Traveling is for everyone. You don’t need to commit to a career path in the travel industry or rely on corporate business trips in order to experience the world. You do, however, need a dose of courage to try something new and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Long-term travelers have found incredibly creative ways to earn a living without getting stuck in the 9-5 rut.
You can follow in their footsteps. We’ll go over some of the most viable ways to get paid to travel and make money on the road. Like any life change, most of these paths won’t be “easy” to take, despite what many travel bloggers will have you believe. But they are entirely doable. In fact, I’ve done many successfully myself.
Remote Work
Working remotely, (telecommuting), is a great option for people who want to be sure of a steady paycheck while traveling. It’s a more familiar path for people who are used to being employed full-time. The options are many and varied. Most people will already have the skills necessary to work in at least an entry level position.
- Virtual assistant
This type of remote work is a bit easier to break into than others, as it is fairly general in nature. You won’t need an advanced degree, but you will need good organizational skills to carry out a variety of tasks. These can range from administration and managing schedules, to making phone calls and doing research, to managing social media and reaching out to customers. - Freelancing
So many careers can be made virtual. If you can develop skills in the fields of writing, art & design, programming, customer service, accounting, etc., you can apply for freelancing jobs on Upwork. As a beginner on the site, you’ll need to write great cover letters and charge less than more experienced freelancers. - Telecommuting with a “normal” company
If you work in an office, it’s possible you can broach the subject of working remotely a few days per week. If you prove to your boss you can work well from home, it’s a good way to transition into more travel time.
There are also tons of companies, large and small, that hire full time employees remotely. It’s a proper job, with regular hours and full-time benefits, but you don’t have to work from a specific location. Browse Flexjobs to see who’s hiring. - Create virtual products
Common virtual products include ebooks, podcasts, and online courses (begin with Skillshare).
The keys to creating digital content that sells well online are:
1. Getting very, very niche
2. Marketing heavily
The need for marketing (you can’t just make a product and expect people to buy it) is why so many “get paid to travel” lists include blogging. Blogging is not a get rich quick scheme, and it’s not easy, but it can be an excellent marketing tool for niche virtual products.
And if you combine an incredibly specific topic with the ability to connect to a network of interested people, a lot of doors open up. Therefore, this idea is best for people already well integrated in a highly specialized field, who can present their ideas well and sell them within their peer network. - Online tutoring
There are many companies that will hire people to tutor students one-on-one via Skype or a similar platform. Finding the companies that will be the best fit for you and will actually pay you a decent wage (most don’t factor in teacher’s prep time) can be challenging. The opportunities are better for those who are more experienced or who have specialized knowledge. The masses may compete for positions teaching English to foreign students, one of the more popular options.
Gig Economy Jobs
People are leaning hard into the side-gig economy, and they’ve tapped into a way of life that travels well. When the app or website you’re using is country-wide (or worldwide), your job can be pretty much wherever you are.
- Craigslist gigs
Craigslist is location specific. Once you get to the page for your current location, you’ll see the gigs section. Here you can browse jobs listed by companies or locals who need a one-time job done. Common gigs include helping people move, cleaning homes and business, or doing some maintenance work. - Gig economy apps
Gig apps are made so that pretty much anyone can get paid to do some simple job or another. The apps are always changing, so search google for the latest popular choices. Currently on the menu are gigs delivering food, driving people, doing people’s shopping, walking dogs, etc. There are hundreds of options.
As of 2019, check out:
–Uber (taxi service)
–Uber Eats (food delivery)
–Lyft (taxi service)
–Rover (dog care)
–Grubhub (food delivery)
–Dolly (help people move)
–Postmates (shopping delivery)
Jobs Wherever You Are
Some types of jobs are just easier to get, period. If you prefer working in a physical location and having coworkers, these jobs could be your best bet. Businesses in most towns will have a need to fill the following types of positions on the regular, so it shouldn’t take too long to find a job wherever you decide to put your suitcase for a while.
- Service industry jobs
Some of the easiest jobs to get are those with the highest turnover. They usually don’t require degrees or much experience. These can be found in abundance in the service industry- in hotels, restaurants, hostels, and resorts.
Housekeeping and dishwashing are usually very easy jobs to get. There are also openings in pretty much every town for wait staff (one of the few jobs that doesn’t require a degree but where you can earn a good amount of money), and guest check in.
For the most part, you can simply walk down the street when you get to a new town and pop into hotels, coffee shops, and restaurants and ask if they are hiring. Small companies often won’t post job openings online, because the bigger job boards are incredibly expensive.
Some companies will post on craigslist, so it’s good to check there, and some will have help wanted signs in the window. But you’d be surprised how many companies post nowhere at all, and you’d never know if you didn’t ask. - Temp agencies
A staple for many long term travelers, temp agencies are a middleman between the employee and employer. Temp agencies exist all over, so they are location specific and you’ll need to search for ones near you. They’ll help you find jobs that don’t require long-term contracts, so you can work for a short time and get back to traveling. - Seasonal holiday work in retail
The Christmas season is a great time to find jobs that won’t require you to make a long term commitment. Most retail stores will need extra staff, nurseries will need Christmas tree salespeople, and many holiday themed events will require short-term staff. You can find these jobs pretty much anywhere in the US.
