The Workamper Show Podcast

As we start a new year, today’s show will feature interviews with two Workamper employers. They are The Golf Club at Devil’s Tower and Geode Yoga Fitness. Todd Coover is the general manager of what he describes as a destination golf facility. Because the course is located in a remote section of Wyoming, Todd relies upon Workampers to help out in the pro shop, golf course and range, as well as serve as housekeepers, cooks, waiters and bartenders. Marci Hedderson-Carroll is the founder of Geode Yoga Fitness, and she’s looking for help planting gardens around the property and maintaining the facility. Workampers will also help blaze a walking trail around the property.

Early in their adventure, Mike and Donna Bender stumbled upon an opportunity to work for a natural gas company inspecting gas lines throughout the country. When they learned of the opportunity to make money repairing RVs, they opted to take the training and attain their certification. But, while taking the RV Fundamentals class, their eyes were opened to opportunities to make money inspecting RVs. So, after they completed the first week of training together, Donna continued along a path to become an RV inspector and Mike completed five weeks of training to become a certified technician.

This week’s show is rather special. In honor of our 100th podcast, Workamper News Editor Jody Anderson Duquette and her husband, Luke, opted to record a special show to commemorate the milestone. Jody and Luke recall the key historical highlights of Workamper News that took place during the past 33 years since its founding in 1987 by Greg and Debbie Robus in the tiny town of Heber Springs, Ark. Many things have changed over the years, but one thing remains consistent — Workamper News’ commitment to connecting employers needing short-term workers and RVers looking to help finance their travel dreams.

Jason Weiner and his wife, Amanda, were at a crossroads after their daughter grew up and ventured out on her own. They were just going through the motions of going to work and coming back to a quiet house day after day.  That time period also coincided with a realization that Jason had hit a career wall in the tech industry and he either needed to find something else to do or start over. They had been thinking about the RV lifestyle for a while, and had even attended the Workamper Rendezvous. They bought a 42-foot fifth wheel in March 2019 and started their adventure.

Saco River Camping Area is a full-service campground featuring more than 240 mostly full-hookup RV sites. The family-oriented campground offers tubing, kayak and canoe rentals as well as bikes, golf carts, laser tag and even wagon rides. During a typical season, more than 60,000 people use the campground as a base camp for a variety of adventures. Up to 14 Workampers are needed to help with maintenance, guest services and housekeeping. Workampers are paid $11 per hour for all hours worked. They also receive a free full hook-up site with cable television, Wi-Fi, free use of the laundry and a 30 percent discount at the camp store.

After meeting on E-Harmony, Kimberly Leal and Phil Gunder have been together for almost six years. They started full-time RVing about two and a half years ago with their two dogs and a cat in a 28-foot travel trailer. Today, they are passionate about sharing the Workamping and RVing lifestyle with others. After experiencing sharks, sudden snow storms, tire problems – and a whole bunch of positive events as well – Kimberly and Phil chronicle all their adventures on their blog.

Kary McElroy spent the summer working for the U.S. Forest Service at the Wild Plum Campground in the Tahoe National Forest. Her first Workamping experience was challenging for her because she was often on her own overseeing 47 campsites in a remote area of the forest. But, because she considered herself to be a self-starter, Kary relished the opportunity to work without direct supervision.

After realizing that it was becoming more difficult for them to do physical work as they got older, the Hawes started Camping Keepers as a way to earn money by applying their own skill and talent toward helping other people who didn’t have that same level of comfort with accounting that they had. Camping Keepers specializes in providing bookkeeping services to RV-based businesses. The Hawes also added virtual assistant services to their offerings a few years ago.

Steve Turtle and his wife have enjoyed their time on the road so much that they started documenting it on YouTube. At first, it was only to create videos for friends and family to follow them on their trip along Route 66. But, it grew from there as the couple started sharing tips and tricks with their followers.

Chris and Barbara Kay have enjoyed a tremendous variety of Workamping experiences so far. They worked at baseball spring training, helped harvest sugar beets, served wine to guests at Prairie Berry, shipped boxes at Amazon, and catered to tourists visiting Yellowstone National Park. They even worked at a rodeo in Texas. The COVID situation altered their summer plans, but they managed to make the best of it by arriving early in West Yellowstone and finding a second job in the local community. They talk about what attracted them to the Workamping lifestyle and how they enjoyed a fun summer despite a change of plans.

Workamping can truly enhance a strong relationship or work to expose cracks in a relationship’s foundation. Levi and Natalie Henley have been married for 12 years and full-time RVing for six of them. In fact, they have also worked 20 Workamping jobs together. Through it all, they have learned a lot about each other’s personal habits and traits on the job and how to differentiate what goes on at work from their private lives.

Krista and Roy Renning have been RVing full time for a year and a half and have completed three Workamping jobs. They retired in their early 50s and saw Workamping as a way to keep some money coming in while living a life that offers them more freedom and flexibility. They wanted to retire from full-time work while they were still young enough and physically capable of doing the outdoor things they really enjoy, such as paddleboarding, hiking and kayaking.