How to Blend in with the Locals at your Next Workamping Gig
04-27-2018
Author: in Education
If your workamping selection is similar to ours, you typically find yourself parked in one location for a few months at a time. Many of our workamping jobs thus far include working at campgrounds as hosts. As part of our contract, we are required to stay on site for a period of 4 to 6 months. This extended period allows us to explore the town and surrounding locations. Our past camp host positions have alloted 2 or more days off, so we have had ample time to visit a number of attractions and historical markers and had our fair share of outdoor adventures.
After two years of full time RVing and exploring, however, we were feeling a strong disconnect from the community. We didn’t want to hang up our tourist hat, but we wanted to be able to meet and get to know others with similar interests, learn a new skill or improve upon a rusty one, and share our resources with local establishments. This single decision has opened doors to new adventures, growth, and long-lasting bonds from across the country.
Here are a few ways we suggest to blend in with the locals at your next workamping gig.
Volunteer!
There a number of ways you can volunteer your time in and around the community. A simple google search will provide links to places your local area needs help: rescue centers, food pantries, libraries, nature center, etc. To determine where to start, think about your interests and preferences. Do you like to be around children, pets, or outdoors in nature? Are you wanting to work on familiar tasks or try something new?
After asking myself these questions, I decided to help at the local animal shelter a few hours a week walking dogs, socializing with cats and assisting the staff in the spay/neuter clinic. Several other volunteers from around town came to pitch in everyday. We were all strangers working together because we had a common love for animals. Often times it is these small similarities that allow relationships to grow and blossom into friendships.
Use social media to connect with others!
Levi and I like scuba diving and were hoping to break out our gear in Michigan, especially since we were mere minutes from Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. After a general search online for local dive shops, we came across one business that advertised weekly gatherings. We contacted the shop via Facebook, visited the shop, met the staff, and some regular customers. From that moment on, we made it our goal to attend as many dive meetups as we could before the season was finished. The divers were all locals and knew the popular and not-so well known sites to dive. We’d message each other in between meetups to see who was coming and where we’d congregate before suiting up. There were many firsts for us, river dives, night dives, and shipwreck scenes. The same people attended each week so we got to swap stories and enjoy the underwater bliss (and sometimes currents) together.
Take your dog to a dog park!
A quick and easy way to get acquainted with locals is visiting a dog park or two, making sure to bring your pooch of course. It’s an excuse to get out and meet others that share something similar, love for dogs. If you happen to go to a particular park on a consistent basis at a given time, you may run into the same folks and strike up a conversation. With any luck, your dogs will become pals and future pet play dates can be arranged at this or other pet friendly establishments.
Sign up for gym membership and actually go!
Don’t wait until the new year to join the gym. If you find yourself in an area for an extended time, sign up for a gym membership and just go! Many gyms like YMCA offer a number of group classes and training programs at various times throughout the week. Attending the same classes or programs with the same people is a sure fire way to get to know others. Likewise, training groups like those preparing for a local race will meet in various outdoor venues of town. Not only is this an automatic invite to unexplored parts of town, but this is an opportunity to plan future small group runs and meetups outside of the program.
After two years of full time RVing and exploring, however, we were feeling a strong disconnect from the community. We didn’t want to hang up our tourist hat, but we wanted to be able to meet and get to know others with similar interests, learn a new skill or improve upon a rusty one, and share our resources with local establishments. This single decision has opened doors to new adventures, growth, and long-lasting bonds from across the country.
Here are a few ways we suggest to blend in with the locals at your next workamping gig.
Volunteer!
There a number of ways you can volunteer your time in and around the community. A simple google search will provide links to places your local area needs help: rescue centers, food pantries, libraries, nature center, etc. To determine where to start, think about your interests and preferences. Do you like to be around children, pets, or outdoors in nature? Are you wanting to work on familiar tasks or try something new?
After asking myself these questions, I decided to help at the local animal shelter a few hours a week walking dogs, socializing with cats and assisting the staff in the spay/neuter clinic. Several other volunteers from around town came to pitch in everyday. We were all strangers working together because we had a common love for animals. Often times it is these small similarities that allow relationships to grow and blossom into friendships.
Related Read: RV Opportunities: Ways to Volunteer and Spread Cheer
Use social media to connect with others!
Levi and I like scuba diving and were hoping to break out our gear in Michigan, especially since we were mere minutes from Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. After a general search online for local dive shops, we came across one business that advertised weekly gatherings. We contacted the shop via Facebook, visited the shop, met the staff, and some regular customers. From that moment on, we made it our goal to attend as many dive meetups as we could before the season was finished. The divers were all locals and knew the popular and not-so well known sites to dive. We’d message each other in between meetups to see who was coming and where we’d congregate before suiting up. There were many firsts for us, river dives, night dives, and shipwreck scenes. The same people attended each week so we got to swap stories and enjoy the underwater bliss (and sometimes currents) together.
Take your dog to a dog park!
A quick and easy way to get acquainted with locals is visiting a dog park or two, making sure to bring your pooch of course. It’s an excuse to get out and meet others that share something similar, love for dogs. If you happen to go to a particular park on a consistent basis at a given time, you may run into the same folks and strike up a conversation. With any luck, your dogs will become pals and future pet play dates can be arranged at this or other pet friendly establishments.
Related Read: Full-time RVing with Dogs
Sign up for gym membership and actually go!
Don’t wait until the new year to join the gym. If you find yourself in an area for an extended time, sign up for a gym membership and just go! Many gyms like YMCA offer a number of group classes and training programs at various times throughout the week. Attending the same classes or programs with the same people is a sure fire way to get to know others. Likewise, training groups like those preparing for a local race will meet in various outdoor venues of town. Not only is this an automatic invite to unexplored parts of town, but this is an opportunity to plan future small group runs and meetups outside of the program.
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Author: Levi and Natalie Henley
