Camp Hosting Review

Since starting our travels, we have done work trade exchanges though Workaway, Wwoof, and now completed our first position as camp host. Here is our review.

As with any job, there are pros and cons. In this post I will try to list both and even things that we may not have experienced, but one might encounter should they decide to do something like this as well.

Typical camp host positions last for several months to a year. Many times once someone has been a host at a particular spot and they and their “employer” are happy with each other, they will typically have first choice to comeback as host the following year before opening the position up to new applicants.

That’s not to say there is a shortage of hosting opportunities. Although it could mean you might need to be more flexible on what you apply for and what is available to you.

When we applied, we didn’t know anything about being a camp host except what we had seen or the little amount of questions we may have had for other camp host throughout all the years of camping.

The idea of being a camp host seemed pretty self explanatory, and we know we like doing new things; so this was an opportunity to do just that. We started searching the web and soon found a position that looked very interesting.

I am very pleased to say that this has been another family travel experience that we are happy to have done!

First off we are lucky that our “employer” accepted us on a shorter than typical length of time. It allowed us to try camp hosting out, while allowing us to go out and travel again after being there for 3 months.

Our responsibilities were pretty easy and many times enjoyable. There was never anything too difficult, too time consuming, or too heavy to lift. There are some camp host jobs that do require some heavier lifting, but it will be noted in the job description, and/ or when you talk to the “employer” about the position. Some camp host positions also require a substantial amount of hours worked per day or per week. So finding a position that you can realistically fulfill is something to keep in mind if considering hosting.

We did things like light mowing and weed eating, cleaning of 2 bathrooms, monthly meter readings, internet connectivity, and helping guest.

The perks to being a camp host at the place we were at included a free R.V. site with full hook-ups, internet, shower and laundry. They were also okay with us having Bob there. In fact they really liked him as well as pretty much all the other guest there.

The best part of all, and what we will remember the most, is the people and friends we met. The owners of the campground were wonderful and down to earth. Not only did they invite us to there family reunion, but they also brought in a live band for the community on Fourth of July weekend. We sincerely appreciate their kindness, welcoming us as a family, and as first time camp host.

There was also a store on site, and we got to know the wonderful ladies who worked there, Their friendship was very much appreciated. The time spent getting to know other campers was delightful as well. I really didn’t expect so many of them to want to have good conversations with us, but they did! We got to know linemen, nurses, researchers, photographers, a PCT hiker, a miner, a fire truck support couple, and other people out on vacation.

We all had a great time getting to know people and exchanging information and stories, and the kids learned more about life from these interactions.

One person imparticular that we all learned so much from was the man who lived across the street. I appreciated how he valued the kids and talked directly to them vs. just seeing them as “kids” by their parents side when the “adults” were talking.

After hosting I realize that besides these wonderful interactions, we also lucked out with a small campground. The campground we hosted at had 22 sites plus 3 sleeping cabins. Because of this, our first time experience was much more enjoyable. We didn’t feel overwhelmed with a ton of campers coming in and out of the camp ground. Going for a larger campground when we had never done this before could have made us feel like we bite off more than we could have handled, and may have degrades our experience.

I don’t think any other camp hosting gig that we might take in the future will ever compare to this one. Although this one has made us want to try more. Is camp hosting something you would try? Do you have any questions about it for us? Let us know in the comments below.