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Making money traveling is the ultimate dream of many people. Whether you want to be a digital nomad or you just want to be able to change the scenery every now and then without going broke, there are so many ways you can structure your travel so that you’re making money while you do it.
Two Types of Ways to Make Money Traveling
Any type of opportunity that will let you make money living or being somewhere other than your hometown will fall under one of two categories: location-independent work, or location-dependent work.
Location-independent work is the type of work you can do from anywhere. Blogging is one of the biggest forms of location-independent work (and it’s also my favorite). I can blog from anywhere, at any time. It’s certainly not the only type, though, and we’ll get into a few other options in just a bit.
The other type of work, location-dependent work, requires you to be at a specific time for a specific task. The location where you do the work may change — you may spend two weeks here and a month there — but you must physically be somewhere to pick up that paycheck.
There are countless fabulous ways to make money while traveling, and the ones that will be right for you will basically boil down to how much flexibility you want in your travel schedule and what kind of job you want to have while doing it. These are some of my favorite ideas for making money while traveling:
1. Blogging and Related Businesses
I’ve already mentioned that blogging is my favorite form of location-independent work. I truly love it because it’s so completely flexible, the work is interesting, and I can make a good living by truly helping people.
One of the things that makes blogging truly work as an income source is by creating several different income streams. Every blogger makes their own personal decisions about the types of income-generating activities they do, but some of the most common sources include:
- Advertising revenues
- Affiliate sales
- Providing digital products for sale (like courses and ebooks)
- Offering services (like coaching or mentoring)
- Writing sponsored posts
By having more than one way of getting paid by blogging, you’ll have some income security built-in and you’ll be able to run your business from anywhere in the world.
Related: Reasons to start a blog
2. Freelancing
Freelancing is another great opportunity and one that I like almost as much as blogging. I freelanced as a virtual assistant for years, and it was fantastic because I could set my own hours. As long as I got my tasks done by the deadline, it didn’t matter where (or when) I did them.
Other than being a VA, you can freelance in all kinds of interesting roles:
- Freelance writer
- Social media manager
- Digital marketer
- Graphic designer
- Web designer
- and more!
If you’ve got a skill that people would pay for, and you can use that skill 100% online to create and deliver the product, you’ve got a great opportunity for going freelance… and going anywhere you want.
3. Online Businesses of Any Kind
Freelancing and blogging are two key online businesses, but they certainly aren’t the only ones. There are countless ways to become location-independent and run a business from anywhere. From selling on Amazon to transcribing to tutoring online to monetizing YouTube videos and more, there are all kinds of ways to make money online.
A simple way to do this is to write a special report on a topic that people really want to know about, and then selling that report online. By running advertisements (online or even offline) to get people to see the report, you’ll have a steady flow of buyers. And because it’s all delivered digitally, all you have to do is keep tabs on what’s going on. Otherwise, it’s a business that basically runs itself.
4. Look for Outdoor Work
From seasonal work like helping out on a farm or garden, to joining the staff of camps and resorts, you can travel just about anywhere in the world, just about any time of year (depending on where the seasons are) and find outdoor work. It’ll involve showing up and getting dirty, but if you love having your hands in the earth, this is a great option for you.
5. Flight Attendant
This might be an overlooked opportunity for some because in many ways it’s a “regular job.” But there’s hardly anything “regular” about being a flight attendant! Sure, you might not get to take fabulous excursions to all the cities you visit every day, but you’ll have loads of access to parts of the country or the world that you might not get to see otherwise. For many people, working on a flight crew is absolutely a dream job. Don’t overlook it!
6. Service Industry Work
If you plan to be traveling during peak tourist season and you’ll be there a while, you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting a basic service industry job (like waiting tables or bartending). It might be harder to land one of these gigs during off-peak times, but you can give yourself a leg up on your competitors by getting a seasonal work permit or working holiday visa. This is a great way to fund a long-term trip involving month-long stops in various locations.
7. Rent Your Home While You’re Gone
One of the simplest, but perhaps overlooked, ways to make money while you travel is to rent your home out while you’re gone. Services like AirBnB and VRBO let you list your property online for people to rent while it’s unoccupied. If you have a nice home in a hot area and are comfortable with the arrangement, it can be a great way to add additional funds for your travels.
