Ever wondered how you can make money while traveling? This blog will go over realistic steps to take and ways you can make money (& maybe even get free housing) while checking off all your travel bucket lists.
A quick back story
I’ve been living and working out of my van for a year as a freelance social media manager, content creator, and travel blogger. While I still have many things to figure out, I’ve been able to sustain this lifestyle for my bf, dog, and I for a while and I hope I can help you find a way to do the same.
Just a short background on how I got here, I worked many jobs from front office for a nursing home, medical office, and customer service rep. I was lucky enough for a forward thinking company to take a chance on me and groom my way from customer service to a marketing role (if you’re reading this, thank you). From there I grew my network and acquired freelance work and as my social media following grew, the paid content creation gigs came. Now I make more money than I did with my “safe” jobs. It’s scary as hell to take this leap but it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. Don’t be afraid to try something new, especially if it means living the life you were meant to live.
First thing’s first, cut your expenses.
The most sustainable way to travel full-time is to cut your expenses. Ever heard the term “the more you own, the more it owns you.” Well, that couldn’t be more true. One of the first things we did before jumping to full-time travel was selling our cars and appliances we hardly ever used.
I’m going to warn you though, this lifestyle is certainly not for everyone and some of these might be uncomfortable at first but if you’re open minded and have a passion for traveling, it’s going to be worth it.
These are some ways you can start cutting your living costs so you can have more money to spend on experiences.
- Sell all the things you don’t absolutely need. Let’s be real, most of your stuff is most likely not coming with you wherever you’re going.
- End your lease or sub-lease your apartment.
- Consider building out an SUV as a living space or buy/build a campervan. There are some great ideas in this blog for simple builds anyone can do.
What about work?
Unless you have a trust fund, you’ll probably need to figure out a way to make money while traveling. Thankfully, there are many ways to do that regardless of your work experience! The most common ways to do this are working remote, working seasonal jobs, or owning your own business.
Remote Work
One of the misconceptions with remote work is that you have to work in tech. There are a wide range of remote jobs out there that require little to no experience. Here are some examples:
- Virtual Assistant
- Sales
- Data Entry
- Customer Service Rep
So where can we find said remote work? I’ll be linking some ways you can search for remote jobs below: - https://www.upwork.com/
- https://www.flexjobs.com/
- https://www.linkedin.com/ (filter remote work only)
Another very underrated way and in my opinion, the best way to find remote work is by using your own network. This can be current or past colleagues, friends, or acquaintances.
Seasonal Jobs
Maybe a desk job isn’t really your thing, there are exciting opportunities to check out in seasonal jobs. Make money and travel in places like Banff, Alaska, or even Europe! Tourist destinations are ALWAYS in need of seasonal workers and jobs range from bartenders, hotel front desk, adventure guides, and so much more. I’ve found that some of these jobs even provide housing on top of your pay which is a win-win! A website I really liked for seasonal jobs is CoolWorks. They have a filter for jobs with housing or jobs by state or National Park.
From my personal experience, these tourist driven towns are always short staffed and in need of help. After traveling for 6 months straight, just about every place we visited from Sedona to Banff had hiring signs plastered all over local businesses.
Work Exchange
Another popular way to travel and stretch your money is to do a work exchange. You put in a set amount of hours or work in exchange for free housing. I’ve seen really amazing places for this like wineries and eco farms. This option is best if you have some savings.
Popular Work Exchange Websites:
Full-Time travel is a lot more attainable than you might think, you just need to keep an open mind. I hope you’ve found some great resources to get you started on the adventure of a lifetime.
Itching for a short road trip? Check out my favorite road trip stops on the Southern Oregon Coast.