FRIDAY! Amazon Jobinar

Join us during this FREE online webinar to learn about the great Workamping opportunities available with Amazon in 2011. You will hear a presentation from Amazon HR, listen to first-hand experiences from other Workampers and have a chance to ask questions. CLICK HERE to register now.

Friday, June 3 at 11 a.m. PT/12 p.m. MT/1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET

SANTA’S HELPERS WANTED: Amazon is looking for several hundred Workampers starting October – December 2011! Come join us at this Jobinar session to learn more about Amazon’s holiday season and delivering gifts to our customers, in a fast paced and friendly work environment! You could help in any warehouse task, such as Receiving, Stowing and Shipping items. We offer complimentary sites with full hook-ups! We will also have previous Amazon Workampers on the Jobinar to share their experience with you! Feel free to also email us at seasonal-camper@amazon.com

Register to attend HERE. This webinar will be recorded and available for viewing later. If you need any assistance with registering for a webinar, attending a webinar, etc. please check out this page.

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Workamper Small Business

Mission:

To be a catalyst for success to the RVer who desires to run a small business.

Goals for Members–

• Develop creative and innovative small businesses;
• Provide outstanding leaders to promote high levels of achievement;
• Provide education to advance;
• Supply resources to gain knowledge;
• Suggest strategies for business promotion;
• Make available connections within the RVer community;
• Play an integral role in growing small businesses;
• Offer advertising opportunities;
• Stimulate our members to be the best they can be;
• Create Win-Win situations

Success Defined:  Number One priority should not be to make money, but to have a passion for what you are doing.  The business you develop should expand, not limit your freedom to enjoy traveling in your RV.  If you have the desire, passion and patience to establish a legal and ethical business that you can foresee yourself doing for years to come, then you will have the means to reap the benefits of increasing your standard of living while saving tax dollars.

Workamper Small Business will provide:

• enthusiasm
• encouragement
• accountability
• networking
• advisors
• consultants
• marketing
• advertising
• probability of success

Steps:

1.       Decide Type of Business

2.       Do homework; investigate options

3.       Develop a Business and Action Plan

4.       Don’t Do it Alone.

Investigate Your Options

Hear Mark Kohler’s presentation and, Steve Anderson’s introduction to Workamper Small Business.  Go for a free test drive for thirty days and see available resources provided at a discount to you!

Direct links given above may not work on all web browsers. For assistance in watching recorded webinars, go HERE.

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Workamper News Forums

Join the discussions on these hot topics!

• What did you do this “Memorial Day Weekend”? Tell us at the Workampers Forum.
• If you are researching employers, start at the Workamper Experiences Forum.
• Post your images at the Workamper Images Forum and check out the ones already there!
• Any ideas for “Banking” when your nearest branch is 100 miles away? Share yours at the General Workamping Forum
• What do you think about “Turning Off the Propane Tank While Traveling”? Yea or nay? Join in at the Fulltiming Forum.
• “Any Younger Solos out there?” Let’s hear from you at the Solo Workamping Forum.
• Check out the latest projects at DIY, Mods & Upgrades Forum. You can upload photos too!
• “Ants, ants, ants everywhere!!! Need your help!” More solutions. Take a look in the Workamper Interests and Hobbies forum.

Log in (or register at) Workamper Forums

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Caution:  A Few Deadlines Approaching!

The advertising deadline for the July/August issue of Workamper News is Friday, June 10th!  This includes Situation Wanted ads, which is on a first-come, first served basis.  You must be a Workamper member in order to place a free ad, which is limited to 30 words, but which is a very valuable part of membership.  You can fill out the form right on our website to place your Situation Wanted Ad.

Another deadline to watch out for is June 18th.  Please update your mailing address by June 18, 2011, in order to receive your next Workamper News issue on time and at the right address.

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In the Workamper News Store

You can find in current Number 2 position,  Arline Chandler’s Road Work II: The RVer’s Ultimate Income Resource Guide in the Store.

This book gives faces and personalities to real-life Workampers and the employers who hire them. Through their shared experiences and tips for finding productive and profitable jobs on the road, this guide is a springboard for an RVer’s imagination and ingenuity in seeking income earning opportunities compatible with individual interests. Paperback. 498 pages. $19.95

Here’s what Chuck Woodbury, editor of NewRVer.com has to say: “Oh my goodness. . . is this a piece of work! What an awesome book, just two pages shy of 500 pages. If an RVer looking for work on the road doesn’t find the advice or job they’re looking for here, well, then they’re probably unemployable. But seriously, this book goes well beyond the usual “how-to” advice (although it has plenty) to actually profile Workampers and the employers who hire them. In addition to entertaining glimpses into the working RVer’s lifestyle and viewpoints from employers, this book offers information on how to do your Workamping homework, how many hours of work should you expect to do in exchange for a campsite, how to get jobs outside campgrounds and how to operate an on-the-road business. Author Arline Chandler doesn’t miss a thing. Virtually every type of job is profiled from positions in national parks to those at Disney, golf courses, lodges, on cruise ships, in wildlife programs and countless other places. In addition, Chandler provides extensive information about volunteer positions, where Workampers can truly help enrich other peoples’ lives. This book is worth every penny of its price and more. You will love it.”

