“I find it difficult to believe that people think I am special because I travel alone,” Joy says. “After my 31-year marriage fell apart, I found myself at loose ends. Following a trip with my brother and his wife, my sister-in-law asked me what I’d do if I could do anything. Without hesitation, I said, ‘Workamp!’

“She answered, “Do it!” That was the beginning of my exciting new journey. I ordered Workamper News, signed up for the Hotline, and immediately applied to work at Adventureland, a theme park in Des Moines, Iowa. What a big leap of faith! I didn’t even own an RV!”

A quick reply from Adventureland in October asked Joy to interview in Mercedes, Texas, in January. She began preparation for her new life, including dispersing 31 years of “stuff,” and selling her house. Her brother and sister-in-law loaded up their camper to take Joy to her interview in Mercedes. She landed a job as a games operator, starting in April.

“It was real....I was going to be a Workamper!” Joy says. In the meantime, she needed work until she traveled to Iowa. She had found and applied for a job as a store clerk on Workamper Hotline at a motel in the Texas Big Bend area. Answers to her prayers came all in one day. A Realtor brought a buyer for her house, and the manager of Big Bend Motor Inn called and offered her a job as a waitress.

Joy had worked several jobs in her adult life, ranging from office manager in a family business to head librarian in a small Texas town to operations manager of a Fred’s Store. But never had she worked as a waitress. “I was excited and scared at the same time!” Joy says. “I asked my brother's opinion, and he and my sister-in-law said, ‘Go for it!’ Time had been standing still and suddenly, it was moving fast. I had to buy an RV.”

Joy owned a 1999 F-150, and she had her eye on a 2002 26'-foot travel trailer with a couch slide. She drove into Fort Worth, about two hours from her home, and bought the trailer. The next day, she took delivery in a rain storm at rush hour traffic.

“I figured if I could drive in Fort Worth’s heavy traffic in the rain, I could pull that trailer anywhere!” Joy says. “That evening I loaded all the stuff I had set aside by my front door. On January 29th 2005, with my little dog Ellie beside me, I pulled out of my driveway on my way to a new life.

“At Big Bend, I made my first Workamper friends, and found that I’m a decent waitress. The Big Bend Motor Inn is isolated. Even though the place looks like a convenience store, it’s clean and offers great food in good portions. I returned in 2006 for the same two months. Spring break is busy around Big Bend National Park.”

In the spring, Joy headed for Adventureland. “I was not the only solo lady there, and it was nice to meet other women who didn’t let their circumstances stop them,” she continues. “Margaret Bushon became one of my first friends. Her husband died about the time I filed for divorce. Margaret downsized her 5th wheel, and continued full-timing. Adventureland was her first paying Workamper job. We both worked in games at the park, but rarely worked the same area.

“I learned so much from Margaret, including how to take my hot water heater apart and put it back together! The friends I made at Adventureland will always hold a special place in my heart. In September while still in Iowa, I traded in my 26' Jayco for a 28' Jay Flight with a front kitchen and a super slide,” Joy goes on. “While I signed papers, Workamper friends moved me from one trailer to the other.”

Adventureland Park has three game areas with a dozen games in each one. Before her season ended, Joy worked all the games. “When someone wanted to play, we explained the game, took their money, and handed out prizes,” she says. “The hardest part of the job was standing in a small area for hours.” Adventureland’s employee canteen offered good food at a reasonable cost. Joy look forward to meal breaks and some interaction in the canteen with the local young people hired by the park.

“The Workampers had attended weekly pool parties and numerous pot lucks. Together, we had ridden a train, visited the zoo, and floated down a river on inner tubes,” Joy says, noting that she had become close friends with many. “Leaving was sad.”

Before Joy left Adventureland, a couple offered her a job working for See's Candies in Fort Worth during November and December. She has worked this job during the holidays for three years.

See's is a California based company. They ship two carts, a round gondola, and a cash wrap with a register and a fax machine to mall locations. Joy says one of the most important parts of her job is giving out candy samples. And once again, the hardest is standing for long hours.

The first two seasons, Joy, in See’s official uniform—an old-fashioned white dress with a big black bow, worked as a key person, meaning she held keys to the stock room and could open or close for the team leader. She worked in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, allowing her to spend Christmas with her family. However, in 2007, Joy worked in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as an assistant team leader.

“My campground was 13 miles from the mall in Louisiana, and I had to drive in city traffic,” Joy says. “Yet, the hardest part was being away from my family at Christmas. But friends are one of the beautiful side benefits of Workamping, and a friend I had met in Yellowstone invited me to join her family on Christmas Day.”

In 2006, Joy spent the summer working in Yellowstone National Park at Grants Village General Store for the concessioner, Delaware North. She parked her trailer in the employee campground and watched elk roam in her yard. Several times during her stay, snow transformed the fir trees into a Christmas card scene.

Joy worked as counter support at the Village Grill inside the store, comparable to working the counter at a fast food restaurant. “It was not exactly my dream job, but living in Yellowstone for a summer made up for the hectic pace of the grill, especially when bus loads of people arrived at once,” she says. “I ran the register, cleaned tables, and made gallons of coffee.”

Delaware North hires a combination of foreign college students and older folks. “Only three or four older people per shift worked the grill,” Joy says. “Mostly, they worked out in the store. I enjoyed the young people, often having three different languages swirling over my head. It was an interesting cultural experience.”

In 2007, Joy worked at America’s Best Campground in Branson, Missouri, from March through October. “Branson is a wonderful place to live and work,” she says. “America's Best Campground has won the Good Sam Welcome Mat Award for the past five years.

“The staff greeted me with open arms,” she continues. “The co-owner, Sue Alkire found me through my Awesome Applicant resume. I had never worked in a campground before, but I loved meeting people from behind the front desk “I love my lifestyle!” Joy adds. “I’ve had some awesome times traveling to and from Workamper jobs in different areas of the country. While I’ve been invited back every place I’ve worked, I want to keep moving forward to see the beautiful places in our country.”

Joy Ethridge has documented her experiences and tips for solo RVing and Workamping in a book titled Yes, You Can, Full-Time RVing for the Single Person.