New at Work Camping!
If anyone has any tips we would appreciate it!
Forum Discussion
"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.
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.
