Is it worth it?

[PackerFan]

I have never workcamped but was just wondering if it is really worth it. What do you get out of it....Free site, pay, etc.? Just curious about doing this.

Scott

[seahunter]

I have looked into this a little so far. With all the cutbacks for park employees, there is a big demand for volunteers to keep parks open or supplement the regular employees. However, with little or no funding, the volunteers apparently are getting less or no pay, and often just working for their site and maybe some of the utilities and propane, etc. It is either supplemental income like if you're on Social Security, or a cheap way to earn a campsite basically. I would recommend going to:

http://www.workamper.com/?gclid=CNeS...FWIGRQodGEKSfg

and you can learn a lot on that site. You can sign up for some newsletters that explain it a lot better than I can...

Good luck!

[Champ_49]

Just read the other day on another forum where gate keepers in the oil fields in TX and other states pay $125.00 per day. But its long days in not so pleasent areas. But then again it depends on your own requirements as far as what you need. As stated above look in the work forum sites and it will apppear.

Here's a site to look into.
http://www.myoldrv.com/?page_id=1884

Dave

[8.1al]

For anyone wondering about gate keeping we have 2 members doing that,Wingerphil (Phil&Rudee). Their blog makes interesting reading and will give you an idea what gate keeping is like
http://workinrvers.blogspot.com/sear...&by-date=false

[DQDick]

We actually looked for work camping experiences that don't pay but are something we wanted to do. We are currently volunteers for the Corps of Engineers at a lake near Council Grove, KS where we and our daughter own the Dairy Queen. We work 20 hrs per week between us and get our site and utilities free. Does it make sense economically, maybe not. We have the senior card and could camp really cheap, but we wouldn't be able to stay in a full hookup site all summer with a wonderful view of the lake. Since we decide on the hours it also lets us help at the store when needed. This winter we are going to be volunteers at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, AZ. Many more hours, 24 each, but it will be learning about and taking school children thru the Arboretum. Something we would like to do anyway. There we get a full hookup site and free propane as well as several other cool benefits. Next summer it's back here with the Corps and after that who knows? Of course we have the luxury of being able to work for just our site if we so choose or not work camp at all. Others aren't so lucky. If you research the opportunities, I studied what was out there for a year before we went full time, and you apply very early (a year ahead isn't too soon for a job you really want) you can pick up some gigs that make others wish they were you.

[1retired06]

There are many variables out there. Many private campgrounds offer workcamping where you get your site, propane, and laundry at no cost, and in return, they want couples who put in 20 hours each a week with no pay. Others discount sites, with a hourly wage not much above minimum wage. When we were fulltiming, we preferred to work for our site. Depending on state law, receiving a W2 can result in unexpected issues. There is a workcamper newspaper you can subscribe to which offers up to date classifieds on available opportunities with specifics for each.

[BB_TX]

I think for many it is simply something to do. Some people just can not sit around doing nothing all the time and they do not have hobbies or activities to keep them busy. And it provides daily interaction with other people that they may also crave.

For others, it is a means to subsidize the life style they crave but may not be able to afford otherwise. I believe compensation can vary greatly depending on location and type of park, but even just a site can amount to a substantial sum over time.

No "one size fits all" here. All a matter of personal likes and needs.

[itaves]

We've been workampers now for over 2 years and really enjoy it. We've managed a campground in WI for 2 summers, which paid a salary plus a site and a few other paid expenses, but this was pretty hard work & long hours! In FL for the last 2 winters we worked a total of 15-25 hours a month (combined) for our FHU site, which was a piece of cake!! It keeps us active and we feel like we take "ownership" in the park. It really helps to supplement our social security income. We recommend giving it a try.

[itaves]

Also, Scott, if you're truly interested in workamping, we can put you in touch with our boss, who owns several campgrounds in Wisconsin and also has a lot of influence with many campgrounds in the state with WACO. Send me a message and I'll give you the contact info.

[PackerFan]

Thanks for all of the information. I will do some reading and check it all out. Just checking out our options and seeing what we can come up with if wife can't find a teaching job.

Dennis, I sent you a message for the info.

Scott

[wingerphil]

Thanks for the plug Charlie and Nila! and yes we did gate guarding last winter to earn some $$ and will most likely be back in the oil fields after the first of the year. We are currently work camping at a KOA in Indiana and will be here until 1 Oct.

We use workcamping as a supplement to our income to help finance our fulltime RVing therefore we do look for at least partial paying positions instead of just working for a site.
I found our current gig on KOA.com and am a member of their work camping site (small fee to join). We are also gold members of Workamper News so we can moniter what jobs are available on their site as well.
We have enjoyed our time working in the campground but it is WORK. Some days I come home totally wiped out but so far it has all been a good experience and I have done a lot of things I never had the nerve to do otherwise, like tile floors, hang drywall or pour cement.
Once we leave here we are taking 2 weeks off and then heading for Amazon in Campbellsville Ky to work the Christmas rush. They hire work campers from Oct thru Dec. 23 and they pay for your site in a local campground as well as wages.

This is just a look at how we are doing things and we are certainly "rookies" but our future is sure looking bright!

Phil

[mazboy]

you know, it is what it is. it is all of the above. it just depends on the position and the site....get what you feel comfortable with.

[Dutch and Di]

It's been quite awhile but we've done 3 different types of workkamping over the 1st 6 years of fulltiming. We weren't really looking for income, just something new to try. For us they were all fun, not hard work and had interesting benefits.
1. We worked at a Pumpkin Patch for 6 weeks. They had rides, pumpkins and so much more. We were able to choose our jobs. Hours weren't long and we had free site and a a check at the end if we completed the job. Dutch was the go to guy if something broke and I hired 80 high school kids and we also helped with the rides when needed. I will say that I worked with the greatest group of kids you could find and we were not in a posh upper class area.
2. Working at a golf course. We had a free fullhookup site and all the golf we could play. We had to "work" 2 days a week unpaid for our site but if we wanted more, we could earn $7.50 an hour. We could choose our jobs and our hours. There was no in/out date commitment.
3. We worked at a small RV park that was adjacent to a 27 hole golf course. There were 5 couples who each worked 3 days on and 12 off. The "guys" did maintenance, lawn care and parking assistance if needed. We "gals" did office work, check in, watering the flowers at the office and keeping the laundry and rec rooms clean. No money but free site and electric. Had to give a 3 month commitment. Being there that long, we could get a seasonal pass for golf which was a big bonus for us.
The problem for us was and is, we don't like to commit to an area for any length of time preferring to move at will so we haven't done any workkamping in at least 7 years. They were each fun in their own way.
There is a site for workkamping but we didn't use it for these 3 jobs, just stumbled onto them. Here is the site if you are interested.http://www.work-camping.com/ Hugs, Di