Motel Shows: What You Need to Know
A career in planting usually means you’ll be working away from home. Accommodations are usually either in camps or motels - Camps for more remote work, and motels for jobs closer to town. Both setups have their pros and cons, and are good for different people. Leader Silviculture jobs normally use motels, which we love, especially for veteran planters that prefer to be a bit more comfort. This article will outline some of the differences between motels and camps, and provide some tips on how to optimize your motel living experience this season.
Camps vs. Motels
The main difference between motels and camps most people think of is the sleeping. In camps, you’ll probably sleep on a sleeping pad, but you’ll get a real bed in a motel (no guarantees on comfort, but it’s a real bed). Besides the obvious, here are a few differences to consider:
1: Laundry: Camps make it harder to keep your clothes clean and dry. Motels give you regular access to a laundry machine, which is a huge plus. Even if you don’t use it much, sometimes they’re the difference between a comfortable work day and a miserable one.
2: Access to Town: In a camp, your access to town will be limited to once a week, if not less. In a motel, once you get home from work, you have unlimited access to the town’s restaurants, stores, and other amenities, so you can go grocery shopping, out for dinner, or anything else you want.
3: Food: Most camp sites will provide your meals for you. In a motel, on the other hand, you’ll be responsible for feeding yourself. This is awesome if you love cooking, but could be a con for people who don’t want to cook after a hard day’s work, don’t like cooking, or won’t eat healthy otherwise.
4: Roommates: You may have a roommate in a motel. This could be good or bad depending on the person, and the roommate. A great roommate is a friend for life, however, a bad one could be very frustrating.
5: Atmosphere: Some people find it more difficult to stay motivated in a motel setup. Camps tend to have an infectious energy, making it easy to get stoked. In motels, there is more alone time, and more distractions that could affect your drive.
The accommodations you should depends on how long you’ve been in the industry. Rookie planters can benefit a lot from a camp environment. The atmosphere is exciting and great for learning. Plus, rookies tend to be younger, so the negatives of camp life are often more bearable. Veterans, on the other hand, already have the work routine down pat, and many would happily trade the atmosphere for a real bed and a TV at the end of the day. There is no one right answer, however, we recommend that rookies start with a camp show to get started, and veterans consider motels.
Tips for Motels
Now that you’ve decided that you want to work a motel show, here are some top tips for how to maximize your experience once you arrive:
1: Creature Comforts: Motel life means you can pack a lot of things that will make your life more comfortable. We recommend bringing your own bedding (especially a pillow), your laptop, and anything else that may make your life a little bit easier.
2: Cooking Equipment: Some Kitchenettes aren’t the most well stocked, so bringing your own cooking supplies is a good idea. Here is a list to get you started:
Eating utensils: Fork, spoon, knife
Cooking utensils: spatula, ladle, tongs, etc.
Coffee machine
Kettle
Frying Pan
Pot
Slow Cooker (optional, but great)
Tupperware for lunches
Staple ingredients: Olive oil, condiments, salt & pepper
3: Clothing Management: Motel heaters are great for drying clothes, but some people find that it can stink up a room if you’re not careful. To combat the stench, some people air out their clothes outside, but that makes them easier to steal, so be careful. Whatever way you choose, make sure that you’re able to dry and store your clothes in a way that isn’t in a heap on the floor.
4: Take Care of Yourself: Your mom isn’t here, so it’s your responsibility to take care of yourself. That means eating well and sleeping enough. It’s easy to stay up late and eat fast food every day, but that behaviour will come back to bite you, sooner or later.
5: Meal Prep: You aren’t going to want to cook every single day. Most people cook meals in bulk to save for lunches throughout the week. A cult classic item for this is the slow cooker, however, there are lots of recipes online for easy bulk meals that you can cook with whatever you have. Start by checking out our article on the topic, here.
6: Make the Most of Your Days Off: As stated before, you won’t always have much energy after work. That’s why your days off are important, so that you can make sure that you’re prepped for the week with what you need. This could mean it’s the day for laundry, groceries, or cooking your lunches for the week. Whatever the case is, make sure you’re using your days off wisely.
