New Airstream shows you can hit the road with home office, work doesn't have to be where you live
SAN GABRIEL, Calif. (KABC) -- Early last year, millions of Americans were forced to start working from home. All these months later, with the pandemic easing, workspaces are reopening. But for many, a remote office will be a part of life for some time to come, if not permanently.
Does your home office have to always be where you live? Not necessarily.
"It's a home office away from home," said Dave Delano of Airstream Los Angeles in San Gabriel in speaking about a new Airstream model called the Flying Cloud Office.
It's a variation of the brand's popular 30-foot travel trailer, dreamed up by the Ohio-based company as the work-from-home trend amped up in 2020.
"It still has the bed and the sofa and the TV and everything that you would normally see. There's just been a section denoted for the office," added Delano
The space is tucked away within a rear corner of the iconic-looking silver RV. The office area is small, but efficient, like most other things in a travel trailer. There's a desk surface with plenty of lighting, AC power outlets and USB ports. Other features include ample storage space, and smooth wall surfaces that can become note areas for dry-erase markers. For privacy, there's a sound-muffling curtain at the opening to the office space, so you won't disturb the rest of your family, and vice-versa.
To make working on the road easier, many RV campgrounds these days have WiFi for guests. And of course the RV's kitchen and bathroom are steps away from the desk.
When not in use as an office, the space converts to additional sleeping quarters, with a rather narrow bed for one.
As you might guess, this does come with a stiff price tag - the upscale Airstreams have never been particularly inexpensive.
"The base price is $107,500, and of course we can tempt you with options that go on forever," said Delano.
It's not unusual to find Airstream buyers loading their trailers up with tens of thousands of dollars worth of options and upgrades
You'll also need a sturdy vehicle to tow the Flying Cloud Office, such as a pickup or a large SUV. At a base weight of nearly 7,000 pounds, you won't be pulling this trailer behind a Prius.
And there's another potential use for this between vacations, when you're home and it's parked in your driveway or RV pad. You'd have a home office that's not actually inside the home. That could keep everyone in the household happy.
Sales of travel trailers and motorhomes have been on a sharp increase since the pandemic began. With air travel more of a hassle, many have been taking ground-bound vacations instead. Now, the Flying Cloud Office offers a way to stay in vacation mode for longer stretches, while still being able to check in with the boss and colleagues.
"I think Airstream's response in coming out with the Airstream Office will go on long past the pandemic, just as a new way of doing things," noted Delano.
MORE | Small 'pop-top' camper is back, this time from Mercedes-Benz
