The purpose of this post is to provide useful information on all that camp hosting entails. It includes the basics such as our pay, hours and duties performed, as well as things you should consider before the job search even begins and before you accept an offer. Whether you are a current or future full-time RVer, you’ll want to read this if you’re considering camp hosting as a way to earn money.

 

The Basics

The following information is based off our experience – our hours, pay, duties and rv accommodations. Obviously, these things can and will vary. It just depends on where and how much you want to work, and the company you’ll be working for. These are a few of the considerations we referred to earlier and we’ll elaborate on that in just a bit. For now, though, the information below should give you a pretty good idea of what camp hosting entails.

Pay: $12.25 per hour.

Hours: 40 hours (each) per week – 5 days a week

RV Accommodations: A free camp site with full hookups (water, electric and sewer).

Our Basic Duties:

-complete and hang reservations at sites for incoming campers

-check-in campers upon arrival, complete additional paperwork and collect any money due

-provide campers with park rules and regulations

-clean sites after campers depart: shovel fire pits, clean bear boxes, pick up trash, rake sites

-clean bathrooms: toilets, sinks, mirrors, floors

-walk the grounds and pick up micro-trash

-know the campground/sites: keep track of occupied and available sites and those that had cancellations

-sell firewood

-issue courtesy notices for park violations and report repeat offenders to the Forest Ranger

-handle bear incidents, settle disputes between campers, address safety hazards, etc.

-write incident reports

-cash accountability and related paperwork

The pay, hours offered and rv accommodations are usually provided in advertisements seeking Camp Hosts, but a full list (if any at all) of work performed is typically not. You can be assured, however, that you’ll be performing at least some of the above listed duties, if not all of them. Now we’ll get into those “considerations” we referred to earlier…

Considerations

Not knowing what camp hosting entails or what questions to ask can have personal and financial consequences. Listed below are things you should consider, and have answers to, before accepting a job as a Camp Host.

 

Know What You Want And Need

Some companies offer only a free campsite (no pay) in exchange for part-time work. Some companies offer pay and a free site in exchange for full-time work. And some companies offer pay and a discount on a site in exchange for either full or part-time work. Knowing what you want or need in terms of accommodations and pay makes it easy to focus in on the ads that meet your criteria and bypass those that don’t.

Why would anyone choose a job that only offers a free camp site? Because some people may be interested in a job based solely on its location. They may have another source of income and just want a place to “park it” for free, in exchange for minimal hours of work, while they explore the area. Some people may be limited in their abilities to work full-time and others may have additional reasons. We were only interested in jobs offering 35 hours or more a week and a free site. Location is also a factor for us, especially if we’re going to be stationary in the same area for a few months. But when it gets right down to it… for us, money trumps location.

RV Accommodations

Just like hours and pay, rv accommodations are an important consideration. Some companies offer full-hookups (water, electricity and sewer) but others only offer partial hookups (water and electricity). If you’re being offered partial hookups, this means you’ll be moving your rig to the dump station to drain your tanks. Depending on your water consumption, you could be doing this once a week to every few days. Either way… over a few months time, this gets old real quick! We most likely wouldn’t consider a job if we had to drain our own tanks, but that’s us. Know what you want and need!

Exception: Some companies provide a Honey Wagon. This is a truck that comes to your location and drains your tanks for you. Although more convenient than moving your rig, you’re still limited in your water consumption because you’re accommodating their schedule.

Location

We can’t stress enough just how important it is to understand the climate in the area you want to work. Why? Because the climate determines the camping season. Climate can delay the start of a season, shut it down early, or both. If this happens, you will lose money. Trust us, we know this first-hand. We lost thousands of dollars because snow delayed the start of our season by over a month.

Our campground was located in the mountains at 9,000 feet above sea level, so we should have known this was a possibility but it never even crossed our minds. So, if you’re depending on employment for a certain amount of time, always ask if there’s a chance the season will start late or end early due to weather or other circumstances. The answer you receive just might be the deciding factor in whether or not you accept the job!

Delayed Start Accommodations

If the start of the season is delayed, your employer may allow you to arrive at the regular scheduled time and set up camp for free (or for whatever fee was previously agreed upon) while you wait for the season to start. This information may not be provided to you if you don’t inquire, but you may find it’s an option if you do. In other words… Ask! If it’s not an option, you’ll need to have a place to go until the season does start.

