How To Make Money While Travelling

Imagine exploring the world or the open road. Imagine immersing yourself in different cultures and visiting the most breathtaking destination the world has to offer.

Of course, you'll need a way to fund these adventures. Earning a sustainable income while travelling isn't just for influencers and YouTubers.

In this guide, we'll explore the possibilities of making money while travelling in ways that work with us wandering nomads. This guide isn’t only for international travel, but will highlight how to make money during van life too!

Table Of Contents

How Can I Travel Without Being Broke?
What Do Van Lifers Do For A Living?
What Do Travellers Do For A Living?
How Much Does It Cost To Take A Year Off?
What Are The Different Ways You Can Make Money While Travelling?
Conclusion

How Can I Travel Without Being Broke?

Travelling is possible on tight budgets. Sometimes it's even better to spend your money elsewhere than at home.

With intelligent planning and resourcefulness, anyone can travel the world with little money.

Here are some tips and tricks to fund your travels:

Budgeting

• Understand the type of trip you want to go on. Budget according to what you have available.
• You might find that you can only last so long until you'll require a source of income.

Cheap Flights

• Compare the prices of flights from many different sites. Being flexible in your departures and return dates and times gives you more flexibility in price choice.
• Be strategic and plan flights in the most economical direction. If possible, avoid huge detours.

Affordable Accommodations

• Hostels, guesthouses, and shared accommodations will allow your money to take you further.
• A more frugal move is to try and align the times you sleep for bus rides, train travel and airplane transport.
• When in a van, try and find free places to stay. Applications like iOverlander can help with this.

Transportation Costs

• Using public transit puts your transportation spending on par with the locals. Rental bikes, and two feet and a heartbeat are a healthy and frugal alternative to taking taxis or an Uber.
• Alternatively, when road-tripping, moving less is a great way to save money.
  Take a look at Vancity Vanlifes fuel costs:

Free Activities

• Research what’s available around you. Walking tours, festivals, and some outdoor activities are often free. Exploring on a bike lets you see much more than being shuttled around in a tour bus.

Enjoy Local Cuisine

• Experiencing your destination through cuisine is often a highlight that many people rave about when talking about a certain location. Food halls, street vendors, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants can offer a lot of unique foods and provide tons of value when needing to be frugal.
• While travelling in a van, cooking can become a fun experience if you're willing to try new foods, dishes, and techniques.

Find A Job

• If your budget only takes you so far, finding some form of temporary employment is a great way to extend your travels. More on this later.
• Unless you're completely comfortable travelling alone, this is also a great way to make friends too!

What Do Van Lifers Do For A Living?

Van life offers a unique way of existence that allows one to generate an income while travelling. Below are some of the most popular ways van lifers enable their income-earning travels.

Freelancing

Many people who live in vans choose to become freelancers with the skills they have. Some more notable nomad freelance jobs are video editing, copywriting, and using their previous skills to pick up jobs when they need them

Remote Work

Another popular option for van lifers is to work remotely for a new company, or the one they may have already had. This is an excellent option for van life as you may already be established in your job, and can get the work done faster to allow you to take a mid-day hike, or to drive to a new destination when you know you have some downtime.

Influencing

A lot of van lifers choose to try and make a living through platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or even Pinterest. While these people are the loud minority, it is possible to acquire income this way.

What Do Travellers Do For A Living?

Travelling is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. Being able to do it sustainably is an excellent way to provide an income to fuel your adventures. Below we’ll go over some common ways travellers earn an income.

Remote Work

If all you need is an internet connection to do your work, then you can choose to work wherever you want. Through my travels, I’ve met people from all over the world working many different kinds of remote jobs!

While they may need to be attached to their computer, sometimes their schedules aligned so that they could be finished with their work early in the day so they could spend the rest of their time exploring their destination.

Working Locally

One of the easiest ways to earn income is to apply for a job at your destination. Places like hostels, hotels, ski hills, national parks, etc. are usually manned by travellers. These types of employment can come with benefits like free accommodations, food, and even discounts on the services the company provides.

