Have you ever considered being a camp host at an RV park? Did you even know that you could? Those of you who are new to the RV lifestyle may not even know that this opportunity exists. Many people who choose to live the RV lifestyle full time, either by choice or by force of circumstance, may be looking to spend less, live more frugally, and earn a little money. This is one option that can be helpful on all of those fronts. A campground host usually resides in their own RV at the campground they are hosting, and are typically responsible for greeting guests, collecting fees, helping campers resolve issues, cleaning facilities and grounds, and handling some light maintenance. Many camp hosting jobs are seasonal, running from early spring to late fall, though some positions in warm weather states may be available year-round. The benefits usually include free space rent, all utilities, cable, wi-fi, etc. and often a salary in addition. According to camphost.org, “For many years, work camping was dominated by volunteer host programs in the National Parks and National Forests. Hosts, often retired couples, would manage a campground for the summer camping season in exchange for a free site for their RV or travel trailer. Most public campgrounds have special host sites which often (but not always!) have full hookups, even when the campground they are managing is primitive. Camp host jobs vary greatly from campground to campground, but almost all require taking fees from campers, cleaning bathrooms, and light grounds maintenance (such as raking fire puts, blowing leaves, etc.) Hosts with maintenance skills are always in demand.” Over the past 30 years, public agencies such as the National Park Service and the US Forest Service have turned to private concessionaires to manage many of the larger public recreation facilities. These private companies bid for the right to operate the facilities, generally paying the government a percentage of their revenue as rent. Today, many public campgrounds are run by private companies under special concession contracts. Unlike the government, private for-profit companies cannot legally accept volunteer labor. Most of these private companies now pay their camp hosts by the hour. Typically, camp hosts will work a certain number of hours (10-20) a week for their site, after which they are paid an hourly wage. The net result is that work campers will typically get their site plus $500-$800 a month in wages. You can check out the Facebook page for Camp Host Jobs where they regularly post available positions all across the country. Have you worked as a camp host? Tell us about your experience in the comments here, or on our RV Country Facebook page!
