Full-Time Travel and Work-Life Balance
By: Lindsay Talton
I’m currently able to sit in Colorado working while enjoying a beautiful view due to BRC’s generosity and focus on work/life balance of its employees. I started with the firm as an intern after graduating from High Point University in 2008. After a few years, I decided to specialize in the Affordable Housing area of our tax department. One of the things that jumped out at me, even during my interview process, was BRC’s emphasis on work/life balance. This is something that has always been an important value of our firm, and I have been incredibly grateful for it over the years. In 2017, I decided to leave the firm in order to take care of my son, who needed a lot of therapies for various issues. The following tax season, I came back as a seasonal accountant and eventually worked up to a part-time schedule with the firm.
In 2022, I had been working mostly remotely due to the pandemic, as well as homeschooling my daughter and son. After taking a trip to the mountains and getting snowed in, we made a pivotal life changing decision. On that trip I realized, with the right set up and structure in place, it would be possible to get my work done while traveling to some of the places we have always wanted to go. With the kids already being homeschooled, we decided to sell everything we owned and go on the road. We started the process in July of last year and then rolled out of North Carolina by mid-October.
We currently travel with a 37-foot travel trailer along with our recreational vehicle. In the nine months that we have been full-time traveling we have traveled across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. There have been so many beautiful moments and memories, including my lifelong dream of visiting the Grand Canyon. I am beyond grateful to be working with the firm and them working with me to enable my family and I to make these lasting memories.
Traveling full-time does not come without some struggles when it comes to work. Just like anyone who works remotely, you have to be able to be flexible and troubleshoot issues often. Internet is a big issue as you travel. We did research to come up with a structure that works for us and have been happy with the results. Another thing that is key is communication regarding your schedule and availability. This has been more of a struggle while traveling, but thanks to the amazing team I work with at the firm, we have been able to come up with some solutions to keep everyone in the loop. This is obviously something that is constantly evolving and changing as issues come up.
I can’t emphasize enough how grateful we are to the firm for supporting our journey and the amazing culture of BRC. I am proud to work for BRC and to be able to share and be an example of the firm’s values and commitment not only to clients, but also its employees. If you could sell everything and follow your dream, would you take the leap of faith like us?