Work-camping while traveling

That brings up a point I should make about working on the road. If any of you are anxious to RV and write but you lack the funds to jump into RVing, you can always find work-camping positions to pay for your travel and site. Many RVers have retired early and now plan their travels according to where they find work-camping positions. There is a subscription publication that lists thousands of work-camping jobs available each year—Workamper News, http://www.workamper.com. Just don’t work so much that you don’t have time to pursue your writing goals.

We subscribed to Workamper when we first started RVing, and after we decided we wanted to spend the summer near Boston we simply looked in Workamper News and found a place near where our relatives live. I can’t remember whether we called the park, then sent a listing of past jobs, or just mailed them the information, but we both got hired by the premier campground in New England. Normandy Farms has won Good Sam’s campground of the year several times, including the year we were there although I doubt we helped their cause.

I worked in the store and Joe was a ranger who worked at the entry gate admitting people after they had checked in. We got free tours of the Boston area (anything offered to guests for a price was free to us!), plus we got our campsite and earned minimum wage. Okay, we didn’t make a lot at these jobs, but it is more money than we would have had otherwise. We also had plenty of free time to get with our relatives. I worked with mostly teenagers, and I couldn’t believe how smart, hard-working and conscientious they were. All in all, it was a wonderful experience.

You don’t need any related experience to work in most RV Parks. Workamper News lists dozens of other types of jobs such as at amusement parks like Disneyland, Disney World, Silver Dollar City, etc. They also list jobs like gas line inspectors, construction jobs, and others that require short-term commitments.

I don’t know if Workamper News lists any nursing positions, but RNs and others in the nursing field can sign up with temporary agencies that specifically cater to them and find positions that last for thirteen weeks in various locations across the country. We’ve met nurses who travel in RVs, following the seasons and staying in locations they want to spend time in. Look in Nursing Journals for ads for these agencies.

One agency recruiting traveling nurses is Access Nurses of San Diego. The company filmed a reality TV show on traveling nurses working in Southern California that can be viewed at www.nursetv.com. A local article in Phoenix featured two nurses who have spent time in San Diego, Phoenix, Boston, Denver and other hot travel destinations. Pay is higher than for staff nurses, plus travel and living expenses are often paid.

Economical RVing

The costs of RVing vary. We just met a single man who traveled to Central America who says RVing costs him an average of $1000 per month, including when he took his 16,000 mile-plus, 343-day journey. That amount included gas, food, and everything else. Jim Jaillet’s book, Panama or Bust details his trip (www.panamaorbust.com.)

If you don’t owe other debts, it’s definitely possible to travel as inexpensively as he does. Traveling in an RV is as inexpensive as living in a house or apartment and paying utilities and other costs. Often, it’s less expensive. If you like to eat out often, go golfing everyday and spend money like we do, you can spend as much as you can make. Trust me on that point. So as an RVer, you can live as expensively or inexpensively as you want.