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Stories From The Current Issue Geocaching, The Perfect RV Hobby Some Of Our Favorite RV Web Sites Read What Others Have To Say About The Gypsy Journal From Our Archives - Stories From Past Issues You Can Bring Nick Russell To Your Campground, Dealership Or RV Event! Yes, You Can Make Money Writing Visit Our New Motorcycle Travel Website
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Working On The Road Making money on the road, whether you need to earn a fulltime income, or just want to supplement your retirement to pay for an occasional round of golf or a nice evening out once in a while, is easy if you use some imagination and creativity. 1) You can work for someone else 2) You can sell a product 3) You can sell a service Working
for Someone Else Thousands of RVers work for someone else on the road, full or part time. The first rule is BE FLEXIBLE. Maybe in your past life you were a doctor, an accountant, a police officer. Maybe some of the jobs out there seem beneath you. But it’s not all about money. If all you are interested in is making money, go back to your old career and home, or better yet, get a copy machine or printing press and make money! Some typical jobs for RVers include working in RV
parks, restaurants, working for concessionaires at National or State
Parks, working at theme parks like Working in campgrounds is often the worst way to make money on the road! Do the math. If you (alone or as a couple) are working 20 to 30 hours a week (or more) for a full hookup site, you might do better to pay for your site on a monthly or seasonal rate, and get a job flipping burgers or working at the local Wally World in town. You could actually be money ahead at the end of the month! During Christmas season many retail stores hire temporary help to keep up with high traffic. Other seasonal jobs include selling pumpkins at Halloween, selling Christmas trees, selling fireworks, working in tourist areas during peak season. Do you have a skill? We have met many nurses who have taken their skills on the road and work as fill-ins at hospitals, usually with a three to six month commitment. Other professionals can do the same. One job that has worked out well for RVers is gas line surveying. One company that hires a lot of RVers is Southern Cross Corporation. Some of their jobs are listed at http://www.southerncrosscorp.com/66/Jobs.htm. There is a long ongoing discussion about this work on the Escapees RV Club forum at http://escapees.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/486600661/m/7851042481/p/1. Why do employers want to hire RVers, even if we are only there for a short time? That’s simple. We are more mature, we have a strong work ethic, we’re reliable, we have many job skills, and we’re adaptable. Terry and I have both been employers, and we know how hard it is to get someone to show up for work every morning. We’d much rather have a hardworking RVer for a few months, than a kid who will show up late the second day on the job! Some great resource for finding jobs include
Workamper News (
We are all salespeople, in one way or another. Ladies, when you convince your husband to turn off the ballgame and go wash the rig, you’re selling. And guys, when you tell her that going fishing is better than visiting some stuffy old museum, you’re selling. 1) Advertising specialty items such as pens, pencils, etc. 2) Selling ads for campground directories: AGS Publishing, 800-245-9666 Southwest Publications, 800-832-3292 3) Selling at flea markets, RV rallies, specialized events such as craft fairs, car shows, gun shows, horse shows. Sources for items you can sell include ASD/AMD Trade News, 1-800-421-4511 and the Directory to US Flea Markets, by Ballantine Publishing. Selling
A Service Some examples of services you can sell on the road include RV and auto repair, washing and detailing RVs and autos, performing music, dog grooming, windshield repair, teaching classes in computers, dancing, crafts, etc., preparing income taxes, presenting seminars, computer repair and setting up wireless networks. Operate Your Own Business On The Road Terry and I have built a successful business on the road, publishing the Gypsy Journal RV Travel Newspaper, our books and RV guides, web publishing, and speaking at Life on Wheels and RV rallies and shows. We know other RVers who have service and sales businesses, or operate online businesses as they travel.
Check out Nick's great book on working on the road, Work Your Way Across The USA
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