic.
Speaker 2:
But I've got three children travelling with us as well, so you know I'm not necessarily in an office. My office might be, you know it might be sitting in my camp chair on the beach or inside in the caravan on the table. Inside is generally where I am. The kids are around, so they kind of pop in and out. Usually if I'm on a Zoom or FaceTime, they want to pop their heads on and say hi to whoever I'm talking to. So it is a little bit of a juggling act. I guess that's the price that you pay to be able to be doing what we're doing doing right now.
Speaker 1:
So it's more than worth it. I do have another question for you, but I am going to have to use a phrase that I know is going to send a lot of local parents into the fetal position rocking in the corner. Talk to us about homeschooling. Did you do homeschooling during COVID?
Speaker 2:
Yes, we did do remote learning during COVID, so we were based in Bendstown, east Skip Sand. During that time I had my oldest daughter. I just started prepping. I had a four-year-old and a newborn baby, so it was busy. Thankfully the school was good. My husband he was just working on stop and I was also working as well during this time. So obviously the juggle of you know newborn baby child in the middle that wasn't a newborn baby and wasn't at school, and then one that I was trying to do remote learning with and work myself and my husband was at work. It was a juggle. It was a busy two years. It gives me nightmares too, but here we are doing it again.
Speaker 1:
So do you think that that contributed to your decision? And you've been there, you've done the hard yards, so do you think that helped in making this decision and knowing that you could manage it? Definitely.
Speaker 2:
I think everything that happened with COVID really changed the way that everyone thinks and also what's important in your life and what you do with your time. So obviously one of the big ones is that suddenly you can do your job remotely because everyone worked from home. But the other one was that you know, when we were doing remote learning it was only maybe two hours a day and first, when the kids are at school, you know six hours a day when they're actually physically going to school. It did kind of make you realise that a lot of the stuff that they're doing of course it's connecting with other kids and building relationships and all of that but the actual doing the schoolwork is not a full day. So when the opportunity, a change of life circumstances occurred and things kind of fell into place for us to hit the road through family and friends and some connections that we had, taking the kids out of school was kind of a no-brainer. Our school in Benzdale gave us an exemption for 12 months, which was awesome. Basically the principal there said the kids are going to learn heaps on the road. Keep a journal each day, use some workbooks that have got the maths and English and just do a little bit, but don't pressure yourself too much. My mother-in-law is a primary school teacher and she certainly said what we should be focusing on and working on as well.
Speaker 2:
But, as the parents that did the remote learning would know, it is a battle and they certainly haven't done too much schoolwork. But you know, you do museums, you do tours, you're continually learning on the road. They also see me working in front of my computer several days a week too, so that is good because they see me sitting there working, so then sometimes they'll pull out their books as well or want to do some reading, and so that's definitely a challenge. On the road, fitting in the remote learning. It's probably more of a guilty challenge. You feel a bit bad. Are you doing the right thing? But I do know that this year that we're giving them on the road is second to none and they're going to get so much from it. And you're continually around other kids, playing with other kids, meeting other kids from different ages, different backgrounds. Some of the things that they've seen and experienced this year is just amazing.
Speaker 1:
And I believe you've had the kids actually in school along the way at different times.
Speaker 2:
Yes, so just now we've just stopped and put the kids in school for a couple of months now and it's been great. They've transitioned really really well. We're in a community now where travelling families are continually stopping, so they actually have classes set up for travelling families to just come and join in. So it was something that we spoke with our school from home about that if we stopped for a month or so, is it okay if we enrolled the kids in school and they were fine with it.
Speaker 1:
So, Kristin, what would you say? Your greatest takeaway from this is what have you learned?
Speaker 2:
I guess that you can still be a mum and work for one, but no matter where you are located within Australia or wherever. Something good that's come out of the last couple of years is such thing as digital nomads and having the opportunity to be based wherever and still keep your job one to fund your life or your lifestyle or whatever it is that you're doing. But secondly, to keep your career intact. It doesn't matter where you're living, like you could be living in Omeo or Bucking and be keeping a job in Melbourne or Sydney or wherever.
Speaker 1:
A beach hut in Bem River. You reckon, yeah, in Bem River, that'd be pretty nice down there.
Speaker 2:
So, whether or not you're fully hybrid like I am at the moment so like full-time hybrid, or you're going into the office for a couple of days a week and doing the other days remotely yeah, the biggest takeaway is you can do it. There's a few things to put in place and make it work, but it can be done and you can still feel that connection and being part of a team, no matter where you are.
Speaker 1:
Well, kristin Ryan, thank you for your time. Thanks for joining us on the Rural Venture Collective. We don't want to impose on any more of your dolphin watching time, so all we can say is happy travels and looking forward to meeting you soon. Thanks, liz, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:
Well, that's us for today. Thanks for joining us on the Rural Venture Collective. Remember to like and subscribe so you'll be updated when our next podcast lands. Most importantly, stay connected and get out there and enjoy our beautiful East Skips Land. The Rural Venture Collective podcast is made possible by support from the Victorian Government and East Skips Land Marketing Incorporated.