Dreaming to travel the world and get paid for it? Look no further! Here are 13 of the best ideas to achieve your goal. You’ve never been so closed of living your dream life!
Who has never dreamt to travel the world and get paid at the same time? If you are on my blog, I believe you did… But I know from experience that it can be hard to know what you should do to achieve your goals and earn money while traveling!
I truly hope that this blog post will be the life-changing sign you were looking for… Don’t wait to live your dreams and keep reading!
This post highlights 13 ways to travel the world and get paid for it, alongside the pros and cons of each of them!
APPLY FOR REMOTE JOBS
If you are an anxious kind of traveler, having a remote job before leaving to discover the world might be the best option for you. You won’t have to worry about making enough money to live and will be able to plan your expenses better.
Some platforms like Beach Commute are specialized in finding remote jobs.
- Pros: Stable income. – You can find a job in your preferred sector.
- Cons: Defined working hours. – Some companies won’t let you work from another country or a different time zone.
BECOME AN AU PAIR
Becoming an au pair might not be a fit for everyone. But if you like children and want to discover a new part of the world without worrying, it might be perfect!
I’ve been an au pair in England for almost two years, and until today, it is still one of the best experience of my life.
Some platforms like Au Pair World will help you find a family to stay with.
Pro tips before accepting to work for a family? Discuss the working hours and tasks you will have to do. Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is good, and some families are looking for a cheap workforce instead of someone to welcome to their family.
- Pros: Fed and lodged free of charge. – Immersing yourself in a new culture by living with locals. – Create once in a lifetime bonds with the kids you are looking after.
- Cons: Defined working hours, mostly from Monday to Friday. – No location independence once you are on the job.
PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY
The dream of every amateur photographer out there? Making a living out of their passion. Unfortunately, it is harder than we think. But if you are passionate about it and want to travel the world and get paid at the same time, you should give it a go! As we say, the sky is the limit!
There are various ways to sell your photographs and videos… Taking photos for hotels or restaurants, selling prints, doing shootings for special occasions, selling calendars with your photos… BE CREATIVE!
If you want to start learning travel photography, take a look at my travel photography section! From editing to photography composition, you will learn everything you need to know.
- Pros: Location independence. – Can start with just a camera and a computer. – Freedom of creativity as you get better.
- Cons: Gears can be expensive as you want to upgrade them. – Finding who to sell your work too can be hard. – You might have to accept photography gigs that you don’t like at the beginning in order to make money and build a portfolio.
SELL YOUR ART
The same way that you can sell your photography, you can sell any kind of art! Ceramics, painting, macramé, jewelry… You name it! So if you have any kind of artistic talent, give it a try!
- Pros: You can sell any kind of art you like (on Etsy for example). – Location independence. – Managing your work hours as you want. – You can sell your art online or in person.
- Cons: Traveling with your art equipment can be tricky. – Getting people to see your art online is hard at the beginning. – You need some artistic skills to start with.
TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY
You are thinking, “I want to travel the world and get paid, but I don’t know how…”? Finding a job in the tourism sector might be a great starting point. Working in a bar, in a hotel, on a cruise… Or even being a touristic guide! There are so many options in this industry! And for most of the job you won’t need any qualification!
Biggest advantage? If you have a European Passport you can work anywhere in Europe! So you might even be able to find a job before leaving!
- Pros: You can find a job almost anywhere in the world. – Most of the jobs won’t require any qualification. – It can help you improve your languages skills if you are working in a foreign country. – A lot of seasonal jobs. – Some jobs will give you free accommodation and meals.
- Cons: Defined work hours, often long and not well paid.
BECOME A TEACHER
From English, to Yoga or Mathematics, you can teach absolutely ANYTHING! To find work and make money in the teaching industry you have various options…
You can teach as a freelancer, which means you will have to find your own clients. But don’t worry, some platforms can help you with that. Or you can find a job in an existing company. For example… You want to teach yoga? Find a job in a yoga center or a hotel. You want to teach English? Look at opportunities in local schools or languages center.
