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Finding Meaningful Work in Our RV Travels

8/30/2015

4 Comments

 
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Vanessa and I are often asked the same question whenever we speak of RV travels -- how are you going to make money? Valid question. We both had very lucrative jobs before taking the plunge into full-time RV exploration, yet that doesn't mean that we don't have to make a living while on the road. As awesome as it would be to just live off savings and travel without regard, that doesn't seem to be in the cards for us just yet.

As a copy/freelance writer, I'm blessed to be able to work from just about anywhere. As long as there is WiFi, of course. I take jobs here and there covering topics that I feel strongly about, or that allow me to broaden my knowledge on a whole slew of varying topics. I've learned quite a bit while freelancing, plus it keeps my writing skills sharp.

Aside from writing, Vanessa and I are hoping to find other sources of income while on the road, particularly involving farm work, harvesting, manual labor and the like. We're looking to get our hands dirty, and invest a little bit of ourselves back into the earth. Maybe it's hard to imagine a former Miss Teen USA and a published author choosing a life of working with our hands from dawn to dusk, or harvesting apples under the autumn sun, but it's with good reason.

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One of my favorite chapters from Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers  is the last, right before the epilogue, called Rice Paddies and Math Tests. (If you haven't read this book, I urge you to do so. If you want my copy, email me your forwarding address and I'll send it along. It's worth the read.)

Gladwell speaks about meaningful work in this chapter and the importance it has on a person and on a community. The Chinese, as a culture, spend so much time building, maintaining, and harvesting from their rice paddies in order to provide for themselves, their community, and their families. There is meaning behind the work they do. There is pride and reward. This ultimately is a contributing factor to why the Chinese are so hardworking and motivated as a whole.

Vanessa and I both worked in offices, without significant personal reward. We were making money for our bosses, while stationary behind a desk for hours at a time. There wasn't much meaning in the work we were doing. We felt extremely unfulfilled.

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To us, working on a farm, or harvesting grapes in a vineyard would facilitate meaning and purpose. Not only would we be helping the smaller farms who need more hands than people are willing to offer, but we also are rewarding the community with the fruits of our labor (pun definitely intended).

Maybe it sounds crazy to some, but one of the main reasons Vanessa and I are taking this leap of faith into full time RV living is so that we can cultivate a stronger sense of purpose and meaning while exploring the country on our own terms. We don't want a 9-5. We don't want to sit in traffic every day. We don't want to earn a paycheck just to buy more "stuff" nor do we want to sell people more "stuff".

It's a lifestyle change that we're hoping to find much more rewarding on a personal level because it speaks to the very core of our being.

Life on our own terms.

4 Comments
cdnrm link
8/30/2015 05:05:37

Great post! Enjoy reading your posts! We hope to one day get on the road and look for purpose and meaning as well!

Reply
lovelaughontheroad link
8/30/2015 05:06:07

Very good article. We are in a similar boat in many ways. Are you finding places with sufficient internet? That often seems to be the challenge. If you haven’t already checked them out, Cherie and Chris of Technomadia (http://www.technomadia.com/) have some very solid info on this. Have you considered doing some workcamping? That’s something we’ll be looking into down the road. All the best, Joey & Karen

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Karen L Crayk
9/8/2016 13:56:12

I really wish we had some kind of talents that we could work like that.. but alas, we are getting up there 60 soon and my husband has a bad back so not able to do manual labor.. I work for State Government so not really able to transfer my job talents to the private sector.

Reply
The Roamans
9/21/2016 14:27:45

Hi Karen,

We know what it's like to be a bit stuck in terms of finding work on the road. It hasn't been easy by any means. I'd like to suggest workcamping to you and your husband, or being camp hosts. A lot of different RV parks offer both money and a place to camp for doing odd jobs like tending the front desk or doing office work. Being a camp host, too, allows you to travel and stay a few different places throughout the year. Just a suggestion :)

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