Earning money while you travel: a beginners guide

One of the biggest concerns that travelers have when going away is money. Whether it’s solo travel or a couples vacation, it’s certainly something you will experience. How much will you need? What if there isn’t enough to do all the things you want? What happens if an emergency hits and you need more funds? These are all common questions that can run through your mind when planning a trip, no matter how long.

But, what if you could make money while you were traveling? You would have a lot less to worry about, you could spend a lot more time abroad and fit more into your trip. It’s tempting to disregard the idea as wishful thinking or a scam. Many online marketers offer “get rich while traveling” schemes. This isn’t one of those schemes.

Earning money while you travel is actually not that difficult. The easiest and most versatile way of doing this is through online jobs. These types of jobs are actually rising quickly in both well-established companies and in small niche businesses. There are a few caveats that need to be considered first if you’re thinking of adding to your income while traveling with online work.

Disclaimer

Like I said in the above section, this isn’t a “get rich while traveling” scam. So, unfortunately, there are a few things you’ll need to consider before you pursue online work. For a start, you’re going to have to work hard.

A lot of short-term online work is basically freelancing. This means that you’re going to have to build up your reputation. For most freelancers this will mean a bit of work for low pay, or even for no pay. Then, when you do get a steady stream of work, you’ll still need to work hard to put out a good quality product or service and keep deadlines.

So, if you’re going to pursue online work, start early in order to get experience in your chosen field before traveling and get comfortable with hard work.

How To Earn Money While You Travel

Freelance Writing/Content Creating

This is another popular option. Freelance writing or content creating is where you write articles or create other content like videos or graphics for another business. You can pick up jobs like this by setting yourself up on sites like upwork.com, freelancer.com, or guru.com.

For braver individuals, you can email companies to pitch the idea of you working as a content creator on your own.

As mentioned above, this may mean a lot of deadlines and content to create. So, make sure you enjoy this type of work before getting into it.

Online Consulting/Training

For readers who are qualified in certain fields, like health and fitness, medicine, or human resources, online consulting and training is an option for work while traveling.

Many personal trainers have already started online training for added freedom while working. Meanwhile doctors, lawyers and similar professionals can all join consultation sites as well as freelance. They can also usually get a job in a different country with little issue.

For personal trainers, much like writers, the biggest issue is building a following and reputation. Fortunately, doctors or lawyers generally already have online practices they can join and get paid from.

Affiliate Marketing

Aside from subscriptions and product sales, this is the most common way to make money from travel blogs or writing reviews. Sites like Amazon have an affiliate marketing program where you can write reviews on products they sell and get paid for every reader you end up referring to their products. Many travel sites, supplement and clothing brands also offer similar schemes.

The main trick with this job is gaining a following and producing reviews or articles that will stand out to readers and make them want to visit the sites of those who sponsor your work.

Start A Travel Blog

An obvious, and popular option for those who travel frequently. Starting a travel blog is a good place to start for those who are passionate about traveling. It’s diverse in how it can be done and is easier to do as the content is coming from personal experience. You can do things like create a subscription service for reviews of different trips, cheap flights, couples vacations, or build a following and start affiliate marketing (discussed below).

The one drawback to this approach is that it takes a lot of time to build up a client base and following. This means it can be months, or sometimes years, before you are making a significant amount of money from it. But, if you’re looking for a fun way to make a little extra money, this is a good place to start.

Short-Term Brick-and-Mortar Jobs

Despite its emphasis in this article, online work isn’t the only way you can make money while traveling. There are plenty of short-term jobs that will provide cash in hand for a day of work. Examples would include bartending, cleaning, or even laboring on a construction site.

So, if you can speak the language in the country you’re traveling to and are a bit short on cash, speaking to hiring agencies or checking job sites in the country may help you find some work.