I'm 81 and live in my RV for half the year. I didn't save enough for retirement, so I stay afloat by 'work camping' and DoorDash driving.

Tech Insider : Economy, Business, Travel
Richard Smith
Richard Smith work camps for half of the year in New Hampshire.

Richard Smith

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Richard Smith, 81, who works part-time for the campground where he lives for half of the year and part-time driving for DoorDash. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Dream of quitting the corporate world? 6 work campers tell us what life is really like on the road

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Laurie and Matt DuShane with their RV and truck.
Laurie and Matt DuShane began work-camping in 2021 after Matt dealt with medical issues that caused him to leave his job.

Courtesy of Laurie DuShane

Why this couple ditched their home and regular jobs to live full-time in an RV — and how it's working 5 years later

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy, Business
Victoria Childers and Lamont Landrum with their RV and Jeep at a campground.
Victoria Childers and Lamont Landrum Jr. have been "work-camping" since 2021.

Courtesy of Victoria Childers

My family took our 90-year-old grandma on an RV camping trip. It reminded us to never underestimate older relatives.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The writer and her grandmother on a camping trip in Pennsylvania.
caption TK

Erica Marin Schwartz

30 vintage photos show how different camping used to be

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
vintage camping 50s
Camping in the '50s involved bringing a hammer.

Harry Kerr/Stringer/Getty Images

My family of 5 took an RV trip in New Zealand for a week. We saved money on groceries and free campsites and splurged on sightseeing.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author and her family in Queenstown standing on a balcony overlooking a body of water.
The author and her family spent over a week in New Zealand traveling in an RV.

Courtesy of Melissa Noble

I let campers rent part of my backyard from $70 a night. It helps pay our high home maintenance costs.

Tech Insider : Travel
Rocki and Myles McCrocklin pose together in their backyard.
Rocki and Myles McCrocklin added a second RV camping spot to their Bend, Oregon home after the first proved successful.

Courtesy of Rocki McCrocklin

Vintage photos show what cross-country road trips looked like in the 1960s

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
mount rushmore
Cars pulled up to the parking lot in front of Mount Rushmore in the 1960s.

A.C. Shelton/ClassicStock/Getty Images

I've camped across the US with my 5 kids. Here's how to make your kids love camping.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
Victoria Marie Lees on a camping trip with her five young children
The author has taken her five children on several camping trips.

Courtesy of William Lees

My family of 5 went camping in Maine. Having a kid-friendly campsite made things easier.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
Woman posing by a tent
The author stayed in a canvas tent with her three kids in Southern Maine.

Courtesy of the author

Subscribe to Camping