Seasonal Adventure Jobs
Seasonal Adventure Jobs (think wilderness lodges, ski resorts, retreat centers) are jobs within the tourism industry. Seasonal companies often provide employee housing.
As the name suggests, seasonal adventure jobs take place during specific seasons. Summer camps need staff in the summer and ski resorts need staff in the winter. The subculture of seasonal adventure workers is a vibrant one, and seasonal work warrants its own blog post.
In fact, if you want to find a seasonal adventure job, I highly recommend reading Resources for Seasonal Jobs with Housing. But here is a short, quick breakdown to start you on your journey.
- WanderJobs
Hey look, you’re on the WanderJobs website now! Head to our Jobs page to search a huge variety of positions in the categories of:
-education
-farm & garden
-wilderness lodges & resorts
-national parks, outdoor adventure
-horse ranch
-retreat centers
-ships
-ski & snowboard instruction
-summer camp
-and lots more!
All of the jobs we list included employee housing, and many of them come with three hot, tasty meals each day. Best of all, you’ll be close to nature with a community of coworkers who are excited by a non-traditional adventure lifestyle. - Cruise ship jobs
These jobs are better suited for extremely social and tireless young people. For the most part, hours will be long, work will be tough, and personal space won’t exist. But many of the jobs (think housekeeping, customer service) don’t require much experience, and won’t require a particularly long contract. While I personally would never, ever work on a cruise ship, I’ve met people who have enjoyed doing so- at least for a while.
Google will help you find cruise ship jobs- there are many websites listing staff openings. - Au Pair
Live-in nannies (think Sound of Music) receive room and board in addition to a paycheck. They care for the children in a family, doing tasks like cooking, cleaning, tutoring, and playing. Typically au pairs work in countries other than their own; positions are available in family homes all over the world. It’s a unique cultural experience and a great way to become fully integrated into a local family and community.
Many areas also have au pair resources and meetups so you can find others au pairs in your area.
There are tons of websites to find au pair positions, and they are ever changing. Before moving in with a family, do your due diligence. Make sure they are trustworthy and you’ll be safe!
Businesses For Travelers
Perhaps the option providing the highest level of freedom (and also the most responsibility) is starting a business. It isn’t an endeavor to take lightly. However, some businesses are relatively low in commitment and start-up costs and don’t require a huge amount of expertise. And of course, they are traveler-friendly.
- Street entertainment
Street entertainment doesn’t need to be tacky or awkward. There are beautiful ways to make money as a street entertainer (aka busker), if you’re in an area that allows it. The best ideas won’t be the cliché, but rather, creative outside-of-the-box ideas that create unique and memorable experiences for people.
Think interactive and personal. You’ll need to brainstorm, but consider this food for thought:
-give mini watercolor lessons and let the customers take home a finished painting
-put up a romantic display and teach couples how to give each other shoulder massages
-provide a “lend an ear” service to people who have had a rough day and need to talk. - Teach classes
With knowledge of a fun skill, like playing an instrument or painting, you can advertise your teaching services around a new town. As with any business, it helps to have a network you can go to for help finding the first customers.
If you don’t have a network yet, you can post flyers (put some effort into making them attractive) on community bulletin boards in coffee shops, libraries, and bookstores.
You can also teach free group classes in libraries or in local shops and pubs. Ask if you can use shop space in exchange for hosting an event that will draw people to their store. Then tell the attendees you offer in-home personalized classes for a fee. - Professional certifications
Some certifications travel really well. Earning a license in thai massage, yoga, or reiki, will usually end up costing a few thousand dollars and as little as few dozen hours. These and other services in the newly popular “spiritual services” field are highly in demand. $60 is a perfectly reasonable hourly rate for a house call for a reiki or thai massage session.
Advertise your services and host workshops at yoga studios and similarly spiritually hip places. If you are certified at a higher level and can teach others on the path to certification, you can teach multiple people at once charge much more per person.
Before committing to a certification, make sure the license you’ll receive is not state-specific.
How Not to Get Paid to Travel
If you’ve been around the internet on your quest to find out “how to get paid to travel,” you’ve probably already read a few blog posts on the subject. You’ll notice we’ve left off some of the most commonly listed ideas, including:
-micro licensing photos
-starting a travel blog
-selling essential oils
-being a medical guinea pig
-being a campground host
-answering survey questions online
-selling cheap services on fivver
We’ve omitted these because frankly, they are terrible ideas. They either have almost no earning potential whatsoever, are dangerous, or (in the case of blogging for money) are much harder than they sound. Don’t commit to any of these things lightly. They usually aren’t worth your time.
Let’s end on a positive note! We’ve listed many things here that you can accomplish. Our favorite method at WanderJobs is, of course, seasonal adventure work. Even people in “regular” jobs can often take a sabbatical to squeeze out a few months of adventure. Perhaps you’ll have to get back to the real world afterwards, but it will be the experience of a lifetime.
