One of the biggest questions we get asked is how we do it, referring to travel on the weekends, putting together and posting content, and maintain our full time jobs Monday – Friday. We consider ourselves Weekend Warriors and below we get into how we manage our time and priorities.
Table of Contents
Full-Time Jobs
First, we are fortunate to both work from home. We don’t work in the same room, but we’d be lying if we said not commuting to an office doesn’t help our day. From 8am – 5pm we are engaged with our full time jobs. However, we have flexibility to adapt our schedule for specific needs when necessary. Lauren works in marketing and Owen works in recruiting.
This is Lauren’s office where she works. Working from home allows us to be able to pack for our trips during breaks in our day!
Outside of Work
To keep our weekends free, we try to get as many errands done during the week. Usually after work we are making dinner, completing tasks or errands, and putting together content for future posts on social media or our website. Owen likes to go to the gym early in the morning and Lauren does a mix of after work or morning Orange Theory Fitness classes depending on her schedule and class availability. We really think maintaining and improving our fitness and conditioning during the week has an amazing impact on our hiking condition and capabilities. We’ve noticed improved cardio fitness and muscle strength has made longer hikes feel easier and muscle and joint recovery faster.
The Weekend
Depending on our weekend activity and location, we may leave directly after work on Friday to head for our overnight stay. Sometimes we will try to start our day earlier so we are able to leave before 5pm, but sometimes it’s not always possible! Most times we will get to our stay after dark. If we are staying more local or have a day trip planned, we usually get up quite early on Saturday to get on the road at a good time.
Our goal is to pre-pack as much as possible, so during the week we are putting our bags together and gathering the gear we want. Then on Friday before or after work we’ll pack the car so we can get on the road quickly depending on when we plan to leave. For day hikes, we often fill our water reservoirs the night before and leave them in the fridge so we have cold water the next day. We will make sure our snacks are packed and any additional gear is in our bag or ready to be packed.
When we go on weekend trips we try to fit as much as possible into our weekend and sometimes our days end up being long. This means starting before sunrise and getting back after sunset. We plan out our weekends ahead of time in Google Docs, make sure we have the area downloaded in Google Maps, and have any trails downloaded in AllTrails.
Advanced Trip Planning
Some trips we plan far in advance because they are season specific and take more planning, saving, etc. Planning in advance also helps us figure out our PTO for the year. Lauren has “unlimited PTO”, but it doesn’t mean she can take unlimited time off. Luckily her boss is amazing and she can take time off as needed as long as she gets her work done. Owen on the other hand doesn’t have unlimited PTO and we like to get an idea at the start of the year of what trips we want to do and how many days we anticipate we’ll need off.
We also plan a lot of trips around a holiday. We use three day weekends for extended trips where we are able to drive longer distances.
Instagram vs Reality
While we might make it look easy on social media, the reality is we are often tired and feel overwhelmed. Sometimes the last thing we want to do after we sit at our desks and stare at our computer screens all day for work, is sit on our phones/laptops to produce content. But truthfully, we wouldn’t have it any other way. We love adventuring every weekend and we love being able to document it to share with you so you can plan trips similar to ours or inspire you to get outside!
This photo shows the aftermath of getting back from a trip.
Growing The AZ Hikeaholics + Paid Ads
From the start, our intentions with The AZ Hikeaholics was not about making money, but about sharing our adventures and inspiring others to create their own. Over time, we’ve naturally grown to share more helpful information. Even more, we love to share history and geology facts that help us and visitors better connect to places of interest. With our growth has come collaboration and partnership opportunities with brands and tourism boards. It’s been a dream come true to work with brands we love and with great partners like The Arizona Office of Tourism. We only work with brands/partners that we love, use, and align with who we are.
Being able to work with brands/partners has helped us keep The AZ Hikeaholics running. It helps fund our trips like the cost of gas, food, stays, etc. Additionally, with the income from paid partnerships we’ve been able to go on trips more frequently and increase the variety of content we share. And at the end of the day, we value our supporters more than anything! Thank you to everyone that has followed along and shown interest. Your likes, comments, and shares keep us motivated to adventure on and continue inspiring.
For more tips, check out our blogs on hiking tips, how to pick the right boots, trip planning, and what to bring camping.
