Work camping can be an excellent opportunity for RVers who don’t mind working for a place to “camp.” It gives you a meaningful way to spend your time, you meet wonderful people from all over the country (even world), and the best part? A “free” campsite!
Have you ever been a work camper? If yes, has it been more than once at multiple locations? Or yes, but you return to the same park to work camp year after year? Have you tried work camping but then learned it wasn’t for you? If you haven’t ever been a work camper, would you consider it?
If you are considering it, here’s an article by Nanci Dixon pointing you to work camping success!
First six winters of full-timing, I worked 15 hours a week to ‘earn’ a free space. That helped assure I could afford to travel and enjoy the remainder of the year farther north.
Yes one time for Arizona State parks and Trails in NE Az at Lyman State park.
Tried it and was not to enjoyable.
6 rangers that lived on site and they never were around after quitting time and the store closed.
Never again!!
Not all work campers are camp host. You can work in the store, do maintenance, or even work checking people in. Also, you may work at a private campground or a state or federal owned one.
Camping is always work. But it’s a labor of love. 🙂
Once. I worked 20 hours a week in their IT area for a small discount on my site fee … my ” wages” were nowhere near the value of my time involvement.
Thank you, RV Travel! 🙂 Nope, never. Might consider it if the location were particularly attractive and funds were getting tight. So far, so good. 🙂 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
My wife & I have workamped most of our 11 yrs f/t. A couple dud positions, all others good-to-excellent, incl several Ntl park non-profit partners for low-cost space + good wages. Most as gift store associates, some as interp assistants, some as groundskeepers, and a couple fish hatcheries (1 where we fed the giant sturgeons😀).
For 13 months (2008-09) I volunteered at Lake Texoma for the Corps of Engineers. It was a very good experience; the employees were very appreciative. I learned a lot about CoE operations; I even had a tour inside the dam. Of course, that was before 9/11 and would not be allowed now. During my time there, they had a major flood and had to close all their campgrounds for several days. Afterwards, I rode around with the engineers to take photos of the flood damage.
Retired C.O.E. here. Best people and campgrounds. I sure enjoy camping there now, and not having to get up early when I got a paycheck.
The parks are always clean and well maintained, no rowdy’s for more than a few
Minutes…Ft. Leavenworth?..Graybar Hotel?.. (;+) ……
We worked for 10 years mostly volunteering. We didn’t work all 12 months but took some time off each year. We mostly volunteered for Oregon State Parks and we did everything from grounds maintenance, cleaning yurts, whale watching, lighthouse keeping and greeting. We did 2 summers in Montana for the USDA Forest Service. We preferred the Oregon State Park system because they were great to work for and we didn’t have to clean bathrooms!! We tried 2 paying gigs and found the demands were just not worth the money.
I was enamored at the idea of getting a “free” campsite at a great park until I did the math. Sleeping where one works just to earn less than minimum wage lost its appeal for me.
No disrespect to those that do work camping but for this kid, I’d rather work for a proper full wage and pay for the site versus clean outhouses, dumpsters and fire pits for a cheap spot.
Thankful for the volunteers that do but I have a problem dealing with ornery people and would fail on that part of the job…
Yes, I am a working camper, I work on my camper all the time.
Since we are full-timers, and both work part time, we must be work campers.
After RV Park Management was contracted to run our former seasonal park, every ‘opportunity’ for work camping offered in exchange for site fee (not including electric) had ludicrous hour requirements. People would have been ahead working the same hours at any retailer in the nearby small town and paying their site fee.
Until this article, I thought I was a work camper. I worked PetroChem construction and for 20 years, I pulled my travel trailer to where the work was. While mostly commercial RV parks, i did occasionally stay in state, county and city managed parks.
Nope, I’m retired..
I did give it a thought at a campground we had visited years earlier. We went back when retired, it was over run with drunk campers mostly naked girls running around and everything out of control on a weekday.
Aww, no thanks…..Lake Cuomo, Mt.
Such a pretty place.
Wow women in the buff that is American freedom 😡