So thats exactly what thousands of retirees did. Will it take you an hour to get to town to get groceries or even longer to find a Walmart or a chain store? The pay and the perks of a camp host gig can be fairly good, all things considered. US Forest Service Owner charms them. The maximum host assignment is 120 days. If considered, a supervisor will contact you directly. Hosts must be at least 18 years of age and able to supply their owner camper. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Have the Paperwork in Order. Note that if youre hosting at a campground in a state park, you wont be expected to know the rules & regulations that apply to the whole state park, just the specific rules of the campground portion. Which states recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday? | Pew Campground Host If you get hired, working in the parks can greatly enhance your enjoyment of the full-time RVing nomad lifestyle. Image: LiveWorkDream.com. 4200 Smith School Rd. *If you havent heard of the Thousand Trails Membership Club, you will soon! 1. Volunteers have been helping to bring the Idaho State Park Host Program closer to its mission of providing quality recreation opportunities to guests for about 50 years. WebPlease send your Volunteers in Parks Program (VIPP) application directly to the park you are interested in being considered for. Customer service skills are important to the campground host, so consider gaining customer service skills from retail 2. Ultimately, everyone must make their own choices, and the nontangible perks must also be weighed. Consider gaining customer service experience in retail or other customer-focused positions first since the campground host values these skills. A Camp Host (or campground host) is an RVer who lives on-site and provides services to the campgrounds guests to ensure they have an enjoyable stay. I am considering this area very seriously. For example: As a bonus, once a host (or any National Park Service volunteer) works 250 volunteer hours, they are eligible for an annual Volunteer Pass that offers free admission into fee-based federal recreation areas that participate in the Interagency Pass Program. Contact the Volunteer Coordinator at tnstateparks.volunteer@tn.gov (preferred method) or call 615-253-9945. And while private campgrounds offer camp hosting, it sometimes looks a little different for legal reasons, where doing straight trades are not available. Think 4-8 months ahead and leave plenty of time to get your current position closed up, account for travel delays, and hopefully some fun stops along the way! In this post, were going to give you a birds eye view into the everyday life of a campground host. We started our Workcamping adventure hosting for the Corp of Engineering. You can search for volunteer positions at https://workamper.com/volunteer-opportunities. The average amount of hours worked by the camp hosts is 20 hours. Then you will know what to look for the next time you work. How To Become Some people find the schedule of a campground host to be a benefit, (though some think differently after experiencing it). California requires an application to be sent to the specific camp you want to volunteer at. From their temporary home in a beautiful national park campground, camp hosts tackle daily duties such as: Heres a more detailed camp host job description from Volunteer.gov, the clearinghouse for public lands volunteer opportunities: Typical camp host duties at National Parks in the U.S. A National Park camp host job isnt always perfect, however. Remember, the job is temporary, and even if its not great, you will get through to the end. Long before there were websites requiring paid memberships for job ads (FYI you dont need those! Be realistic. This may mean you wont be paid as a camp host, but youll receive a free campsite. Check out the available positions by clickinghttps://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Campground+Host. Common Items on Camp Host Job Descriptions: TIP: A great resource that lists many jobs is Workamper News https://workamper.com, TIP #2: There are lots of ways to find that camp host or workamper job. Choosing the right campground is important. Campground hosts (like a paid, RV park manager in a commercial campground) are required to know all of the parks rules and regulations and will need to be confident in enforcing them. Host assignments typically require a 30-day commitment. Needless to say its been a rollercoaster working 40+ hours a week this place was so ran down and so much craziness going on but we love a challenge and decided we could do it and we actually have with my husbands structure and putting in gates at the office this place has came from run down sketchy to an actual safe family oriented campground! so when my time comes to start i will be ready. Gain outdoorsman skills. Be realistic. Complete a park host volunteer application online here! As for the job itself, it is extremely rewarding. Before accepting a position, workamping participants need to check the math on the situation. Me and my girlfriend are hosting in California right now, we read your article after getting released from work in March after the pandemic effected the cruise ship industry buying an RV and getting out into the wild was one of the best things we ever did! Lets take a look at the advantages of being a camp host. He shows up and the complainer is meek as a mouse. WebHow do Campground Hosts serve campground users? Visit their website for the application and a list of Michigans state parks with hosting opportunities. Her road trip adventures are chronicled in her blog at LiveWorkDream.com. Have the Paperwork in Order. This action protects workamping participants and employers alike, so dont be afraid to get very