If you’re craving that digital nomad lifestyle, explore how to travel and make money on your adventures!
Remote work doesn’t have to mean working from home. With the right gig, you can work from anywhere life takes you. Perfect for jet setters and adventurous spirits, these remote jobs will take you around the world while funding your travels.
Discover 16 ideas for how to travel and make money, with options for just about every interest and background.
Benefits of Traveling While Working
There are so many reasons to seek a travel-work hybrid. Benefits include:
- Meeting your travel goals – When you combine work and travel, you don’t need to wait for retirement to see your bucket list destinations. See the world NOW because the future is uncertain.
- Saving on rent – Working nomads don’t necessarily need a home base. Save on rent prices by seeking work with built-in accommodations or choosing locations with lower living costs.
- Flexible lifestyle – When you’re fully remote, you have the flexibility to pick up and move where life takes you. Whether it’s a new job opportunity or an exciting travel adventure, you have full autonomy.
- Personal development – Travel is an excellent way to meet new people, experience different ways of life, and become better for it. The more you experience, the more you learn and grow.
- Professional development – If you aren’t tied down by location, you’re free to make career jumps, explore new markets, and take on new roles when they’re presented.
- Quality of life – Variety is the spice of life. If you’re the type of person who loves change and new experiences, traveling while working can vastly improve your quality of life.
16 Ideas for How to Travel and Make Money
Think the modern vagabond lifestyle is for you? Here are 16 ideas for how to travel and make money.
1. Travel Blogging
Want to earn money by experiencing new places? You should start a travel blog!
Travel bloggers create blog posts based on their travel adventures, documenting food, fashion, photography, itineraries, and more.
Find your niche as a travel blogger and share your unique experience through your blog and linked social media accounts.
Earn money through sponsorships or passive income through affiliate marketing, Google AdSense, or course sales.
2. Travel Photography
As a photographer, your skills can travel with you anywhere in the world.
See cities through your camera lens, get inspired by new landscapes, and capture local communities.
Tourism boards, locals, and tourists are all possible clients for your photography services.
3. Travel Agent
Becoming a travel agent is one of the best ways to travel and make money.
Depending on the company you work with, you may be offered free travel opportunities or high discounts to top resorts and travel destinations. This way, you can plan more authentic trips for your clients, having first-hand experience in the area.
4. Education
Whether you have a degree in education or experience teaching a foreign language, you can work as an English teacher anywhere in the world.
Beyond traditional school settings, you can also work in private tutoring for both children and adults.
Please note that some placements require an English teaching certificate issued by a recognized organization, such as the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification.
5. Travel Influencer
Content creators can use their platform to share travel adventures and monetize them through ads and sponsorships.
Travel content is popular among YouTubers, TikTok users, and Instagram users, although you can cross-post your content across social media platforms to maximize your reach.
Starting a YouTube channel is a great choice because it has built-in advertising tools and alerts subscribers when you’ve posted new content.
6. Freelancing
Freelance work is usually not location-restricted, so freelancers can travel the world while completing work in their field of passion.
Common freelance positions include:
7. Au Pair
An au pair lives with a host family and provides childcare and some light household chores during their stay. These positions are typically filled by young women between the ages of 18 and 30.
As an au pair, you’ll receive free accommodation, a small stipend, and often daily meals included.
This is an immersive way to travel, learn a new language, and experience a different lifestyle.
8. Travel Writer
If you love both travel and writing, why not become a travel writer?
Tourism boards, hospitality companies, and travel media sources will hire writers to create alluring content designed to attract travelers.
Whether you write travel guides or narrative-based accounts, this can be an interesting way to combine your interests.
9. Cruise Worker
Working on a cruise ship is a great way to see exotic destinations and receive free boarding.
Plus, there are positions for many different skill sets, from entertainers and creatives to housekeeping and guest experience roles.
10. Conferences + Workshops
In many industries, retreats and remote workshops have become commonplace. You can become a retreat leader in yoga, eco-tourism, holistic wellness, artistic workshops, and more.
