Deborah Cole and Dee Kettleson describe their Workamper Rendezvous experience in Episode 048

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In today’s episode, we will feature several women who are embracing the RV and Workamping lifestyle with their husbands.

When I interviewed her, Deborah Cole was already retired and waiting for her husband to follow her lead. They have been camping for years; first in a tent, and then in a popup before upgrading to a 27-foot travel trailer.

Her husband is an international flight attendant based out of Memphis. While they do get to travel all over the world, when it comes to RVing, they have been limiting their excursions to 200 to 300 miles from home.

I met Deborah at the Workamper Rendezvous in Heber Springs, AR, last October. She was participating in the event as a fact-finding mission to gather information about running a bookkeeping business from the road and to learn what they needed to do to launch into RVing full-time as soon as her husband is retired.

She is also interested in getting training to become a certified sommelier and find work at a winery.

Deborah describes some of the steps the couple have already taken to get ready, such as to get out of debt. She also talks about some of the golden nuggets of information she uncovered at the Rendezvous.

I could really tell Deborah was excited about hitting the road and exploring the United States with her husband.

If anyone is ever on the fence about jumping in to the RV lifestyle, the Workamper Rendezvous usually eliminates any hesitation by giving people, like Deborah, the information they need to hit the road the right way.

She mentioned having an ah-ha moment when attorney and accountant Mark Kohler addressed the group. He had a unique way of explaining how to set up a mobile business in order to take advantage of some tax deductions.

It was such a helpful experience that Deborah will attend again this fall – with her husband this time – and actually talk to prospective employers to find that first Workamping job.

By now, I am sure Deborah and her husband have been doing some dreaming about where to go first on their post-retirement journey. She mentioned Montana and New England.

I’d like to thank Deborah Cole for sharing her story and I wish her and her husband the best of luck as they count down the days until they are both retired.

The next guest is Dee Kettleson. She has been married 44 years and has two grown sons and seven grandchildren. The family started tent camping when their youngest son was just six months old.

They experimented with boats and motorcycles for a while before returning to RV life. In fact, her sons both love to camp and they often get to take adventures together.

Dee is still working, but her husband is retired. They own a 44-foot toy hauler and travel with two Harley Davidson motorcycles. She also attended last year’s Workamper Rendezvous to learn more about supporting a travel lifestyle.

She talks about some of the places they’d like to visit as a couple and look forward to bringing their puppy with them.

She and her husband are also investigating what it would take to become RV inspectors so they could work together on a job.

Dee and her husband seem ideally-suited for the RV lifestyle. They want to travel with a pet, and RVs make that possible. They like to bring motorcycles with them which allows them to really explore the areas they are visiting.

They both want to become RV inspectors, which is a business with growing demand, and something they can do wherever they travel. Their youngest son already took the training and is conducting inspections.

Right now, the Kettlesons are putting the final touches on a three-year plan regarding where they want to go and what types of jobs they’ll be looking for.

Both Deborah and Dee were singing praises of the Workamper Rendezvous. If you’d like to attend this year’s event in October, registration will open soon. More information will be available at www.workamperevent.com.

Whether it is running a business from your RV or working short-term jobs for a variety of employers, Workamper News can give you information to help plan a course to live your own dream and get you on the road faster than you thought possible.

For more information about opportunities to live, work and play in your RV, visit www.workampernews.com.