Want to go travelling, but can’t afford it? Rather than spending months and months saving up, why not work as you travel? There are lots of ways to make an income while abroad. Some of the most obvious methods include working as a rep, working in a bar or teaching English. Here are some of the more unique ways to make money while travelling that could be worth trying out.
15 Ways to Make Money While Travelling
Do online freelance work
Online freelance work is one of the most flexible ways to make money while travelling. Business skills like copywriting, web design and digital marketing are sought after and can be done from any location providing you have a laptop and access to the internet. You could work for a company, or you could do freelance work using a site like Upwork or Fiverr. Going freelance is more likely to allow you to pick and choose your hours, but you may find it harder to guarantee a steady flow of work.
Work on a cruise ship
Cruise ships are great opportunities to travel the world. There are lots of different roles on board a cruise ship to consider including cooking, waitering, maintenance, navigating, entertainment, childcare and medical work. Your accommodation on the ship is likely to be paid for, as are your meals, plus you may have free access to facilities such as the gym. While you won’t get much travelling done on shift, you will get days off in which you can explore whichever port you’ve stopped at. Once you have experience on one cruise ship, you may be able to transfer to another and try a different cruise route.
Become a tour guide
Another option to make money while travelling is as a tour guide. You could work for a tour company—many attraction and overseas tours look for English speaking tour guides. For more freedom you could organize your own tour abroad. This tour could be educational, such as a historical tour or a wildlife safari. Alternatively, you could simply plan travel and accommodation and let people organize their own excursions and activities. Becoming a tour guide could limit you to a set route and may not be the ideal strategy for those that want to really explore.
Work on a farm
Many farm owners look for a helping hand when harvest comes around. This could include picking grapes on a vineyard or helping to pick crops. You may even be able to work on a farm with animals such as a cattle ranch. Some farms may be able to offer you free accommodation and meals, giving you the experience of living in that country as well as working there. Meanwhile, you can use your days off to explore other places in the area. This work can be physically demanding and may not be for everyone.
Busk or DJ
If you have a passion for music, you could make money performing music abroad. Clubs and bars in tourist areas around the world are always looking for live musicians and DJs to hire for the night. This could involve trawling from door to door until you find something, although you may be able to find some advertisements online. Meanwhile, hotels may have permanent positions that they are trying to fill. You may even be able to get away without a venue at all by busking on street corners—although be wary that local laws may forbid busking in certain areas without a permit.
Become an instructor
There may be skills that you can teach to others. If you’re experienced at skiing or diving, you could consider taking an instructor course that could allow you to teach around the world. You could do this through a company or you could teach independently. Other skills you may be able to teach could include learning an instrument, web programming, hairdressing or cooking. Experience teaching and qualifications could help to make you more credible when attracting clientele. Be wary that certain skills may have different licensing laws in different countries which could make your skills non-transferrable.
Teach an exercise class
Those that have a passion for fitness could consider teaching an exercise class abroad. This could be a yoga class or an exercise boot camp. Outdoor exercise classes are popular in warm climates as they don’t require the cost of hiring a premises—providing that a beach isn’t owned by anyone you can run a class on it for free. Exercise classes require a certain degree of marketing. This could involve printing off flyers to take round local restaurants and cafes, as well as doing lots of networking.
Take photos
Travel photography is a competitive industry, but you may be able to find your niche and get successful. There are many ways to make money from travel photography. You could sell your pictures online as stock photos to start with. After gaining a reputation, you may then be able to sell photos directly to travel brochures, magazines and guidebooks for a greater profit. Alternatively, you could get involved in a tour or work on a cruise ship taking photos of people and charging money for them. It’s possible you may even be able to make money through social media simply by gaining a following and monetising your social media page.
Sell artwork
If you have a talent for painting or drawing, you may be able to make money selling your own artwork. This could be anything from fine art of landscapes to caricatures of tourists. This can be a flexible job to work travels around, however you do may to have access to materials such as a canvas and paints.
Cut people’s hair
If you have skills as a barber or a hairdresser, you may be able to make use of these skills on your travels. With the right tools, you can cut someone’s hair in almost any location. You may even be able to pay hotels and restaurants to work on their site temporarily in exchange that you pay them some commission. Alternatively, you may be able to advertise your services online and go to people’s houses to cut their hair.
Correct menu mistranslations
On your travels, you’re likely to come across a lot of bad translations. It’s possible that you may be able to make money from correcting these translations into proper English. This could include menus, leaflets and signs.
Become a travel blogger
Travel blogging is a hobby for many people, but if you creating engaging enough content you may be able to turn it into an extra source of income. A blog that receives enough regular visitors can be monetized by placing ads on it. You may also be able to make use of affiliate schemes, writing promotional travel posts and making money of any leads that are generated. You could even charge travel companies and hotels to write positive reviews and informational pieces. Making money from travel blogging is difficult and you may want to establish a blog with a steady number of visitors first.
Discover hidden treasure
Fancy yourself as a real-life Indiana Jones? Across the world there are all kinds of legendary treasures that haven’t been discovered… yet. Finding these treasures could earn you a lot of money. Many travellers have been lucky enough to stumble across artefacts whilst scuba diving in new locations or scanning a beach with their metal detector. This isn’t a guaranteed way to make money while travelling, but could still be worth trying out.
Create a viral video
This is no simple task, but could still be worth trying out if you have a passion for videography. By filming certain unique things you see on your travels and uploading them to Youtube, you may find that people take interest and share your video. With enough views, you may be able to monetize your video with ads and make a small income off of it. You could even make a career as a YouTuber travelling around the world and creating viral videos.
Let your home out to lodgers
If no-one is living in your home while travelling, you could consider letting it out to a lodger. However, if you currently rent your property back home, you will need to first contact your landlord and ask if it’s okay to sub-let the property. If they agree, this could allow you to let out the property and cover your rent, giving you more money to spend on your travels.