specific. Many parks offer different hours, different time stays, different bonuses. In some cases, camp hosts are also paid. Good luck! Required fields are marked *. Your not to bright the compensation for time spent as a camp host when you figure Rv space,water,electricity and possibly propane for months at a time it is a lone way from slavery. After all, if the job is not in an area that works for the RVers or it has undesirable job characteristics, it should not be an option. But the ranger I recently met taught me this isnt always the case. Camp Hosts can do anything from actually running a small campground to working the visitor center, helping with site clean-up, spending a few hours doing administrative work, collecting fees, working on special projects, park tours, or even maintenance if you have the experience. There are general volunteer programs and ones that require certain specifications. Volunteer to be a Campground Host In fact, it can be fairly horrible at times. Georgia has a system that requires you to register as a volunteer with the state of Georgia, in order to be insured and cleared by a criminal background check. Consider gaining customer service experience in retail or other customer-focused positions first since the campground host values these skills. They do not accept or handle recreational fee transactions. 4. Maybe you just getting started looking into volunteering while RVing or youre really interested in the ability to live and work in one of Iowas beautiful state parks. WebBecome A Camp Host Take your career down a new path What Is A Camp Host? By applying early, RVers can lock in those desirable campgrounds. The actual duties will vary by campground but mostly consist of meeting and greeting visitors, camper registration, firewood sales, site maintenance, cleaning of facilities and sites and more. Private campgrounds may also have additional paperwork requirements and background checks. How to Become a Campground Host The workamper will put in a pre-determined number of hours each week at the employers establishment. Some parks will have paper applications and others will have online applications. No more forgetting things! This requirement can mean either finding a spot with exceptional mobile signal or visiting a nearby public library. This post will include the basic information you need to know about camp hosting including the answers to the following questions: If youre interested in more information on workamping jobs that offer more ways to travel, check out our full archive of Workamping posts! Download the official NPS app before your next visit. While wrangling snakes would not be my favorite aspect, the job of a campground host will keep you on your toes and isnt likely to be boring. State Parks However, you need to be sure that you know what youre getting in advance of accepting a position. Once we receive your paperwork we will maintain it in our Volunteer-In-The-Parks file for supervisory review throughout the current calendar year. Just retired and currently deciding which type of RV I want to buy. Satellite TV for RV Use: Your Favorite TV On the Go! Web2. How remote is the campsite? How to Become a Campground Host A campground host needs to know (and enforce) all of the rules & regulations of the campground or RV park. However, theres always the chance for a curveball question. Call me biased, but I believe thatlife as a camp host is a far more rewarding experience than working in a private RV park. New Mexico has recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday since 2006, observed on the third Saturday of June; it became a paid holiday for state workers for the first time in 2022. Campground hosts serve as volunteers in the National Park Service's Volunteer-in-Parks (VIP) Program. 70 Degree Road Trip #3: All U.S. & Canada. If selected, information concerning appointment, position description, uniforms, etc. You will need to download and complete the following forms: Volunteer Application (360kb pdf) Campground Information and Campground Preference Form (13kb pdf) But that has since evolved into a system of trade for work that RVers rely on season after season, and as a result, for many camp hosting positions youll need to find the main point of contact, fill out an application, possibly a background check as well as confirm the daily tasks youll be providing. Next day, you're a target again. Rather you were making what you believed a witty comment. Most campgrounds have full recreational vehicle hookups for hosts, but a few are more limited in utility services (see Campground Information below). As for the TT? All types of work is available, from easy to strenuous. Curious about the gear, gadgets, accessories, and RV products Mike & Jennifer use and recommend? 1. To become a Campground Host you: Must be age 19 or older. Workamping Families: Full-time Families Go Workamping With Kids! Campground hosts provide that personal touch that make campers feel welcome. 