For all my digital nomads out there looking for ways to make some extra cash while traveling the world!
What’s up Lost Travelers!
If you’re a frequent traveler or consider yourself to be an ex-pat in whatever country, I’m sure you’ve been asked these famous questions a billion times…
“What do you do? How can you afford to continuously travel from country to country like this?”… 🧐
In the beginning, I used to think to myself… DAMMMM GINA! Why you all in my bit-ness like that when I don’t even know you!? 🤨
As I started to travel more and become more active in the travel communities, I realized that people are not just being nosy Nancys. They genuinely want to know because we all have a common desire to continue to live a free life and travel the world.
Sharing money moves with your fellow travelers is one of the most supportive things you can do in this community. If you’re reading this post right now, I consider you a part of that travel community as well, which is why I’ll be sharing with you, 6 different ways you can make money online while traveling the world.
1. Digital Download
Digital downloads are products that consumers can purchase from you online and instantly download to their device. This is a great way to make passive income. You can create “how-to” ebooks, sell presets for editing photography and videography, sell travel guides, create online courses, etc…
The great thing about digital downloads is you only have to put the work in one time to create it and then you will be able to sell repeatedly for however long you’d like.
Here are a few steps to get you started with your digital download:
Step 1: Ask yourself the following questions and write out the answers
What topic am I an expert on? (Traveling on a budget, how to get good travel deals, how to acquire residency in a specific country, how to take good photos and videos while traveling, how to become a backpacker, how to create content for social media, how to get sponsorships, how to start and scale YouTube, how to start your travel company, how to create a website, how to incorporate your business, etc…)
What problems are people having with this topic? (What do people need to overcome when dealing with this topic? What did you overcome?)
What tips or steps can I offer people to overcome this problem? (What steps did you take to overcome this problem? What software, technology or credentials will people need to overcome this problem?)
Step 2: Create your digital download
If your digital download is going to be a “how-to”, you can easily create a professional-looking ebook for free by using a website called Canva.com.
Canva will offer pre-designed templates that you can pick from. Once you’ve selected a template, all you have to do is drag and drop your information and save it as a pdf. You can then start selling your digital download on your website, through your socials, through your email list, use platforms such as Gumroad.com, etc…
If you are creating a course, this will take a little more work to put together. You will have to record and edit your training videos.
Step 3: Launch your course
If you already have a website, you can create a members login and upload your course on your site.
If you don’t have a website you have a few options to launch your course. You can use paid platforms such as teachable.com, podia.com, udemy.com, and many more. Just google “sell courses online”.
A few free options would be to create a dropbox link that you send to paid customers or upload private videos to Youtube and share the link to your paid customer.
You also have the option to have live training sessions which can be held on Zoom or Skype without costing you any money.
(Pro Tip: If you are holding live training sessions, be sure to screen record each session. You can then use these sessions as a pre-recorded course for members who join your program at a later time)
2. Sell Merchandise
Creating exclusive merchandise is a great way to earn extra money and promote your brand.
If you are crafty you can create physical products such as waist beads, creative masks for Covid, necklaces, hair oils, moisturizing mixtures, etc…
If you are unable to create a physical product, you can try Drop Shipping.
Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method in which a business doesn’t buy or store inventory. When a customer places an order on your website, the order is directly purchased from a third-party wholesaler or retailer. That third party fulfills the order and ships it out to your customers with your branding on the order. So your website is basically a storefront for items that you have handpicked to sell, but don't physically own.
The following steps will help you get started with Drop Shipping:
Step 1: Choose a dropshipping company
There are many drop shipping companies to pick from such as Teelaunch.com, Printify.com or depending on which e-commerce website you are using, they will offer their own drop ship partners.
I am currently using a company called Printful to fulfill all my orders. Printful has a variety of items from clothing, hats, and accessories to drink-ware, stationery items, pillows, and much more!
With Printful, you can upload your designs to any of their products or you can use their mock-up tools to create your designs directly inside the platform.
Once your designs are created, they provide you with all the mock photos so you never have to worry about taking your own product shots for your website.
Before you add new products to your storefront, Printful allows you to purchase up to 3-sample products for 20% off. This allows you to test out your product before customers start to buy.
Step 2: Choose your products
Go through all the items that the drop shipper offers and choose the ones that fit your brand.
If you need a little inspiration, check out some of the items that I sell on my website!
Step 3: Create your designs
Many drop shippers provide you with tools inside their platform that will allow you to create mocks ups designs. This is helpful if you don’t have much knowledge of graphic design.
You could also outsource your designs by hiring a professional.
I frequently use a site called Fiverr to get logos and other designs created. Prices can start from $20 and go up to a few hundred dollars. Just take your time to find a designer that will give you quality work for a reasonable price.
