In this post I walk through our stay in Estes Park, discuss why Air Bnbs are ideal “work from anywhere” accommodations and what I look for when choosing an Air Bnb for remote work. I’ll also hit on my remote working gear and a few tips that help make earning from the road a little easier.
Glo and I hiking in RMNP
Week 4 on the road:
This week we “put our feet up” in the little town of Estes Park (CO), which is about 90 minutes northwest of Denver and directly borders Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). We rented an air bnb just outside of town, which ended up being perfect for us, as it had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, making it extremely easy to put the girls to sleep and then relax in the living room. This layout is generally the minimum floorplan that we look for in rentals, so that we have separate areas for sleeping, living and working. Otherwise it ends up being a challenge (as I’m sure you will see in future hotel stays).
Our living room in the short term rental
We feel like we visited RMNP at the perfect time of year. The park itself was largely empty of tourists (like us) and that made exploring really enjoyable because we could hike empty trails and see plenty of wildlife. One afternoon we saw 4 elk and 59 deer just from driving through the park! Two of our favorite family friendly hikes were the Fern Lake Trail and Cub Lake Trail (FYI - we did not hike the entirety of either trail, but only went as far as our littlest legs could take us!)
Cub Lake Trail, RMNP
Family Friendly Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park:
Cub Lake Trail: 6 mile loop with minimal elevation gain until the 1.5 mile mark and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains
Fern Lake Trail: 7.5 mile out and back hike with minimal elevation gain until later in the hike (~1,500 in entirety)
Estes Park town center was also relatively empty and we thoroughly enjoyed walking the main drag, with it’s small town vibe. We specifically liked Estes Park Brewery and Bob and Tony’s Pizza (there is a distillery in the restaurant!) for dining with young children. Estes Park Sugar Shack was also a hit with Selima.
I think that one of the things that amazed me about Estes Park is how remote it is. When you are driving in from Denver, you climb this very windy, steep highway for miles. At some point, you hit peak elevation and the trees and mountains sort of part ways to the beautiful valley that the town of Estes Park sits in. It’s truly a “remote metropolis”, if there even is such a thing. Definitely worth a visit if you haven’t been!
Along the Fern Lake Trail in RMNP
The air bnb office:
We were really looking forward to getting to Estes Park and settling down a bit. It would be the first time we could really setup our workspaces and rely on easily accessible, high speed internet. In my opinion, short term rentals (or “air bnb offices”, as I affectionately call them) provide some of the best setups when traveling with a family and getting work done.
The “air bnb office” is ideal for remote work on-the-go for several reasons:
Short term rentals (air bnb, vrbo, homeaway etc), or STRs are located in almost every destination
STRs provide an advantage over a typical hotel room because you can get more space (2+ br, office, etc)
Generally speaking, there is always high speed internet (but still confirm before booking!)
In addition to these four benefits, I found our Estes Park STR to provide more flexibility in my actual work schedule. Since I was two hours behind the east coast, I could wake up early, get my work done, and still have people available if I needed to hop on the phone. I also loved having the dedicated workspace, so that I could be more flexible if other people needed me. Because lets be real, working while riding is cool and all, but it isn’t as easy as a dedicated space (I know Kailah feels the same).
Estes Park Brewery (2 min from RMNP and 5 min from our STR)
My Work From Anywhere gear:
Besides using a short term rental, I’ve found specific gear that has made my life a whole heck of a lot easier when I’m staying in one. Check out my list below:
Lepow Portable Monitor: This ones a no brainer. If you work from your laptop, grab an extra portable monitor like this one and double your screens. The Lepow comes with a cover, which easily folds out into a kickstand - perfect for next to your laptop.
Logitech M705 Bluetooth Mouse: A friend introduced me to this mouse and I’ll never look back. Sounds trivial, but trust me, this thing is inexpensive, durable and fits my hand perfectly.
Logitech K380 Bluetooth Keyboard: This keyboard is light and super compact (no number pad though) and is really easy to use. I take it everywhere. One thing that’s important to mention is that this keyboard doesn’t require one of those annoying dongles, so you can keep your usb port open.
Noise Canceling Bluetooth Headphones: Noise cancelling, ear covering headphones are probably the best investment you can make if you want to work on the go. They knock down all outside noise, provide crystal clear audio (input and output) and are perfect for a plane ride.
An inexpensive, mobile desk: If you are traveling by road, this can make a STR office setup really easy. I recommend going with something cheap and light. If it breaks, or you don’t need it anymore, you can give it away, or recycle it. (I use the one in the link).
My usual setup (I guess I need to work on my lighting…)
Speeds and closing: One last thing that I’ve alluded to in the past and I think is worth mentioning when working from short term rentals, is internet speed. At a minimum, I recommend making sure your host has at least 20 MBPS download and 5 MBPS upload speeds. This makes videos calls, data work, content creation etc MUCH less frustrating and MUCH more efficient.
Anyway, I hope this helps any readers who want to work from an air bnb, or other short term rental. Please check back in next week, as I talk through some major struggles relating to bad wifi and sketchy service in Great Sand Dunes NP and Mesa Verde NP.
Cheers!
Kyle
