Hello all. Doug here. Having recently taken an interest in RVs, I've been lurking around on the forums for the last month or so. Just soaking it all in like a sponge. I've always found the prospect of hitting the road to nowhere in particular to be very appealing, but that whole job-like thing has always kept me tethered close to home. Since the age of 16, the longest period of time I've had off was a 3 week hiatus between jobs in 2001. No clock, no schedule... it was the most amazing 3 weeks ever. I'm an auto/light duty truck mechanic of 32 years. I recently hit the big 5-oh, and while I'm pretty much topped-out in my profession I feel like I'm struggling to keep up with the physical demands of the "rush-rush-rush" environment of a job that's more suitable for a 30 year old. I'll be 100% debt free within one year and my plans are, at that point, to begin to focus my energy on having a used, paid off Class A by age 55... That's my dream, anyway. Cleaning out the house will not be a problem, as I seriously lightened my load in 2010 when I had to give up the house for a 1 BR apartment. What I really need to figure out by "go-time" is how to set up some form of mobile income, since I'll still have the better part of a decade before I could officially retire and cash in the 401. I find the workcamping thing, and also the thought of doing something where I could work online from anywhere to be interesting, but I'm thinking what might fit me better is something along the lines of a part-time mobile auto/rv service doing maintenance or light repairs. Do you think there would be a market or any interest in such a service? Would there be enough business doing light work around campgrounds and such to keep one afloat? Anybody think this would be doable or worth looking into, or is it just a pipe dream?
Terry and Jo said
08:59 PM Apr 2, 2014
Welcome, Doug.
In your lurking, I imagine you've already determined that there are a lot of knowledgeable folks here to gain information from that regards both the RV's and the RV lifestyle.
Feel free to ask questions, and also take advantage of the "Search" function in the blue bar above. That can be helpful as well.
Terry
el Rojo and Pam said
09:07 PM Apr 2, 2014
Welcome Doug!
Lonney Wade said
10:10 PM Apr 2, 2014
Welcome, Doug.
I have a guy down the road that does what you do as a mechanic, he worked for dealerships and now he works for himself out of his pole barn, he gets $40.00 in hour, he's is very good at what he does and has plenty of work. I don't see why not you could do the same on the road, there's always work to be found. Truck repair, RV brakes, wheel bearings repacked and a whole lot of other things that need to be repair. I would be careful on the tools and tool box you bring, that could be over 1,000 pounds (+ or -) in weight very easily but I think you could do it part time and make plenty of money since it doesn't take that much to live on the road FT.
I like the name, it was one of my favorite TV shows in my younger days (Riptide 1983-1986)
Lonney
-- Edited by Lonney Wade on Wednesday 2nd of April 2014 11:24:14 PM
Bob and Lindy said
02:39 PM Apr 3, 2014
Hello Doug, welcome aboard! I came across this a while back. It might be 'up your alley'.
I realize you have the mechanical experience and know how, this may get you into something that will fit. Good luck in your search.
-- Edited by Bob and Lindy on Thursday 3rd of April 2014 02:42:33 PM
Lani05 said
01:58 PM Sep 25, 2014
When I meet other travelers, I'm always amazed at what they do to make a little money for their travels... The general idea is that if you know a skill, use it. If you know guitar, offer guitar lessons. If you can paint, sell some paintings. You have a very marketable skill that will come to good use, especially in the RV world. By now, you've probably discovered that. Good luck to you!
PIEERE said
08:09 AM Sep 26, 2014
Doug: There will be interested RVers who will want to get their RV's serviced. Here is the not so good part as I found out in my travels; most RV Park Owners do not allow fluid changes or lubes due to DOT regulations. Also most have locals that they refer us too.
Parks Owners look to hire mechanical people to work on their equipment. I worked seasonal for one in Ky. that needed a small engine equipment and vehicle service person. Also worked in Amusement parks as a games attendant; another as a rides attendant. Worked at Amazon for 8 weeks during Holiday Rush season (Never would do that for a longer period).
My suggestion is: research; research more; than research some more until you find a niche that others don't have; or improve on what they do! There is a lot of information on Technomedias' website; Lucky Mike more than likely will chime in or just type his name in the search box above; then there is Workamper.com free to browse in some of the links.
