Many RVers ‘workamp’ in summer
Every day thousands of full-time RVers are punching time clocks.
Many work out of necessity, some to relieve boredom and others for the challenge.
Whatever their reasons, a large number of “retired” RVers are returning to work.
Help wanted
“We have a shortage of people right now,” says Greg Robus, editor of Workamping News, a magazine listing jobs for RVers. “We have many more jobs than we can fill.”
Robus says there is a huge variety of jobs available throughout the hospitality and tourist industries including campground host, caretakers and mangers. In addition there are jobs in theme parks, firework stands and retail sales.
Companies involved in the hospitality industry frequently have “a short season, but need a lot of people and don’t have enough housing for them,” said Robus from his office in Heber Springs, Ark. “That’s where the RVers look really good to the employer. They bring their own housing with them.”
Patty Bishoff, director of operations for Cool Works, agrees: “There are plenty of jobs for RVers.”
Cool Works, out of Gardiner, Mont., specializes in seasonal jobs “in some of the greatest places on Earth,” says Bishoff. “Many of our clients are national or state parks with jobs in pretty remote places. Those kind of jobs appeal to RVers who appreciate being on site and mixing it up with other RVers.”
Economical reasons
Work camping also appeals “to more RVers this year because of the high price of fuel,” says Jaimie Hall, author of “Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider’s Guide to Working on the Road.” “By staying in one place they can save money on travel expenses.”
That is definitely one of the reasons why retirees Joe and Terri Wirtz of Concord, N.H., decided to accept jobs at the Coeur d’Alene KOA Campground this summer.
“We decided about four years ago to sell the house and take off,” says Joe, “but we knew we would have to work to supplement our savings.”
Joe and Terri each work about 20 hours a week checking in guests, cleaning out the pool, renting boats, running the small retail store and picking up trash. In addition they have a free space to park their 35-foot Montana fifth-wheel.
“On our days off,” says Terri, “we explore the area or bicycle the Coeur d’Alene Trail.”
Fellow KOA campground hosts, Tom and Dorothy Gerhard of Oregon, have been living in their RV fulltime since 1996 and say they take an occasional “work break” to rest up from traveling the country in their 35-foot Winnebago motor home.
“Work camping adds some structure into the rather unstructured life of a full-time RV traveler,” says Tom.
An added plus is “meeting all the new people that comes with stopping in one spot for a while,” adds Dorothy.
About a mile away from the Coeur d’Alene KOA Campground, on the other side of Interstate 90, fulltimers Nancy and Terry Linithicum of South Dakota are camp hosts at the Wolf Lodge Campground.
Nancy, a retired schoolteacher, and Terry, a former business owner, say they take on seasonal jobs to keep their brains engaged and challenged in new ways.
About three years ago the Linithicums signed on as camp cooks for an elk hunting outfitter in New Mexico. The campsite was miles along a dirt road where they had to dry camp for two weeks at a stretch.
“That was a unique, rewarding and nonrepeatable adventure which tested us and our equipment thoroughly,” recalled Terry.
“It was great fun,” said Nancy. “We wish there were more jobs like that.”
For more information
“ Workamper News is offering a special trial subscription until June 30. To learn more go to www.workamper.com/trial/ or call (501) 362-2637 or write 709 W. Searcy St., Heber Springs, AR 72543-3761.
“ Cool Works is available only online at www.coolworks.com or by telephone at (406) 848-2380. The Web site states that for those who consider themselves “Older & Bolder!” there are “employers interested in you. Keep in mind, each has varied accommodations; some have RV spaces, others have housing available and some have both.”
“ Workers on Wheels, at www.workersonwheels.com, is another site that provides a free listing of jobs and E-zine. Publisher and author Coleen Sykora has written several “Dream Jobs to Go” E-books available through the Web site.
“ Jaimie Hall’s Web site is www.rvhometown.com. “Support Your RV Lifestyle,” (Pine Country Publishing, $19.95) can be purchased through Hall’s Web site, by calling (928) 607-3l81 or by special order through your local bookseller.