The Workamper Show Podcast

Kary McElroy spent the summer working for the U.S. Forest Service at the Wild Plum Campground in the Tahoe National Forest. Her first Workamping experience was challenging for her because she was often on her own overseeing 47 campsites in a remote area of the forest. But, because she considered herself to be a self-starter, Kary relished the opportunity to work without direct supervision.

After realizing that it was becoming more difficult for them to do physical work as they got older, the Hawes started Camping Keepers as a way to earn money by applying their own skill and talent toward helping other people who didn’t have that same level of comfort with accounting that they had. Camping Keepers specializes in providing bookkeeping services to RV-based businesses. The Hawes also added virtual assistant services to their offerings a few years ago.

Steve Turtle and his wife have enjoyed their time on the road so much that they started documenting it on YouTube. At first, it was only to create videos for friends and family to follow them on their trip along Route 66. But, it grew from there as the couple started sharing tips and tricks with their followers.

Chris and Barbara Kay have enjoyed a tremendous variety of Workamping experiences so far. They worked at baseball spring training, helped harvest sugar beets, served wine to guests at Prairie Berry, shipped boxes at Amazon, and catered to tourists visiting Yellowstone National Park. They even worked at a rodeo in Texas. The COVID situation altered their summer plans, but they managed to make the best of it by arriving early in West Yellowstone and finding a second job in the local community. They talk about what attracted them to the Workamping lifestyle and how they enjoyed a fun summer despite a change of plans.

Workamping can truly enhance a strong relationship or work to expose cracks in a relationship’s foundation. Levi and Natalie Henley have been married for 12 years and full-time RVing for six of them. In fact, they have also worked 20 Workamping jobs together. Through it all, they have learned a lot about each other’s personal habits and traits on the job and how to differentiate what goes on at work from their private lives.

Krista and Roy Renning have been RVing full time for a year and a half and have completed three Workamping jobs. They retired in their early 50s and saw Workamping as a way to keep some money coming in while living a life that offers them more freedom and flexibility. They wanted to retire from full-time work while they were still young enough and physically capable of doing the outdoor things they really enjoy, such as paddleboarding, hiking and kayaking.

Marcia Mercer comes back on the show to elaborate on her personal experience as a solo, full-time RVer and about the types of jobs she has performed during the seven years she has been Workamping. People like her have decided they won’t let age or the fact they are single prevent them from enjoying the life they’ve always imagined. Some people reach a certain stage in life where they feel compelled to just slow down, stop working, stop dreaming and opt for a daily routine. Marcia’s life is much richer because she keeps her dreams alive.

Johanna D’Aleo has been Workamping for more than four years. She started by living in a teardrop trailer and recently traded that in for a 19.5-foot RV. While some folks may find that cozy, Johanna shares the space with her 100-pound dog, Kia. She offers some great advice about finding jobs and things to do to make life on the road more hassle-free.

Jeff Bown technically started Motorhome Tires out of his garage 35 years ago. Today, his company is a massive network of more than 4,000 certified installers nationwide. Together, they complete nearly a thousand mobile tire installations every year. Jeff describes how balancing beads are better than traditional spin balancing, why tire age is more important than tread wear, what pressure tires should be inflated to, and how a simple device can help motorhome drivers maintain control in a blowout situation. Alot of what he talks about applies to towable RVs as well.

Dan Marlow is a certified public accountant and the owner of Valor Tax Services in Kansas City, Mo. His firm is a franchise of Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, which provides professional tax preparation services nationwide. Preparing taxes is not as hard as it looks. Workampers will not be preparing complicated business tax returns for corporations, although they may prepare returns for self-employed individuals. Most of the time, they will be working with people who just feel more comfortable having a professional prepare and review their taxes.