Extra Things to do regarding the RV?
OK - here's a question for you full timers... We are hoping to become full timers sometime next year if we can dot all the "I"s and cross all the "T's.... Our preferred lifestyle would be to sta...
Forum Discussion
As you can tell by a couple of the above answers you've received, volunteering is not for everyone. When you start applying keep a list of questions to ask so you're not surprised later.
It sounds like volunteering would be ideal for you because you seem to enjoy public parks and their surroundings and you're willing to stay in those spots for periods of time.
A small area of space to live in has no bearing on staying parked for a few months. You're going to be out doing things and talking to campers. You're not staying inside all the time.
Having volunteered in national parks, state parks and fish hatcheries, etc. we have found no issues to be concerned about. Actually, it's more harmful for you to sit in the campsite and leave the motorhome running for a short time than to just leave it turned off. We never ran ours. There's no harm having a motorhome sit.
Whatever supplies are needed, the park will supply it - including perhaps a golf cart or truck.
The majority of public campgrounds do have hookups for the volunteers. If not, they will provide an easy way of working around that issue - sometimes by giving you portable solar panels, sometimes by sending a truck to you to dump your tanks or to bring you fresh water - not from the same truck :). This is true even in national forest campgrounds. They're not going to leave you stranded out there!
If you're hired by a concessionier like some national forest campgrounds, then you're not a volunteer, you're a paid employee and yes, one of your duties will be cleaning bathrooms.
Yes, there will be some very remote campgrounds that don't have hookups. Most often you'd need a very small RV to get to those spots. You'll know when you apply to them; they'll give you the options and then you can decide if it's doable to you or not.
Especially in national parks, you most probably will not be cleaning toilets. We never did. They have regular paid personnel to do that - their maintenance dept. You might have to check for toilet paper need during the day or to see if it needs any special attention - by maintenance.
Camp hosting is not meant to give you a free campsite. The majority of folks do it to help out the parks that they love visiting. Just being able to live in those beautiful surroundings is pay enough. If you're doing it just for the free spot then perhaps you're not the right person to be there.
Another area that you might consider is in interpretation in these parks. We loved giving lighthouse tours.
Every park will be different. You'll get the hang of what kind of park you want to be at. Good luck!
It sounds like volunteering would be ideal for you because you seem to enjoy public parks and their surroundings and you're willing to stay in those spots for periods of time.
A small area of space to live in has no bearing on staying parked for a few months. You're going to be out doing things and talking to campers. You're not staying inside all the time.
Having volunteered in national parks, state parks and fish hatcheries, etc. we have found no issues to be concerned about. Actually, it's more harmful for you to sit in the campsite and leave the motorhome running for a short time than to just leave it turned off. We never ran ours. There's no harm having a motorhome sit.
Whatever supplies are needed, the park will supply it - including perhaps a golf cart or truck.
The majority of public campgrounds do have hookups for the volunteers. If not, they will provide an easy way of working around that issue - sometimes by giving you portable solar panels, sometimes by sending a truck to you to dump your tanks or to bring you fresh water - not from the same truck :). This is true even in national forest campgrounds. They're not going to leave you stranded out there!
If you're hired by a concessionier like some national forest campgrounds, then you're not a volunteer, you're a paid employee and yes, one of your duties will be cleaning bathrooms.
Yes, there will be some very remote campgrounds that don't have hookups. Most often you'd need a very small RV to get to those spots. You'll know when you apply to them; they'll give you the options and then you can decide if it's doable to you or not.
Especially in national parks, you most probably will not be cleaning toilets. We never did. They have regular paid personnel to do that - their maintenance dept. You might have to check for toilet paper need during the day or to see if it needs any special attention - by maintenance.
Camp hosting is not meant to give you a free campsite. The majority of folks do it to help out the parks that they love visiting. Just being able to live in those beautiful surroundings is pay enough. If you're doing it just for the free spot then perhaps you're not the right person to be there.
Another area that you might consider is in interpretation in these parks. We loved giving lighthouse tours.
Every park will be different. You'll get the hang of what kind of park you want to be at. Good luck!