Freelancing

Much like van lifers, international travellers can pick up gigs online through websites like Fiverr, or Upwork. Working in this way allows you to have better control over your work/ life balance. If you only need to work for a few months of the year, this is a great option.

How Much Does It Cost To Take A Year Off?

A general estimate is between 10,000 and 35,000 to take a full year to travel. Depending on your trip, you can work out the math to get an estimate of how much for your specific trip and length.

The cost of travelling for a year depends on many factors like your available funds, where you’re going, and what you’ll do when you’re there. Whether you plan to hit the road or hop on a flight, it’s good to know about the common expenses.

As a personal anecdote, while I was travelling abroad, I found it cheaper to pay the visa entrance fee and stay locally for one night as opposed to staying at the airport hotel. When you explore your options (like getting a second opinion), you might find some interesting way to allow your money to take you further than you would have thought.

Accommodations

Calculate the cost of many different accommodations. Include hostels as your main place to stay (if you want), then add in some hotels or longer-term rentals if you plan to stay somewhere nicer every once in a while, or if you plan to stay somewhere long-term.

For the van lifers, you stand to save a large amount this way if you only stay in free spots. Every once in a while, a campground is a great way to relax, recharge (yourself and your batteries), feel safe, and restock fresh water, and empty grey and black water.

Transportation

Consider all the places you’ll want to go and how you plan to get there. Buses, trains, planes, tuk-tuks, scooter rentals, camper vans, etc.

Food And Dining

Sure to be one of your larger expenses, food is an expense you need to consider when travelling. Account for the daily quick foods like food trucks, or stalls. Also, add in a buffer for those times you make a reservation at a fancy restaurant that is highly regarded.

When possible, try and make your own food. While travelling this might not be easy to do, but a lot of hostels have some sort of kitchen that you can make food in.

Insurance And Health

Having an emergency overseas or on the road can become a big ordeal, especially if you have to pay out of pocket. Having some sort of travel insurance can alleviate this concern while you’re travelling.

Alternatively, some procedures and medications can be cheaper abroad than at home and can be cheaper than paying your insurance premium.

Activities And Excursions

Another potentially expensive cost associated with travel is what you choose to do during your travels. Sightseeing tours are not something you want to skimp out on, especially the adventurous kind!

When possible try and join group excursions to share the cost. Meeting people at your accommodations is a great way to split the cost.

While travelling in a van, you might find yourself downsizing your activities to your most enjoyed ones. So, instead of a new activity every day, you might climb and hike when the weather is nice, and read and catch up on movies when it's a bit too wet.

Miscellaneous Expenses

Account for additional expenses like donations, visa fees, gifts and souvenirs, and even add some more to cover you if you lose your phone, or need a new bag.

What Are The Different Ways You Can Make Money While Travelling?

Now that we have an understanding of what types of jobs work for which type of travel, how much it costs, and how to travel on a budget, we can look into the different types of jobs.

Making money while travelling is a great way to keep your adventure sustainable. On top of the options listed above, there are a plethora of ways to make money on the road, or abroad.

Some possibilities are gig-based, some options are more conventional, and some are opportunities of a lifetime!

Travel Writing

Average Annual Income: $57,196

Can you imagine being paid to travel and experience new adventures? Perhaps one of the best ways to accomplish this is to document your experiences while travelling.

Travel writing can take many shapes and there are many ways to make money off of this endeavour. Some of the options are writing for a personal blog, writing for someone else’s blog, or writing for other entities, like magazines, or travel books.

This writing niche might seem oversaturated, but there are still opportunities to create related to this niche. Here are some tips:

• Craft Compelling Content
  You can’t expect to stand out if your content is the same as everyone else’s. Make your stories unique and recount them in a way that excites your audience
• Pitch Your Stories
  Find entities that accept freelance submissions. Tailor your story to meet their expectations and style.
• Build a Portfolio
  This step will allow you to have stories to pitch to potential clients, and could even become a conglomeration of your own that you can monetize.
  