4200 Smith School Rd. In this state, the most common volunteer duties are working the visitor center, staffing visitor centers, and general cleaning and maintenance. Theres certain to be a temporary job thats right up your alley. Park Host But what do campground hosts actually do and whats the compensation like? The maximum host assignment is 120 days. Camp host jobs are competitive. Campground hosts who have special skill sets, certification or extensive experience may be able to take on additional roles such as helping with special projects, providing public tours, and possibly higher level maintenance jobs. CLICK HERE to go to it directly. US Forest Service If you get hired, working in the parks can greatly enhance your enjoyment of the full-time RVing nomad lifestyle. The majority of the time, the campsite comes at absolutely no charge and many will include electricity, water and if youre lucky sewer! Read More About Camp Hosting Jobs in Idaho State Parks. Email: Volunteer@TPWD.Texas.Gov. Campground Host Hosts must be at least 18 years of age and able to supply their owner camper. Texas State Parks. And using our links won't cost you an extra penny! If complainer doesn't like what owner says complainer expects you to override the owner. However, the amenities vary depending on the location and all sites may not have full hookups. All rights reserved. This means lots and lots of people time. People come to the campground host for everything. Texas has an online application specific to the park and opportunity you are interested in. The park is also about 70 miles from services in Ely, the nearest small town with a grocery and service stations. Campground Host Slaves were emancipated in states in rebellion against the federal govt Delaware, Maryland , Kentucky retained their slaves. The day was not observed in The choice of using host for volunteering at one of our National Parks says it all. We have a few words of warning though about mobile internet. Do You Really Need A Surge Protector For Your RV? Maryland has a great volunteer program, and probably one of the most diverse. Was wondering if any of my skills could apply to a camp host, Your email address will not be published. So, while camp hosting can be done for both private and government run parks, for the purpose of this post, when we refer to camp hosting, well be speaking specifically to the opportunities that are available at government entities where the work is mostly trade based. Becoming a campground host is fun and rewarding, and positions arent difficult to find or obtain, but you will want to take a few things into consideration before you dive in. When accepting a camp host job, everything must be in writing. If you answer these questions honestly, that will tell you a lot about whether a campground hosting job is for you. Hopefully, other locations have better owners, as we've heard many positive things as well. RV LIFE Campground Reviews is the most trusted source of campground information in the industry. The National Park Service has volunteer camp host jobs all over the country. 1. We cannot emphasize enough how much starting early helps with any workamping experience. Are dogs allowed off-leash? Click Here To Read More About Camp Hosting in Georgia. But if water, sewer and electric are not available, the National Park Service will take care of those needs through contracting vendors. Drop us a comment and let us know what the experience was like for you. Its time to plan the best work camping season yet! If that sounds like something you might like, get out there and do it. Whether its a van, truck camper, trailer, or tent, spend some time in it before you head to your job. Use References. They might even refer visitors to forestry officials or other park administrators. A SECRET Code? Campground hosts are requested to volunteer for a minimum of 30 days but are limited to a maximum of 60 days. Camp hosting is a great seasonal job, but its not all fun and games. There are 23 parks in Virginia who participate in the volunteer services program. USA National Parks are a great resource to take pride in as an American and to volunteer for, which private RV properties are definitely not. A campground host is an individual or a couple that provides services to a private, state park, or national park campground. Then the awesome attitude, incredible skills, and killer customer service will all be able to speak for themselves. Thinking about getting a camp host job or becoming a work camper? As a campground host, youre sure to meet many wonderful people from all over the world. Check them out! A volunteer link at the bottom took me to a page with information about Arizonas volunteer programs, ways you can volunteer, and a link to start the application process. People dont like to wait, the ranger told me. To Apply. become a national forest campground host State Parks The job of a campground host involves many duties that bring you outdoors. . None the less, your snobbery was an affront. This post may contain affiliate links, This post may contain affiliate links or mention our own products, please check out our disclosure policy, The Best Way to Get a National Park Camp Host Job, What to Expect When Applying for a National Park Camp Host Job, Best Tips for Securing a National Park Camp Host Job. WebIf you are having difficulty accessing the on-line applications please contact: Statewide Volunteer Program Manager - State Parks. Checking campers in and out at the Ranger Station. California has 280 state parks with over 100 that you can look to for volunteer programs. As you search for positions that might interest you, keep an eye out for those that provide a salary or stipend. As a full-time RVer, Ive often wondered how to get a national park camp host job. Gain customer service skills. They also generally like the outdoors and are eager to help others. Knowing when camp host jobs start and end, people can better plan their time and enjoy along the way. Campground seasons run from mid-May through mid-October, depending on the campground. Complete a park host volunteer application online here! In addition to subscribing above, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, too (if you havent already)! Every week we offer free tips, tricks, product reviews, and more to our online community of RVers. Most states will have similar pages. The more experience you have, the easier job hunting will be. Each volunteer, regardless of their position, plays a critical part in allowing the program to meet its goals on day to day operations as well as specialized programs.