Copyright Janet Groene 2026
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Need a free vacation?
Burned Out? Seven Tips on
SCORING A SABBATICAL
Do you need a break from your job to take an extended RV adventure?
Taking time off is one thing. Getting a sabbatical leave is another. It is a real benefit offered by more and more employers. Depending on company policies, it may be paid or unpaid, lengthy or limited.
It may come with requirements such as taking a course or otherwise improving your value to the employer. A science teacher, for example, may be required to visit museums with science exhibits. An English teacher may have to write a book.
A sabbatical is usually offered every seven years but rules vary. Some employers now offer them more frequently. The advantage to a sabbatical compared to other leaves is that this lapse in your employment doesn’t affect your other rights to, say, a pension, promotions, retirement, job title or seniority.
1. Don’t rely on office scuttlebutt. Sit down with your Human Resources contact and ask if a sabbatical is available. Find out if you are eligible for this benefit and exactly how you can get it.
2. Get details on paper so you’ll have a to-do checklist, budget and timeline. There may be deadlines for submitting your request and other milestones along the way.
3. Start planning months and preferably a year ahead. The application process may require a detailed description of how you will spend the time, where and what costs will be. It also gives your employer time to plan for your absence.
4. What arrangements have to be made with your room mates, landlord and personal and family duties while you’re away?
5. Make campground reservations where possible. They are very hard to get at many private, state and national parks.. Advance reservations are also a must if you’ll be taking a Caravan or Road Scholar trip in your RV.
6. Establish contact with key players you’ll meet during your sabbatical. For example, as a teacher you may be required to visit certain museums, historic sites or archaeological digs. If you contact say, the public information office or docent or project manager in advance you’ll have an “in”. On the other hand, if the sabbatical is to be for self fulfillment, totally unrelated to your high pressure job, you may need to sign up for a writing or art course.
7. Prepare your RV for the kind of trip this will be. You may need a different roadside service policy, trip insurance, maintenance schedules. If you are about to be due for new tires, batteries and other renewables, get that out of the way before the meter starts ticking on your precious sabbatical time.
Many guides are available online and in book stores to shepherd you through the personal, financial and legal aspects of this wonderful work benefit. The journey begins with your own employer and the exact terms that apply.
GIVE THE GIFT OF FREEDOM TO a Retiree, Empty Nester, Suddenly Single, New Graduate or Burned Out Colleague
We full-timed for 10 great years. We describe it, warts and all, from early beginning to a happy RV ending when we became part-timers again.
Do you dream of living and traveling in a complete home on wheels? Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition by Janet Groene & Gordon Groene is a total guide to the full-time life on wheels. Should you sell the house or rent it out? Downsize possessions or put them in storage? Too young to retire? See our chapter on ways to make a living anywhere. Kids on board? We cover home schooling and also an exit strategy if and when the time comes. Order at any book store or let Amazon gift wrap and ship it for you. https://amzn.to/29XFEkq
NEW AND FUTURE RV PARKS & CAMPGROUNDS
Southern Roots RV Park and Campground is coming to La Grange, North Carolina. The 80-acre, family-owned campground will have electric hookups but no bathrooms nor showers, at least not yet. Future plans call for a dog park, a sandy beach on the Neuse River, walking trails and a gathering ground to be known as The Yard, where live music will be offered. We couldn’t find a website nor an opening date. Learn more about this historic area and the many things to do and see here at LaGrangeNC.com/
Newly opened in Arizona, the Flagstaff Mountain RV & Campground has full hookups, free high speed Wi-Fi, a convenience store and private bathrooms with shower. (928) 393-4652
New since late last year in the Panhandle, Pike Pond RV Park in Alford, Florida is a 20-acre spread with a motocross track and 12 full hookup sites for RV’s. Planned activities, hiking trails and , cliff-top lookouts. A Dollar General is just across the road. Contact PinePondRVPark@gmail.com/
A new county campground recently opened in Freehold, New Jersey. Turkey Swamp Park has 64 shaded campsites, most of them reserve-able (two night minimum). A dozen sites are saved for first-come arrivals. The park also has cabins, modern showers and laundry and a dump station. Campsites have a fire ring and picnic table. The park has a lake, fishing, playground, picnic areas and paddleboat rentals. Campsite reservations (732) 462-7286.
In McConnelsville, Ohio, Jesse Owens State Park has a new visitor center and a new campground with cabins and 50 full hookup RV sites. The park's Big Muskie Campground has a camp store, modern showers and a playground. See OhioDNR.gov/
The newest Love’s Travel Stop is in Quinton, Alabama, at Exit 70 off I-122. The stop has RV hookups, a dog park, eat-in and take-out foods, showers and a laundry,
The new Twin City RV Park IS next to the fairgrounds in Centralia, Washington. The park has 47 RV sites. Walk to nearby restaurants and a shopping center. See TwinCityPark.com/
CHANGES, UPGRADES, NEW OWNERS
Loon Lake RV Park in Chestertown, New York has new owners. Proceed with caution. When I went to the old website I received a privacy alert and did not open it. Check with local tourism sites such as VisitAdirondacks.com/
A big expansion is in the works at the Jellystone Camp Resort in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. An additional 62 sites, a swimming pool and upgrades at existing sites will be added to the park, which has 280 campsites and planned activities every day. Reserve at JellystoneParkPEI..com/
The good news is that improvements will go on all summer in the campground at Wild Horse State Recreation Area, Nevada. The not-so-good news is that some facilities, such as showers and the fish cleaning station, may be closed or limited while work goes on. The 34-site campground has no hookups but water and a dump station are available. The year-round campground, 65 miles north of Elko, is on a first-come basis. Details at (775) 385-5939; whsra@parks.nv.gov/
SCUTTLEBUTT
That empty space on Fort Myer Beach, Florida that was the Red Coconut RV Park until a hurricane destroyed it, will probably never be a campground again but it is for sale again. The plans to fill it with high rise condos has fallen through. The old site is rich in memories for generations of RV-ers and snowbirds. Stay tuned to learn its fate.
Lynches River Park, a county park in Coward, South Carolina has been a favorite pet-friend family campground and now it’s horse friendly too. Equestrian campsites, trails and a show arena have been added. The existing campground has 22 pull-through sites with water and electric. The park has a dump station, environmental education center, climbing wall, dog park, archery, fishing, boat rentals and disc golf. See lynchesriverpark.com/ (843) 389-0550.
EVENTS
Four Washington state parks will offer summer concert series this year in July and August. They are Cape Disappointment, Lake Wenatchee, Lincoln Rock and Deception Pass. Check schedules and camping details at each park.
(See Lynches River Park above.) Come to the Lynches River Community Park’s community building on August 1 for a free indoor Shop and Stroll vendor market. See local vendors selling hometown products from artisans and artists, farms and foodies. The park in Coward, South Carolina has a 22-site campground with water and electric hookups. (843) 389-0550.
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