Working in a place where you’d normally go on vacation – that’s the idea of a workation. At Pentacor, this opportunity is available, and as a working student, I wanted to give it a try.
Through YouTube, I discovered the van-life trend and was drawn to the simplicity of living close to nature. And who says a workation requires a fixed (and expensive) vacation rental? As a working student, I had the flexibility to make a conscious choice: to spend my workation in a car.
An Experiment in a Mobile Office on the Roads of Norway
In search of both adventure and efficiency, I wanted to figure out two main things: Would I even enjoy living in a car for a while, and could I work just as effectively from an improvised mobile office on the road as I do in a traditional setting?
Planning my unconventional adventure meant addressing a few challenges:
- Is camping in a car even legal?
- How much would this workation cost?
- Where would I get power and internet?
- How would I manage hygiene?
First, I looked for a destination and quickly landed on Norway. Norway has the "Allemannsretten" (Right to Roam), which allows you to camp in nature as long as you stay at least 150 meters away from the nearest inhabited cabin and move on after no more than two nights in one spot. Additionally, Norway's mobile network coverage is excellent compared to Germany. (Even on the summit of Norway's second-highest mountain, I had 4G reception.) On top of that, Norway has abundant freshwater in its lakes and rivers, making it easy to take a dip almost anywhere. And, of course, Norway is stunningly beautiful and offers a wealth of cultural attractions to explore.
The destination was set, and now the question was: How do I get there? I briefly considered renting a camper, but it was too expensive. So, I borrowed our family car: a 2010 VW Sharan with around 330,000 kilometers on the clock. What I saved in money, I had to pay for in terms of comfort. Since I couldn’t make any permanent changes to the car, I had to accept the many windows, the relatively small interior, and the poor insulation.
A big advantage, however, was that the back seats could be completely removed, creating a flat sleeping surface. On one side of this space, I placed a sleeping bag with a sleeping mat, and on the other side, I set up a large box where I stored my clothes, dishes, and food. In addition, I had a roof box for all the items I used less frequently.
In terms of hygiene, Norway turned out to be an excellent choice. The rest areas along the roads are all very clean and pleasant to use, and the lakes became an essential part of my evening routine. In the cool 12°C, I swam every day and washed my hair in the water (of course, without shampoo) to look presentable for the next day's meetings. If I was lucky, the weather was warmer, but often it was colder, and it rained as well. The coldest swim I had was at Vikafjell at a reservoir. At just 2°C and with a starry sky, I had to descend 50 meters down a rocky slope before reaching the water. To warm up faster, I often cranked the heater full blast before arriving, so I could get into a warm car.
One advantage of the cold, however, was that I didn’t have to bring a fridge. Still, I made sure to buy mostly food that didn’t need refrigeration.
Once my basic needs were secured, I could focus on my working conditions. Using a board that I wedged under the windshield, I set up a makeshift desk. Another board on my lap provided space for the mouse and keyboard.
To avoid relying on the car’s battery, I wanted to be independent and installed a 100Ah auxiliary battery behind the driver’s seat. To charge the battery, I opted against solar panels since I wanted to carry a roof box and Norway is not known for its sunshine. Instead, the battery was charged via the alternator using a DC-DC charger. The capacity was more than enough for five hours of work a day on my laptop. The charge never dropped below 60% because I often moved to a new location. I installed a cigarette lighter socket on the battery to which I could plug in a USB-C PD charger to charge all my devices.
For internet access, I used an additional phone with a 140GB hotspot. Over the five weeks, I only had to change my location three times to get a faster connection. The data volume was also sufficient for my work (an average of one hour of meetings per day and the rest spent on implementation).
A bigger problem was the cold. With an average temperature of twelve degrees, it became uncomfortable to sit still and work for long periods. It took me a while to find a solution: Eventually, I wrapped my sleeping bag around my legs, wore an extra sweater, and draped a cozy blanket over my shoulders and hands. I found that the comfortable temperature range was very small. When the sun was shining, it suddenly became warm, and I could strip down to my T-shirt, but as soon as the sun disappeared, I had to bundle up again. Better insulation would have made this much more comfortable.
Otherwise, working in the car was not much different from working in a home office. My plan was to work five hours every morning so I could have the afternoons free to explore the country. The reality was much more flexible: On days when it rained all day, I worked a lot. And when the weather was nice, I only attended the regular meetings. In the end, I still managed to hit the planned 25 hours per week and completed my work well.
The different work locations had various advantages: At one, I could go rowing during lunch, and at another, I could observe exciting things. For example, I parked at Vikafjell next to an energy company repairing high-voltage lines, so a helicopter constantly took off and landed beside me. Another highlight was a parking lot where sled dogs were harnessed and ran for training.
In my free time, I visited museums or went hiking. For instance, I climbed Glittertind in Jotunheimen National Park: For once, it wasn’t supposed to rain, so I took a day off and drove to the realm of the giants in the afternoon. The next morning, I started my hike early. On the first leg to the 7.5 km distant DNT cabin Glitterheim, I had the chance to observe wild reindeer up close. From the cabin, a 6-kilometer ascent began, reaching the summit of Glittertind after about 1000 meters of elevation.
However, the joy was somewhat limited, as the summit was almost completely shrouded in fog, with the clouds parting only for brief moments. Since I was ahead of schedule, I waited a little longer and was actually able to catch a few glimpses of the view.
It wasn't until late afternoon that I returned to my car, exhausted but happy. Although I had 4G reception on Glittertind, the situation was different in the valley, so I had to leave Jotunheimen and head back to work the next day.
Conclusion
In summary, I can say that it was an exciting time that I would gladly repeat. I learned that you don’t need an extensively modified van to experience an adventure, and how little you actually need. For me as a working student, this unconventional workation was practical and flexible. However, customer or project managers might reach their limits with this type of workation and may prefer to opt for a vacation rental instead.
