Offline Jobs for RVers

There are many profitable jobs for RVers. Many people wonder how in the world my family travels fulltime. We aren’t old enough to be retired, and we certainly aren’t rich, so how do we have the money to stay on the road permanently? The truth of the matter is that, just like most other people our age, we work.

My husband and I both have online writing jobs that support our family and I teach dance both online and in person whenever possible. That said, we are far from the only people doing this, and we’ve met people with all kinds of different ways of making money.

As you might imagine, many of these require a reliable internet connection, something that causes issues for many people. However, there are also a number of travel-friendly jobs that do not require internet. In fact, most don’t even really require a computer. This is great news for those who prefer not to stare at a screen all day but still want to see the world.

Wondering what these mystical job opportunities could be? Here are some of the jobs we’ve seen traveling families make work for them.

Work Camping
For many, the obvious answer to finding offline work while living in an RV is work camping. Work camping is perfect because it involves working within a campground, meaning you never have to go too far from home to get to work.

In exchange for this work, work campers receive a site—and in some cases, payment. Clearly, those who are relying on work camping as their main source of income seek out those jobs that include hourly payment in addition to their site.

Work campers may be put to work checking guests in, running the store, cleaning cabins or bathrooms, doing maintenance, or even doing landscaping. The jobs a work camper is expected to do should be clearly laid out before they take any job.

The downside to work camping is that most jobs require you to stay stationary for a season. This means you must be okay with traveling very slowly.

If you like to move around more frequently, Independent Sales might be for you. You can earn money and travel where you want with Southeast Publications, the Industry Leader in providing Guest Guides, Site Maps & Directories for Travel, Recreational and Hospitality Industries. Receive a (2) two-week complimentary site for the purpose of selling advertising to the local community to appear in the Guest Guides as well as a 65% commission of all monies collected above print cost. The Guest Guides are provided at no cost to the establishment and is fully paid by advertising from local businesses in the community. You get the reward of providing a much needed service to the campgrounds for free, as well as helping passing RVers connect with the local businesses and services that they need in the area. This can be a very lucrative position as you return each year to the same campgrounds and the publication and your profits grow.

Related Read: Workamping- How to Go Where You Want

Handyman Work
If you are handy, you might look into starting a handyman business. RVs are always breaking, and a person who can handle these issues and is located right inside of a campground is a wonderful resource that will be put to good use by many.

Of course, the tricky part will be informing people of your business. To do this, most people will advertise on the campground bulletin board as well as with signage at their own site. You might also consider joining Facebook groups for the campgrounds you will be visiting and letting people know you’ll be around before you arrive. Just make sure this isn’t against group rules.
Contract Work
Any kind of contract work can work well on the road. However, construction-type work is especially popular with RVers. The trick with this type of job situation is flexibility. This is because you must be willing to go where there is work, and sometimes this isn’t necessarily the most fun place.

That said, if your work pays enough, there is always the option of working for several months straight so you can take a month or two off to explore where you’d like to be.

Travel Nursing
Technically, travel nursing is a type of contract work. However, there are enough travel nurses on the road that we felt they deserved their own place on this list. Obviously, travel nursing takes many years of schooling and lots of hard work. Still, it’s an excellent option if nursing is something you’d like to do anyway.

Travel nursing is another one of those jobs that requires you to be flexible with where you stay. Additionally, you will need to be flexible with the hours you work.

Festival Salesperson
While on the road, we’ve met a surprising number of festival salespeople. These crafty individuals put together unique items which they then sell at various craft fairs and festivals. A super fun job, but one that doesn’t necessarily come with great pay, making it better for those who only need supplemental income.

Festival salespeople must be willing to travel to where the customers are. This means following the good festivals. However, this isn’t really a downside because festivals tend to take place when and where the weather is nice, and these types of events are almost always fun to attend.

Job Hopping
Another surprisingly popular option is job hopping. We’ve met a dozen or more families who hop from job to job as they travel in order to make a living.

These people must travel slowly in order to hold down a job for 3 or more months at a time. However, if they can manage to travel with the tourist seasons, there is almost always seasonal work available.

We’ve met people who work for Disney World during the holiday season and wait tables in Maine in the summer months. Some people will take temp work during the winter with Amazon Camperforce, which is hard work but pays well. They can then use that money to travel during the warmer months.

Always check with restaurants, theme parks, and tourist attractions for seasonal work.

Gig Work
Last but not least, there’s the option of gig work. Gigs are nearly always available, meaning you can find work no matter where you roam. Check Craigslist for odd jobs, put a flyer on the campground bulletin board, look for work on local Facebook groups, and if you’ll be in one place for a few months at a time, consider joining Uber, Lyft, or Shipt for your area.
Related Read: Using the Gig Economy to Earn Money While Traveling

To make a living with gig work is always be on the lookout for new gigs, don’t make a habit of “taking days off” just because you can, and avoid taking low-paying work. If you do it right, you can make a decent amount of money doing odd jobs for people, and your work is totally portable and will never get boring.