working for site

Are there any retirees that work for sites and if so what type of work do you perform?

Welcome to the forums Joe!

My GI pension isn't enough to live on, so we do seasonal work about 6 months out of the year. We travel fulltime in our motorhome. Since we need the additional income, I REFUSE to work for site only. We've worked three summers now and always get a free site AND an hourly wage. We've worked in a large commercial campground, for a hotel chain, and currently in the National Forest.

There's all kinds of seasonal work available. We've worked reservations, guest check-in, campground host, and campground manager. I currently know of a location in Oregon for a free site, and all they want you to do is take care of their lawn and garden, and eat as many vegetables as you can. Sorry - this "job" is only for friends/members of an RV club we're in.

While I don't mean to degrade anyone who works for a free site, but do the math first. We've seen many places where they want you to work 20hrs a week for your site. At $7.50/hr (if you were getting paid), you're "paying" $600 a month for that "free" site. Personally, I'd rather take the $600 in pay and rent the site for $300 - $350/month. But I do envy those that can volunteer just for the site.

We worked for site only two winters ago when we are starting out. We won't make that mistake again without good reason.
Last winter we sold Christmas trees in California for $60 per person per day plus full hook up and bonus.
We are currently working 4 days on and 3 days off for the National Park Service at Fort Pulaski National Monument, near Savannah, GA for pad only. But there is a good excuse. I am writing a couple of books about things close to here and the park research facility is available to me on my days off. I am also filling squares that will allow me to get a job next Summer with the National Park Service.
Check out Workamper News for more info--they are available on line at www.workamper.com .

Glenn

We don't 'work' for a site, but do 'volunteer' at mostly state parks in return for a site, sometimes with FHU and sometimes not. We do not consider the 'hourly' stipend but look at it as a way of giving back to this great land for what we have had the pleasure to share in.

Joe> I have been a volunteer camp host at two state parks. The good part of the assignments was to teach me that I won't do it again.

For a FHU site, typical requirements are 20 hours per person in the rig in a four day period, but don't believe it. I've had campers knock on my door at 11 pm on a day off asking to buy some fire wood or to tell me the bathhouse toilet doesn't work. If you're parked in the host site, everyone figures you're part of the park staff and they wouldn't let me put up an off-duty sign.

The park staff did not appreciate any of the work that I and the other camp hosts contributed to maintaining campsites or helping campers. They wanted to control your days off. The hosts had to pay for use of any recreational equipment albeit at a discount. In one state park when I once tried to get a camper to reduce the size of his campfire so as not to burn down the entire forest, a ranger told me that I couldn't do that because I "was just a volunteer."

To take the Larry's calculations a step further, my wife and I theoretically worked for $2.20/hour just to get a 'free' FHU site.

And they wonder why they have such a hard time getting volunteers to camp host.

Hi, We have volunteered at cuyameca rancho state park, near sandigo ca, and cochella vally preserve in palm sping ca. We loved it!!! the rangers at cuyameca treated us like gold plus I got to go on a mountain lion capture to put a new monitor on a large lion. We had such a great time a cuyameca we went back the following year! I would highly recomenned it
Thanks
Tim