- Pros: You can teach absolutely anything. – Location independence. – If teaching something you like, it can be really fulfilling.
- Cons: You have to be good enough at something to be able to teach it to others. – It can be hard to find pupils if you are self-employed.
SOCIAL MEDIAS
The famous world of influencers… Let me tell you, it is not all fun and glitters. Becoming an influencer on social medias is HARD WORK. You have to be consistent, creative, and fully committed. But it is not impossible. Nothing is really. If that’s your dream, go for it! But don’t think it will be easy.
One of my favorite travel influencer who also have incredible (and relatively cheap) courses is Chas from @through.the.llyns. If you want to start, check out her website and get started with her courses.
- Pros: Being your own boss. – Independence in your working hours and location. – Sharing whatever matters for you with like-minded people.
- Cons: Might take time before it makes you money. – Haters online. – In need of an internet connection at all time.
CREATE A BLOG
As becoming an influencer, starting a blog and making money from it is hard work. It requires consistency and dedication. But if you like writing about what you love, it might be a great fit for you.
I am not an expert (yet!), so to get deeper into the process, check out Sophia Lee’s blog.
- Pros: You can write a blog on any topic you like. – Location independence. – Self-employed. – Choosing your own working hours.
- Cons: Writing a blog is much more time-consuming than you might think. – Need of internet connection. – Learning about SEO and blog settings. – Takes time before making money from it.
FREELANCE WRITER
Free-spirited artist in the world of words, being a freelance writer requires being good with syntax, grammar… If you are lucky enough, with time, you will be able to pick and decide who you want to write for. From engaging blog posts for companies or interesting stories for someone else to claim as their own, you will have a lot of different opportunities once you are good at it.
- Pros: You can write on any topic. – Platforms like Fiverr makes it easier to find paid jobs. – Location independence. – Picking your own working hours. – Self-employed.
- Cons: Can be hard to make a living out of it. – Requires more work than you might think. – Might take time before you get visibility on platforms like Fiverr.
UGC CONTENT CREATOR
UGC stands for User Generated Content. In other words, it is creating advertisement for products that you have tried and loved. This kind of content is growing quickly as it appears more real to potential customers.
I am not an expert about UGC, so I won’t give you any specific advice. But I know this industry is growing really fast and there are a lot of opportunities and potential to make enough money to travel the world and get paid.
- Pros: Location independence. – Deciding your own working hours. – Self-employed. – More and more companies require UGC content creators. – Can pay well when you get the hang of it.
- Cons: Need to learn new skills. – Might take time before making enough money to live.
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
If you like social medias but don’t want to have your own page, this job is for you. Social media manager is pretty much the same as being an influencer. You are just doing it with someone else’s account, face, or name. Tasks can vary depending on what the owner of the page wants from you.
- Pros: Convenience of working on social medias without showing your face. – Stable income. – Location independence.
- Cons: Defined working hours. – Need of internet connection.
DIGITAL PRODUCTS
Selling digital products is THE NEW THING. If you look on social medias, everyone is talking about digital marketing and how much money they make from it. Let’s be real, you probably won’t become a millionaire in six months. But I believe you can make a decent amount of money from it if you put the work in.
- Pros: Selling digital products is a growing sector. – You can create any kind of digital products you want. – Location independence. – Picking your own working hours. – Self-employed. – Specific platforms can help you sell them. – Passive income.
- Cons: Not all digital products will make you as much money as you thought. – Getting the visibility you want for your products can be harder than you think.
WORKING HOLIDAY VISA
The Working Holiday Visa, also known as work and travel, is really popular among travelers. And with reasons! This visa will basically allow you to stay in a foreign country and work there to pay for your travels. The conditions might vary depending on your nationality and the country you want to visit.
Check out the countries you are allowed to visit with Working Holiday Visa before planing your trip!
- Pros: Allows you to travel to “expensive” countries without worrying about making enough money. – Often easy to find a job without qualification.
- Cons: Not all the countries are delivering a working holiday visa. – Frequently precarious work with long hours. – No location independence after finding a job.