Welcoming people from all over the world

Traveller's RV Resort and Campground has been around for almost 20 years and is run by an inspiring couple who gave up on retirement

Traveller's RV Resort and Campground in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was recognized as the Platinum winner for Favourite Private RV Park or Campground in Manitoba in RVwest's 2013 Reader's Choice Awards.

Traveller's offers 264 full-service sites as well as 25 campground sites. The resort has free Wi-Fi, free hot showers, 30- to 50-amp service, a playground, fax and photocopy services, laundry facilities, a small convenience store and picnic tables at every site. The resort is also very close to Fun Mountain (waterslide park), golf courses, Grand Prix Amusement Park and so much more. It is located off the Trans-Canada, just inside the east corner of the perimeter.

Jeannie Klassen, who has been running the resort with her husband, David, since 1995, took some time recently to give us a sneak peek into the couple's lives as resort hosts.

Can you tell me why you got involved in managing a campground?

We used to run a business in Edmonton, Alberta. We sold it and then went with Habitat for Humanity to Mexico for five years. We then tried retirement (Jeannie laughs) but it didn't last very long. It didn't even last a month. We talked about it and (realized that) we still enjoy going down south so we should find something that would help us do that. We went looking for a campground and found it in Winnipeg. We still live in Edmonton but spend the summers at the campground.

A wise old man once said to us before we bought it, "If you enjoy what you're doing, it's not a job. It's only once you stop enjoying it, it becomes a job." David and I were talking about that the other day and I realized I can only recall three times I really hated my job (she laughs again). We honestly really, really enjoy it.

What do you like most about being an RV resort and campground host?

Meeting the general travelling public from all over—which actually includes some European countries. Some people actually put their units on boats, sail to Montreal and then do six to eight months of travelling. We love meeting people from all over and hearing their stories.

Can you walk me through a day in your life on the job during peak season?

Our job is always very dependent on the weather. If it doesn't rain, we generally start out by organizing the outdoor maintenance—like mowing the lawns, weed whacking and basically making sure the outdoor grounds are nice and clean. David is really the mastermind of all the organizing. We also work with our indoor staff, making sure there are no problems with registrations or with the staff and campers themselves. We have a small grocery store as well, so we make sure the staff keep the shelves fully stocked. But really, our main concern is keeping the grounds neat and tidy and keeping our campers happy. We can be very busy during peak season.

What do you and David do in the off-season?

We spend our time in Edmonton because this is where our family live. Because we are gone for six months out of the year, we want to spend as much time as we can with our two daughters, their husbands and our grandchildren. We squeeze in every minute we can with them because we know we'll have to leave again in mid-April to open the campground back up again. We like to relax through Christmas and then get our juices going again by talking about the upcoming season and our plans.

For us, it's always a joy to see the campers come in. Once they get settled in, seeing how happy they are, seeing children run, laugh and play, that's what it's all about. Mind you, it's not always fun and games—there are some tough times, especially when it rains. But like David said, we look after the campground and God looks after the weather. All in all we enjoy it; we really do.