Can you Live in your RV full time and make a living? Perhaps you are wondering if you can find RV jobs and be able to afford the lifestyle.
From one who has been at this for years, I can tell you that there is no better lifestyle, if the lifestyle suits you! And of course I am sure the thoughts of an appropriate RV job has crossed your mind as most RVers are not independently wealthy.
They can’t afford to travel fifty thousand miles a year without the income to pay for the $15 – $20,000 that would cost. Most choose to stay regionally to avoid huge fuel bills. Of course that does not include RV park costs at $15 to $75 per night, on average. Therefore, for most people RV jobs are necessary if you want to enjoy full time RVing.
I will share some of the RV jobs we have tried in the past, and what we are up to now. Each RV job has been a learning experience. What works for us may not work for you. It depends on your personality, your likes and dislikes, and what you have done in your previous life before thinking of full time RV living.
How it started!
Pam and I transitioned into full time RV living by selling the big house, buying an RV, and placing it in a business acquaintances’ RV park. We thought it would be better to start sooner as opposed to buying a smaller house and waiting to begin the RV lifestyle we were looking for.
We work camped ( work that combines ANY kind of part-time or full-time job with RV camping) for a year and a half at this particular park, and we were very content with the situation. However, the hardest thing about living in an RV full time is that you want the view from the windows to change. That is, you want to go somewhere else!
So we did! We traveled from one work camper job to the other, going to places we wanted to see. You can do the same thing. It is a lot of fun, and if you choose the right work camper RV job, you can make a living, as well as quench your desires to travel and be in your RV.
You won’t get rich, but you will be happy as long as you don’t have debt coming into the experience. We would never recommend that. It puts too much stress on the relationship when things don’t go as you planned them to.
So, RV jobs can consist of work camping. But, what else can you do from your RV, something that will pay the bills? Lets say you don’t want to be out in public dealing with guests on a day-to-day basis at an RV park or campground. Maybe you are more of a private person who just wants to go to work, do your job, and go home.
Well, there are RV jobs for that too! And they pay fairly well for an entry level RV job! Amazon has a program just for work campers, in various locations throughout the country. They want workers from late summer till just before Christmas in order to fill the increased traffic of the holiday season. You can look them up at Amazon Camperforce on Facebook.
There are other more mobile opportunities where you can travel and do surveys, man kiosks in mall areas around the country as needs arise, and work for travel centers along major highway routes. They provide a space for your RV and they are always looking for help.
If you like solitude and talking to pillows, bed sheets and towels, some hotel chains are now hiring workampers to fill their employment needs because workampers are more reliable then some other choices they have these days.
Okay, what if you are more entrepreneurial and want to run a business out of your RV? I think this is the best option of the RV jobs categories! There are many things you can do within the limited space of an RV, yet still be able to run a big business. The best reason to go this route is for the tax advantages! An LLC or S corporation can really make “turning the key,” and roaming about, much more affordable.
You can consult with your attorney or CPA about this as I can neither confirm nor deny such things. I can only go by personal experience thus far. If you need a great place to start, check out markjkohler.com. He has some awesome online videos that can get you started. He has also started to acquire a lot of folks in the RV community because of his great advice!
Your Own Business as an RV Job!
We have had some success in the past as network marketers. I found a company that aligned with my feelings about healthy eating. They have great products and I enjoyed the company community. However, with multi-level marketing companies, no matter how good they are, products tend to be expensive (you have to pay that upline), and folks hear MLM and they run.
MLM has gotten a bad rap over the years, but it can be profitable if you know how to navigate the culture. We did okay with it, but it seemed we always had as many people bail out while we were still placing new folks into the system. The dollars per hour were not making sense. So we moved on!
I had an idea to create a water softener/filter system for RVers that live in areas with hard water. The Phoenix, AZ area definitely qualifies to be in that market. While we were out in that area I created a prototype with the intent to market it. But, I soon found out that the RVing community was not willing to pay the price for such a sophisticated system, regardless of how well it worked. They could buy the old salt type system and be happy. They did not care about water quality, only if it was reduced in hardness. Old folks and new ideas don’t always meet on the same plane, if you know what I mean.
A little later on, and after some internet searching, came the idea of affiliate marketing. That is creating a website, sharing something you are passionate about, and offering products and services to those that are looking for your advice by searching on Google. That’s how you found my website. You were searching the idea of full time RV living and RV jobs, and look, here you are. I hope that my site will give you some great ideas and move you forward in your journey toward the lifestyle!
I still work on this website. I first bought the domain name for it back in late 2011. My goal is to make it one of the premier sources of information for those desiring to full time RV. This is the source I have been using to create affiliate income.
RV Jobs for Entrepreneurs!
If you are hands-on and enjoy diagnosing and fixing things, consider becoming an RV technician! You can be certified by the industries leading source, the RVIA. Through their Technical Institute you can choose different levels of qualifications to become an RV technician. While traveling the country in your RV you can help people who are experiencing issues with the RVs.
