RamonaCreel.com

Today we’re talking with Airstreamer and organizer Ramona Creel. When folks find out that Ramona travels full-time while she works, they always want to grill her about how she makes money. So today, she’s going to talk to us about work that any full-timer can do on the road.

Have you ever done any workamping?

I was chatting with a fellow RVer the other day, and when he found out I was a full-timer, he asked that exact question. I jokingly said no, that I don’t like cleaning toilets — he laughed, and then said, “Really?” I laughed too, and said, “Really!” I know that not every workamping position involves scrubbing a bathroom floor. I’d be willing to do trail maintenance at the Grand Canyon, I’d work on a ranch for the sheer fun of being around animals all day, and helping out at a vineyard would be tons of fun (especially if they paid you in wine). I’ve never believed in working just to pay the bills — and there’s no reason that folks (especially the determined, tenacious kind that make good full-timers) can’t have jobs they love, even on the road.

Have do you earn a living while you travel?

I run my own business (as a fixer/ass-kicker and a not-so-tortured artist, a talking head, and a wordsmith) — these days, there are so many opportunities for working either remotely or at a mobile career. I know folks who sell their artwork at craft shows, sell collectibles at fleamarkets and antique shows, or buy and resell used items on eBay. But it wasn’t until I started connecting with other younger working RVers through social networking that I realized just how many variations there are on the “work-and-travel” lifestyle. When potential RVers ask, “What can I do to earn a living on the road?” — my response is usually, “What CAN’T you do to earn a living on the road??” Some of your options include:

• mobile consulting services (working short-term projects for different clients in different areas)
• bookkeeping (Quickbooks and tax prep for long-distance clients)
• freelance writing (either for magazines, blogs, or working on a book)
• RV repair and maintenance (offering your services at the RV parks where you stay)
• computer work (programming, web design, or other remote IT job)
• graphic art (either commercial advertising or illustrations)
• photography (either assignment-driven and client-based, or fine art/travel)
• fine art (painting, sculpting, drawing, mosaics, fabric art, you name it)
• music (either going on a concert tour or performing local gigs, and possibly giving lessons)
• coaching and training (can be done via Skype, phone, and e-mail)
• pet sitting (especially for those in your RV park who travel away from their rigs)

You can also consider product sales as a way to bring in some mobile income:

• arts and crafts (selling your handiwork at fairs and festivals as you travel)
• resale (selling just about anything at flea markets around the country)

What if you like to stay put in one place for a while?

Of course, there are those jobs that are do allow you to travel, but only within certain limitations:

• “drive-away” jobs (driving vehicles across the US and delivering them to a remote location)
• caretaking (house-sitting and campground property management)
• temp agencies (short-term office, cleaning, or even manual labor assignments)
• tourism jobs (working at amusement parks, as a historical interpreter, giving tours)

How exciting to live/work on the road! If you need Ramona’s help breaking free from the typical 9-to-5 grind in order to travel full-time, contact her!