Workamping plans

[Kerri]

Hi Everyone! As I said in my Introduction, I wanted to post over here about workamping, in case someone else might have similar thoughts/questions/ideas. My daughter is 9 and we will begin FTing next summer (I hope). I plan to travel for about a year before having to workamp, unless something fabulous comes along sooner, of course! I know it will be tough to find a position which allows my daughter to tag along with me, but am hoping I can. If I am working in a store or reservation area, hopefully there will be a lounge or snack room or quiet corner where she can hang out. Literature, art and music are all things which she enjoys and are easily transported. She is also pretty industrious and will gladly help out - sweeping, straightening, etc. She is a calm, quiet child, although she loves to talk and is comfortable with all age groups, including adults. I would not be comfortable leaving her alone in the rig now, even if it were parked within my view, and I don't think she would like it either. Although in a few more years that will probably change.

I am exploring continuing to do some online projects as a business consultant, and I am also a writer. One of the things I want to write about is this lifestyle on which I am about to embark, so I feel that workamping in some of the parks and campgrounds would give me some wonderful experiences about which to write! Having Internet connection with regularity will be an issue for me, obviously!

From what I've read, most workamping positions offer hookups in exchange for a certain number of hours of work, and then some pay minimum wage (+/-) for hours worked over that amount. Is this what many of you have found to be true? I've read with great interest about some of your experiences, and particularly the post about Asking Questions. Very good advice there! It is difficult to understand individuals who do not do what they've promised to do... integrity can be an elusive animal.

Looking forward to hearing more stories and exploits of the workamping folks!

[retiredhappy]

As a fulltimer you don't want to be dependent on wifi at parks. Most of us have aircards (I use Verizon) so you can get on line almost anywhere. You need a cell phone. I also use a Magic Jack so I can make local calls almost free or talk to my daughter for an hour without using my minutes. Check it out at www.magicjack.com. Most of the time it works great. Some of the time the sound cuts in and out but for $20 a YEAR, I put up with the occasional bad quality. You can also make calls thru your computer via Yahoo messenger or MSN messenger. Some people use Skype but you can ONLY call for free other Skype users.

Start now setting up to do your banking and bill paying online. Have funds on auto deposit. Get your statements online instead of thru the mail. You need a mailing address and someone to forward your mail to you. I pay EVERYTHING on line. If you're doing online banking or billpay you don't want to use a park's wifi as its not secure as an aircard is.

That's enough for now. More later. Keep asking questions.

[Kerri]

Hey Karen... Great advice - Thank you! Lets see how I am doing so far:

I have direct deposit and do online banking. I am wondering if I will need to change over to a bank with more locations, since I use a local one here in the Shoals. Anyone have any advice there?

I will leave most of my current bills (utility, etc) behind when I begin FTing. Insurance, etc is already set up online.

Have AT&T cell coverage right now. Any feelings on pros and cons there?

I will use my Mom's address here in the Shoals as long as she is able, and will leave prepaid envelopes to forward anything important. Shouldn't be much except my magazines (to which I admit an addiction which I must rid myself of before hitting the road! ) She will also have access to my bank accounts if anything comes up which needs to be taken care of. When she gets to the point where she can't handle things anymore, I will probably be coming off the road for a while to take care of her anyway.

I've never heard of Magic Jack... I will definitely check out the website, because it sounds very interesting. Thanks for the tip!

[Birdie]

Hi Kerri,
I have been camping out and about for about a year. I recently started full-timing and have been making adjustments in my lifestyle.

I have AT&T cell and air (data) card. I rarely have problems, but once in a while in some out of the way place, I'll have low or no signal. That has happened twice in the past year. I wish it were less costly, but not enough to change the calling plan I am in. The whole family has AT&T so calls between us don't count against my over all minutes and the roll over minute account is great.

I do my banking with Credit Unions and they have what they call 'share' unions. That is where one CU takes deposits for other CU's. That is good when checks will not direct deposit. But not all CUs are 'share' types. The ATM's provide me cash as well as Wal-Mart (no fees). I do all my money stuff online. I used to have a Bank of America account, but they told me last year that they were going to a fee based account system so I closed that out.

So far I am not workamping. I checked out the National Wildlife Refuge system. They want a single to work 32 hours for the space with full hook-ups. That's too much like a job and with no pay!

Good luck in your planning. You will be glad you started early.

[BarbaraRose]

Lots of magazines now can be read on-line if you can't get the actual magazine. Check out the mags you subscribe to and see if they offer the on-line option. I prefer the actual hands-on magazine but that's not too practical on the road unless you can pick it up at a local store's magazine rack.

Barbie

[Getupngo]

Good advice so far. I volunteer for months at a time for national parks & wildlife refuges (and the forest service, from time to time). I do consider this volunteer work and giving back, and so the workweeks are okay with me. I ask myself whether the hours are worth living in a particular place (without campgrounds!!) for an extended period. LIving on San Juan Island, Washington, for example, is worth it to me.

Some places require far fewer hours than others, such as a wildlife refuge I stay at in Louisiana (16 hours) and I get to live ON the refuge. But I have an independent income, so I can afford to forego the pay.

I didn't know about the credit union "sharing." Thanks! I use a local credit union where my S&B is, but also opened a KeyBank acct, because they have branches just about everywhere. For mail forwarding, you might check out the benefits of belonging to an organization such as FMCA or Escapees, which offer mail-forwarding services as well as many other benefits. As I maintain a S&B (sticks&bricks = house) and return there after each trip, I use USPS free mail forwarding.

Gotta go. More ladies here will fill in more blanks (or contradict each other without the need of a fire extinguisher!! ). Happy travels.