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Sell Photos And Videos

Average Annual Income: $4200

Many people enjoy photography or videography as a pastime. If you have these skills, people are willing to pay for your visuals.

• Monetization
  You can choose to sell your content as stock photos or videos, receiving a royalty every time it is used.
• Freelance
  You can work for someone who specifically requests certain projects. While you may lose some of your own creativity, the name of the game is income.
• Social Media
  Uploading your content to YouTube in this manner is a popular way to monetize your skills. Perhaps a vlog of your travels, or a video series of different ways to start fires. Monetizing your skills this way allows for maximum creativity.
  Collaborate with brands to sponsor you so you can continue to produce the content while travelling.
• Focus On Capturing Marketable Content
  Note some entities that you wish to sell your content to. Create your content around their desires and styles.
• Direct sales
  You can also sell prints, shirts, and other merchandise with your content on it.

Copywriting‌

Average Annual Income: $57,848

Your writing talent can be a lucrative skill to offer to employers. Copywriting can be a fully remote way to earn an income while travelling.

• Specialize Your Niche
  Focus on the style of writing and marketing in a niche you want to write in, or already have some experience in.
• Build A Portfolio
  This can include demo copywriting and writing for fake sites along with any real-world work you’ve produced. Ensure you support your work with explanations of the techniques you’ve used and any conversion metrics associated with your writing.

Work Locally‌

Average Annual Income: $46,014 (Tourism)

Working locally in your travel destination can be an incredibly immersive and rewarding way to sustain your travels. With a plethora of different job possibilities, working locally is an easy way to make this happen.

• Decide On Your Desired Length Of Employment
  Some jobs offer seasonal work if you need to stay in a certain area. Others offer longer-term, or short-term positions. Deciding the length of stay can help you identify which type of work you should find.
• Working In Tourism
  Perhaps one of the most common ways to earn money is to work in tourism. Ski hills, tour guides, and hospitality work in hostels and hotels are common ways to work in tourism.
• Working At Campgrounds/ Parks
  Another great opportunity with potential added benefits is working for a campground. This type of job is great for those that love to spend as much time outdoors as possible. You'll usually have your site paid for while earning a bit of income on top.
• Local Services
  Travel Nursing allows you to move around as much as you’d like while still working in the field you’ve studied.
  Teaching a language in your mother tongue can lead you to many foreign destinations.
  Even jobs like a yoga instructor, barista, or bartender are easily transferable depending on your location and known languages.
• Use What You Already Have
  Even more lucrative would be to work your normal job in the place you chose to travel. Oftentimes, contract work and consulting suit the traveller's lifestyle the best since you know the length of your employment.
  Additionally, you can work in the delivery sector. Delivering food, or even furniture if you have a vehicle large enough (Looking at you, van lifers).

Work Remotely‌

Average Annual Income: $95,119

One of the easiest ways to enter the job market while travelling is to work remotely. It means you aren’t location dependent and can choose to be where you want.

• Search For Remote Jobs
  Data entry, marketing, writing, software, and virtual assisting are some common types of jobs that will be listed on remote job boards.
• Explore What You Already Have.
  Being able to transfer your current job into a remote position will be the most attainable way to accomplish this. If not possible, explore similar roles that don’t keep you locked into a certain spot.
• Product Versus Time
  Having a job description where you only need to deliver a product provides the most flexibility. Needing to be “online” for 8 hours a day means you need to be more crafty with your driving time, or flights.

