Tag: Work Camping

Where We Find Work

One of the most frequent questions we get is how do we find work. People are always surprised by the number of websites and forums out there that are tailored to RVers. Other websites aren’t necessarily RVer specific, but have short term or seasonal jobs.

Most of the work we have found has been through Workers On Wheels. Bob and Coleen are full timers who practice what they preach. They write a weekly newsletter filled with links to articles about the lifestyle, including help wanted ads. I emailed Coleen one time about an article I’d read on their site. I wasn’t really expecting a reply, but much to my surprise, she responded within the day. Knowledgeable, friendly and helpful is the best way I can describe Workers On Wheels and Bob & Coleen.

Another website I frequently visit is Happy Vagabonds. One of my favorite things about this site is you can do a job search by state (or Canadian Province). When looking for a winter job, I certainly don’t want to see job posts in cold climates! Happy Vagabonds also has a section dedicated to volunteer positions. Not everyone is looking for pay, some people are just happy with a beautiful place to stay for a few months.

Workamper News is exactly what it sounds like. There are several levels of membership to chose from. I have to be honest, I have never gone beyond the “Intro” level. To me, with so many free sites, I just can’t justify paying to look for work. Of course there is a lot more information available with paid membership levels. Everything from job listings to an employer verification service is available for a price.

Coolworks is another place to find, well, cool jobs. Most of the jobs I’ve seen on Coolworks have something to do with the hospitality industry. You can narrow your search to jobs with camping spaces provided or just look for something that interests you. They have full-time and seasonal positions. Many of the seasonal jobs are with companies who subcontract to National Parks. Want to spend the summer at the Grand Canyon? Check out this.

A Google search of “workamping jobs” will bring up pages and pages of opportunities. Other sites-

One of the biggest things to keep in mind is your own financial situation. A lot of the jobs require a portion of your hours to cover your site/utilities. Others pay all hours worked. And still others pay nothing at all except a place to park your rig for a spell, aka volunteering.

I hope you find this helpful if you’re looking for work or a place to volunteer. I will be adding a “Workamping Resource” page in the near future with links and some basic info about each site.

Safe travels, wherever life’s road take you!

Planning To Wander

We’ve had a 5 year plan for about 14 years now. When we first got married, we talked about homesteading; living off the land, finding our own way. Life has a funny way of changing your plans for you. It doesn’t ask – it just does it and leaves you with the mess. After you dust yourself off, you start making a new 5 year plan. Sometimes, if you’ve screwed off for 5 years you’re not careful, 5 years comes and goes without any furtherance of your plan. Perhaps it wasn’t the right plan. My mom had a long list of serious medical issues, things that would ensure she didn’t live to be a centurion. So, my dad retired early, put their home on the market, bought a truck and a camper. Medical issues be damned – they were going to travel. And the things/places they saw!!! Steve and I began to formulate a NEW new plan. We wanted to travel too! Anyone who knows me, even just a little, knows I hate winter and I hate the cold. I’ve been talking about leaving New Hampshire since, well, let’s just say for a very long time.

Over the years, my parents went through several upgrades and downgrades. Everything from a 26′ tag trailer called The Dog, towed by an F250 named Beast to a 38′ Class A motor home named Waldo who towed a nameless Jeep Wrangler. I’m the one who named the motor home. I never knew exactly where my parents might be. Just because they were in Arizona yesterday, didn’t mean they were still there today. Hence – Where’s Waldo. Every summer, my parents would make the trek to New Hampshire, park their rig in our driveway and spend a few weeks with us. During their visit, Steve and I would listen to stories of the places they had visited and “oops” moments along the way. We learned a lot from my parents. Things like: when you buy your rig, make sure there are enough outlets, don’t buy things you don’t have room for, be willing to unplug from the world, it’s never too soon to start downsizing but maybe the biggest thing we learned is LIFE IS SHORT. Due to deteriorating health, in 2011 my parents bought a house in Florida. Travel time was over.

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Before my mom passed away in 2012, my parents gifted Waldo to us. Our travel plan got a little nearer – we had wheels!

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The next 16 months were a disaster for us. In Oct 2012 , my mom passed away at just 64 years old. In Sept. 2013, Steve’s dad passed away. And in Feb 2014, Steve’s 32 year old son lost his battle with cancer. We were learning first hand how short life is. And just to show that life doesn’t care what your plans are, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder to go along with the heart problems I have. Luckily, the heart problem was mostly solved with a cardiac ablation, but the autoimmune disorder isn’t going away (as with most autoimmunes there is no cure). Steve and I have learned to “live with it”. Good days – bad days. S0, before it becomes Bad days – good days we have decided to throw caution to the wind and implement our plan!

The first part of this blog will be about our journey from

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To

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We have a different Jeep now but you get the idea…

As we wander, I will post about where we are and the adventures we are having. I’d love for you to wander with us!

You can see where I’ve visited in New Hampshire by checking out www.TouringNH.com