Workamper Dreamers

My experience:

Bill, my late husband, and I chose a motorhome for a couple of reasons. One, we could leave the motorhome in a Wal-Mart parking lot for the day and explore in our jeep. We got better gas mileage with the jeep, could go four-wheel driving or drive downtown and find a place to park. Two, we felt safer being able to drive away in our motorhome at a moment’s notice if camped. Since we did a lot of boondocking, this was important.

After finding that we spent six months working in one location each year, we often thought that a 5th wheel would have been a better choice. When we purchased a homebase, we downsized to a truck camper. After Bill passed away, George and I tried the camper for a summer and decided we’d stick to his 5th wheel. We did spend several months at Big Bend National Park in Texas in the 5th wheel where he volunteered and found it much more comfortable than a camper. This past summer we traveled in the 5th wheel. Sometimes we were limited in roads we took. While my little Suzuki has 4WD and goes most anyplace, a big dually GMC doesn’t do so well on back roads.

Your choice

A recent subscriber survey of subscribers by Workamper News found a that 41.73% had motorhomes, 38.13% owned 5th wheels and 9.49% have trailers.

So there you have it. Each type of RV and setup has advantages and disadvantages. Weigh all the factors, go to RV shows and dealers and walk through many RVs and then make your best decision.

Thank you Jaimie for your insight.

Until later,

Steve Anderson
Your Dream Engineer

In the end, it is a matter of preference. If the rest of the year you prefer a motorhome for its advantages, you can certainly live for a few months in it where you work or volunteer.

Conclusion tomorrow…

Comfort and convenience

Besides construction, consider comfort and living space. Vans and truck campers have limited space. If you are a solo traveler, you may do fine. Doing the do-si-do in a narrow aisle with a partner for months can get old. Consider also how comfortable the bed and the sofa is. Do you even have a sofa or comfortable chair? George and I traveled in a Lance camper on our Ford 350. It had a small slideout, which certainly increased the room. However, the only place to sit was the dinette. We could put our computers on the table, though the table was higher than comfortable for typing. We also read there. The only other option was lying down on the bed or to sit outside. The Lance was great for short trips but by the end of several months, we knew we needed a larger rig for travel and working on the road.

Smaller rigs like vans and campers have smaller refrigerators. It means more frequent trips to the store. If you are working or volunteering in a remote spot and don’t have access to another refrigerator, it will severely limit your supply of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Continued tomorrow…

While we are working to understand Why you want to begin Workamping, we are going to start incorporating a few fundamental elements you will need to consider.

Over the coming four days the Workamper Dreamers will be sharing input from Jaime Hall Bruzenak, a very experienced Workamper and author of “Support Your RV Lifestyle,” a must read for anyone considering the Workamper Lifestyle.  Jaimie also has taught Workamping 101:  Getting Your First Workamper Job, which is now available on CD in the Workamper News Store.

Let’s get started …

What Type of RV is Best For Working Or Volunteering on the Road?

By Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

This is a great question, but what type of RV to purchase, unfortunately, has no clear-cut answer. It is partly a matter of preference and partly dependent on the type and amount of RVing you plan to do.

Full-time or part-time RVer?

First of all, if you will be living in your RV full-time, you want to choose a rig designed for full-timing. Generally you are looking at Class A motorhomes and 5th wheel trailers. You want the storage space and especially need to have your tanks enclosed so your water doesn’t freeze. The better constructed units have more insulation and storage space.

If you have a homebase and will be traveling to a place to work or volunteer in temperatures that stay mostly above freezing, one of the other types-Class B vans, Class C motorhomes, truck campers- could do. Some mountain locations, though, even in summer can get cold near the beginning or end of the season.

Continued on tomorrows blog…

You are working on your dream and beginning to gain momentum in your personal excitement and enthusiasm and it is showing in your life.  You become bolder and begin sharing your dream with friends.  You are bubbly, alive with possibility, excited about the new adventures that Workamping is going to bring into your life.

Then during a conversation with a friend you hear, “Why would you want to be one of those Workampers?”  You have it pretty good right here!  Everything you need is here.  Your home, Your neighbors, Your Friends.  Everything is comfortable here!

