The Sulzers have the freedom to travel at will because they have developed several different revenue streams to support them on the road. Both Danielle and Scott are certified RV inspectors. Danielle is also a registered RV technician and Scott is a certified RV tech. Together they do what’s called retail arbitrage with Amazon. Danielle also creates digital art and sells it online. They use affiliate links on all their websites to generate extra income.
Richard Ruppel is a former truck driver and HVAC installer from Milwaukee, Wisc., who just started Workamping this summer. He had three back-to-back assignments and is really getting the hang of the RV and Workamping lifestyle. He describes some of his typical daily duties as a campground host as well as what attracted him to Workamping and volunteering at various parks. He also describes the rather unique steps he followed to research and apply for specific jobs. It all comes down to being proactive and going after jobs rather than waiting to see if something opens up.
Today I will be speaking with an employer from Iowa who is looking for volunteer Workampers for the 2022 season to work in a remote part of the state, but not too far from Des Moines. Jessica Heath is a park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project at Lake Red Rock, Iowa. Nestled in central Iowa, about …
Doug Lehman and Donna Hughes had been RVing for five years by taking shorter trips when they opted to go full time once they retired. They started Workamping right away, then took three months off last winter to see what real retirement was like. Neither of them liked it and thought Workamping was a much better option to keep busy and give them a sense of purpose.
Today we are going to talk about a big what-if in Workamping. What if you’re injured, sick, need surgery or require some other type of long-term care, but you don’t have a sticks-and-bricks home to return so you can recover? What are your options? Fortunately, there is one with Escapees CARE. It’s a program developed by the Escapees Club just for full-time RVers who have no place to go if they require significant medical care. Escapees CARE is basically a campground located in Livingston, Texas, with a full-time nurse and other services to provide care to patients as they recover from an illness, accident or surgery. The million-dollar center also provides services like laundry, housekeeping, transportation to medical appointments and even meals. It includes a respite center so if an RVer has dementia, their spouse or partner can have a day off knowing that care will be provided.
Mike and Betty Gill actually started RVing in 2015 a few months after attending their first Workamper Rendezvous gathering. Prior to that, they intended to retire from the corporate world, stay home, plant a garden and raise chickens. Then, at the urging of another RVer, they attended the Rendezvous and their eyes were opened to a whole new way to retire. The Gills operate several businesses from their motorhome, including RV inspections, maintenance and a new venture doing RV detailing.
Jill and Randy Shepard are from Raleigh, N.C., which is their home base. They have been RVing for a little over a year after having started out of necessity during the COVID lockdowns. Randy is semi-retired, but Jill works in a sales position for Senior Living, a company with 120 locations around the country which provides care and housing for seasoned citizens. She is assigned to work at 14 of those locations where she remains onsite for 10 days in a row, then has four days off and repeats the cycle. The company gives her a stipend that helps pay for her RV site and food every day. She opened the company’s eyes to how cost-effective and efficient living in an RV would be for the type of work she was doing.
Ann Marie and Jim Fulton have worked many different positions and currently have two Workamping jobs. Jim does nighttime security work at a Dollywood campground three nights a week, and they also drive a tram taking people from the parking lot to the Dollywood front entrance 12 to 14 hours a week. One job provides a free campsite and the other gives them spending money. They describe some of the duties they perform and explain why they really like Workamping. They have so much experience now that whenever they update their resumes at Workamper.com, they frequently get calls right away from prospective employers.
Workamper News editor Jody Anderson Duquette about how employers can find the best Workampers for jobs they are looking to fill. This episode just isn’t for employers, Workampers themselves will learn more about what type of people employers are hoping to find. Communication is super critical for a successful experience for employers and Workampers alike. Once a hiring decision has been made, it’s really important for employers to prepare work agreements that cover things like starting and ending dates, the number of hours to work, expected days off, what is included in compensation, etc. Putting everything in writing helps to ensure there are no misunderstandings later in the season.
Dr. Lynne Swanson is a retired veterinarian who founded Safe Harbor Farms, a canine rescue and rehabilitation center in coastal North Carolina. She grew up living with around 20 dogs at a time and has invested three decades – more than half her life – working with large groups of dogs. She calls them the best teachers because, once you learn their language, they can tell you everything you need to know about what they are thinking or experiencing. There are two things that pet owners can do with dogs to make their lives better. The first is to create positive associations with RV travel and the second is to introduce dogs to new environments, people and situations in ways that reflect a canine culture instead of human culture.
This summer, Nina is working at the Georgia Veterans State Park where she works as a host aboard the SAM Shortline Excursion Train. Nina gets to hand out brochures, sell tickets and answer questions passengers may have. She also works in the commissary car, which means she gets to fix and serve lunch as well as prepare snacks. A former kindergarten teacher and principal, Nina started Workamping in 2019 at the urging of several friends who had been camping for many years. So, she bought a 22-foot travel trailer and headed to Texas for her first assignment.
Pastor and author John Stange makes a great point that regardless of how much time we may spend speaking with other people, we spend much more time every day talking to ourselves. John says we all tend to preach messages to our hearts that are unhealthy and discouraging. Many times we allow thoughts of one discouragement after another to replay on an endless loop through our minds. We also subject ourselves to a litany of unhealthy self-criticism that if we allow ourselves to dwell on those ideas, it can rob us of peace and joy. John encourages people to “Dwell on These Things” instead.
