Resume Cards for Workamping Resumes

Workampers enjoy a flexible lifestyle. Many of us are retired (or getting close but want to travel in a cost-effective manner). A few have positions with their summers off and this is an ideal way to travel the country and earn a bit of money to pay for expenses.

Quartzite, Arizona and Lakeland, Florida host job fairs and seminars in January through the great people at Workamper.com.

Another good source for being noticed is at RV shows. Many campgrounds and resorts have booths and most are eager to discuss possible positions to potential seasonal employees.

I create 'mini-resumes' highlighting our strengths which we leave with prospective employers. Even if we are asked to fill out a work application, we still give them a card to staple with the paperwork. When we get call-backs, the business cards always mentioned in a positive way. They like the 'mind-joggers' after talking to so many people throughout the shows.

Inevitably, employers request images of our rigs and ourselves. Here and on the left side are four of the cards I've created for us - two joint cards, and individual as there are times when we may work in different neighboring locations.

We belong to Passport America - a wonderful half-price campground service which promotes beautiful campgrounds throughout the country and who give us credit when our name is mentioned.

Likewise, Workamper.com also credits us when new members sign up and mention us. On this card I was able to add those elements along the side of the card without totally drowning it out.

These are also a fun, inexpensive way to trade addresses with the new friends we meet in our travels.

Most photo editing programs offer an assortment of business card templates. They are a great way to start creating your own. Clip art can also be utilized, but the personal cards, such as these seem to gain a more positive input. I create ours without templates as I enjoy creating my own.

There are many papers on the market for printing perforated cards, but occasionally they don't line up properly. If you have problems getting them within the perameters, consider setting them as a 10-up setting, then print them on high quality photograph stock and cut them out with a paper cutter. It's considerably cheaper, and they look professional. (All the warehouse clubs have great photo paper that's ideal for these.)

Remembering September 11, 2001

This past summer we worked at Timothy Lake Resort in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains. On Sept 8 we took the ferry from New Jersey to Ellis Island & the Statue of Liberty.

As I stood in the Registry Room at Ellis Island, I was emotionally hit by A disturbing mental image.

To my right, Lady Liberty stood tall & proud through the beautiful windows. Ourforefathers looked at her with renewed hope when they migrated to the U.S. all those years ago. That statue stood for hope, freedom and fresh starts. For many of them the trip leader been arduous and horrific, crammed into the tight steerage holds of trans-Atlantic ships. (New arrivals with enough money, not only sailed in comfortable cabins, but were also spared the dehumanizing experiences of Ellis Island.)

To my left, stood the New York City skyline, minus the World Trade Center. On that morning, September 11, 2001, we not only lost American citizens. some of whose parents, grandparents, & great-grandparents originally reached this beautiful New World via Ellis Island-but also visitors. Visitors from other countries. some of whom were brutally murdered by thoughtless mercenaries from their own country. Those deaths affected Mankind worldwide.

Returning home that nightI felt an intense need to create an image that the sights and absent buildings had evoked deep within me. This was one of three results. I 'ghosted' the Twin Towers to where they once stood, proud and tall . Our flag was borrowed from an image I took in Clewiston, Florida. the New York skyline was taken through one of the upper windows on Ellis Island, and Lady Liberty was captured on the ferry.

Blogging Along America's Roads

For a few years I delivered virtually anything that could be pulled with a one-ton pickup truck throughout the Continental U.S.A. Newly single, and a grandma (in her mid-fifties), the lifestyle was liberating. A laptop computer, cell phone, and digital cameras kept me linked to friends and family. But - fuel costs began to rise and truck repairs ate up my income. It was time to reconsider what to do - as long as travel was still in the picture. I was already a full-time RVer and thoroughly enjoyed my compact 'home on wheels' (my granddaughter's name for it).

When one door closes, another opens. I met 'Cigar Mike' online. He was ALMOST a fulltimer - with a vintage Airstream, and surprised to connect with a woman who traveled alone. He was also interested in my lifestyle and planned to hit the road himself after selling his home in Florida. He invited me down, offering me a place to hook up my unit, so off I went . . . before winter set in up north.

We're about as different as two people can be - but it keeps life interesting. We decided to try out Workamping. We both love to travel, and workamping gives us the opportunity to travel the country and work at campgrounds or other places for awhile. Pay is relatively low, but it generally includes our site. Our lifestyle precludes 'collecting', and our needs are minimal. Now we get to spend time exploring the areas we work at for up to 4 months at a time. It isn't a lifestyle for everyone - but it fits us.

Shortly after we merged our lifestyles Mike sold his Airstream and we headed north with my fifth wheel. With no slides and minimal storage it soon became a bit tight for both of us. Between our second and third Workamping venture we turned it in for a triple slide fifth wheel that has been a life saver. (See image at top left). Now life is much smoother, but as we go along we find that many of our former activities are being rekindled in ways that work with our lifestyle.

Mike used to be a woodworker and even lived on a sailboat for several years - that he built. He's already used those skills in four separate workamping ventures. I used to teach arts and crafts, and was a freelance photojournalist. This summer I'll be teaching arts and crafts again and my photography and journaling skills are being applied daily in many computer crafts I create.

Using this blog, we hope to share our travels, ideas and help others where we can. Hopefully you'll visit again and give us your feedback.