We are in business for ourselves with all the benefits that offer, BUT not by ourselves! We have the support of the RVIA! They are the only accredited industry recognized by RV dealerships.
This is Us!
If you would like to join us in our quest to increase the integrity and safety of the RV industry, contact Howard for more information about this exciting RV job option!
Howard Jaros
Certified RVIA Technician – RV Consultant
Check out the next post in this series of RV jobs and don’t forget to leave a comment before you go!
18 comments
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Could you please send me some information on becoming an inspector. Including, income possibility, how busy you stay and if you’re able to travel frequently and still do this business.
Author
Greetings Matt!
I will have a person named Laura reach out to you with information on becoming an RV inspector and the training that is involved. Pam and I look forward to meeting you!
Thank you!
I am interested in becoming an RV inspector. I am a retired engineer and know a lot of technical systems. I’ve owned several RV’s and lived in some full time
Please send me details.
Author
Hi Greg!
I will send an email with the info to your email address listed here.
Hi my husband and I have been living full time in angry for three years and I am at the point in my life where I cannot deal with people and how angry they have become I was wondering if you had any tips from working from your rv I have read your story and what you have done has inspired me.
Author
Hi Danielle!
Sorry to hear that! Please reach out to me at howard@yourfulltimervliving.com and share a little more, please.
Hi Howard,
I’m going to be moving into my boyfriend’s rv in January. He is a traveling superintendent and moves every 8 to 10 weeks. I am still going to need to work .It’s obviously going to be hard for me to find something every couple of months. My background is retail management, customer service, let’s and pet supplies. Can I bring in somewhat of a decent income with rv inspections?
Author
Hi Donna!
Thanks for stopping by our website!
I appreciate your comments and concerns about a job on the road when moving every few months. What do you consider as a decent income?
Howard, I have a background in plumbing, handyman, construction, and automotive repair industries and have been living in an rv off and on for a few years and do all repairs and upgrades on my RV myself. I would like to be able to travel more and not be tied to one location for extended periods of time.
Author
Hi Wayne!
Thanks for stopping by our website!
A mobile lifestyle is certainly possible, depending on the strength of your finances, and the ability to work camp and perhaps run a small business while traveling in your RV.
Best wishes on your future full time RV living plans!
Howard,
Could you please send me some information about the RV inspection business? I have been self-employed all of my life and my wife and I are planning on going half-time (traveling 6 months out of the year) by next September.
So I am trying to figure out what kind of income-producing ideas we want to put in place and RV inspections sounds like an interesting opportunity to look into.
Thanks for your help on this!
Author
Thanks for stopping by our website Duane! I will email some information to you to the email address you left here.
Hello Howard.
My wife and I are wanting to get out and see our great country before we are too old to actually enjoy it. We plan to retire at 59-1/2, but really don’t want to wait another 10 years. My wife is an elementary school teach and I’m a solid model designer for a disposable medical devise company. We both have great jobs. I think my wife could find a job as an online school teacher. I could possibly find some online drafting to do. However, the RV inspection service would be great also. I’m curious how busy someone would be and what the expected income from it is. If you could, please forward me some more information on this.
Author
Hi Jim!
I will send you an email in response to your questions.
Hello Howard;
I am very interested in the inspection idea. My wife and I have been full timers since 2014. Sort of a different way to end up becoming a full time RVer, but that is another story.
What would be pertinent; prior to ending up full time in an RV, I spent 35 years in the Commercial Construction industry, starting out in residential, and working my way very quickly, into Commercial construction, traveling the country as a Project Superintendent, then Project Manger.
I was injured in 1991, and retrained to be a Building Inspector, eventually, ending up as a Chief Building Official, for a municipality in the Bay Area of Northern California.
Long Story,….my point here is I would be interested in learning more about the inspection industry. We are currently in Central Oregon, working with a local Elks Lodge as a Camp host, and some consulting for them, as they consider adding on to their Lodge, and enlarging the RV area, adding more spots, perhaps showers, etc. etc.
I appreciate any information you can send my way.
thanks, Jim Weinsheimer
Author
Hi Jim!
Thanks for stopping by our website!
I have sent you an email with some information that I hope will help you out.
Good afternoon:
My wife and I are soon going to be in the process of selling our house and going with a 5th wheel toyhauler. And going full time RVing. We are based right now in WI., and we were originally thinking of working in WI. during the summer and going south/southwest in the winter. Definitely don’t want to spend winter up north in any RV. Looked at several late model RV’s and found a couple we like. I think the RV inspector job would work quite well for me. I’m a semi retired OTR truck driver, and my wife is an account clerk. And info you could give us on this job would be appreciated.
Author
Thanks for stopping by our website Mark!
I sent you and email to the email address you left here. Let me know if you have further questions.