Florida campgrounds and workamping, reported honestly
A podcast for women who camp and travel Florida’s public lands on their own.
Where to Go, What It Costs, and Whether It Is Worth It
Solo Sojourn Trail visits Florida public campgrounds and workamping assignments one place at a time. Every episode is reported from the site itself. Every episode ends with a plain verdict, even when the answer is no.
Why? Because the information a woman needs before she books is scattered, promotional, or missing. Park pages list amenities but not conditions. Review sites mix strangers with different rigs and different comfort levels. Host listings promise a site with hookups but leave out the hours, the supervision, and what the work really involves.
When you travel alone, you make a safety decision and a money decision at the same time, usually from your phone, on the road. This show gives you a verdict you can act on.
Our nine words: Solo camping and workamping Florida’s public lands, reported honestly.
Who This Show Is For
Women, roughly 40 to 80, who travel Florida’s public lands alone by RV, van, or car. Some camp for fun. Some work seasons as camp hosts or resident hosts. Many are retired, widowed, or divorced, and many live on a fixed income.
We cover what matters to you, in this order:
- Safety: lighting, sight lines, how close the neighbors are, whether staff are around after dark, and whether your phone will work.
- True cost: the real total with fees and discounts, because a few dollars a night changes how long you can stay out.
- Fit: whether the site takes your rig, how far the bathhouse is, and whether the ground holds after rain.
- The honest job: for workampers, what a host agreement really asks of you.
Two Kinds of Episodes
The Park Report
A state park, state forest, or county campground, from the drive in to the bathhouse to the bill. Would I go back, and who is it right for?
The Workamping Report
A camp host or resident host assignment, told from the inside: the duties, the hours, the site, and the net value. Would I take it again?
Both kinds follow the same seven stops, so you can compare one place to the next.
| 1. Cold open | One moment from the site, and the detail I did not expect |
| 2. The promise | The question this episode answers |
| 3. Getting there | The drive, last services, roads, and check-in, or for a job, distance to groceries and medical care |
| 4. The ground truth | Sites, hookups, shade, bathhouse, and noise, or for a job, the duties, hours, and supervision |
| 5. The money | Rates, fees, discounts, and the real total, or what the free site is truly worth |
| 6. The solo read | Lighting, sight lines, staff after dark, cell coverage, and exits, or living alone on site |
| 7. Verdict and next stop | Go or skip, who it suits, one thing to do before you book, and where I head next |
Episodes run about 20 minutes, one leg of a drive. I say each section out loud as we reach it, so you can find the money or the safety part without scrubbing.
Three Promises
- The money and the safety sections are never cut.
- Every episode states a verdict, including a no.
- Every fact comes from my on-site checklist, not from memory and not from the park’s own web page.
Every episode also comes with show notes and a full transcript, so the details are there when your signal is not.
Coming First: Silver Springs State Park
Two Nights Booked, Zero Slept
I booked two nights at Silver Springs State Park and slept there neither night. A storm and then 100-degree heat sent me to hotels. The verdict is still yes, with conditions, and the money part may surprise you.
Have You Worked as a Camp Host?
I want to hear what the job was really like. Florida State Parks does not allow interviews with current hosts or staff, so I only talk with women after an assignment has ended.
If that is you, send me a note or share your story on my companion show, Voices from the Road.
Meet Your Host
I’m Jolene MacFadden. I spent five years as a Florida campground host and RVed and workamped across the state. Then our old Class A’s engine blew, COVID shut everything down, and the rig was gone. Now I’m car camping my way back to the road and reporting every step, including the nights I chose a hotel instead.
I founded Solo Sojourn for women like me: ready to go, short on reliable information, and willing to learn along the way.
Companion Show
Solo Sojourn: Voices from the Road shares real stories from women on the road alone, in short Zoom conversations. Learn more or be a guest.
Looking for the Solo Sojourn Trail app? Visit solosojourntrail.com.