When you start down a never-before-travelled-path you just don’t know where it will lead. In late January of this year we stepped away from our “normal” lives and began a full time RV lifestyle with the full expectation we’d discover new things about our world and ourselves. We also agreed with our friend, Mark Krause’s assessment, “You don’t even know what you don’t know.” The one thing we promised ourselves was to be open minded and positive, come what may.
Opportunity can be just a few steps away and may begin by walking across the way to offer help to someone else. Conversations ensue and suddenly you’re presented with a change of course you never even imagined let alone saw coming.
We’ve accepted an offer to work-on-the-road for a Texas based advertising company as one of its full-time RV teams. We’ll be visiting its clients of quality RV Resorts and working with the resort managers to update and improve their resort pamphlets which list information about the resort as well as local services and businesses that visiting RV’er might need.
This company is privately owned and these field positions are all filled by full time RV’ers. It has a bit of a family feel and most of our peers are mature couples, many of whom have been doing this for years. Our training begins in June and we’ll then find out where we go from there — it could be anywhere in the continental United States.
You see, Bonnie and I have never felt really retired. We know we still have a lot to offer but we also know we don’t want to do what we’ve done before– there’s no interest there. Part of the goal of this trip was to maybe find that something we’d enjoy and be good at and this just seems right.
We’d decided early on, with the advice of our incredible financial advisor, not to draw Social Security until as late as possible and so far our budget for this adventure has been reasonable and affordable. So taking this job was not about the money, although it does provide us additional stability in the RV lifestyle without having to draw upon our savings. It’s about the chance to do something positive and new together while continuing to travel and see new places.
That sounds interesting for you and it will require working together as a team. From the selfie you posted on Facebook I think that will work just fine. You opened this post with a wonderful first sentence. It is your life now, unexplored. As long as you feel like you’re not retired I think you will feel younger, more energetic. It’s all good!
Thanks, Monte. We never expected this and didn’t even know this possibility existed until very recently.
We’ve told them we’d like to do perhaps 12-14 resorts (jobs) a year. A job takes two weeks, with the resort picking up the tab for that stay. That comes to about half a year of work each year with us being free to do what we want the other half. Earnings are dependent upon our efforts and success. We would be free to do more jobs if we so desire.
Sounds like a great opportunity. Combining travel with a new career seems like a heck of a plan to me!
One question: Do they pick where you’re going? If you finish your training and they decide they want you to go to Padre Island (or maybe Death Valley) in July, is that where you have to go? Or, heaven help you, someplace near Webster, NY, in January?
Paul, that’s what we thought also…why not do basically what we’re doing anyway and get paid for it.
As far as the location selection, there are a number of factors. This company is selective in what resorts they work with. They look for popular resorts in popular locations with no long term residents.
We get input on areas we’d like to work, however, we’ve personally told them for the moment we’re open to anywhere. The company knows we’re all in RV’s, need time to travel and must follow the weather…so sorry probably no Webster in January. :-) There’s also input from the resorts…they don’t want to have to give up a RV space for two weeks they could have sold during a peak period. It’s all a scheduling dance but speaking with other couples who’ve been doing this a while it seems they do a good job…we’ll see.
In retirement there is nothing better than taking a shot at something new if for no better reason than it might be fun!
You’re a wise man, Mr. Steve. :-)
Thanks!
Sounds very interesting … Perhaps you will get assignments in the form of “your mission, should you choose to accept it…” :-) sure, an advertising job … Sounds a lot like CIA work to me.
It’s very unfortunate you figured the true nature of our “jobs” out, Mark. I’m afraid you’ve left “the agency” very few options… ;-)
Uh oh, time to activate operation Dig Dug
lol
What a great opportunity. Too bad about Mark … whatever he said to get into trouble, because, ummmm, I didn’t see it all. Nope. Nothing. Clueless. Happy travels. ;)
LOL
LOL…nice try my friend but I’m sure all our names have been indexed somewhere now by an Internet scraper robot because of the mention of CIA.
Sure – blame it all on me…. :-)
Damn! You said it again! Dude! :D
Strange, a drone just buzzed our trailer!