Making Dough Part 1: Camping Rentals
No matter how far off the grid or removed from society you decide to live, you will always need money. Property taxes, equipment, animal feed, all of these things take money. And while you might be able to escape most expenses, some, like taxes, are simply unavoidable. Besides, it is never a bad idea to have money for those unexpected expenses.
So how do you make money when you live off the grid? In this 5 article series, I am going to look at what I consider to be the best 5 ways to make income off the grid. I am not going to talk about an outside job, though this may be an option for you. My focus is on ways to make money from the off-grid lifestyle itself. Some of these will take a little planning and even financial investment to get started. Some can be done with little to no up front cost and very little extra effort beyond what you already do.
Camping Rental Overview
We recently started offering camping on our Southeast Missouri homestead. I actually got the idea from Online Land Sales as they are preparing to launch an RV camping program:
https://store.onlinelandsales.com/RV_Income_s/2521.htm
After seeing this, I started to do some research and found another site called HipCamp:
https://www.hipcamp.com/
This is the biggest and oldest site of its kind. The purpose of this site is to enable landowners the ability to rent our portions of their property for camping. It’s like AirBNB for camping. I signed up and got my first guest in less than 24 hours! Hipcamp takes 10% and you get 90%, all direct deposited into your bank account or PayPal the Tuesday following your guest stay. So it has the potential to be weekly income. You can set your own pricing, add extras, and more. Getting started is VERY easy, and there is no cost beyond the 10% commission.
What To Offer:
We offer primitive tent camping and RV camping. We offer water, an outhouse, and Wifi.We also offer several extras. Hipcamp does not require you to offer any of this if your property is at least 20 acres. If your property is under 20 acres, they do require you to offer a toilet. The rest is not required at all, but will increase your income potential.
Extras can be any number of things. Get creative. It can be an experience, camping gear, merchandise, or just about anything else. Some of the extras that we offer are:
Rental:
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30lb propane tank
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Tent
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Portable generator
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Drone
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Fishing Gear
Goods:
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Farm fresh eggs
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Fresh Milk
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Fresh Produce
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Firewood
Experiences:
The list of options is endless and can take your $10-20 a night campsite to $40, $60, even $100 a night.
Getting Started:
This could not be an easier income generator to get moving. Simply sign up for Hipcamp at
hipcamp.com/r/wolfb, create your listing, and make sure your site(s) are ready. You can share your listings on social media to help boost visibility. Really want to market your sites? Consider building a website (pm me if you would like advice on that) or placing Google ads.
Things To Know & Consider
There are a few things you should know before launching your camping venture. First and foremost, check your local laws and your property covenants. In most places, you can rent a limited amount of space on your property without a permit and without violating any laws or covenants. In some places, you cannot do this at all without being a licensed campground, which would break most covenants. Just know the law.
For example, in my area you do not need a permit or license to run a campground. You run your campground as either a hobby part time, or as a business. In our covenants, we are allowed 1 single family home per 5 acres of land but there is nothing specific about allowing campers on our property. We own 83 acres and have created 5 campsites. This may be very different for you, so do your homework. Here is a great place to start:
https://www.acacamps.org/resource-library/state-laws-regulations
In terms of covenants, talk to your land company. They can confirm for you if this kind of venture will be allowed or not and if so, what restrictions would exist.
Insurance is another important consideration. This is why we like Hipcamp. They include 1 million dollars of liability insurance and up to $10,000 in property damage insurance. They do not charge you extra for this as this is part of the 10% commission you pay them. If you go with someone that does not offer this insurance, or you decide to go it alone, I strongly advise you to have insurance in place before your first guest arrives. One camper getting hurt on your property could be financial ruin if you do not have insurance.
Conclusion
Offering camping sites is a great way to earn a little extra income off your homestead. You can make it as primitive or as fancy as you like. There are plenty of people that love primitive camping, and many that prefer glamping. Still many others prefer something in between. The type of camping you offer depends on how much land you have, how much you are willing to invest, and how much effort you are able to put in. Find the model that works for you!
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