Work On A Cruise Ship

Average Annual Income: $58000 (Leadership/ non-leadership)

Perhaps a bit less traditional is working on cruise ships. It offers a unique opportunity to work many different types of jobs that are based around travel.
Here’s what you need to know:

• Explore The Roles
  There are plenty of different roles on a cruise ship. Whether maintenance, ship crew, hospitality, entertainment, or cooking, you’re sure to find a role suitable to your skills and desires.
  Keep in mind, the job roles can be demanding, and you might not always be able to explore the port you dock at.
• Plan Your Destinations
  Choosing the right cruise line is a hard battle. If you have no interest in sailing the Arctic, then you might want to think twice about applying to an Arctic-only cruise line.
  Basing your application on a ship that travels to the destination of choice is the best way to work the system in your favour.
• Work On Smaller Ships
  Alternatively, becoming part of a team that works on chartered or private yachts and sailboats is another excellent way to travel and work simultaneously.

Because this is such a unique option, here's a video going over the details of working on a cruise ship:

Sell Digital Products

Average Annual Income: $36000 - $120000

With the right skill set, you can monetize your knowledge or creativity in the form of digital products like books, graphic design, or prints for t-shirts.

• Graphic Design
  There are so many options for graphic design. Templates (for journals, websites, etc.), icons or logos, and illustrations are some common choices.
  Creative Market, or Etsy are some of the places you can sell your work.
• Books and Ebooks
  It's easier than ever to self-publish now. With the right content, you might even get published the old-fashioned way. Use platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing to get your content out to a wide audience.
• T-Shirts And Merchandise
  If you have a brand, merchandise is a great way to promote it.
  You can outsource the creative aspects of design if you want.
  While not wholly digital, it's possible to outsource the fulfillment phase to third parties so you never have to worry about a place to store your merchandise through platforms like Printful, or Redbubble.
• Sell Online Courses
  The great thing about the digital product market is you don’t need to be in a classroom to teach. Many people sell courses on topics ranging from selling digital products to cooking to real-world skills like woodworking or software. If you are an expert in a certain skill, you might be able to sell it!

Passive Income Online‌

Average Annual Income: $78000

Not to be confused with a side hustle (which is just a second job), generating passive income is a great way to fund your travels and any other endeavour. Consider these avenues:

• Affiliate Marketing
  Use your pre-existing platform to monetize affiliate marketing. It can be the products you use on your blog, or the shoes you wear to hike for a photo op.
• Rental Income
  If you choose to downsize but want to keep your home while being away, perhaps using it to generate income is a good fit for your situation. You may choose to rent it, or you might want to use VRBO or Airbnb.
• Vehicle Rental
  If you’re going to be flying abroad, perhaps renting out your vehicle on Turo might provide adequate income to make this a good fit. Just ensure you can trust someone to deal with the vehicle return and cleaning.

Volunteering‌

Average Annual Income: It depends.

While not directly leading to income, volunteering provides meaningful work in a sector you might be passionate about.

As an added bonus, some volunteer agencies might also provide things like accommodations, food, or free access to their business.

• Disaster Relief
  Disaster relief might be less of a vacation, but it will provide you with a means to get to a location and experience it more intimately while having a meaningful impact.
  Organizations like the Red Cross, Samaritans Purse, or Team Rubicon often send teams abroad.
• Humanitarian Aid
  You might also want to think about volunteering for humanitarian aid. These types of roles can have you building schools, wells, and homes. You might also find yourself teaching or even working in a medical facility that isn’t directly related to natural or man-made disasters.
• Farming
  Organizations like WOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) can allow you to work while learning valuable skills and having some of your bases covered like shelter and food.
• National/Local Parks
  Many parks have volunteer programs that can have you working to maintain trails, do garbage pickup, monitor animal activity, or raise awareness. These roles sometimes offer free park passes and sometimes camping opportunities too!

Conclusion

Earning money while travelling is a great way to sustain your adventures. Sometimes, it’s a requirement. Other times, it’s a way to improve your quality of life. While it can be challenging to travel on a tight budget, with the right resourcefulness and planning, it is possible.

There are many opportunities to acquire a sustainable income while travelling like writing, influencing, working locally, or even volunteering.

Embrace the freedom of working while travelling and set your own terms for the work-life balance you deserve.

Feel free to help your fellow traveller and leave a comment with tips and tricks for making money while travelling!