Work Camping Your Way Across America

There are many ways to earn money while you travel. Your personality and background will play a major role in determining how you pay your way. Most people getting into the RV lifestyle will become familiar with such terms as work camper, work camper, work camping. Simply put, we are striving to pay the rent and put food on the table so we can continue to move around in our RV. Some of us are very introverted, or adverse to risk taking, and will therefore only find peace of mind in working for an employer where a paycheck is guaranteed for hours worked. Others are more receptive to uncertainty and will become self- employed or work commission only type jobs. Here are four possible means of paying your way: 1. Working at a work camper position for an employer that pays a fixed wage for hours worked. 2. Being self-employed, or quasi-self- employed such as commission type opportunities. 3. Volunteering in various parks where you spend a few hours work in exchange for your site and utilities, then rely on either part-time work, or other outside financial resources to support you. 4. Working for a traditional type employer that has multiple locations nationwide where you will be allowed to relocate periodically. How to use this website to find employment: 1. Go to the RV Camping Jobs page. First, under the Nationwide RV Camping Jobs section you will find listings of employers that hire hundreds, if not thousands, of work campers for seasonal work. Next, click on one of the state links to see if there is a work camping opportunity listed that you're interested in. 2. The RV Parks and Campgrounds section has detailed listings of RV parks by city for various states. Prepare your resume and mail it to RV Parks in areas you are interested in moving to, or better yet, call the phone number listed to see if any job openings will be available either now or in the near future. If you mail your resume, it will be helpful to call and ask if your resume was received. 3. If you only need a free place to stay, strongly consider volunteer camphosting at one of the campgrounds listed in the Volunteer RV Camping Jobs section. Employers that pay a fixed wage and allow you to move at will. You have the opportunity to work for a single employer, be employed full-time, and still move to many diverse locations in your RV. One fact you will have to come to grips with is that by limiting yourself to the employer's locations, you have automatically limited your freedom to move as you see fit. An example that readily comes to mind is the construction trades. We have friends who are living in a new state every few months as their employer's needs dictate. They love enjoying and exploring their new locations. There are some not-so-typical opportunities you may not have thought of. How about working for one of America's largest corporate employers with several thousand locations throughout the United States and abroad? Are you ready for this? Go to work for your friendly local Wal-Mart and you have access to thousands of small-town locations in practically every nook and cranny of our country. Want to live in the desert, the mountains, on the coast? Well, there's probably a Wal-Mart in the heart of your destination. After you have worked for at least six months, simply have your store personnel department fax your transfer request to a handful of stores in the areas where you want to relocate. Chances are, if you have been a decent employee, you'll get several offers. In addition, you have access to employee discounts on products you buy every day, promotion opportunities, insurance, retirement benefits, and the flexibility of moving all around the United States without worrying about where your next dollar is coming from. And you thought you would have to give up your security to enjoy the RV lifestyle. Don't want to work for Wal-Mart? Do you like to talk on the telephone. Even if you don't like talking on the telephone try the Gallup Organization. This world-wide market research company has call center locations at several locations around the United States. What's so unique about this? Well, you can very easily transfer between call centers doing high-level opinion polling/market research work. If you watch CNN news, you have see the results of the Gallup Opinion polls. Alicia and I both worked for the Gallup Organization, and give it our highest recommendation if you are cut out for this sort of work. The pay? Well, when we worked there you were paid for surveys completed. This means your earnings per hour are not capped. We typically earned a minimum of $12.50 to $25.00 hourly. During one bonus period when the call center was overwhelmed with work, we brought home nearly $10,000 after taxes in one month. This is of course, not at all typical, but the pay is consistently good. If you want to take off a few months for a leave of absence, no problem. You will be able to go back to work with your previous pay structure intact. Interested? Click Here for the Gallup Organization's website.