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mckinley
Aug 29, 2007, 12:39 PM
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Does anyone have suggestions for making money while on an (possibly indefinitely) extended road trip? I figure with all of the climbers on this site, surely some of us are making a living on the road somehow.
Labor Ready and NPS concession service jobs aside, are there creative ways to make it happen? Would having a laptop help?
All suggestions welcome!
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Gmburns2000
Aug 29, 2007, 1:28 PM
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mckinley wrote: Does anyone have suggestions for making money while on an (possibly indefinitely) extended road trip? I figure with all of the climbers on this site, surely some of us are making a living on the road somehow. Labor Ready and NPS concession service jobs aside, are there creative ways to make it happen? Would having a laptop help? All suggestions welcome!
Sell it.
And no, a laptop would actually be detrimental.
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binrat
Aug 29, 2007, 1:40 PM
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Sell your body for medical experiments or waiting on tables ina greasy spoon.
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on_belay_hombre
Aug 29, 2007, 1:59 PM
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Go with "rediculous craft peddler":
examples include growing your hair long and occassionally cutting locks of it, braiding it and attaching to a keychain ring to be sold for 50 cents a piece just outside major National parks... OR ...glueing rocks from various climbing locations into mini-take-home-cairnes that offer the purchaser a more "outdoorsy" alternative to marking important location in their home or office...Not sure what the sell value would be...
On a more serious note, I heard waiting tables makes good money and most places need people for that, especially any tourist-infested town. You can work a couple days a week and make plenty to live off of, especially if you live out of your car and eat ramen...and still have plenty of time for climbing.
The only experience I can speak from is working on a farm one summer near the gunks (not exactly road trip, but close). They let me sleep in the kitchen of the aparment attached to the barn in exchange for teaching horse riding lessons and about $100 a week. I worked 5 days a week till 3 pm then hit the rocks. I think farms are a little more labor intensive than waiting tables though...but i guess beggars cant be choosers. =P
Living on the road for real though has always been a goal of mine, im curious to see what other people have got to say....
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gunkspider
Aug 29, 2007, 2:03 PM
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You can sell semen and blood plasma.
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jcrew
Aug 29, 2007, 2:06 PM
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get yourself a curb kit.
you know, go around and paint addresses on people's curbs for $5 or $10. all you need is white and black spray paint and stencils.
or go down and stand with the Mexicans. it's the low-key labor ready with no middle man in your pocket.
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breaksnclimbs
Aug 29, 2007, 2:17 PM
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jcrew wrote: or go down on the Mexicans.
Uhh . . . I'm sure this is what you meant .
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zealotnoob
Aug 29, 2007, 3:32 PM
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I want a desk cairn! You can keep your nappy hair though  .
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on_belay_hombre
Aug 29, 2007, 3:37 PM
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I knew i should have picked up more yosemite talus chunks...
nappy? pfft....
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Basta916
Aug 29, 2007, 4:13 PM
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jcrew wrote: get yourself a curb kit. you know, go around and paint addresses on people's curbs for $5 or $10. all you need is white and black spray paint and stencils. or go down and stand with the Mexicans. it's the low-key labor ready with no middle man in your pocket.
or you can wait to inherit a millions and than hit a road
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climbingaggie03
Aug 29, 2007, 4:22 PM
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There's always labor, you might also be able to get work in some climbing areas like yosemite by hauling loads for people. Carryng haul bags sucks, but if it keeps you climbing...
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mckinley
Aug 29, 2007, 5:11 PM
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Hmmm..i was hoping for ideas more along the lines of internet work (as it can be done from anywhere) or something less painful than selling body parts or going down on Mexicans.
Maybe i could follow the last remnants of the Grateful Dead and sell tofu wraps or something...
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Gmburns2000
Aug 29, 2007, 5:19 PM
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mckinley wrote: Hmmm..i was hoping for ideas more along the lines of internet work (as it can be done from anywhere) or something less painful than selling body parts or going down on Mexicans. Maybe i could follow the last remnants of the Grateful Dead and sell tofu wraps or something...
No. Sell it.
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mckinley
Aug 29, 2007, 5:24 PM
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No. Sell it.
It's not worth much. Maybe 2 tanks of gas, 3 at most.
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midwestpaul
Aug 29, 2007, 9:08 PM
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Physician recruiting. All you need is internet and a laptop. Skype for phones. not that I would reccomend getting into it.
if you're good, a rock shoe cobbler.
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stymingersfink
Aug 29, 2007, 10:58 PM
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mckinley wrote: Does anyone have suggestions for making money while on an (possibly indefinitely) extended road trip? I figure with all of the climbers on this site, surely some of us are making a living on the road somehow. Labor Ready and NPS concession service jobs aside, are there creative ways to make it happen? Would having a laptop help? All suggestions welcome!
