There’s a big difference between retired folks (like my husband and I) driving around the US in our shiny new RV for fun, and itinerant workers living in cobbled together trailers and vans moving from job to job. We may park in some of the same Walmart parking lots, but the difference is that we are living idly, for a time, in what the acronym describes as a “Recreational Vehicle.” Nomads are just trying to survive–not ‘homeless,’ just ‘house-less.’ For many all it took to tip the scales was some bad luck–a divorce, an investment loss, or an illness, and suddenly ‘wheel estate’ became the only option.
Adept at finding free campsites and boon-docking locations, these nomadic ‘workampers’ sign up for a number of different back-breaking low income jobs every year that keep them afloat. Jobs are often seasonal like Amazon fulfilment centres during the lead-up to Christmas and campground hosting during the summer. They are often past retirement age doing difficult jobs, living on unbelievably low wages, finding community on the road, while maintaining dignity in their lifestyle choice. Navigating poverty requires resilience and creativity and is a tremendous skill.
Many of these folks are characterised by a rugged individualism that the movie Nomadland (starring crusty actress Francis McDormand) captured well. What the movie didn’t spend as much time on was revealing the broken Social Security system in the US that can cause this phenomenon and how big companies are able to take advantage of itinerant workers. The free over-the-counter painkillers at the warehouse do not make up for it.
Jessica Bruder didn’t just interview a few of these nomads to get a sense of this slice of life, she came alongside and lived for short stretches in her own camper van called Halen. Over three years and 15,000 miles she tried to get to the truth of the experience by spending time and investing herself (somewhat) in the nomadic life. She believed that nomads are “neither powerless victims nor carefree adventurers.” This book describes the nuance between those two realities.
This book came out in 2017. I am wondering how the American nomads are fairing now after a pandemic that has seen increased gas, food, and RV costs! And what future awaits us all with climate change, war, and economic collapse? Perhaps we’ll see each other on the road soon!
- Note: The movie features three actual people from the book: Linda May, Swankie, and Bob Wells.
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