As the price of dwelling goes up, one strategy to discover low-cost and even free campsites whereas RVing is by turning into a seasonal camp host. By volunteering or working as a camp host for a number of hours every week, it can save you cash RVing and redirect it in the direction of enjoyable actions in stunning locations you’ve at all times needed to see. Maintain studying for 3 straightforward steps that may get you began.
If a camp host job at a Good Sam Campground sounds good to you, think about using your Good Sam low cost card to go to the park earlier than you are taking a job at that location. You’ll save 10 % on tenting charges and get to find if it’s the suitable place so that you can keep some time.
How a Camp Host Job Saves You Cash When RVing
The primary time my husband and I discovered that camp internet hosting may assist us lower your expenses on campsite charges, we have been intrigued. Early in our travels, we pulled right into a distant forest service campground and met two faculty professors on summer season break. They have been glad to work as camp hosts in alternate without spending a dime lease all season. For only a couple hours every day, they welcomed any new campers, tidied up vacant campsites, and shared bear security suggestions with any new company. In return, they loved a rent-free summer season within the Rockies. Not a foul deal we thought. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than we began making use of for camper jobs by way of the Workamper Information jobs useful resource for RVers.
The creator working as a camp host. Photograph: Rene Agredano
Over the past 15 years of full-time RVing, my husband and I’ve loved free campsite lease in alternate for work-camping at resorts, ranches, and even an animal sanctuary. We’ve had quite a lot of part-time and full-time RVing jobs and most paid some sort of wage, in addition to present a free campsite in return. Nevertheless, one of the gratifying and laid-back camper gigs was a camp host project at a municipal day-use picnic space within the shadow of Oregon’s Mount Hood.
Ought to You Get Paid for Work Tenting?
This Oregon camp host job was a volunteer project and didn’t give us a paid wage. Many camp-host jobs at public entities don’t. However we didn’t thoughts working with out a wage, as a result of our employer didn’t demand a lot labor in return. Having fewer obligations allowed us to maintain operating our nomadic companies as at all times. Every day, our solely duties as camp hosts have been merely choosing up trash, opening and shutting the property gates, and reporting any uncommon exercise to the sheriff. All instructed, we spent about 10 hours every week fulfilling our obligation as camp hosts. A straightforward work tenting job like this was a dream come true!
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In line with Jody Duquette, proprietor of Workamper Information Inc., nearly all of 2023 work tenting employers are actually providing paid jobs for RVers. “Only a few of our Hotline Advertisements promote positions with no financial compensation,” she instructed me in an e-mail. “Our system has extra alternatives out there for pay for all hours/wage plus RV website and fewer advertisements for website commerce solely.”
Work-camping job perks typically embrace perks like RV website utilities, cable TV, WiFi, laundry use, free or discounted propane, and camp retailer reductions. Duquette additionally shared that when wages are provided, the speed of pay will be wherever from $10 to $25 per hour. And about 15 to twenty % of employers are providing some kind of completion bonus to workers who stick it out all season. “That might be a sure greenback quantity on the finish of the season, or it might be based mostly on variety of hours labored,” she defined.
Whether or not or not you resolve to volunteer work camp or receives a commission is dependent upon your distinctive state of affairs. However irrespective of the way you add it up, any work-camping job paid or volunteer project will help decrease your RV journey prices and permit you to discover stunning locations for longer than you ever imagined.
The creator’s husband, Jim, chopping firewood. Photograph: Rene Agredano
Three Steps That Can Assist You Get a Camp Host or Different Hospitality Job
The rise in RV possession mixed with an general labor scarcity in our nation has created a domino impact at campgrounds and resorts throughout the nation. Extra individuals RVing requires extra work campers to maintain hospitality companies and public services operating easily. As of at the moment, there’s no higher time to turn into a “work camper” in alternate without spending a dime tenting.
Nevertheless, not even these circumstances imply that camp host jobs and different kinds of work tenting employment alternatives will simply fall in your lap. Discovering the perfect RV job for you means doing somewhat homework forward of time. Right here’s tips on how to stand out from the various RVers looking for seasonal employment.
Step 1: Present Employers You might be Able to Work
Most hospitality companies are conscious that many candidates don’t have earlier expertise as work campers. That’s OK! They aren’t anticipating work-campers to have hospitality MBAs. What issues extra to those employers is an effective observe file of earlier employment, well-rounded customer-oriented expertise, a willingness to put on many hats, flexibility, and a collaborative perspective. For instance, should you work as a front-desk clerk at a small household campground, don’t rule out leaping in to assist housekeeping employees throughout the busy season. Most RV jobs require workers to be crew gamers who get jobs carried out rapidly and professionally.
Creating an attractive work camper resume isn’t too completely different from one utilized in profession settings. Put your first resume collectively by itemizing your optimistic attributes and folks expertise above a timeline of your precise earlier job expertise. Between the 2, you’ll wish to rapidly share a number of examples of how these attributes benefited your earlier employers. Clarify how these optimistic work habits will help hospitality companies too.
Step 2: Speak to Different Camp Hosts and Skilled RV Job Seekers
In case you’re tenting at an RV resort and also you imagine workers are proud of their jobs, go discuss to them. There would possibly simply be a job opening at that enterprise. One other good strategy to community is by going to Fb to community with different RVers who work on the highway. Simply search teams for phrases like “RV jobs,” “workamping,” or “work tenting” to satisfy different working RVers with expertise who will help you acquire a few of your personal. In full disclosure, my husband manages one of many largest Fb work tenting teams. In fact, I’m biased and suppose his website is greatest, however different good Fb work tenting assets exist too.
Step 3: Scout Out Camp Host Job Alternatives
Discovering camp host jobs and different highway gigs was once a word-of-mouth factor. Not anymore. Now you possibly can be a part of one of many dozens of on-line RVer job classifieds and assets like Workamper Information, Cool Works, and Working {Couples}. Do an internet seek for “Jobs for RVers” and many beneficial assets will seem.
Some job websites are free to browse, whereas others aren’t. I encourage you to contemplate signing up with a paid RVer service like Workamper Information. My husband and I’ve discovered all of our RV jobs by way of this useful resource. Typically, these employers who’re prepared to pay to promote in shops like Workamper Information have a tendency of be the next caliber than those that aren’t prepared to pay to search out workers.
Get Able to Discover and Save Cash Tenting, Too!
My husband and I have been solely purported to be full-time RVers for a yr. Our resolution to leap into camp host and different jobs for touring is one huge cause why we’re nonetheless on the highway. Not solely have these roles lowered our campsite lease prices, however they’ve offered us with the privilege of assembly nice individuals in stunning locations. I doubt we ever may have loved them to the diploma we now have if we have been simply renting an RV website someplace. Work tenting and camp host jobs are terrific. I can’t advocate this distinctive association sufficient. Give it a attempt, you would possibly simply find it irresistible as a lot as we do!