Working for yourself doing mechanical repairs will require insurance; in case of injuries on private property; Licensing or bonding; and of course: Taxes!!! This is just my honest observations from past experiences; if it helps that's great! PIEERE
Camper Chronicles said
07:05 AM Sep 28, 2014
Riptide wrote:
Hello all. Doug here. Having recently taken an interest in RVs, I've been lurking around on the forums for the last month or so. Just soaking it all in like a sponge. I've always found the prospect of hitting the road to nowhere in particular to be very appealing, but that whole job-like thing has always kept me tethered close to home. Since the age of 16, the longest period of time I've had off was a 3 week hiatus between jobs in 2001. No clock, no schedule... it was the most amazing 3 weeks ever. I'm an auto/light duty truck mechanic of 32 years. I recently hit the big 5-oh, and while I'm pretty much topped-out in my profession I feel like I'm struggling to keep up with the physical demands of the "rush-rush-rush" environment of a job that's more suitable for a 30 year old. I'll be 100% debt free within one year and my plans are, at that point, to begin to focus my energy on having a used, paid off Class A by age 55... That's my dream, anyway. Cleaning out the house will not be a problem, as I seriously lightened my load in 2010 when I had to give up the house for a 1 BR apartment. What I really need to figure out by "go-time" is how to set up some form of mobile income, since I'll still have the better part of a decade before I could officially retire and cash in the 401. I find the workcamping thing, and also the thought of doing something where I could work online from anywhere to be interesting, but I'm thinking what might fit me better is something along the lines of a part-time mobile auto/rv service doing maintenance or light repairs. Do you think there would be a market or any interest in such a service? Would there be enough business doing light work around campgrounds and such to keep one afloat? Anybody think this would be doable or worth looking into, or is it just a pipe dream?
Hi Doug,
First off I totally get the job thing. I am 48 and facing what I need to do to keep pace is not nearly as appealing at this age. I've worked since 16 as well and thought of not working all the time is frankly a little daunting, but I am getting used to it :) WE have done a ton of research the last year into work kamping and creative ways to earn money on the road because we decided we wanted to start sooner rather than later. One thing I did that made me feel a lot better was sign up for Work Kamper News and read some of the listing. If you are mechanically inclined finding work should never be a problem. Finding work at a price point that allows you to live may be more challenging. We bought Howard's budget spreadsheet and did three versions of a budget (subsistence living, moderate, and everything we wanted) then based on those numbers determined how much we would need to make to meet the budget. For us it is a surprisingly low dollar amount, which gave us tons more flexibility in what we will do for a living. Being close to debt free really makes all the difference in determining your monthly "nut" as we call it, so that was the first ting we focused on. WE also plan on several possible revenue streams based on advice from others so we will have as much flexibility as possible on the road. One of those revenue streams will be RV work as Lee is planning on going to RV Tech school as soon as we sell our house.
I know that's a lot of information but this happened over the course of several months and the more we learned the more comfortable I became. My advice is put those numbers down on paper, look at what jobs are out there, and do the math :) I think you'll be seriously suprised at how \feasible it is sonner rather than later. I know I was.
Trace
WestWardHo said
11:03 AM Sep 28, 2014
Hi Doug, joining others in welcoming you here. Trace said it ver well, "If you are mechanically inclined finding work should never be a problem. Finding work at a price point that allows you to live may be more challenging. "
But you can do it! Some gate guard in oil fields for 3-6 months and stash the excellent pay to travel the rest of the time, perhaps camp hosting or helping wit maintenance at the many privately owned parks.
Good advice above and I reinforce your skills are very transferrable- just dig in and work your plan
Sherry
The Junkman said
11:56 AM Sep 28, 2014
I would not limit repairs to RV's either.. there are more vehicles, than RV's in this field.. Doing brake jobs , and auto repairs is easy money..
Hello all. Doug here. Having recently taken an interest in RVs, I've been lurking around on the forums for the last month or so. Just soaking it all in like a sponge. I've always found the prospect of hitting the road to nowhere in particular to be very appealing, but that whole job-like thing has always kept me tethered close to home. Since the age of 16, the longest period of time I've had off was a 3 week hiatus between jobs in 2001. No clock, no schedule... it was the most amazing 3 weeks ever. I'm an auto/light duty truck mechanic of 32 years. I recently hit the big 5-oh, and while I'm pretty much topped-out in my profession I feel like I'm struggling to keep up with the physical demands of the "rush-rush-rush" environment of a job that's more suitable for a 30 year old. I'll be 100% debt free within one year and my plans are, at that point, to begin to focus my energy on having a used, paid off Class A by age 55... That's my dream, anyway. Cleaning out the house will not be a problem, as I seriously lightened my load in 2010 when I had to give up the house for a 1 BR apartment. What I really need to figure out by "go-time" is how to set up some form of mobile income, since I'll still have the better part of a decade before I could officially retire and cash in the 401. I find the workcamping thing, and also the thought of doing something where I could work online from anywhere to be interesting, but I'm thinking what might fit me better is something along the lines of a part-time mobile auto/rv service doing maintenance or light repairs. Do you think there would be a market or any interest in such a service? Would there be enough business doing light work around campgrounds and such to keep one afloat? Anybody think this would be doable or worth looking into, or is it just a pipe dream?