AVOID TRYING TO WHORE YOURSELF OUT ON STREET CORNERS!!!
The last time I did that, I ended up owing money 
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crazy_fingers84
Aug 29, 2007, 11:19 PM
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you can always get a job at miguel's, that is if you are gonna be around the red.
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stymingersfink
Aug 30, 2007, 5:11 AM
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reno wrote: stymingersfink wrote: Well, I for one would have to suggest:
AVOID TRYING TO WHORE YOURSELF OUT ON STREET CORNERS!!! The last time I did that, I ended up owing money Agreed. I tried it and came home with $253.75 after a couple hours of work. Missus Reno asked me "Who gave you seventy-five cents?" "Everyone." 
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mckinley
Aug 30, 2007, 5:38 PM
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Thanks for all the feedback. Aside from a couple feasible recommendations, it seems like i better plan on marrying rich.
That said, here's my next post: Any wealthy, single, travel-lovin', rock climbing females out there who want to get married?
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markc
Aug 30, 2007, 6:26 PM
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mckinley wrote: Hmmm..i was hoping for ideas more along the lines of internet work (as it can be done from anywhere) or something less painful than selling body parts or going down on Mexicans. Maybe i could follow the last remnants of the Grateful Dead and sell tofu wraps or something...
Here's the thing: Nobody knows your skills but you. Maybe you have coding skills, or you're a photographer, or you're qualified to teach and spend all summers on roadtrips. If your questions aren't more precise how do you expect detailed answers?
I know people that have done freelance design work, those that write code, etc. Several have worked from home, and could have done their jobs anywhere with wifi and cell coverage.
I worked with guys that would go to Labor Ready when we were off. It's not necessarily easy work, but it pays okay for someone dirtbagging, and you have no commitment whatsoever. As I understand it, you get extra cash if you drive other people to the job site. If you're not needed that day, you have the whole day in front of you. As others have said, less formal modes of day labor exist.
If you're willing to commit to one location for a little while and you can be semi-presentable, the restaurant suggestion is a good one. A lot of the work is evenings and weekends. Evenings are good, as you can spend your days at the crag. Weekends are better, as you won't be competing with us weekend warriors for climbs. You can try waiting tables or tending bar, but it's doubtful you'll get premium shifts without experience.
Another guy I know worked as a river guide. He made about $50 a day. If you're qualified, you could do that (or some other type of guide work) on the weekends and have weekdays to yourself.
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mckinley
Aug 30, 2007, 8:13 PM
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markc
I hear what you're saying about the skill set issue. I was keeping my personal skills vague on purpose 'cause i wanted to see a broad cross section of potential ideas i may not have thought about.
I've been thinking about this for a while and always seem to come back to the same ideas--waiting tables, day labor, etc. I was just curious to see how other climbers more creative than myself might be making it...even if i couldn't personally do what they do (say freelance engineering consultant.)
But thanks for your input-- i definitely see what you're saying.
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happiegrrrl
Aug 31, 2007, 3:33 AM
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....If you're willing to work, and good at spontaneous social networking, you'll probably find opportunities will present themsleves: Handyperson around the house/ small business, painter or asst. to someone who runs a paint biz (interior/exterior), other types of residentail service small business' that might need a guy once in a while, but don't have enough work to hire a full timer, things like that.
Ther are networks for WOOFing, which is working on farms for a bit of food and a place to stay(search and you'll find info. Tribe.net is a place to start. I know they have at least a WOOFing tribe, andsome resources listed in the threads). They thing about thse, from what I gather, is that it's better if you're actually interested in the work... and not just trying to get off with the minimum input so you can do your thing.
Tribe.net has a lot of tribs that might be of interest to someone seeking a vagabond lifestyle....
Another HUGE resource I came across is this one:
http://www.digihitch.com. It's for people hitching around the place and the transient lifestyle. It does tend to have a......well, sort of gypsy/druggie feel to it. But the ideas are there, and if you're looking for a less alt style of living, simply discard the tips about how to ...oh...you'll see....
Somewhere in that site(it really is very huge and a bit cumbersome to navigate, I find) was a thread where peole gave ideas on how they made some cash while out there. It was very much geared toward the busker (street entertainer) and druggy with the "help me/I'm homelss" sign. But even so - there were some ideas that sparked my imagination.
One of the utterly BEST was a guy who said he wanted to learn how to speak in a Shakespearian manner, and he'd go out in public squares and yell at the people in that manner of speaking.
I thought that was really an awesome idea(and would require some talent, to do it well). I mean....Imagine doing a bit with some suit pecking away on his Blackberry. The yuppie would put on such an "I don't acknowledge you" front, and the busker could just have AT it. Friggin' hilarious....
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dbrian56
Aug 31, 2007, 4:51 AM
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Starbucks. Even their part-time employees get some health benefits and it's easy to transfer to other towns where new rock is.
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