7 Ways to Travel and Earn At the Same Time

If you’re reading this article, chances are that you’re a fan of visiting new places and stepping out of your comfort zone.

So, dear fan of travel, here’s a great idea for you: if you learn how to make money while traveling, you could travel as much as you want. Seriously, traveling indefinitely isn’t impossible and many people who master this skill spend years without returning to their home countries.

If this sounds interesting, then we’ve got seven ways that could help you to turn this idea into reality. Let’s check them out.

1. Work as a Freelancer

Income: $500+

According to a recent Freelancing in America study, there are about 56.7 million Americans freelancing at this point, which represents a 3.7 million increase compared to 2017. More than 1 in 3 Americans freelance to take advantage of the amazing opportunities it provides.

One of them is an opportunity to travel. Freelance is a super flexible work arrangement that provides a freedom to create your own schedule, so you can work on your projects without hurting most of your plans.

Moreover, the best thing about freelancing is that you can take your work with you and continue to make money in any place in the world as long as you have a laptop and a good Internet connection. While many professionals can work remotely, the most popular occupations among freelancers are the following, according to Inside Freelancing.

If you can do these jobs, don’t hesitate to learn how to freelance and check out online freelance platforms such as Upwork and People per Hour. They have all the needed guides and tips for new freelancers, too, and allow withdrawing funds via PayPal or credit cards.

2. Teach English

Income: $1,000+

If you’re a native English speaker or at least fluent speaker, then chances are high that the countries you would like to visit have a shortage of English teachers. For example, China has an obsession with English and a booming ESL (English as a Second Language) market, but faces an acute shortage of teachers.

In many cases, you don’t have to be certified or even have a teaching experience. So, chances are you’ll land a lot of interviews when you arrive at your destination (if you’re a native speaker, you’ll crush the competition). Working for some time can provide you with sufficient money to fund your expenses and the next trip.

 

3. Become a Travel Blogger

Income: $500+

 

Travel blogging is a real thing and many people out there use it to fund months and even years of traveling. For example, according to Nick Wharton, one of the founders of a travel blog called Goats on The Road, claims that an established travel blog “itself may earn $3,000 – $5,000 / month.”

Nick also adds that many travel bloggers get into freelance writing and content creation business while on the road to double or even trip this figure.

To establish a travel blog, you have to finance your own travels for some time but as soon as you’ve built a large audience, you’ll be able to earn for your fascinating stories and stunning images of faraway sights.

4. Work at Cruise Ships

Income: $1,000+

This is one quickest and more reliable ways to earn decent money while traveling around the world. Moreover, being employed at a cruise ship also means gaining some solid work experience in international companies and networking with hundreds of people from different countries (often, ships have up to 2,000 crew members, so you can make a lot of life-long friends).

However, it’s worth noting that working as a part of a cruise ship crew is something that requires a lot of energy; for example, bad weather can have you working up to 12 hours a day.

Applying for a job is easy: just visit a site of a cruise line such as Royal Caribbean or a recruitment agency and see if you qualify.

5. Work at a Hostel

Income: $600+

Hostels are incredibly popular these days, and many of them staffed by travelers. Choosing this option makes a perfect sense because you’ll be surrounded by like-minded individuals and earning a good income at the same time.

Hostels are often looking to hire reception team members, customer relations assistants, managers, cleaning stuff, supervisors, and others. Many of them even offer live-in positions, so you may have a good chance to minimize your accommodation costs as well.

If this sounds interesting, feel free to check out sites like Hostel Jobs to see what hostels around the world have to offer. Read the job descriptions carefully because some of them may require a minimal knowledge of the local language.

6. Get a Part-Time or a Short-Term Job

Income: $10 per hour+

This is another way to get good money (if it’s legal and your visa permits it, of course). Travelers who stay in one place for more than a month can get temp jobs in a fast food restaurant, retail, or even on a farm during harvest season.

“Agricultural work is most common in nations like Australia and New Zealand because of the shortage of workers, so it can give you some serious earnings,” says Steven Irving, a digital nomad and a digital marketer at WoWGrade.com. “To maximize your chances of making money as a farm worker, however, check seasonal trends for popular crops and find gigs where people are willing to pay you by pound/kilogram,” Irving recommends.

Bar & restaurant staff – waiter/waitress, bartender, chef, kitchen assistant etc. – is also a popular choice because of the hourly salary (and free meals, so you’ll be able to save money you would otherwise spend for food). Besides, bars and restaurants are everywhere and staff turnover is usually high in this business, so it could be a perfect option to fund your travel.

7. Fitness Instructor

Income: $20 per hour+

If you think that you can work as a traveling fitness instructor, go get trained and certified! For example, many people choose the International Sports Sciences Association’s (ISSA) personal training or health & fitness certification because it’s a well-known international certification body.

For example, you can provide services as a personal trainer during your travels, which could be especially great if you’re passionate about healthy living and fitness.

Work and Travel is Possible

As you can see, there are at least 7 great options to make money while traveling. Of course, the success doesn’t happen overnight because travel blogging requires investments until your blog has a good readership, but it’s not something that can’t be done.