People assume that once you retire and hit the road in an RV, the working part of life is over for good. For some folks it is, and good for them. For a lot of us, the truth sits somewhere in the middle.

Debbie and I know plenty of full-timers who still earn a little here and there. Not because anybody is making them punch a clock, but because a bit of income, and honestly a bit of purpose, makes the whole life easier to keep going.

There is no one right answer here. Some retire all the way, some never quite do, and both can be exactly the right call.

We came across a short video that talks this through better than I can, so give it a watch when you have a few minutes.

Why some of us keep working

The first reason is the obvious one. It stretches the budget. We learned the hard way that life on the road is not free, and a little money coming in covers more fuel, more nights parked somewhere nice, and the repairs that always seem to find you. We get into that side of things in our notes on the real cost of full-time RV living.

The second reason surprised me. A lot of folks keep working a bit simply because they like having something to do. After thirty years of getting up and going to a job, an empty calendar can feel strange. A few hours of work gives the week a shape.

The kinds of work that travel well

Not every job fits in a motorhome, but more do than you would think.

• Workamping. Many campgrounds and RV parks trade a free site, and sometimes a little pay, for a few hours of help each week. We have friends who spend a whole season this way and love it.
• Remote and online work. If you can do it with a laptop and a decent signal, you can do it from the road. This is a far bigger world than it was when we started.
• Seasonal gigs. Harvest season, holiday shipping, national park concessions. Short, busy stretches that leave the rest of the year open.
• Selling what you make. Plenty of travelers sell crafts, photos, or know-how. Debbie keeps threatening to sell her quilts, and one of these days she might.

The part that is not about money

Here is the thing I did not expect. The working folks we meet on the road are often the most content. Not because of the paycheck, but because a little responsibility keeps you sharp and keeps you talking to people.

If you are weighing the whole leap, the honest pros and cons in our piece on going RV full time are worth a read, because how you handle money and time is a big part of whether this life sticks.

How we think about it

For us, the goal was never to work, and it was never to do absolutely nothing either. It was freedom to choose. Some months we take on a little something. Other months we do not, and we sit and watch the sun go down without a thought about Monday.

That choice, more than anything, is what retirement on the road gave us. If a bit of work keeps you out here longer, then it is not really work at all. It is just part of the adventure.