VIRGINIA BEACH – Holly Hodge — retired police officer, part-time entrepreneur, full-time homeschooler — keeps her daughter busy with their family business. But not too busy.
“I’m a firm believer that kids need to be bored,” Hodge said.
It invites creativity and exploration, the kind that isn’t found in a phone, she said. So there was her daughter, 10-year-old Linda, at their latest job site, Holiday Trav-L-Park, excavating a slimy larva living under the soil, chipping bark off a tree, building a discreet garden out of small stones that will likely go unnoticed to passersby.
As with her daughter, Hodge aims to give people more time to appreciate the outdoors. She does it with her business, Carefree Camping.
She rents out and sets up RVs at local campgrounds for people who want a vacation without the work. She and her daughter break down the campers afterward and clean up. For additional fees, Hodge will add amenities such as food, a tent with an air mattress and a hammock. (There’s also the optional “Family Fun Pack,” with games, water guns and sports equipment, and the “Beach Pack,” with boogie boards, toys, a cart, chairs and shelter.)
Customers just reserve a vehicle and a campground spot and show up.
In a pastime that tends to speak to people’s self-reliant side, what kind of camper is looking for so much help?
“They want to camp and have an outdoor experience, but they don’t know how to extend the awning, or hook up the sewer,” Hodge said. “They don’t know how to tow a vehicle, or are nervous about doing that kind of stuff. And a lot of them are on vacation, and they don’t want to do that stuff.”
Hodge owns two campers that she rents out. She uses one to trek across the United States every fall with her daughter. Those trips can last as long as a month. Her company offers three more RVs through independent contractors. Prices range from $80 to $150 a night.
Hodge began the business a few years ago after buying a camper to take trips with her daughter. She likes the idea of helping get people outdoors.
“My heart is on the road. That’s generally when I’m happiest,” Hodge said on a Friday in late April while setting up for a customer at the Holiday Trav-L-Park campground in Virginia Beach.
Nearby, Linda explored. She knelt down to play with a leaf floating in a puddle.
Paul Frederick, a Norfolk resident and senior chief in the military, rents out his camper through Hodge’s business. It’s been rented about six times, he said.
“I was definitely interested, because instead of paying to have somebody store it, now we make money off it,” Frederick said after setting up his camper at Trav-L-Park.
Hodge retired in 2006 from the Virginia Beach Police Department after 10 years in the force. Her husband, Thomas, is an attorney for the law firm Brock & Scott.
Hodge’s road trips with Linda double as field trips. Their destinations have included the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park and the Florida Keys. They’ve navigated the dramatic, tree-covered mountains of Yosemite National Park and squirmed their way through rocky, fire-red crevices of Utah’s Arches National Park.
“We’re so blessed with so many fun experiences,” Hodge said. “It does seem like my life is really fun. I feel pretty blessed.”
Thomas enjoys hearing about his wife and daughters’ trips when they return.
“She’ll (Holly) say they explored everything and (Linda) will look at every single thing, and spend hours in one place, examining every rock and tree and looking at bugs,” he said.
Hodge would like to increase her inventory of campers and independent contractors, such as Frederick, to keep her side business going while she’s on the road with her daughter. Carefree Camping is booked about 70 percent of the summer, she said, and she sees potential for growth as more people learn about it. Hodge doesn’t spend money on advertising, relying instead on Facebook and word-of-mouth.
“I’m trying to figure everything out, just like any business owner,” she said, “And desperately trying to avoid debt. If I’m going to get this business going, I am going to need to spend money, and I don’t have money.”
Still, Hodge is generous with potential competitors. When the events coordinator at Holiday Trav-L park learned about Carefree Camping and wanted to do something similar, Hodge gave her a copy of her customer contract. There’s plenty of business to go around, according to Hodge.
“I plan on keeping it going. I’m not ready to give it up,” she said. “I just feel grateful that I could do it, there’s a market for it. That people want it and people are getting outside.”
Have a story idea or news tip? Contact Business reporter Hillary Smith at [email protected] or 757-490-2750.
