It takes a lot of planning and preparation for long term travel. Whether you take a sabbatical from work or quit a job completely, it is a big deal. You would have saved enough money to maximize your traveling experience. But if you could keep making a little bit of extra pocket money while you're on the road, it would just be an icing on the cake. There are a few things you can do to earn money while traveling, so that you can use it to make your journey a little more luxurious than you initially planned.
1. Take a Camera with You
Your photography skills may not be up to scratch as a professional photographer, but you will have chances to capture breathtaking moments that others don't normally have, particularly you are visiting somewhere exotic. African safaris, for example. There are demands for good, unusual digital images and you may be able to monetize your experience by selling licenses on stock photo sites. Here are some sites that you may want to try;
- Adobe Stock
- Getty Images via Flickr
- Shutterstock
- Alarmy
- PhotoShelter
- Etsy
- TourPhotos
- Fotomoto
- Crestock
- Snapped4u
- 500px
While phone photography may be anathema to some photographers, using your smartphone to capture images and instantly upload them to social media is a fantastic way of increasing your audience. Any photographer worth their salt today will have a presence on social media so that they can easily share their best photos with as wide an audience as possible.
You never know when you are going to come across that killer image - the one that everyone else wants to use as well. All it takes is one such image and you can earn yourself a nice pay check.
2. Start Blogging
Blogging is not as hard as you think, and you can make money by blogging as an affiliate. Two of the most popular ways that travel bloggers do to make money are by;
- Placing advertisements such as Google Adsense and get paid by PPC (pay per click) or PPM (pay per 1,000 impressions) and,
- Placing Amazon Native ads and recommend products that are related to your blog contents.
If you are still at a planning stage of your travel, you should start blogging now because you can only improve the whole experience by trying and testing over time. You cannot start blogging and make money overnight.
Your blog doesn't have to be about traveling. In fact, it's better to write about what you know best. For example, a friend of mine is a DIY electronics geek and wrote about engineering while traveling around the world, the niche of which is totally unrelated to his travel experience.
3. Look for Remote Working Opportunities
Remote working is a popular option that benefits both businesses and employees. Employers can save the cost of resources such as office while the arrangement gives employees more flexibility.
There is a wide range of remote working opportunities; programming, designing, bookkeeping, data entry, virtual assistant, or any type of consultancy work.
While you may not really want to be employed while you enjoy your travel experience, you can achieve it by agreeing on a special arrangement with your employer. For example, dedicate one day a week, and plan your travel around it. Unlike the other two options above, remote working ensures that you will receive a constant income.
Making Money While You Travel
Long term travel broadens your mind and enriches your life experience. It will change the way you look at things. But if the opportunity never seems feasible for you because of money, there are always ways to earn money while traveling without stressing yourself out. Think about it, there may be more important things in life than spending the majority of waking hours at work.
