How to Make Money While Traveling
Getting paid to travel the world is a dream for many people. With the millennial generation comes the rise of the Digital Nomad – a group of people who work from their laptops from any location that they desire. Have laptop, will travel, if you will. Though many people dream of living this location independent lifestyle and travelling long term, few people possess the understanding as to how they could go about doing it, or have the confidence to leave a secure job in order to work remotely.
There are numerous possibilities available for those who wish to live location independent lifestyles and some of the ways in which you can make money while travelling are enclosed within this article to give you a little inspiration and assure you that your working wanderlust dreams are very much a viable option.
Teach English Online
You don’t necessarily have to be a qualified teacher in order to teach kids online. As a matter of fact, it is possible to become a Teacher without any formal qualifications whatsoever. There are phenomenal levels of demand for English Teachers around the globe – particularly from countries in the Far East such as China, South Korea and Japan.
People living in these nations are realizing more and more the importance of being relatively fluent in English so that they can secure themselves jobs working for global companies. More often than not, they just want to speak with a native speaker and practice their pronunciation which is why you don’t need to have a teaching degree and oodles of related experience in order to secure a job. Generally, jobs teaching online are relatively well paid also.
Try Freelance Writing
If you have travelled the world then chances are, you have some interesting and inspiring stories to tell or at the very least, you’ve got a heap of advice, travel hacks and tips stored in your repertoire that you could pass on to other people in order to help them with their own adventures. As such, perhaps you could try your hand at travel writing! You don’t need an English or a Journalism degree to find work.
If you don’t have any prior writing experience, you can start a blog in order to practice and build up a portfolio of work before you start looking for paid opportunities. Company blogs, marketing agencies and travel websites and magazines are always on the hunt for travel writing so this could be a good option.
Take a Working Holiday Visa
In various countries around the globe you are able to take a working holiday visa so that you can live in the particular place for extended periods of time. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan are all examples of countries that offer working holiday visa programs for one or two years.
Work opportunities available to working holiday visa holders include professional careers (ie if you worked as a Marketing Manager or a Nurse back in the US, then you will be able to find similar work in your host country) and more casual work that allows you to work and travel as you explore the country – i.e. in Australia and New Zealand it is common to meet travellers working bar and restaurant jobs across the country for a few weeks at a time before moving on.
Teach English Overseas!
In a similar manner to teaching English online, you can actually go overseas and teach English as a second language. The requirements vary depending on the country you would like to be based in. Some require that you hold a bachelor’s degree (in any discipline) whereas others have no formal requirements for their teachers. You may need to commit to a contract of up to a year if you want to teach English abroad but the benefits can be excellent.
In Japan and Korea for example, Teachers can earn around $2000 -$3000 per month, in addition to having their rent and living costs paid for by their employer. Teaching English overseas is certainly challenging but enables you to experience and immerse yourself in a new culture, while saving plenty of travel pocket money in the meantime.
Work as a Virtual Assistant
Many Entrepreneurs and small businesses require administrative support. Oftentimes because these people are Digital Nomads or remote workers themselves then they are happy for their assistants to be the same.
As a virtual assistant, you can expect to do simple tasks such as sending emails and client communications on behalf of the company that you work for, managing social media accounts, and other general admin tasks. If you have any kind of experience in an office environment you should easily be able to secure this type of work.
Sell Your Photographs!
If you think you have a good eye for photography or even if you’re only so-so and yet you’ve travelled to some unusual and off the beaten track destinations then you will likely find a demand for your travel photography.
Simply put together some photography business cards, then try and submit your favourites to magazines like Lonely Planet and National Geographic, contact tour companies and hoteliers to see if they could be interested, and even set up your own ecommerce store selling canvases and prints of beautiful skylines and photos.
Essentially if you possess any type of skill in the administrative or business sectors then chances are, you will be able to find work that allows you to do the same thing remotely. Do some searching – and figure out the right way for you to make some money while traveling the world.