Update from Salem, Oregon - I'm a Workamper! 1/22/20
Did you miss me? I'm still out here! I have completed 2 months of Workamping in the state of Oregon! I know you were all wondering, due to my last post being over 2 months ago! When I last left you I was traveling from Sedona, AZ to Salem, OR to interview for a workamping job.
Workamping: Solo or Couple live in their RV in a RV park, state park, national park, private park, and work for the business in exchange for a full hook up site and sometimes for an additional hourly rate.
I rolled into Salem, OR early on a Thursday afternoon. Sore, mentally exhausted, and ready to sit still for a while. Of course, that would all have to wait. I had an interview to get to! Literally, as soon as I rolled into the park they invited me to start the interview! The interview was very casual as I spoke with the General Manager of the park and the Office manager. To be honest, they spoke a lot more than I did...so I guess I 'wowed' them with the few sentences I got out. And that is all they needed to hear! Towards the end of our 'conversation' I was still confused on if I got the job or not! Cause it felt like we were just hanging out. Which was fun! But, I was still a nervous wreck. Considering I had just spent $350 in gas, 4 straight days on the road, and nights sleeping in trucker parking lots just for this workamper job. Well, they must of realized I was still a little anxious and not exactly clear on what would happen next because they finally offered me the job! Ha, I was so excited. I gave myself a little pat on the back. After. Gave myself a pat on the back I felt a feeling of being ashamed. I thought...why are you excited about getting a job that doesn't offer pay? To most people this would be such a step down in life. But, I am calling those thoughts...old thoughts. That is how I use to think. And 2019 changed me. So I am changing my mindset. I am working on judging myself less, positive self talk, and reinventing my expectations for self.
Right after receiving the news that they wanted to hire me as office help at Premier RV Resort I immediatly had to stop the negative self talk and turn my brain around. This is still a work in progress…to this day. But, that’s what it takes to change the root cause of a habit and not just cover up the habit.
This was one of my major goals for 2019. To get a workamper job, and here I was! As a ‘office girl’ which is a title I created I have multiple duties. I answer phones, greet guests, make coffee, sweep floors, rearrange the office, make reservations, collect insurance and driver license information, decorate for Christmas, install a ‘clock in’ employee clock, take rent, etc. You can see how it ranges! And of course I volunteer to do whatever extra work I can do. Originally I was suppose to work 15 hours a week. I would say I average about 25 hours a week though. Which I love! It keeps me busy. Typically I work Friday, Saturday, and Monday. 11:30 AM - 4:00 PM.
I have had a few difficult interactions with guest. Mainly our long term guest which actually live in the park. You see...you have different types of people that live in RV's. You have people that live in RV's because they have no other option and living in a RV can be fairly cheap. You have people that part time live in their RV and travel only in the winters, which are typically snowbirds. You have working RVers, which can be any age but are typically in the first half of their life and they work and live on the road. I have met about 6 of these working RVers. They usually work from their phone or laptop, virtually. You have van lifers, that in my experience don't stay in the life style very long...because they run out of money. And this lifestyle isn't THAT cheap. Obviously, there are a few different way to be an RVer but the types of RVers I am mainly dealing with are people that HAVE to live in their rig...and they've been doing it for a few years, in the same space, and don't have a vehicle to move their travel trailer or fifth wheel. In my experience these types of RVers are needy, disgruntled, and typically complaining about something in the park. We have about 180 RV spots and. Would say about 80 of these are full timers. So 6 months or more. And I would say we have up to 20 RVers that have been in the park 4+ years! Wow! If I was allowed to have a preference...lol. I would choose to deal with the vacationers and weekend warriors checking in and out of the park way more than the long timers in the park.
The plan currently is to work until the end of April and then go from there. I could see myself workamping in a different location for the summer time. My dream workamping location for the summer time would be Montana, close to Yellowstone. Gosh, that would be amazing. Or I would do South Dakota, Wyoming or Maine. But, plenty of time for that. Wether I am working in Oregon, or somewhere else I will say that I don’t see myself changing my lifestyle anytime soon or being back in a stick and brick house anytime soon. Let's talk about some nitty gritty stuff. I have only received one pay check this entire year. And that was from the RV park. I had worked on two special projects and doubled my hours in the month of December and to my surprise I was rewarded with a nice pay check! Which was so awesome that I cried! I didn't cry because I had run out of money or because I didn't have money to eat. I cried because it felt good to accomplish another goal. And to just prove to myself how valuable I was even outside of Amazon. I haven't received a check outside of Amazon for years! And it felt good to feel valued by a different company and that I had proved to myself that I could do it. Saying that, money is getting tight and I am a month away from eating into my savings. Which I do not want to touch! So, I have been searching for virtual jobs every other day. I have not received any feedback or interviews in the 2 weeks I have been looking. So, I am trying not to get too anxious or down on myself about it. I remember how I felt for the 3 weeks I applied for workamping jobs and it wasn't happening...and then BOOM, Oregon happened. So, I just need to keep my head down, stay focused, and stay positive. If you know anyone hiring for virtual customer service, virtual personal assistance, etc let me know! ;) I have signed up to deliver for Doordash and Walmart! I will start both of those next week! Super excited and it'll be nice to have some kind of cash coming in! Keep your fingers crossed that these go well next week. And of course I will keep looking for a virtual job.
I have had 4 visitors while living in Oregon! Allison from Kentucky flew out to me for a week and we had so much fun exploring together! Then, Mo who is also a full time RV Nomad that works on the road flew out to me for a week. Which was great because she knows all about the lifestyle and was a perfect guest in my cluttered rig. lol I was then lucky enough to have my middle sister Krista fly out to me from Kentucky! It was the BEST week with her. We spent the night in Oregon City, explored in Portland, went to my favorite winery, spent 2 nights on the coast, and laughed the entire time! I am so lucky to have all of these amazing people in my life. I also currently have a visitor! This person lives and works full time in their RV and has lived this life for 2 years so far! They will be with me for a week and then in February the plan is for me to fly to them in Arizona. It's so nice to meet people that are familiar with this lifestyle and that LOVE this lifestyle. With my current visitor we've basically been stuck inside the RV for 3 days due to rain...rain...and more rain. We are at the coast so I've gotten to play on the beach with Chibi and Charlie...in the rain. We've explored two little coastal towns and eaten a ton of food! Gsh! Lots of food. But, it has been a blasted I wouldn't have it any other way!
Below are some more artistic shots of Silver Falls State park which is about 40 minutes from my RV. It is absolutely stunning and during the winter time I am usually one of the only people hiking. The most popular trail is The Trail of Ten Falls which is about 8 miles long with views of 10 different water falls! I hiked this trail with my full time RV girlfriend, Mo. We completed it in 5 hours! Enjoy!
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