Decide Employees Can Work Anywhere They Want. I Chose to Work from Everywhere.

By Adam Stillman, VP Publisher Development

When the pandemic first forced the Decide office to close in March 2020, my wife and I tried to find every silver lining we could. No commute, working in pajamas, and more time with each other and our now almost 3-year-old son, etc. We wanted to enjoy all of the small things that came with the perk of working from home.

When the company permanently moved to a work-from-anywhere policy in February 2021, we decided to think bigger. Much bigger. So after much research and deliberation (and a test month on the road in Florida and New Orleans in November 2020), we did something a little out there. We sold our house in October 2021 and hit the road to live the digital nomad lifestyle.

We’ve loved the work-from-home perk over the last two years, but this big adventure took it to the next level. Since then, we’ve spent the majority of our time away from the city we called home. So far, our travels have taken us on month-long stays to warm weather locations in North Carolina, Florida and Alabama.

There are a lot of reasons we decided to take this leap of faith and go on an indefinite workcation. The housing market was too good to not sell our starter home that needed updating. Our son is not yet of school age and was getting sick all the time at daycare. There were some family deaths and health scares that hit a little too close to home. After being stuck in the house for so long, we wanted a change of scenery. My brother was able to join our travels and act as our live-in “manny” while my wife and I work.?

The overriding reason was simple though: we wanted to take advantage of this really cool perk offered by Decide and go on a big life adventure that we would never forget. Life is short. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Do the things that scare you. So let’s do something crazy and cool.?

And oh boy, has it ever been worth it! While we’ve still worked our butts off during the work days, we’ve been able to experience new things on nights, weekends, and during PTO days.?

We’ve enjoyed morning coffee and sunsets with an ocean view from the back deck of our VRBO rental beach house in the aptly named Sunset Beach, NC. We’ve cruised down 30A on a set of bikes included at our rental house in Seacrest Beach, FL. We’ve raced go-karts and collided on bumper boats in Gulf Shores, AL. We’ve eaten enough seafood to a point where there is none left in the ocean. We’ve worked outside in shorts and a t-shirt — that’s unheard of during a Missouri winter. It’s wild what warm weather can do for your mindset and mood.?

This adventure will come to an end at some point. We’ll settle back down, buy a house and get our son back in daycare or preschool. I’ll look back and cherish every moment and memory. For now, I’m going to enjoy this journey with my family while instilling a love for travel and adventure into our little man.

Adam Stillman is Vice President, Publisher Development at Decide. Adam was a sports journalist prior to joining Decide.