Get Paid To Travel: 17 Ways to Make Money Traveling

Want to make money traveling, get paid to travel so you can travel forever!?

The truth is however much you travel cheap and even travel for free  eventually if you want to travel forever you will need to earn some money. Luckily there are many ways that you can actually make money traveling and get paid to travel. Once you do this there’s nothing to stop you from traveling forever! 🙂

Travel doesn’t have to be expensive and, in fact, travelling can be cheaper than maintaining a life in the UK, US or Australia so you don’t actually need to earn as much money as you did at home to keep you comfortable in some of the cheapest places to travel like South East Asia, India and Central America where you can travel comfortably for as little at US$15 or $20 a day!

It’s totally possible to travel more than you work ( I’ve been doing this for over 3 years now) and there are numerous ways to make money traveling abroad with a little creativity.

Get Paid to Travel - 17 ways to earn money while traveling so that you can travel forever!

Whether you work a job abroad, work online as a digital nomad,  set up your own business, teach a talent or skill you have or just do odd jobs there are many ways to make money traveling all around the world.

Plus, if you travel slow by working, volunteering or living abroad it’s likely that you will spend even less on a daily basis and get a deeper immersion into the local culture and make connections with local people leading to a more affordable and more meaningful experience!

I’ve also been interviewing people who have done just this and make money traveling. Check out the interviews for their expert tips and a fascinating insight into their exotic lifestyles. If you’re working abroad and would like to be interviewed contact me for your chance to be featured here!

Ways to Make Money Traveling:

#1. Teach English

Teaching English abroad is probably the most popular way to make money traveling. English is still the language of the world and so many people want and need to learn English. If you are native English speaker with a degree and a TEFL certificate you can make decent money teaching abroad, especially in Asian countries where ESL teachers are in high demand but even if you don’t met these requirements you could still enjoy the rewards and challenges of teaching English. A great resource to find out more about teaching English overseas and look for jobs is Daves ESL Cafe or check out How To Teach English in China and Save $21,000 in a Year.

See more in an Interview with an English Teacher in Taiwan, How to Teach English and work your way around the world, and What its’like teaching English in South Korea. 

Get paid to teach English to cute kids in places like Thailand
Get paid to teach English to cute kids in places like Thailand

#2. Be a Tour Guide

If you’re an experienced traveler and have good people skills then you could make money traveling and be paid for leading a group of travelers around your favourite countries, inspiring them with your knowledge, bringing the destination to life for them and making sure they have the time of their lives while you get paid! Read on to see Would being a Tour Guide would be the right job for you? 

See more in an Interview with a Tour Guide

#3. Work on a Cruise Ship

Working and living on the high seas on a cruise ship, making sure the guests are satisfied and exploring the exotic locations that the ship docks almost sounds too good to be true. Find out if life working on a cruise ship is really as glamorous as it seems in this interview about working on cruise ships.

working on a Cruise Ship
work aboard a cruise ship

#4. Get a Working Holiday Visa

Many countries have reciprocal programs where young people (usually 18 – 30) can travel and work in another country for 1 or 2 years giving you plenty of time to really explore whilst also topping up your travel funds. Eligibility depends on nationality but popular destinations are Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK. There is even a working holiday visa scheme for Hong Kong!

If you want to make money traveling Australia then download my FREE guide for a working holiday in Australia now.

#5. Pick Fruit

Fruit picking is perhaps the stereotypical backpacker job and another popular way to make money traveling. From picking wine grapes in France or Italy to picking veggies in England, working on a farm in New Zealand or picking fruit in Australia, there are many options if you don’t mind repetitive work and getting your hands a little dirty.

grape picking work
Work your way around the world following the harvest

#6. Work as an Au Pair

If you love children then working as an au pair could be a really rewarding job. Spend time as part of a local family looking after the children, helping around the house and getting to know the local culture. This is not only a good way to make money traveling but if you live with the family you’ll probably be able to save lots of money for travel too.

