So, you want to travel but constantly talk yourself out of it. If you’re having doubts about affordability, leaving commitments behind, and wondering how you can earn money while travelling and maintain an income, guess what – this is completely normal.
However, once you get over the first hurdle and start researching how to earn money while travelling, you’ll soon realise there are more opportunities than you think.
7 Ways To Earn Money While Travelling
1. Land Yourself A Remote Job
Ok, let’s tackle those people who say, “just get a remote job” first. They make it sound so easy, don’t they?
Nobody wants to go out there and apply for every job possible just because it offers remote working. Additionally, no employer will employ someone who only wants the job for that reason.
There is added complexity to finding a remote job, so let’s not sugarcoat it.
So, don’t apply for each and every remote job opportunity that you find. Instead, ensure you refine your searches to avoid disappointment. Here are our biggest tips:
- Apply for jobs you actually want to do
- Look for positions with transferable skills from your current job
- Consider the hours you want to work and the flexibility of those hours
After all, there’s nothing more demoralising than doing a job you dislike, even if it is remote. No matter where you are in the world, getting motivated to work can be challenging.
Add to this a million and one distractions and things you’d rather be doing, and it could be a recipe for disaster.
Imagine this: you’re from the U.K. and landed what you think is the perfect remote job – amazing! However, you want to travel to Australia, and your employer needs you to work 9 am – 5 pm U.K. time. That means you’re going to be working night shifts. You need to consider if this working set-up feasible for you?
Recommended Job Boards for Remote Work
- FlexJobs
- Remote.co
- JustRemote
- Virtual Vocations
- We Work Remotely
- Remote Ok
- Remote Jobs
- Working Nomads
2. Take Your Existing Job & Work From Anywhere
While those people who say it’s not as easy as just “getting a remote job” – it really can be. We live in a world where most people are afraid to ask for anything from their employer – a pay rise, a promotion, additional time off.
However, as the saying goes, if you don’t ask, you don’t get it.
If one good thing came from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s employers realising the tremendous benefits of remote working.
Have you considered going to your current employer, expressing your desire to travel and work remotely? If you haven’t, you should.
Obviously, this wouldn’t necessarily be possible for jobs where you have to be in-person to complete tasks, but almost any office-based job can be remote.
A few examples of people who work remotely include:
- Marketers
- Salespeople
- Personal Assistants/Secretaries
- Educators/Trainers
- Customer service/Support Agents
- IT engineers
- Software developers
- Lawyers
- Accountants
- Business administrators
- Data entry clerks
- Consultants
- Personal trainers
- Content creators
- Social media managers
- SEO specialists
As an answer to ‘my employer would never let me do that’, you don’t know unless you ask. There’s a first time for everything and many companies around the world are transitioning to remote work.
3. Freelancing
Don’t like the potential limitations of working for an employer – have you considered taking any one or more of your existing skills and working for yourself?
Platforms such as Fiverr, UpWork and PeoplePerHour are freelance marketplaces. They make it possible for anyone to list their service and to find clients from across the globe. Not only that, but they empower you to showcase your talents, making it easier than ever to connect with prospective customers. Dive in, and you might just find new people waiting to collaborate with you!
Almost all the examples above for remote working can be done as a freelancer.
Top Freelancing Tip
If freelancing is the route you want to take, you should start doing this alongside your current job first and build a client base that provides the amount of money you’ll need when travelling. Venturing into the unknown can be both thrilling and rewarding, but it’s essential to strike a balance between chasing your dreams and ensuring financial security.
We don’t advise quitting your job with no guaranteed income stream, especially if you’re relying on it. Having said that, if you have savings that can sustain you while you build a client base, we say – go for it! We are huge believers in taking a risk, backing your ambition and embracing the unknown!
You Might Love: How To Quit Your Job & Travel Full Time: 6 Things You Need To Do
4. Teaching English As A Foreign Language
Teaching English as a foreign language is one most popular ways of making money while travelling.
This can be done online or in person.
Most people opt for teaching English online. This gives you flexibility with the hours you work and the destination you work from.
Alternatively, those who teach in person often receive a contract for a specific period, with accommodation included, and can see parts of the world they’d never have travelled to otherwise.
Most jobs teaching English as a foreign language require a TEFL Certificate. There are lots of online providers that offer the TEFL Certificate. We recommend The TEFL Academy, as their student support, prices and course structure are the best on the market.
Top Tip: If you’re on the path to embracing the digital nomad lifestyle or are already living it, it’s crucial to have travel insurance that provides coverage as you hop between countries. We recommend Safety Wing as it’s provides affordable global medical and health coverage tailored for remote workers and nomads.
5. Content Creation
This is a broad term – let’s break it down a little. Some people refer to content creation as being an influencer, but it could also be a photographer or videographer creating content for businesses and destinations. It doesn’t have to be for social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Social Media Influencer
Often, influencers exchange content creation and promote accommodation and experiences in exchange for free stays, admission or product. While this isn’t making you any money, you’re technically saving on what you’d pay for anyway.
It’s important to know you don’t need tens of thousands of followers to attract brands to work with you. We got our first collaboration with a hotel in the Caribbean when Lauren had under 2,000 followers on Instagram. Since then, we’ve collaborated with businesses in countries like Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia.
If you have eye-catching content and an engaged audience, you’ll be able to bag yourself some amazing collaborations.
Paid Content Creation
So, you’ve honed your content creation skills on social media, and now you’re ready to offer your services to brands – amazing!
This is where you can work with some incredible businesses and earn income from it.
The best way to describe this is like being a freelance photographer or videographer crossed with being a social media influencer.
Businesses will pay for professional quality photography and videography. You can work with them to build a package, and they’ll pay you for it.
Rather than a free stay or complimentary merchandise, you’re getting financially rewarded instead. This is a much more sustainable way to fund your travels. Not to mention, you may have the opportunity to travel to places and experience things you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
Brand Collaboration Top Tip
When pitching to brands you want to work with, it’s important to take the time to do it professionally. Using Canva (or any other design tool), create a portfolio/media kit that includes your previous work and social media stats. This information gives brands insight into your offering and if your audience demographic is relevant to their brand.
6. Create An Online Course
Selling digital products, such as online courses, is a great way to start a passive income. You might not think you have the wisdom to share, but everyone does.
If you’re already travelling, why not create a course about how you do it, or take a topic that is a hobby, such as fitness, and start making money from it?
With online course platforms like Udemy, you’ll get paid every time someone downloads your course.
You could even create multiple to generate multiple revenue streams.
7. Work In Countries You Travel To
This won’t be possible in all countries, but some make it easier than others for travellers to work while in the country.
Usually, these jobs will fall into these categories:
- Jobs that require skills that a lacking in the local population
- Industries that have a shortage of workers, usually farming
- Roles that need a native speaker of your home language
Take some time to research the best countries to work and travel to. It might narrow down your list of where to visit.
The Opportunities to Earn Money While Travelling are Endless
There are so many ways to make money while travelling – more than I’ve listed here. Our biggest tip would be to spend time researching your options and the pros and cons of each. Be open-minded and think about the life you want to live and the type of work you enjoy.
We promise there is an opportunity out there for you to earn money while travelling!
Did you know that…
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