Welcome, Doug.
In your lurking, I imagine you've already determined that there are a lot of knowledgeable folks here to gain information from that regards both the RV's and the RV lifestyle.
Feel free to ask questions, and also take advantage of the "Search" function in the blue bar above. That can be helpful as well.
Terry
Welcome, Doug.
I have a guy down the road that does what you do as a mechanic, he worked for dealerships and now he works for himself out of his pole barn, he gets $40.00 in hour, he's is very good at what he does and has plenty of work.
I don't see why not you could do the same on the road, there's always work to be found.
Truck repair, RV brakes, wheel bearings repacked and a whole lot of other things that need to be repair.
I would be careful on the tools and tool box you bring, that could be over 1,000 pounds (+ or -) in weight very easily but I think you could do it part time and make plenty of money since it doesn't take that much to live on the road FT.
I like the name, it was one of my favorite TV shows in my younger days (Riptide 1983-1986)
Lonney
-- Edited by Lonney Wade on Wednesday 2nd of April 2014 11:24:14 PM
Hello Doug, welcome aboard! I came across this a while back. It might be 'up your alley'.
rvmaintenancetech.com/
I realize you have the mechanical experience and know how, this may get you into something that will fit. Good luck in your search.
-- Edited by Bob and Lindy on Thursday 3rd of April 2014 02:42:33 PM
Parks Owners look to hire mechanical people to work on their equipment. I worked seasonal for one in Ky. that needed a small engine equipment and vehicle service person. Also worked in Amusement parks as a games attendant; another as a rides attendant. Worked at Amazon for 8 weeks during Holiday Rush season (Never would do that for a longer period).
My suggestion is: research; research more; than research some more until you find a niche that others don't have; or improve on what they do! There is a lot of information on Technomedias' website; Lucky Mike more than likely will chime in or just type his name in the search box above; then there is Workamper.com free to browse in some of the links.
Working for yourself doing mechanical repairs will require insurance; in case of injuries on private property; Licensing or bonding; and of course: Taxes!!! This is just my honest observations from past experiences; if it helps that's great! PIEERE
Hi Doug,
First off I totally get the job thing. I am 48 and facing what I need to do to keep pace is not nearly as appealing at this age. I've worked since 16 as well and thought of not working all the time is frankly a little daunting, but I am getting used to it :) WE have done a ton of research the last year into work kamping and creative ways to earn money on the road because we decided we wanted to start sooner rather than later. One thing I did that made me feel a lot better was sign up for Work Kamper News and read some of the listing. If you are mechanically inclined finding work should never be a problem. Finding work at a price point that allows you to live may be more challenging. We bought Howard's budget spreadsheet and did three versions of a budget (subsistence living, moderate, and everything we wanted) then based on those numbers determined how much we would need to make to meet the budget. For us it is a surprisingly low dollar amount, which gave us tons more flexibility in what we will do for a living. Being close to debt free really makes all the difference in determining your monthly "nut" as we call it, so that was the first ting we focused on. WE also plan on several possible revenue streams based on advice from others so we will have as much flexibility as possible on the road. One of those revenue streams will be RV work as Lee is planning on going to RV Tech school as soon as we sell our house.
I know that's a lot of information but this happened over the course of several months and the more we learned the more comfortable I became. My advice is put those numbers down on paper, look at what jobs are out there, and do the math :) I think you'll be seriously suprised at how \feasible it is sonner rather than later. I know I was.
Trace
But you can do it! Some gate guard in oil fields for 3-6 months and stash the excellent pay to travel the rest of the time, perhaps camp hosting or helping wit maintenance at the many privately owned parks.
Good advice above and I reinforce your skills are very transferrable- just dig in and work your plan
Sherry