What Work Is Available and How To Get Started
by Coleen Sykora

What kind of work do working RVers do, anyway?

There are far too many types of jobs available for working RVers to list them all, but here's a small sampling...bus driver, actor, musician, tour guide, computer programmer, clown, grain harvester, baker, mobile dental clinic dentist, manufacturer's rep, MLM sales, party planner, crafter, brain tanner, mechanic, nurse, construction worker, pizza delivery, tobacco stripper, windshield repairman, bathroom cleaner, steam train engineer, tree planter, bookkeeper, sign maker, dog show judge, teacher, masseuse, apple picker, carpenter, bus driver, writer, tattoo artist, inventor, sales clerk, solar equipment installer, image consultant, product demonstrator, property caretaker, day labor, mini-storage managers, video maker, landscaper, cook, gas line inspector, Christmas tree lot manager, magician, woodworker, business consultant, security guard, seamstress, events organizer, speaker, heavy equipment operator, fence installer, waitress, fair vendor....

How do I ever figure out what I can do?

Some practical suggestions for getting a better idea of what work might be suitable for you....

Make a list of the things you are able to do; your skills and abilities; things you have been trained for; tasks that you do in your present job; work that you do around the home and yard; things that you do for fun or in your volunteer work.

Secondly, make a list of things that you enjoy doing or think you would enjoy if you had the time.

Compare the lists to see what overlaps or how things on one list can be combined with something on the other. How might you use some of those combinations to make money? What do you like to do, that you know how to do or could learn to do, that people would pay you to do?

For example, my husband is a fixer. I have some sales background. We enjoy bargain hunting and going to auctions and flea markets. Our first few years out on the road, we bought used merchandise at auctions, much of it hand and power tools that needed to be cleaned and repaired, and we sold them at flea markets.

Something else that will help is to determine what travel and work style you would prefer, or would at least like to start with. Answering the following questions will help you do that.

How often do you want to move -- every few days, once a month, seasonally? Where do you want to stay -- fancy RV resorts, family campgrounds, boondocking spots? What do you want to travel in -- small conversion van, motorhome and cargo trailer, mid-duty truck and fifth-wheel? What is your travel purpose - visit every state, learn about subcultures, trace Route 66?

Do you want to work for someone else or be self-employed or both? Do you want to work all year long, traveling along the way, or do you want to work long and hard for a time and then have months to play without working at all? Do you want to do one thing or be involved with several different things at once? Do you want to have a career or do a variety of jobs? Do you want a position that challenges your abilities or one that may be less stressful? Do you want a desk job or to work with your hands?

Why do you want to work? How much do you want or need to earn? What other things besides money would be valuable to you -- parking site, store discounts, use of gulf course or other facility, the satisfaction of helping others, social contact, chance to learn a new skill? What are the best things about your current work and what are the worst? Do you want to do something similar or something very different?

It is very common for full-timer's to change their work and travel styles after being out on the road for a spell. And, that flexibility to be able to make those changes is one of the best things about the lifestyle. Because much of the work is temporary or seasonal by nature, or is a business that is self-created, the transition to other travel and work styles can be done smoothly and as part of the RVing adventure.

You might consider some job in the tourist industry or a tourist town, which includes a vast number of things -- working in a restaurant, cleaning motel rooms, designing advertising brochures, leading walking tours, mowing grounds and doing landscape work, acting in plays, repairing equipment, taking photographs, fishing, handing out information pamphlets, operating carnival rides, caring for children, presenting seminars...and much more.

You might consider registering with temporary staffing agencies, either those specializing in a particular employment field (day labor, medical professionals, technology specialists, etc.) or general temporary placement firms. Once registered, it is oftentimes possible to have the registration transferred to another office within that company so you do not need to do all the paperwork in each city.

If you'd like to learn more about working RVers, check out our Workers On Wheels website and subscribe to our free newsletters. Workers On Wheels

©2001 Coleen Sykora

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About the author: Coleen Sykora is the editor of Workers On Wheels with her husband, Bob Nilles. This is their eighth year of full-time Rving. Together, they combine work and travel. Coleen's magazine, WOW also has articles written by other working RVers, employers who hire mobile workers, and resource people knowledgeable in the lifestyle. Any questions and comments are always welcome, e-mail Coleen at moms@workersonwheels.com and check out her website and magazine, Workers On Wheels