YOU CAN MAKE MONEY AND TRAVEL the WORLD
“How will I possibly make money while traveling?” or “How will I survive on the road?” or maybe “I can’t start traveling when I don’t have much money?”
The truth is: You can make money and travel much more easily than you think.
NO SKILLS NECESSARY
Teach English – Job opportunities are all around the world and in many cases, you don’t need to be certified. You just need to be a native speaker. Check out eslcafe.com, send in a few applications to schools in South Korea, Japan, Thailand or dozens of other locations & you’ll be surprised at how many interviews you land.
Edit English Signs/Menus – It might sound silly but there are travelers out there earning decent money by wandering around touristy areas all over the world and getting paid to correct the English spelling/grammar on signs and menus of businesses that try to attract foreigners. I met one guy in Thailand who would charge $10 for his editing services and he would have approximately 20 clients per week. Not a bad way to earn $800 bucks per month.
Teach Any Language – English isn’t the only language people want to learn. Speak French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin, Arabic? Advertise at universities or popular hangouts such as cafes.
Sell Timeshares – If you were born to be a salesperson, then head to Greece, Thailand, Mexico, the Caribbean or any other major resort area and you can find work selling timeshares. These resorts want salespeople who can relate to their potential customers, so they prefer to have Americans selling to Americans, Italians selling to Italians and so on. The earning potential is huge in this line of work.
Resort Jobs – If selling isn’t your thing, resorts all over the planet often hire staff from other countries for a variety of positions, such as front desk, restaurant or the activity/entertainment department.
Work in a Hostel – Hostels are often looking for new staff who are willing to work some hours each day, either at reception or cleaning or maybe both, in exchange for a free bed each night. Not a bad way to save money at all.
Working Holiday Visas – Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Ireland and Singapore offer these to foreigners, generally between the ages of 18 – 30. You can stay in the country for up to one year and in some cases, to apply for and work in any position you want.
Fruit-Picking – Common for travelers/backpackers passing through Australia. Pay can include payment per kilo of fruit picked, room, board or any combination of the three.
Housesitting – While you typically won’t get paid, it’s a free place to stay. Many people hop around from gig to house-sitting gig, essentially avoiding accommodation expenses for years.
Cafe/Restaurant Work – In a popular backpacking destination, ask the hostel staff if they know of any cafes that hire travelers. Local classifieds/coupon traveler-oriented magazines have restaurants advertising for help.
Construction Work – If you have construction experience, or you can fake it, they tend to hire people for short-term work and pay ‘under the table’.
Au Pair – Room, board and a weekly paycheck for helping take care of a family’s kids. Can explore the country during your free time.
Tour Escort – Many international tour operators, especially those such as Indochina.com that offer budget tours around the world, hire tour escorts to accompany each group. The pay is on the low side and you usually must sign up for a 1-2 year contract, but the benefit is that you get to explore parts of the world without spending any money at all, while gaining some great work experience in the process.
Tour Operators in the Caribbean – Work for local tour operators in St. Thomas, St. Maarten or Cozumel greeting passengers coming off cruise ships, keep the groups organized and lead them to their tour bus or van or boat. Pay is okay. Live and work in a tropical location for a while.
Act in Films & Television Overseas – Head to Mumbai, stand on a street corner in the Colaba neighborhood and before long, an industry scout will ask you if you want to act in a Bollywood film. You won’t make millions, but you’ll be on the big screen. I also know people who have done the same in Kenya and earned very good money.
Cruise Ship Employment – Earn good money while getting a taste of the world, gain some solid work experience and network with fellow crew and passengers from around the world. If you’re interested, look at – How to Work on Cruise Ships.
Work on a Yacht – Sometimes they pay, sometimes they don’t. Check DesperateSailors.com. Spend a few months in the Caribbean or Mediterranean or perhaps even head across the Pacific.
Volunteer Work – In most cases, this won’t pay, but you’ll have an unforgettable experience while usually saving money on room and board, which is just like getting paid! You don’t have to spend a lot of money with large global operations in order to volunteer as there are local organizations in every country that would love to have you. Two good websites are GrassrootsVolunteering.org and IndependentVolunteer.org (no longer maintained as a web site).
Work Exchange – HelpX.net and WWOOF.org. Work a few hours each day in exchange for room, board and sometimes, some extra cash.
ONLINE WORK
Travel Blogging – It’s not easy to earn a big income with a travel blog. The amount of time/effort required to do so is much more than most people imagine. But if you’re looking for some extra cash to help fund part of your travels, while keeping the world informed of your adventures, starting a travel blog might be your answer. Use the Travel Blog Success course if you’re serious about earning money from your blog.
Any Kind of Blogging – You don’t have to start a travel blog just because you’re traveling. Whatever your interest may be, that might be the kind of blog you should start. There are always opportunities to earn some money no matter what you choose to focus on.
