[VAC] Workers on Wheels

["Terry Tyler" <tylerbears@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Lan Sluder,

I saw your note and Bill Scott's reply, in which he mentioned working in exchange for a campsite.
Here is a small portion of our take on that idea.

We have "played volunteer" at campgrounds. It's really rather easy to set up. Our last time was in
the Georgia State Parks. I told the Ranger that I have my own tools, can do most anything he needed
doing and if he liked my work, I could give them two weeks to a month. He was a bit taken back by
someone old enough to be his father offering to work for him in exchange for a campsite.  

Mostly, he needed painting, repairing electrical fixtures in display cases and supervising
adjudicated delinquents. He was almost estactic when I agreed to supervise and work with his tough
teenager boys. The day we left, all the Rangers gathered around and told us we'd be welcomed back
with open arms and could have any site in the park. Four hours a day of work in exchange for a
campsite is not a big deal, but it is another way to provide community service locally.   

As for economical and delightful places to stay, here's part of a reply I wrote to a VAC member back
in January. We find these places everywhere on the continent. All it takes is being aware they exist
and then, looking for them. For us, it's a game we enjoy playing. There are more than places than
those I've listed, but at least, this list will get you started.

Have fun,

Terry
mailto:tylerbears@airstream.net

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Places to stay:

 1 - village parks, 
 2 - town parks, 
 3 - city parks, 
 4 - municipal parks, 
 5 - county parks, 
 6 - regional parks, 
 7 - state parks, 
 8 - state forests, 
 9 - state recreation areas, 
10 - national park service parks, 
11 - national forests, 
12 - bureau of land management areas, 
13 - corps of engineers parks, 
14 - river authority parks, 
15 - airstream parks, 
16 - escapees club parks, 
17 - lumber company parks, 
18 - electric company parks, 
19 - gas company parks, 
20 - national wildlife refuge areas, 
21 - parkway RV areas, 
22 - bridge tunnel authority parking, 
23 - truck stops, 
24 - river ferry parking areas,
25 - visitor center parking areas, 
26 - turnpike authority RV parking areas, 
27 - courtesy parking, 
28 - fish camps 
29 - RV businesses like Airstream factory, Reese, and others that manufacture components,
30 - Shopping Malls, Wal-Mart, Cracker Barrel, Stuckeys, Solar Guy, Auto Parts, etc. 
31 - and the bi-monthly additions to Day's End listings in the Escapees magazine. These are
available on disk or hard copy from the author for $6. See his ad in the magazine.

Are they plentiful with good locations? That depends on you and where you're going. For us, there
are more choices than we can possibly use in our lifetimes. There are over 900 campgrounds operated
by the Corps of Engineers alone and they are among the most attractive campgrounds in the nation. 

1 - As for cost, we kept track (1257 overnights) for several years of staying at each resort
membership campground for no more than one week at a time. The average cost per night was $6.27.
This included every penny we ever spent associated with belonging to the RV Resort Membership
System, i.e. Coast to Coast and/or Resort Parks International. 

2 - The wider range of choices (the above listing) averaged out to $6.92 per night. It would have
been lower than $6.27 if we hadn't lumped all WBCCI rallies and caravan overnight costs into that
category.

3 - You may have noticed there are no commercial campgrounds listed. We deliberately and
intentionally DO NOT patronize commercial campgrounds listed in the thick directories. Their average
costs are way beyond our budgeted allotment for overnight costs. The ONLY time we go over our budget
is when traveling with a group to a rally or on a caravan. 

4 - During the first four months of this year's compiled data, our average overnight cost is
hovering around $3-4 per night because we're in the southwest where costs are less, because we
stayed a month at two different locations and have used BLM land in Yuma (no fee areas) and the
Slabs in CA (no fee). 

After 11 years of full timing (snowbirding ?) for 8-9 months a year, we have proven to ourselves we
can live comfortably and luxuriously on $1,000 a month - in a 31 foot, well appointed Vintage
Airstream, towed by a Vintage Van or Vintage Station Wagon, enjoying some of the most spectacular
settings on this continent and experiencing what is for us, an outstandingly exciting and
adventuresome lifestyle. Whatever specialized techniques we use are easily learned by anyone with
persistence and enthusiasm. This is the land of the free where choices and options are open to all.