A few days back in a previous post I asked you to go back and think about your Why’s you want to become a Workamper and then begin working on the How’s.  It is through these exercises that you are going to build a better base of understanding within yourself as to Why you want to become a Workamper.  When you take the time to do such exercises you are concreting your understanding.  You will be prepared for the friend who asks questions like the one above.

Your friend is trying to understand your Why?  If you have not developed your reasons why within yourself to a point to where you can explain them to a friend, who cares for you, most likely more work is needed.

Now, on the other side, you will have people you share your dream with whose intentions are not to understand your Why, but to stomp on your dream.  They don’t want to understand and only wish to push their attitude or reality on to you.  Jack Canfield in his book “The Success Principles” calls them “Dream Stealers.”  Their reasons for doing this can be of a variety that we won’t get into here.  Remember, you are 100% responsible for your life, not someone else with their opinions.

This brings us back to the importance of understanding the Why.  Does Workamping fit into your life’s purpose.  Take some time if you haven’t to read being clear about “Why You’re Here,” the second principle in The Success Principles book.

Work on your Why’s and once you have a firm foundation, you will be ready to move forward and get really serious.  Most people fail to experience their dreams because they do not take the time to do this type of inner homework. 

You are not most people; you are working on Your Dream!

Until next time…

Steve Anderson
Dream Engineer

Let me introduce you to what could be a new concept for many of you.  This Law is Key to you creating your Dream of beginning the Workamper lifestyle some day.

The Law of Attraction is the most powerful law in the universe.  It is always in effect and in motion, just like gravity.

Simply stated, the Law of Attraction says that you will attract into your life whatever you focus on.  Whatever you give your attention to will come back to you.  So, if you stay focused on developing your Dream with a positive mental attitude, you begin to attract things into your life that will further assist you in beginning your new lifestyle.  If you focus negatively and do not believe your Dream is possible, that also will be attracted into your life and you most likely will not experience your Dream.

Does this sound too simple to be true!  Take some time today and think about experiences you have had in the past and the attitude you had regarding those experiences. 

Let this one soak in a bit…and ponder!

Workampingly Yours,

Steve Anderson
Dream Engineer

Yesterday I encouraged you to visit http://dreamers.workamper.com and check out the video interview of Gary & Brenda Griffis.

Many of you did just that and I am sure you were inspired by their input.  They are a awesome couple.

Later in the day we posted two more video interviews: 

Russ Bartlett - a retired airline pilot in his 70’s who has had the Workamping dream for over 8 years and finally took the plunge.  In his words he is just “blown away”  with his first year workamping experience.

Kirk Wood –  “Professional Volunteer” his words.  We met Kirk at the Escapade rally last month in Sadalia, MO.  He has many words of wisdom when it comes to a Workamping career as a Volunteer.  Not all Workampers are working for wages.  Many like Kirk and his wife Pam are giving back, by Volunteering. 

Check out the interviews when you get a chance.  Again, if you haven’t subscribed as a Dreamer you will need to do that first, and once you do you will have instant access to the Dreamers website.

Until later…             

Steve Anderson
Your Dream Engineer

Take a moment if you have subscribed to Workamper Dreamers to check-out the newly posted First Year Workamper interview with Gary & Brenda Griffis, who are having their first Workamper experience at Adventureland Park, Altoona, IA. (You must be logged in to experience the interviews.)

Later today Dreamer Exercise 4 will be posted on the Workamper Dreamers site.

This exercise may cause you some discomfort!

You have to give up the blaming and complaining game!

Dreamer Exercise 4 on the Workamper Dreamers website will take you to that next step.

You have previously listed your Why’s, or reasons you want to become a Workamper…

Take the next step and keep your dream moving forward.

Workampingly Yours,

Steve Anderson
Editor

If you missed the Intro-Dreaminar this past week, you are not out of luck!

The Tuesday evening Dreaminar recording is now available on the Workamper Dreamers website.  It is open to everyone for viewing.

Please take some time to review the recording. 

Click the following link:

http://dreamers.workamper.com/dreaminars/index.cfm

The Workamping 101 course taught by Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak on Workamper University a few months back is now available in a home study version on CD.

To learn more about the program, go to the Workamper University page on workamper.com:

Click this link:  http://www.workamper.com/WKN2008_university/index.cfm