Selling Goods Online – Found some cool product that you think others would be interested in? Have your own handmade product you want to sell? You could set up a website or a shop on eBay or any other type of online sales outlet and start selling. If you’re willing to learn how to get your goods in front of the right people online, even a few sales each week could keep you on the road.
Day-Trading – It may not be for everyone, but there are people out there earning a living and traveling as a result of their day trading efforts. One in particular is Marcello from WanderingTrader.com.
Online Freelance Work – Whether you have a background or interest in web design, programming, illustration, writing, marketing, consulting, legal work, engineering or able to do any type of admin work, you should definitely look at websites such as Elance.com and Odesk.com. These are platforms that connect freelancers with people and companies who need work done. Even if your background is in something else, have a look anyway as there is freelance work to be found in dozens of different fields.
Work Remotely – There’s no rule that states you must quit your current job in order to travel. Perhaps your position allows you to work remotely and all you need to do is speak with your boss in order to make the adjustment. Playa del Carmen, Mexico has foreigners everywhere able to make money and travel wherever they wish.
Travel Writing – If you’re a decent writer, there are opportunities out there to write about your experiences and the destinations you visit and then have those articles published on websites or online magazines. It’s not an easy business, but if you can get a couple of articles published and start to establish yourself, your articles might soon become sought after.
Digital Nomads – Some people who have tried combining working with travel have found the lifestyle isn’t quite what they thought. The digital nomad has become an iconic character of the modern remote-work era. The words often conjure the image of a professional writer or tech worker with a computer, meandering through the streets of a picturesque foreign city, or tapping away at a keyboard in a beachfront café. They see the world, they meet new people, they work on their own time.
Digital nomads are many different types of workers. Some are freelancers or independent contractors; some are entrepreneurs building their own businesses; and others work in full-time remote positions for companies around the world. Some are salaried, while others rely on ad-hoc income. Largely, say experts, many of these workers are white-collar and well-educated.
Expert data and anecdotes alike show the number of digital nomads has been growing throughout the past several years, with a huge spike after the Covid-19 pandemic hit. It’s difficult to pin down the exact number of these types of workers, but one 2022 report from US-based consultancy MBO partners estimates the number of American digital nomads has seen staggering growth of 131% since 2019, with these self-described nomads numbering into the millions of workers. In other countries where data is less available, resources abound to help untethered workers make their way across the globe.
Yet an increasing number of workers who’ve tried the nomadic lifestyle report that behind the wanderlust-fuelled Instagram posts and rosy travel blogs, the reality of this set-up is not always so glamorous. Although there has been plenty of upside for workers who’ve tried the lifestyle, many also say that lacking a tether took a toll on their mental and physical health, and even made them poorer at their jobs. As a result, some nomads have left the lifestyle – and those beachfront views – behind.
In 2011, Lauren Juliff quit her job at a supermarket in the UK to see the world. She launched a travel website aiming to fund her adventures. To her surprise, she started making enough within a year to be a digital nomad. “For me, I loved the travel. My dream was always to see as much of the world as possible, so once I made that dream a reality, I was determined to never let it go. Exploring new countries made me feel alive and I learned so much – about new cultures and myself – on a near-daily basis.” Living and working on the move had unintended repercussions on Juliff’s mental and physical health. After five years, however, the excitement of the nomadic lifestyle across the world began to ebb. Juliff, now 34, describes her journey – initially idyllic and dream-like – morphing into an exhausting ordeal she was desperate to escape.
Living and working on the move had unintended repercussions on her mental and physical health. “I began to have panic attacks on a daily basis – ones that only stopped whenever I imagined having a home,” she says. The absence of a stable community resulted in a loss of long-term friendships, leading to feelings of loneliness and depression. Juliff’s health suffered as she experienced food poisoning and infections frequently.
With no access to a kitchen or gym, she says her lifestyle was unhealthy, relying on restaurant meals three times daily, every day, for years. Her personal life suffered, too: “I didn’t have any hobbies because they had been too difficult to maintain while living out of a backpack,” she adds.
In addition, maintaining productivity while on the move proved challenging. Trying to manage work, explore new places and cope with often unreliable internet connections became too daunting. “I struggled to effectively run my business … working while lying in bed because I rarely had access to a desk.”
The breaking point came when the panic attacks, which she attributes to her nomadic lifestyle, pushed her to find a home base. Upon settling down in Portugal and signing a lease on an apartment, Juliff saw her income triple within a year. She credits the improvement to the consistency of being in one place and not traveling constantly. Her panic attacks vanished, she joined a gym, started cooking healthy meals and built a solid community of friends.
Breaking away from the nomadic lifestyle was a difficult decision for Juliff, as she had built her identity around being a full-time digital nomad. Everything she did was centred on travelling: running a travel blog, planning future trips in her free time and having friends who were all travellers. “Making the decision to stop was hard,” she says, “I did struggle quite a bit with learning who I was as a person if I wasn’t travelling full-time.”