Check out my logo and a video file I had created by a freelance designer on Fiverr. The designer did such a great job with my vision, that I now use her time and time again and I'm always satisfied!
Step 4: Upload your designs
Once you have your designs created, you can upload them to all the products you would like to sell. You then set the price for your items and publish them to your storefront.
If you are unsure of how to publish these items, just do a quick search or reach out to your website support. Instructions may vary depending on which website platform you are using.
3. Offer A Service
Offering a service is super easy to do. All you have to do is figure out what you’re good at and then spread the word!
Put yourself out there by joining Facebook, WhatsApp, or Clubhouse groups. Talk to people staying in your hotel or hostel and let them know about your services. Talk to managers at different business establishments. They may be willing to barter services with you.
Here are some examples of services you can offer while traveling:
Teach a language to the locals or online
Offer massages
Offer business consultations
Pet, House, or Baby Sitter
Traveling Hair Stylist
Traveling Makeup Art
Traveling Nail Tech
Traveling Tattoo Artist
Spiritual Healer or Mediation Coach
Salsa or Dance Instructor
Fitness Trainer or Yoga Instructor
Surfing Lessons
Special Events (Open mics, comedy shows, karaoke, etc…)
4. Affiliate Marketing
If you’re looking for something to get into that won’t cost you any money, Affiliate Marketing is going to be it. Affiliate Marketing is when you get paid a commission to market another company’s products.
Get started with Affiliate Marketing by doing the following:
1. Make a list of all the companies you like to shop with. (Amazon, airlines, credit card companies, etc…)
2. Go to each site and scroll down to the bottom of their website and see if they have a link for an Affiliate Program. You could also do a google search.
3. Complete and submit the form to be approved for their program.
4. Start marketing the products on your website, blog, email list, YouTube videos, social media post, etc…
5. Collect your rewards or commission.
5. Find Remote Jobs Online
If you want a little more stability while living the digital nomad lifestyle, finding a remote job is going to be your best bet. This will allow you to work from anywhere in the world as opposed to being tied down to the traditional 9-5 corporate job.
If you have a specific skill, you can market yourself on sites such as Fiverr.com or Upwork.com. These sites are marketplaces where individuals can hire you for anything from graphic designing, digital marketing, video and animation, music and audio to programming and more.
One downside to these types of sites is they will take around 20% of your profits from each project. This may be a good place to start just to get the business going.
If you’re looking for job opportunities with an actual company, you can try the following sites:
1. Flexjobs
Flexjobs is considered one of the best sites for remote work. It differs from many other sites because there are real people screening the applications with no scams or junk!
To fully access and apply for possible jobs on the site you will have to pay for their membership, however, I think that it’s worth it if you want to find a legit paying remote job.
They do have a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, so if you don’t feel like it was worth the money you paid, you can request a refund.
We Work Remotely is another top contender for both companies and freelancers.
For this platform, you may need to have a higher educational background and previous remote work skills or expertise.
3. Remote Ok
If you ask Remoteok, they will say they are the #1 remote job board!
The site reaches more than 800,000 remote workers a month.
You can check out their live job feed boards or sign up for email notifications. You can also search positions using their filters.
Offering over 10,000 telecommuting jobs, Virtual Vocations has one of the largest databases for remote job postings.
You can access a limited amount of job posts by signing up for their free account, however, you are going to want to purchase a premium membership in order to view the full database.
These websites will get you started, but you can also do a quick google search to get a long list of different companies that offer remote work.
6. Start A Blog
Starting a blog is not the quickest and easiest thing to do for travelers but it is a thing. It will take time to develop your blog and your followers, which is exactly what I am going through now! But, once you get the momentum going, your money-making possibilities are endless.
Your blog can be about whatever it is that interests you the most.
The great thing about Blogs is, they will be one of the best resources to offer your digital downloads, market your exclusive merchandise, sell services, suggest your affiliate products, or offer paid subscriptions to exclusive content!
You could get paid by adding ads to your blog through Google Adsense.
Steps To Starting Your Blog:
Step 1: Choose A Name & Purchase Your Domain
Step 2: Choose A Platform (WordPress, Blogger, Wix, etc…)
Step 3: Choose Your Hosting
Step 4: Set Up A Professional Email Address (.yourblogname.com)
Step 5: Write Your First Post
Step 6: Promote Your Post
Step 7: Build Your Following
If you’re not ready to start a blog, you can start a newsletter instead. You can craft professional emails and still promote merch, affiliate products, share stories, grow your fanbase and make some cash!
If you’ve made it to the end of this post, I hope your wheels are turning and you’re ready to start making some extra mula!
I’m not saying that it’s going to be an easy wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am, but if this is what you want, start the process, be patient and have lots of faith!
I wish you all the remote money in the world! 🤑
Stay Safe. Stay Free. Stay Lost.
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