New at Work Camping!
If anyone has any tips we would appreciate it!
Forum Discussion
- Thanks everyone for the information. Feels like I already have friends out there. Love the sense of humor too!
- "I guess my real question should have been, what are some mistakes to look out for or things to avoid, and any tips on saving money on the road. I have read a lot on line, but it is always better to hear from people who live it."
Mistakes: dumping your black tanks and then chewing your fingernails.
Look at the campgrounds website. Try to avoid new campgrounds or new management.
A written agreement is worth the paper it is written on.
Don't travel too far for a job, unless you want to go to that area.
Communicate enough to get a "feel" for employers and job.
Check the surrounding area. Is there shopping within the distance you want to travel for it? Is there something to occupy your off duty time? Check the annual temperature and precipitation averages.
We are on our third and probably last "work-for-site" at a commercial campground. We have volunteered at 6 different state or national parks and will stay with that. At public campgrounds, you are seen more as an asset instead of an expense. We have been treated much better at public campgrounds over commercial.
As for saving money on the road, I can tell you what has worked for us. Join the Moose, Eagles, Elks, and VFW. Some of them have campgrounds and almost all will let you stay overnight in their lot. Good way to meet the locals and get local information--plus cheap beer and food. Passport America has a 50% off plan that helps. I installed 560 watts of solar panels and 500 amp/hours of batteries. They have paid for themselves many times over because we can boondock until our water runs out or the tanks fill. Fuel and campsites are the two biggest expenses and the most controllable. You have seen how I control campsite costs. As for fuel, it will cost the same to get from A to B no matter how you do it. But, we travel slowly to spread the cost out over a longer time frame. This allows us to see more also. We travel the back roads because it is as Charles Kuralt said,
"Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel coast to coast and not see a thing."
Welcome to the forum and the lifestyle. I hope you enjoy both as much as we have. - My husband is also retired LEO. When workcamping/volunteering, we found that he liked maintenance jobs rather than enforcement, which suited his desires. I did a lot of gardening, some office, worked with horses. Wildlife refuges were our favorites.
Executive wrote:
Some simple tips:
1. Know what the job entails.
2. Know what your hours/days will be. Some have you work 15hrs/week but they want you 3hrs/day 5 days a week..sort of like a REAL JOB.
3. Know if you and your wife will be working the same days. If not, you'll be sitting a lot of the time instead of doing tourist stuff.
4. Know if they will be giving you a W-2 or similar for the work you do. Think income taxation AND the possibility of residency requirements.
5. If you're not satisfied with them or they are not satisfied with you, is there an exit strategy.
Work Camping can be fun and satisfying, but if you aren't happy doing what's expected of you or your hours/days off etc. aren't what you expected, it'll be a long and tiring experience. The longest we will work is three months, but we get "itchy" after 30 days...YMMV.....Dennis
Good post!! Thank you!- Some simple tips:
1. Know what the job entails.
2. Know what your hours/days will be. Some have you work 15hrs/week but they want you 3hrs/day 5 days a week..sort of like a REAL JOB.
3. Know if you and your wife will be working the same days. If not, you'll be sitting a lot of the time instead of doing tourist stuff.
4. Know if they will be giving you a W-2 or similar for the work you do. Think income taxation AND the possibility of residency requirements.
5. If you're not satisfied with them or they are not satisfied with you, is there an exit strategy.
Work Camping can be fun and satisfying, but if you aren't happy doing what's expected of you or your hours/days off etc. aren't what you expected, it'll be a long and tiring experience. The longest we will work is three months, but we get "itchy" after 30 days...YMMV.....Dennis - I guess I should have been more detailed in my post. We are retiring, I've been a police officer for 32 years, and she has worked in hotel business several years. We are both in our late 50's and still able to work but want to slow down, way down, but are not afraid to go out and get it. We already have our first Work Camping job lined up in may, and are not sure when we are actually going to be able to leave here, so not sure what we are going to do until then. I guess my real question should have been, what are some mistakes to look out for or things to avoid, and any tips on saving money on the road. I have read a lot on line, but it is always better to hear from people who live it.
- Welcome to the forum!
It depends on what kind or what you wish to say is workcamping.
Private rv Parks generally offer a site for ( hours weekly) duty, perhaps wages above that agreed. Public parks ( state etc.) generally require more hours of duty for site, with duty easy. Think hosting. Normally no additional wages for time worked beyond requirement.
Pick out an area you would like to spend a season, inquire to individual parks, and through the state campground association (in our case, sdcoa.com ) to find opportunities.
It has been our experience that those seeking workcamping opportunities are mature full timers who wish to share their life skills while touring the country while minimizing costs. - you need to provide more information on where and what type of work you want to do - volunteering - pay jobs, etc
