RV Road Trip Budget Expense Report, November 2008

When we began our sabbatical, I had no idea that we’d be still be on the road six months past our original “year off” scenario. But thanks to crafty money saving tactics like workamping and free campgrounds, we’ve been able to stretch our finances and live frugally enough to keep us on the road until at least May of ’09. We are presently under budget …

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Workamping for Small Businesses: Are You a Good Fit?

Workamping job duties Vickers Ranch COWorkamping is great; work a few hours a week in exchange for no rent and other perks like free laundry. Sometimes you even get a small salary too. But if you’re a fulltimer who’s thinking about applying for workamping jobs in order to save money, there are some important things to consider before sending out your resume.

What kind of work environment are you most comfortable in?

Are you someone who craves structure? Do you work best when you act as one integral cog in a large corporate machine? Are you more comfortable when working within a well-defined job description? If the answer to all of these is “Yes”, then perhaps you should focus your search on large organizations, like State and National Parks.

Because workamping job descriptions can sound identical from place to place, but how those jobs are managed from the top down can make all the difference in the world when it comes to your happiness, and that of your co-workers’.

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Complete our survey for free Fodors book!


Fodor's Essential USA Road Trips Travel GuideThe fine folks at Fodor’s have sent us a few copies of their new Essential USA road trip travel guide. And you might just get one of them!

Simply complete our blog survey below to help us make LiveWorkDream better for you. Random winners will be chosen from all who reply to receive a free copy of this great guide to the most spectacular cities, natural wonders, and road trips in the USA.

We’ve been meaning to do this survey since our first state of the blog address. But so many questions … what a pain, for us and you! This new Essential USA travel guide from Fodor’s is the perfect incentive. We have a few copies we need to get rid of – and not that many readers – so your chances of winning are pretty good!

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Lessons Learned (Vol. 42)

digital trailer brake controller installationIf you’re going to spend just a couple thousand dollars – or the rest of your life – in a travel trailer, do yourself a favor and invest the extra money on a decent electronic brake controller. You might just save yourself from a complete brake system overhaul.

We discovered the hard way that a good digital controller can make all the difference in the world, compared to the cheap pendulum based controllers most RV dealers will install upon purchase of a trailer and hitch. Why they don’t try to upsell unsuspecting fulltimers – like they do with the special toilet paper, levels, wheel chocks, fridge fans and all the other “necessities” – is simply beyond me. But buyer beware, a good brake controller is well worth the money!

After we replaced the brakes on our truck, and discovered we had cooked them, I adjusted our trailer brakes tighter thinking they might be worn out. The opposite was true … we hadn’t been using them!

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