Beverly Thompson, a sociologist from Sienna College, US, who researches digital nomadism, says many people who elected the digital nomad lifestyle weren’t prepared for the downsides, partly because its community often presents an idealised image through social media and blogging, hiding the negative aspects, such as loneliness, mental health issues and financial struggles. While some workers find the set up sustainable – especially, she says, those who monetise the lifestyle on social media – nomadism doesn’t work for everyone who endeavours it. “You’re totally bound by what passport you have. You have to have a strong passport,” says Thompson, pointing out that weaker passports restrict the number of countries a person can travel to without a tourist visa.
This became a problem for Darius Foroux. His first few months living the digital nomad lifestyle were blissful. He enjoyed the sunny weather and palm trees by the beach.
But he soon realised that to have a suitable remote set-up he needed a home base. When he began searching for a long-term apartment he found the process wasn’t nearly as easy as he expected, with complicated legal procedures, and a multi-month timeline he couldn’t manage. He also grappled with the inflated housing market in the Malaga and Marbella regions. The increased demand had driven up rents, and there were no regulations limiting what rental agencies could charge. He was taken aback by the high deposit requirements and agency fees. “I didn’t expect this,” he says. “I moved to Spain thinking the cost of living would be lower. But it turned out to be just as expensive as in the Netherlands. In essence, I was paying a premium for nice weather.” After fewer than six months in Spain, Foroux returned to the Netherlands, planning for a life of stability and focused time that he realised he needed as a writer and solo entrepreneur.
Although the number of digital nomads has surged in recent years, according to some data, it’s still a small percentage of workers worldwide and tends to concentrate in a few nations with advantageous passports. “It’s not going to stop,” Thompson, says of the trend. “Younger people will perhaps spend a few years trying to be a digital nomad. But overall, more and more people are seeing the reality of this lifestyle. Meanwhile, employers want employees back in the office. So, the trend will continue to grow, but it might slow down.”
MARKET A SKILL
Haircuts – Choose a popular hostel, put up a sign (ask first!), charge a reasonable amount and off you go. I remember meeting a traveler who was doing this in Zagreb, Croatia and she was making $40 USD per day by advertising in 3 hostels. She would cut hair for a month, then travel for a month and repeat. Not bad at all.
Massages – Follow the same idea as above but offer massages instead! Bartending – There are bars in many towns and cities that pay ‘cash in hand’ to travelers who can work a bar and are willing to stay in one spot for a while. Bars connected to hostels are often your best bet.
Website Design – Look for clients online, through family & friends or even overseas. Staying at a hostel with a crappy website? Other local business (budget hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses)
Teach Musical Instruments – Piano? Guitar? Flute? Glockenspiel? Whatever you can play, chances are there are people all over the world who want to learn as well. Advertise in local online classifieds or put up signs in busy areas, such as gathering places of college students.
Teach Dance Classes – Again, put up some signs around town, find space in a public park and teach others how to get their tango on. Restaurant/bars may pay you to hold a class at their location.
Teach Yoga
Surfing Instructor –. You don’t need to be an expert to teach beginners, you just need to be better than those who have never tried surfing before!
Scuba Diving Instructor – Are you certified? If so, there are dozens of great scuba destinations around the world – Egypt, Mexico, Thailand, Australia, Hawaii – where you could find work.
Busking – Play guitar, juggle, dance or sing your way around the world. It may not be legal in some places though, so be sure to check the rules.
Photography – Sell your travel photos on SmugMug.com, travel magazines and stock photography companies.
Corporate World – Looking for a proper career or a higher paycheck? Apply for corporate or other long-term jobs around the world. China, Singapore, Middle East and New Zealand.
Affiliate Marketing – Competition can be high. Requires dedication for a few months of research. Affilorama.com offers an excellent series of free lessons to get you started.
fromHeckticTravels.com are the experts when it comes to house-sitting!)
Sell Your Art & Crafts at Local Markets – Rent a stall and sell hand made crafts, artwork, clothes from India or other goods that are in high-demand. Usually these are markets that are geared towards tourists and other travelers. Some people follow the market circuit.
Travel/Tourism Industry – This won’t ensure that you’re on the road all the time, but a job in the travel industry at home might be perfect for some. A steady paycheck, plenty of good networking possibilities and if you end up in the right position, you’ll just have to travel as part of your work. (Work in Travel is a great resource for anyone interested in working in this industry.)
Be Creative! – One of the best examples of this involved a female traveler I met in Central America who had funded over 6 months of travel by using a very simple business model. She would hop from beach town to beach town, contact several local tour operators (who usually offered snorkeling and scuba diving trips) and then worked out a deal. In exchange for bringing them business, she would receive a good commission. Each day she would hang around the hostels and travelers cafes and recommend the tour operators she was working with. Let’s just say she was doing very well. So put on your thinking cap, brainstorm some ideas and don’t be afraid to get creative!