Working on the road and full timing in our bus

[Dave Siegel]

For the last nine years (while our bus has been/is in the conversion process) I have been reading Mak's book and dreaming about full-timing. My wife Jan is right there with me.  As much as we want to travel, we are both very concerned about money. (Do to poor planning on my part, we are required to work, even though I am retired - Jan has a way to go yet). I know about the Escapees club and other various support groups that are out there, but my question is really directed to those of you who are really living this dream of ours.

Is it possible to drive to a town and look in local papers and find a temp job easily? I know there are groups out there that will sponsor "contracts" like Camping World where you can work in a location for a certain period of time, then go to another location for more time. And KOA campgrounds, etc. That just seems too structured for us. Or is that what we are really going to have to do?

Fortunately but unfortunately, Jan is a Dental Hygienist but their licenses only cover them in the state of residence. So she really can't work in her trained capacity on the road.(Darn)  I am a Cad artist/ Graphic designer and photographer. Am I being nieve thinking that I can just march in and land some kind of temp job, easily?

We are getting closer to selling our house (it is now on the market, and the lookers have been very interested). When it is sold we are going out on the road full time. Any honest imput would be greatly appreciated.

If it sounds like we are scared, is is because we really are.

Thanks,

Dave Siegel    1948 Silversides
Naples, Florida

[JackConrad]

Dave,
   A few years ago, Paula's niece (about 20 years old) decided she wanted to see the country. She purchased a pick-up truck with a slide in camper and hit the road. She signed up with Snelling & Snelling and several other temp. services. If she got low on cash or found an area she wanted to stay in for a while, she contacted the agencies she was already registered with in that area and said it was never more than a couple days before she had a job. This was about 6-8 years ago, so things may have changed. She traveled like this for about 2-3 years before settling down in the city she gew up in.             
    A good book to look at is Support You RV Lifestyle (An Insiders Guide to Eorking on the Road) by Jaimie Hall  from Pine Country Publishing. Another option is www.workamper.com , www.workersonwheels.com. or www.coolworks.com
Hope this helps, Jack

[Jeremy]

Working in CAD and Graphic Design is surely the perfect job for telecommuting? Then you could have a permanent job (or your own business), and send work in from any location by email. As it happens I recently had a graphic design job done for me by a girl based on the Cote d'Azur (I am in the UK, on the other side of Europe), and the service I received was no different to my usual supplier based 15 miles away.

Telecommunication services are only ever going to get better and cheaper, so unless you crave human contact from your employer it would seem the ideal solution

Jeremy

[Chariotdriver]

  I second Jeremys info.
   In the past I have used a service offered from a company at Rentacoder.com where you could sign up as a "coder", or a supplier of your services to others via the internet on a auction style contract where you would bid on job offers that other "buyers" are needing to get done from around the world.
  Bottom line is that you would be competing on price from others from some lands where your competition would be able to do it for less due to the cost of living difference.
But there is one great advantage to being here in the USA on this and that would be that your waking hours are close to the same as your clients will be ( more USA clients than others) and that is very helpful to point out when you place a bid.
    I've used Coders from all over the world and think that this would be a great way for you to work online with a computer and cell phone.
   You could sign up now and see how it works before you get out there too far. You can also go there and see what job offers are on the table now, and what prices they are going for to see if it would work.
Hope that this helps and no, I'm not affiliated with Rentacoder.com in any way, just think that it is great.

[TomNPat]

To add to Chariotdrivers comments, Elance is another service a with similar service.  Never worked for either but have hired through them.  Graphics is one of the specialties they offer. 

Pat and I have worked 7-8 months a year on the road in our business for nearly 20 years.  Always happy when the season ends and we can go home.  But we meet a lot of other temporary and fulll time nomads. 

What you do and how you do it varies with capabilities.  But the first thing to examine is how well you get along with constant exposure.  As a friend said at his 50th wedding anniversary party when some one said "Wow Charlie, 50 years!", "Yeah, and 24 hours a day!!!!"

Then write a list of things you won't do.  That may tell you more about your potential for full timing and working than anything. 

You need a plan.  I'm pretty sure that you could get a job at Quartzite during the show and maybe before.  Festivals, fairs, etc. can't get enough good help because many good workers already have jobs and don't want to spend their vacations selling tickets, hosting temporary campgrounds, etc.  Temporary work may offer better hourly pay.  There are lots of opportunities out there but not quickly if you're out of money. 

It seems that the workcamper thing usually boils down to paying for your camping site.  If Pat and I are each going to spend 20 hours a week working, I think we should get more than a $175 a week campsite.  But we didn't examine it that carefully.

I know that there are companies who specialize in placing emergency room nurses and physicians.  Met a couple from out of California who were doing it in the state.  Might check on this since medical help of any kind seems to be in demand and highly rewarded.  Take advantage of your specialties before doing other things.

But the most important thing is to love and enjoy each other and your life together.

TomNPat

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Dave & Jan,

I may not have answers to your questions but, I do know that if you have a desire, a need, or a dream,

Then the seed for sucess is allready planted! That's how dreams come true.....

Your half way there!   Now just take that next step called the ignition switch in your Silverside........

If you find yourself in N.J.. You can plug in here for a couple of weeks, On Me....

Nick Badame-