As an instructor, your travel is often compensated, along with additional payment for your services.
11. Volunteer Work
Volunteers are needed all over the world. And while these aren’t paid positions, you’ll often be compensated through free accommodations and meals.
Choose a project or non-profit you’re passionate about, and look for opportunities to help.
For example, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities around the world to improve education, permaculture, and animal rights.
12. Traveling Bartender
One of the most unique ideas for how to travel and make money is to become a traveling bartender!
Resorts, event companies, and festivals will hire traveling bartenders to work their events. You can find these positions through freelance boards or bartending agencies like The Grand Bevy.
13. Seasonal Work
Top tourist destinations often need seasonal workers during high season.
Some examples of seasonal work include:
- Become a ski instructor at a luxury ski resort.
- Work as a fishing guide.
- Teach a summer sport like yoga, surfing, sailing, or scuba diving.
- Find farm work during the harvest season.
To find these seasonal jobs, check out CoolWorks.com.
14. Tour Guide
You can offer local tours through Get Your Guide or Airbnb Experience, taking tourists to interesting neighborhoods, popular landmarks, and authentic eateries.
If you’re not a local, these positions will require a bit of homework in preparation. Luckily, this is a great way to learn about a new city!
15. Hostels or Resort Work
Hostels and resorts often hire non-native residents to create a global atmosphere and boost the overall travel experience.
Some workplaces will also offer free board and meals in exchange for work.
Check out this article for more hospitality jobs!
16. Wedding Services
Wedding services always come with a premium price. And some couples will hire traveling professionals to make their day that much more special.
Work as a destination photographer, wedding planner, florist, or makeup artist to receive free travel and a handsome fee.
Considerations of Working While Traveling
For many, learning to travel and make money can be a seamless transition from regular work. There are, however, a few important considerations:
- Consider managing time zones when scheduling meetings and managing deadlines.
- When traveling, prioritize your work environment, ensuring you’ll have a reliable internet connection and a quiet place where you can work and take necessary calls.
- Consider work equipment, including noise-canceling headphones, a laptop, and an external keyboard. Travel light, but cover your bases.
- Research location-specific visa and tax requirements before starting work in a new location.
- Consider possible language barriers and note ways to mitigate them. You may want to learn key phrases of a foreign language and seek a strong translation tool.
- Ensure you have proper certifications for your new role. For example, many institutions require a TEFL certification to teach English.
- Remember to budget for your travel. There’s nothing worse than running out of money mid-trip.
For more tips, read this helpful post on How to Work Remotely and Travel the World.
How to Travel and Make Money: Finding Work
Finding remote work depends on your required role and travel niche. Here are a few job boards and industry-specific platforms to begin your job search:
- SeasonWorkers – Great for seasonal work, including summer jobs, childcare, outdoor sports, teaching English, and more.
- Worldpackers – Work and volunteer placements for social impact, including schooling, permaculture projects, farming, and more community-centered projects.
- Workaway – Designed for home sitting, volunteering, cultural exchanges, and working holidays.
- All Cruise Jobs – Cruise positions in all sectors, including housekeeping, entertainment, excursions, and more.
- FlexJobs – Versatile job board with fully remote positions.
- We Work Remotely – A remote job board with quality positions.
- Get Your Guide – Work as a travel guide for top tourist destinations around the world.
- Upwork – Freelancing job board with remote opportunities.
- Fiverr – A freelance marketplace for remote positions.
- AuPairWorld – Find a host family in your dream destination.
How to Travel and Make Money: Final Thoughts
For many of us, the monotony of the traditional 9-5 doesn’t fit our adventurous spirits. That’s why learning how to travel and make money can be absolutely life-changing.
Whether you’re interested in a one-time working holiday or want to take your full-time job on the road, these remote jobs can help you meet your goals.
Want more remote job content? Check out this post on Work From Anywhere Jobs: 9 Places to Start Your Job Search.