Have you ever asked yourself, “How will I possibly make money while traveling?” or “How will I survive on the road?” or maybe “How can I can’t start traveling when I don’t have much money?”

Chances are that these very thoughts have indeed crossed your mind (they cross all of our minds at some point!) and there’s also a chance that you haven’t found any answers. As a result, you’ve still yet to take that first step and start traveling and as time passes by, you start to wonder if you’ll ever achieve your travel goals.

Here on the blog I’m always making the claim that you can make money and travel much more easily than most people think. But yesterday I realized that I should probably back up that claim with some actual examples. So, that’s what I want to do here. I want to help you answer those questions above.

Are you ready? Here’s a list of 20 ways you can make money while traveling (keep in mind this is just a fraction of the opportunities that actually exist!)…

 

Teach English

Job opportunities are all around the world and in many cases, you don’t need to be certified. You just need to be a native speaker. Check out eslcafe.com, send in a few applications to schools in South Korea, Japan, Thailand or dozens of other locations & you’ll be surprised at how many interviews you land.

 

Sell Timeshares

If you were born to be a salesperson, then head to Greece, Thailand, Mexico, the Caribbean or any other major resort area and you can find work selling timeshares. These resorts want salespeople who can relate to their potential customers, so they prefer to have Americans selling to Americans, Italians selling to Italians and so on. The earning potential is huge in this line of work.

 

Resort Jobs

If selling isn’t your thing, resorts all over the planet often hire staff from other countries for a variety of positions, such as front desk, restaurant or the activity/entertainment department.

 

Working Holiday Visas

Countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Ireland and Singapore offer these to foreigners, generally those who are between the ages of 18 – 30. If you’re in that age range, the working holiday visa might just be your best option to make money and travel. It allows you stay in a country for up to one year and in some cases, to apply for and work in any position you want. Yes, it is a sweet deal and one incredible way to earn an income while being overseas.

Travel Blogging

It’s not easy to earn a big income with a travel blog. The amount of time/effort required to do so is much more than most people imagine. But if you’re looking for some extra cash to help fund part of your travels, while keeping the world informed of your adventures, starting a travel blog might be your answer. (Have a look at the useful Travel Blog Success course if you’re serious about earning money from your blog and for inspiration, see my list of fellow travel bloggers out there.)

 

Housesitting

Who wouldn’t want a free place to stay? While you typically won’t get paid, if you don’t mind looking after somebody else’s house while they’re away, this is a great option. I know many people who just hop around from house-sitting gig to house-sitting gig, essentially avoiding accommodation expenses for years. Gigs can be one week, one month, one year or anything in between. (Jess & Dani fromGlobetrotterGirls.com and Pete & Dalene from HeckticTravels.com are the experts when it comes to house-sitting!)

 

Bartending

There are bars in many towns and cities that pay ‘cash in hand’ to travelers who can work a bar and are willing to stay in one spot for a while. Bars connected to hostels are often your best bet.

 

Cafe/Restaurant Work

The same goes for cafes and restaurants. If you’re in a popular backpacking destination, just ask the hostel staff if they know of any cafes that hire travelers. Sometimes you’ll find a local classifieds/coupon traveler-oriented magazine lying around the hostel as well. Flip it open and many times you’ll find restaurants advertising for help.

 

Teach Any Language

English isn’t the only language people want to learn. Speak French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin, Arabic or anything else? Look for jobs or set up your own classes by advertising at universities or popular hangouts such as cafes.

 

Au Pair

The situations vary but you’ll get room, board and a weekly paycheck for helping take care of a family’s kids, allowing you to explore the country you end up in during your free time as well.

Tour Escort

Many international tour operators, especially those such as Indochina.com that offer budget tours around the world, hire tour escorts to accompany each group. The pay is on the low side and you usually must sign up for a 1-2 year contract, but the benefit is that you get to explore parts of the world without spending any money at all, while gaining some great work experience in the process.

 

Sell Your Art & Crafts at Local Markets

There are markets in many places where foreigners can rent a stall and sell their goods. Usually these are markets that are geared towards tourists and other travelers. As a result, there are many people who follow the market circuit, bouncing around from market to market all year round, selling their hand made crafts, artwork, clothes from India or other goods that are in high-demand.

 

Tour Operators in the Caribbean

When I worked on board cruise ships and we would dock in places such as St. Thomas or St. Maarten or Cozumel, many of the staff working for our local tour operators were from the USA, Canada and Europe. Their job was to greet the passengers coming off the ship, keep the groups organized and lead them to their tour bus or van or boat. The pay was okay and they got to live and work in a tropical location for a while.

 

Photography

I’m an average photographer at best but for those who know what they’re doing with a camera, it is possible to try and sell the travel photos you take. You could set up your own ‘shop’ on sites such as SmugMug.com and you could try and sell your photos to a variety of travel magazines and to companies that have stock photography collections.

 

Corporate World

Maybe you want to live overseas but you want to have a proper career or are looking for a higher paycheck. Well, there’s nothing stopping you from applying for corporate or other long-term jobs around the world. China has a growing number of opportunities for foreigners, Singapore and New Zealand are very popular and several countries in the Middle East are home to thousands of expats living and working for companies there.

 

Cruise Ship Employment

I always recommend this option as an excellent way to earn good money while getting a taste of the world, gaining some solid work experience and networking with hundreds of people (both fellow crew and passengers) from around the world. Not a bad list of benefits. If you’re interested, you might want to look at my popular eBook – How to Work on Cruise Ships.

 

Travel/Tourism Industry

This won’t ensure that you’re on the road all the time, but a job in the travel industry at home might be perfect for some. A steady paycheck, plenty of good networking possibilities and if you end up in the right position, you’ll just have to travel as part of your work. (Work in Travel is a great resource for anyone interested in working in this industry.)

Edit English Signs/Menus

It might sound silly but there are travelers out there earning decent money by wandering around touristy areas all over the world and getting paid to correct the English spelling/grammar on signs and menus of businesses that try to attract foreigners. I met one guy in Thailand who would charge $10 for his editing services and he would have approximately 20 clients per week. Not a bad way to earn $800 bucks per month.

 

Volunteer Work

In most cases, this won’t pay, but you’ll have an unforgettable experience while usually saving money on room and board, which is just like getting paid! You don’t have to spend a lot of money with large global operations in order to volunteer as there are local organizations in every country that would love to have you. Two good websites are GrassrootsVolunteering.org and IndependentVolunteer.org.

 

Be Creative!

One of the best examples of this involved a female traveler I met in Central America who had funded over 6 months of travel by using a very simple business model. She would hop from beach town to beach town, contact several local tour operators (who usually offered snorkeling and scuba diving trips) and then worked out a deal. In exchange for bringing them business, she would receive a good commission. Each day she would hang around the hostels and travelers cafes and recommend the tour operators she was working with. Let’s just say she was doing very well. So put on your thinking cap, brainstorm some ideas and don’t be afraid to get creative!

 

And that’s the list. I really do hope that this has helped you realize that you can make money and travel, that earning money on the road is not as impossible as you once thought. If it were impossible, there certainly wouldn’t be so many people, from countries all around the world, traveling and working as they explore this great planet of ours.

Of course, there are many more ways to earn money while traveling as well, so if you have anything you’d like to add or share, please leave your thoughts in the comments below. The more opportunities we list, the more we can help each other!