Work Camping Jobs for Full-Time RVers

As Brand Ambassadors for Lippert, Tammy and Greg Cash are the couple behind Chasing the Cashes. They have been RVing full-time for over four years now, and they love getting involved in the RV community. They also love to work camp, which has afforded them numerous travel opportunities. In this guest post, Tammy details her experiences with work camping jobs and offers advice to fellow full-time RVers who are considering work camping.

By Tammy Cash of Chasing the Cashes

When Greg and I decided to start our full-time RV adventure, we sat down and talked about expenses and all our options for exploring this beautiful country. We were limited by our budget but knew we could find a way to make it work. We weighed the benefits of boondocking versus paying for a site, knowing that we’d want to stay in one spot for as long as it took to explore everything possible in a particular area. 

After a little more research, we looked into “work camping” and decided this was exactly what we were looking for. Work camping (also spelled workcamping or workamping), by definition, means working as an employee or donating your time as a volunteer while living in an RV. This gave us the opportunity to give back by volunteering in a local state park or working at an RV resort, which in turn, allowed us to have a full hook-up spot while living our full-time travel dream. 

Getting started on your work camping journey is relatively easy, whether you decide to volunteer or find a paid job. Choosing your location will probably be your hardest decision, since our country is filled with so many beautiful places. If you decide to volunteer in a state park, visit the state park’s website to fill out the volunteer forms. If there’s a particular park you’d like to stay at, call them and ask to speak with the volunteer camp host coordinator. Let them know you’ve filled out the necessary forms and that you’d love to chat with them about volunteer openings.

Now, I bet you’re wondering what kind of work you can do as a volunteer. Greg and I have been campground hosts at most of the parks we’ve been to. That means we keep the park looking great by cleaning fire pits and doing general maintenance. We’ve sold firewood, helped people check in and generally helped facilitate a great experience for everyone — all while giving 15-20 hours a week of our time. 

If you’re interested in a paid gig, I would start by deciding where you’d like to go, and then utilize the numerous resources available for finding the right fit for you. Our favorite website is workamper.com. You’re able to create a custom resume and add your availability for part-time or full-time work so that potential employers can see it. You’ll be amazed at how many job opportunities are posted daily! We also like work camper Facebook groups.

We’ve worked at two big RV resorts and loved it. Our jobs included office work, escorting guests to their sites, lawn maintenance, bartending and we even made pizzas. 

If campgrounds aren’t your thing, you’re in luck because there are lots of paid gigs for work campers out there like:

• Sugar Beet Harvest: They promise an “unbeetable” experience working for American Crystal Sugar Company and harvesting their sugar beets each fall. You can earn up to $3,700 by working a 10 to 15-day season.
• DigiKey: Located in Thief River Falls, MN, DigiKey offers work camping jobs to RVers interested in warehouse fulfillment positions. You pick, pack or migrate orders for them and get paid bi-weekly. Pay is based on the number of hours worked and which shifts you take.
• Amazon: Just like a DigiKey position, you’ll complete seasonal jobs in one of Amazons many fulfillment centers, filling and packing orders.
• Pumpkin Lots: Doing a quick Google search will help you find pumpkin lots offering work to RVers in the fall. You help lot owners set up their fall displays and booths for customers to purchase pumpkins and enjoy fall festivities.
• Christmas Tree Lots: This work is similar, yet probably a bit more labor intensive than the work you’ll do in the pumpkin lots. With this winter work camping job, you’ll help set up the tree lots, help customers find the right tree and tear down the lot at the end of the season.
• Firework Displays: Similar to the previous two jobs I mentioned, this one is another paid opportunity where you work at fireworks stands in the summertime.
• Private Property Sitters: When people leave their homes for vacation, they need someone to tend to their property. You’ll bring in the mail, mow the lawn, water their plants and do a variety of other things the property owner needs. Use sites like housesitter.com to get started.
• Ranch Hands: Farmers and ranchers need help during their peak seasons. You’ll lend a helping hand on the farm in exchange for a parking spot and sometimes goods as well. A site like harvesthosts.com is great place to get started looking for opportunities like these.
• Gate Guards: Oil field and construction companies need someone to man their gates, so they often will hire RVers to get the job done. These types of job often require long hours, but the pay tends to be good.

Asking the right questions when you find your job will ensure you have a good experience. Communication from the beginning is imperative, so make sure you’re prepared for your first phone interview. Aside from pay, we consider these questions to be super helpful:

1. How many hours per couple per week? How are they split?
2. Do we have the same days off?
3. Will we receive a full hook-up site?
4. Will there be phone service/internet availability?
5. Will we be in a designated host site?
6. Will we clean bathrooms?
7. What are the duties and responsibilities for each job?
8. What’s the length of this commitment? 
9. Will a washer/dryer be provided?
10. Will you provide some type of uniform?
11. How many hours worked will go toward our site fee?
12. What kind of training will we receive?

The more questions you ask, the better. You never want to drive across the country to your dream job only to find out you don’t have full hook-ups or cell service. We have had very positive experiences over the last five years. 

The only thing we would do differently is to never work a set number of hours to pay for our site. The majority of RV parks include your site in addition to an hourly wage. If you don’t feel good about a position after your initial call, it’s okay to move on to the next offer. Again, you’ll be surprised at just how many work camping job listings are out there.

Work camping has enriched our RV lifestyle, allowing us to visit and immerse ourselves in some of the most beautiful locations, like the Oregon Coast, the Western Slope of Colorado, Maine and the Black Hills of South Dakota. We spent three months in each of these places and thoroughly enjoyed being able to explore every hike, attraction and local restaurant. We can’t imagine what it would have cost us if we had paid for our campsite. 

If work camping sounds interesting to you, we highly recommend it! It’s been an incredible journey for us as a work camping couple, and we look forward to each new adventure.

If you’d like to keep up with our many RV adventures, be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook!