Rachel Aul’s Penn State experience resembles many students’. She’s from Pittsburgh’s South Hills neighborhood and proudly graduated with a degree in public relations and advertising last May.

What sets her apart? Well, she drives a 27 foot-long hot dog across the country for a living.

Aul, better known as “Relish Rachel” to her coworkers, first saw the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile driving around Penn State’s campus her freshman year. However, she never thought that she would “cut the mustard” and be a professional hot dogger herself.

“I love to travel and had just spent my junior year in Paris, so I thought I would give it a shot,” Aul said. “They only accept 12 drivers for the six Wienermobiles.”

While the application and interview process can be long and stressful in a nation-wide pool of more than 7,000 applicants, Aul said it was well worth the wait.

“It’s such a unique job. No two days are the same,” Aul said. “It’s a great experience. I get to see the country and make people smile for a living.”

It is a prestigious honor to be a hot dogger. The Wienermobile has been turning heads on the road since 1988, and Aul is only a part of the 33rd class.

Upon being selected, every hot dogger gets to pick their own (company-approved) nickname. Relish Rachel loves her name but has a few favorites as well.

“Barbecue for Barbara is definitely one of my favorites. My partner’s name is Saucy Spence and that’s a great one, too!” Aul said.

Relish Rachel and Saucy Spence have spent the last year touring the country and spreading joy. They typically find themselves in a new city every Monday. While they’re there, they make appearances at public and private events, and, of course, hand out Weenie Whistles.

“They are like a little red kazoo. They’ve been giving them out since 1952 and people love them,” Aul said. “We get a lot of older people who stop by and show us theirs, and it’s always fun to see.”

While it can be hard to move on from the year-long job of a hot dogger, Aul said she has several favorite destinations and experiences. Among them include stopping in Idaho Falls, venturing to national parks like Yellowstone and Grand Teton, and even pacing the field before a race at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado Springs.

Not to be frank (sorry), but Oscar Mayer is not looking to just hand anyone the keys to one of its six prized frankfurter vehicles. It takes a specific kind of person to handle that responsibility.

“They are looking for applicants who are flexible, adventurous, creative, have travel experience, and are a little goofy,” Aul said.

Aul said that even though the program has been going on for 33 years, there are still some common misconceptions about the Wienermobile and her job.

“We actually do not have a grill onboard the Wienermobile. People always believe we sell hot dogs,” she said. “We also don’t eat that many hot dogs on the trip. That would be too many.”

You can follow Relish Rachel and Saucy Spence on their nationwide tour on their Instagram accounts, where they detail their experiences at every stop along the way.

The application process has already begun for the 34th class of hot doggers. Oscar Mayer traditionally pulls applicants out of Penn State’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications in addition to its nationwide search.

So, if you happen to find yourself selected for a year-long tour in a hot dog on wheels anytime soon, be sure to relish in the experience.