Hey there travel enthusiasts and welcome to my post where we will check out my 8 ways to make an income while traveling. Having enough money to travel for as long as you want may sound like a pipe dream, but it’s a reality for many people.
Even if you don’t have a large bank account, you can travel and earn money in various ways with numerous possibilities available for that working holiday, ranging from finding a location for independent employment, picking up casual jobs or even working online.
How to make an income while traveling
So, can a tourist make money? Absolutely – here are some solid tips for you to make money while on the road.
1. Teach English
People all around the world want to learn and practice English, so if you are a natural English speaker, you are in high demand. This is generally a good option if you want to stay in the one place for a little while and stash the cash for future travel or simply user as a base as well.
While you can provide informal sessions without any qualifications, having a TEFL certification increases your chances of finding work and getting paid more. Several firms offer online English classes to which you can apply if you want to teach from wherever you are or work in a school abroad.
If this suggestion works for you, keep in mind that you’ll be able to teach in different forms and to a wide range of age groups — from kindergarteners to business professionals and everyone in between.
2. Travel blogging
Travel blogging is a form of online content creation where individuals write about their experiences traveling to different places around the world. Typically, travel bloggers share personal stories, travel tips, reviews of hotels and restaurants and recommendations for activities and sights to see.
Many travel bloggers also include photographs and videos in their posts to give readers a better sense of the destinations they are writing about and it can be a great way to share your passion for travel with others and inspire them to explore new places.
And although making travel blog income via this method generally doesn’t happen straight away, it can also be a way to earn an income through advertising, sponsored content and affiliate marketing. Overall, travel blogging allows individuals to document their travels and share their adventures with a global audience.
Now, here are the things you may need to do to jumpstart your travel blogging business:
- Create a website – This step is not as complicated as it appears. In reality, there are numerous video courses and instructions available that you may find helpful. Alternatively, if you have some extra income, you might employ a freelancer specializing in this task.
- Produce content – You then create articles that will generate traffic from Google, social media and other sources. This is a continuous process and when selecting topics to write about, you should ideally consider the interests of your prospective website visitors.
- Earn from your web traffic – You then earn money from your website traffic after developing content and attracting users.
3. Freelancing work
Depending on your abilities and interests, you may receive freelance work from your customer base, or you may be able to dip in and out of tasks via marketplace platforms such as Fiverr, Upworks and so on. Freelance remote working allows you to work within your skills or talents such as graphic design, web and mobile development, content and copywriting and even accounting.
Some even make good ongoing money working as a Virtual Assistant as well. Being a freelancer allows you to set your working hours and schedule, but it also means you’ll be responsible for ensuring your legal right to work wherever you are and filing your taxes etc..
4. Sell your travel photos
If you are like most travelers, you have probably amassed a large amount of photos and/or videos as you move from place to place. Of course, you may share these photographs on Instagram etc., but you can also sell them to others for commercial use. In fact some companies pay good money for decent stock photos of well known places such as New York and London.
Selling images, like travel blogging, takes time to build a consistent income as you must compile a portfolio, fill in all the facts to optimize your offers, and potentially experiment with various advertising techniques. To earn more, you may focus on specific expertise (such as landscapes, food or transportation for example) or take an additional photo stock course.
To earn more, you may focus on specific expertise (for example, food or transportation) or take an additional photo stock course.
Before you begin however, you will need to study the rules of specific picture stock sites from travel photos to work out exactly what they will purchase. For example, some frequently need high-resolution images, the lack of recognizable faces in photos or further permission to use brand names, and so on.
5. Offer a skill
Teaching English is one of many options as discussed above however if you have other skills then you can certainly setup online or person to person options such as teaching yoga, writing, music, foreign languages, business skills, internet marketing, meditation or even a craft you are strong at. In-person classes might teach things like swimming, surfing, or diving.
If you want to stay in one location for some time, you might be able to arrange your sessions in person yourself. You could also look for cover jobs if you teach a skill that is in demand in the neighborhood – of course this may mean registering for the right to work and earn in that particular country.
Alternatively, shooting Yoga classes etc. in different locations for an online studio might make your offerings more attractive to an online audience.
6. Get paid to translate
As with teaching English above, if you can speak a second language, then translation work is another good option for those on the go. This can include such jobs as the translations of papers or literary works where again you’ll be able to work on your own schedule without having to worry about time zone variations.
If however you are in a country that speaks your second language, then real life or verbal translators can work in government, public speaking or even school based environments as well.
7. Run walking tours
If you know a great deal about the places around the city you are visiting, then this money-earning job may work well for you. If you have good people skills, you can quickly become well-known among both domestic and international tourists and offer walking tours around the city.
A walking tour is a guided tour that takes place on foot, usually in a city or town where participants are led by a knowledgeable guide who provides information about the area’s history, architecture, culture, and other interesting facts.
Walking tours can be conducted in a group or private setting, and may last for a few hours or an entire day, depending on the itinerary. These are a popular and cost effective way for tourists and locals alike to explore a city’s hidden gems, off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods, and iconic landmarks.
And for you, they are a chance to earn a little cash by running these tours as well.
8. Work in a bar
And finally, if none of the above suits, then you can always revert to the tried and true income producing past times of many a tourist and backpacker alike – working in a bar. Again, you will need permission to work within that country however most establishments in tourist areas are constantly looking for casual short term workers.
This of course can also be extended to include restaurants, cafes, ice cream shops, tourist shops and so on as well.
Conclusion
There you have it, my tips for you to get paid while traveling. I would be pleased to know how this article helped you, and as usual, let me know of your experiences here.
Also, please do not hesitate to comment below if you have any questions, concerns, or corrections or would like me to check anything else out for you.
Until next time.
Have fun
Paul