 

Connectivity

Connectivity may or may not be a big deal to you. We were Camp Hosts in an area where there was no internet, television or cell phone service (Verizon). We have to be honest and admit that we really didn’t miss it. It was quite nice being cut off, at least for a while. But with no service comes inconvenience. We had to drive down the mountain just to make sure we got paid, make phone calls and manage our website and other social media platforms. We also really missed the news!

Not wanting to invest money in all three areas (internet, cell phone and television) to resolve what would only be a temporary problem, we chose to focus on the internet. As a result we bought a WeBoost, which turned out to be a bust. Read this first if you’re thinking about purchasing a WeBoost. We then purchased a Netgear MIMO Antenna which solved our internet problem.

Depending on your needs: who you need to maintain contact with, an online business, a favorite television show you don’t want to miss (creature comforts are important too), this is something you may need to consider as well. Asking the appropriate questions prior to accepting a job can save you a lot of disappointment and inconvenience.

Do You Need To Furnish Anything?

We didn’t know we would need a computer for our camp hosting job until we arrived, so it’s a good thing we already had one. If you don’t have a computer, you might want to ask if one is required. The company we worked for downloaded a program on to our computer, which we used to manage the books. It may not be necessary to have a computer for every camp hosting job, but it’s worth asking the question so you’re not caught off guard.

 

The following considerations are more specific to your personality, but they are just as important as anything else in this post.

Are You A “People Person?”

As a Camp Host you can encounter hundreds if not thousands of people during a season. You will be asked questions and engaged in conversation everywhere you go within the campgrounds. Things that should take only fifteen minutes to complete can take up to an hour because of how frequently you’re stopped and engaged. In short… being a Camp Host is a very social job. If you’re not a social person, I can see how it could become a little overwhelming.

We met lots of fun and interesting people we now consider friends and still keep in touch with. The social aspect of the job is something we enjoyed very much, but everyone is different and has their own personality. Keep this in mind when considering a camp hosting job.

24/7 Work

Regardless of your scheduled hours, camp hosting is, in a way, a 24/7 job. What we mean is… campers will knock on your door well before your shift begins, long after your shift has ended, and on your days off. As a matter of fact, leaving the campground may be the only way to ensure you’re not bothered on your days off. We were hosts in a very beautiful area that we had never visited before, so we didn’t have much problem with that. There was always something to do and see. But some people may view that as an invasion of their personal time. So, while living where you work is certainly convenient when you’re on the clock, it can be the complete opposite when you’re not.

Important –  Some companies may require you to stay within the grounds you’re working even on your days off. In this case, you truly are working 24/7 because leaving isn’t an option. Knowing what’s expected of you can be the difference between a pleasurable and miserable experience.

Flexibility

Not everything that’s required of you as a Camp Host will necessarily be detailed in the job description or explained to you immediately upon arrival. And although it’s highly unlikely you’ll be expected to do anything out of the scope of a camp host’s job, you should be prepared to have a few tasks added to your duties during the season or when things start to slow down. Additionally, you may find yourself volunteering your services – not because you’re required to do so, but because you see a need and then step-up to fulfill it. For instance, whenever a camper would come to our site to buy two or three bundles of wood, we always offered to drive it to their site for them. Campers really appreciated this.

Campers Expectations

While the company you’re working for may not expect you to know everything, some campers do! Most of all, campers expect you to know the area! They will ask for directions, information on surrounding activities and events, recommendations on hiking trails, etc. If you’re new to the area, like we were, there’s no way for you to have all the answers. You learn as you go and hope you’re provided lots of maps to hand out! ????

In addition to knowing everything, some campers expect you to supply everything. We were asked to charge cell phones, blow up air mattresses, jump start vehicles and lend out our generator. We were asked for electrical tape, WD40, extension cords and for the use of the company cell phone. Additionally, we helped campers locked out of their rig get back in, set up their tents and back in their rigs. We also gave many hikers a ride to town. We wore many, many hats!

Conclusion

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to camp hosting. Beyond pay, hours, location and accommodations (as if that wasn’t enough), you really have to consider your personality and what you can and can’t tolerate, and the length of time most camp hosting jobs last. Arming yourself with the information in this post will help ensure you don’t suffer personal or financial consequences, and will allow you to enter the world of camp hosting with a little more confidence.

And in case you were wondering… We thoroughly enjoyed our time as Camp Hosts. With a beautiful area and campground, a great company and manager to work for, and awesome campers and Camp Hosts, how could we not! We look forward to doing it all again next year! For a good read on another camping topic, see our last post, “Camping Etiquette: Are You A Bad Camper?”

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to like and subscribe! Until next time…