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Some RV Industry News You Can Use!

New Website for Consumer Generated Reviews and Ratings

Lesiure Interactive LLC and GuestRated LLC, has developed a full-featured consumer-generated review system for campgrounds and RV parks, reports RV Business.  Campers and RVers are now able to search for parks, read individual consumer comments and ratings, and submit their own campground reviews, enhancing the consumer trip planning experience along with access to book a campsite.  Park managers then have an opportunity to respond to reviews and connect with the online consumer.  Guest satisfaction is the goal.  To learn more about these tools, visit  Guest Reviews.

Statistical Surveys, Inc. reports on RV Sales—

Year-over-year retail sales of towable RVs fell 3% in March while showing a 4.4% increase for the first quarter, according to Statistical Surveys Inc. (SSI). [It was suggested by some that the bad weather had an impact on it.]

Most segments showed just slight declines for the month compared with 2010 while sales of folding camping trailers dropped 14%. Quarterly totals indicated a flat market across the board.

By segment sales in March and for the first three months were as follows:

* Travel trailer sales fell 1.7% for the month and rose 5.9% for the first quarter.
* Fifth-wheel sales were down 3.5% in March and up 3% for the quarter.                
* Folding camping trailer sales decreased 2.7% for the first three months.
* Park model sales declined 4.8% in March and 5.5% for the quarter.

Summary
• Motorhome retail registrations in the U.S. fell 1% in March. Class A registrations decreased 2%, while Class C registrations were unchanged. The late arrival of spring in most regions was probably a headwind to retail sales in the month.

• Gas/Diesel: Class A-Diesel registrations fell 24% while Class A-Gas registrations increased 21%.

RVIA reported May 27, 2011 about APRIL sales, as follows:

Wholesale shipments of 24,600 units to retailers were reported by manufacturers in the April 2011 Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) monthly survey, the same total for April the year prior.

RVIA reported that on a seasonally adjusted basis, shipments in April were at an annual rate of 242,100 units, 6.3% lower than the previous month. Towable RVs were slightly lower than April last year while motorhomes were slightly higher.

Year to date, shipments of all RVs through April were at 89,700 units, up 6.2% overall. Each product type reported shipment totals above this period last year except folding camping trailers.

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California in the RV News

Reported on May 17, 2011 by RV Business PR Newsletter—

California state parks officials recently announced the closure of 70 parks because of the state budget deficit, according to a report in the Sacramento Bee. Gov. Jerry Brown’s January budget plan proposed reducing the state parks budget by $22 million.The Legislature in March approved $11 million in cuts to state parks and $10 million in cuts to off- highway vehicle parks in the next fiscal year, with $22 million in cuts to state parks in future years.

The California State Parks System was directed to identify which parks would close based on attendance rates and historical significance. The department operates more than 270 state park units covering more than 1.4 million acres.

The department at first said service reductions will begin over the summer and closures will begin in September, but later announced that the parks will not be fully closed until July 1, 2012. The cuts have not yet been signed by Brown, so a final list could grow or shrink based on the actions the Legislature takes to close the budget deficit.

Parks officials said they tried to protect the most significant cultural and natural resources, while maintaining the parks that provided the most public access and state revenue. In addition, the department intends to seek partnership agreements with local governments and non-profits in attempt to keep some of the parks open. They said 92% of total park attendance will be retained and 94% of existing revenues even with the closures.

Reported on May 20, 2011 by RV Business   

With budget cuts threatening to force the shutdown of 70 California state parks, the state Assembly on Thursday (May 19) unanimously approved legislation making it easier for nonprofit groups to take over operations at some parks.

Huffman, the chairman of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife, has previously said the planned closings would be “devastating for park visitors throughout the state.”

State parks officials last week announced that $33 million in budget cuts passed by the Legislature in March would force the state to close 70 of California’s 278 parks, beaches and historic areas around the state as of July 2012. They said they would seek partnerships with local governments and nonprofits to keep some open, but they noted that the process to partner with a nonprofit to operate a park was complicated and in the past has required special legislation.

Without operating agreements, the state plans to close park sites across the state, from Pacific Coast beaches and redwood groves to Gold Rush-era mining sites in the Sierra Nevada and mansions in Sacramento.

Officials noted that the $99 million budget from the state’s general fund for parks in 2012-2013 is 40% less than the agency received in 2007-2008, and that about 500 of the 2,300 authorized parks jobs are vacant. About 200 more workers would be affected by the planned closings, but some could be transferred to vacant positions.

While the bill still must clear the Senate, the California State Parks Foundation is hopeful that it offers another avenue to keep parks open, said president Elizabeth Goldstein. The group is a sponsor of Huffman’s bill.

Operating agreements with nonprofits “would be an important short-term step to protect these parks,” she said.

“We’ve been hearing from organizations that are very interested” in partnerships with the state to run various parks, Goldstein said, and the foundation itself also will look at whether it makes sense to pursue an agreement with the state.

California State Parks director Ruth Coleman said last week that the state was eager to explore ways to preserve the parks slated for closure, but there would be a learning curve.

Several other bills that would encourage partnerships to operate state parks are pending in legislative committees or on the Assembly floor.