#7. Bar or Hospitality Work

Hospitality jobs are available all over the world – people always need somewhere to sleep and someone to fed them. Work with tourists in holiday resorts in house keeping and slick city hotels or get to know the locals from behind the bar in a country pub. See my experience Working in a Rural Aussie Pub.

me working pub rum
Working in an Aussie country pub

#8. Work Remotely as a Digital Nomad

Grab your laptop and take your job on the road male money traveling by working freelance and remotely in web design, programming, freelance writing and social media management, graphic design, illustration, marketing and consulting just to mention a few. Check out UpWork for freelancing opportunities.

Get some great tips from people who are already doing this and living the life of their dreams in an these Interviews with Digital Nomads   and learn How to work and travel as a freelance copywriter. 

#9. Become a Travel Writer/ Photographer or Blogger

Often thought of as the dream jackpot travel job where you get paid to travel the world and make money traveling for just a few hours working from a tropical beach. The reality is alot harder work than it seems, you need to wear a lot of hats and put in a lot of work but it can be immensely rewarding if you can make it worthwhile. Here’s a great guide on How to Become a Professional Travel Blogger.

Find out how to travel the world and get paid as a travel blogger in this interview with Goats on the Road about How to become a Travel Blogger and check out a Day in my Life as a Travel Blogger in Goa.

Working remotely as a digital nomad
Working remotely as a digital nomad

#10. Resort or Travel Rep

Live and work in a summer holiday resort making sure the guests have everything they need from front desk to entertainment, house keeping to customer service or restaurant and bar work.

#11. Work a Ski Season

If you love the white stuff and the fresh mountain air then working as a ski or snowboard instructor is an amazing chance to make money traveling and get paid to be out on the slopes all day, if you’re not an expert skier yet then work in a chalet – cooking, cleaning and looking after a group of guests is a popular ski season job.

work as a ski instructor
Spend the day getting paid to be on the slopes

#12. Teach your Talents to others

If you have a talent then get creative – other people want to learn and you could make money traveling by teaching skills like yoga or massage, surfing or cookery, or dance and musical instruments. You could also try to sell your photographs online, paint or make crafts to sell online or at a market,  If you don’t have a talent there are plenty of courses where you can learn, often for a reasonable price abroad, from yoga in India to Thai massage to the Tango in Argentina or even the Aussie didgeridoo.

See an interview with Chris – a traveling surf instructor  and  Kach – a traveling yoga teacher and masseuse 

Teaching Yoga in Ubud, Bali. Photo Credit: Nailya Akhundova
Teaching Yoga in Ubud, Bali. Photo Credit: Nailya Akhundova

#13. Sell Stuff Online or at the Market

If you’re always making your friends jealous of all those funky accessories, one off pieces of jewelry, crafts, clothes and trinkets that you buy at bargain prices in the markets of Asia then why not start selling unique items at local markets or online – start with ebay or gumtree and see how you go. Or even get creative and try making items yourself.

Will from the Broke Backpacker tells us how to make money from selling souvenirs and hear about Ryan who set up an online clothing store in Thailand.  

#14. Busking

Got musical talent? Take your guitar, pick a street corner and lay out your hat, if you can entertain the masses their loose change could really add up. Or ask restaurants or resorts if they need any entertainment staff. This is a great way for musical types to make money traveling but check the local rules on busking before you start as some places require busking permits.

See more in an Interview with a Busker

busking to make money while traveling
Busking at the Edinburgh Festival

#15. Scuba Diving Instructor

Base yourself on a paradise island,  get qualified as a PADI scuba instructor and spend your days swimming with the fishes under the seas and helping other travelers explore the wonders of the underwater world.

See more in an Interview with a Scuba Diving Instructor  

work as a scuba dive instructor to earn money abroad
Earn money but teaching others to dive and spend your days underwater

#16. Ask for a transfer with your current company

If you love your current industry then why not look to work for an international company and, once established, ask for a transfer to the Sydney, Hong Kong or Singapore branch..

#17. Work anywhere in Europe

Don’t forget that if you’re a citizen of the European Union you have the amazing opportunity to live and work anywhere else in the EU and make money traveling without having to go through any complicated visa processes – you can work any job and live anywhere in Europe. The hardest part would be deciding where to go!

work anywhere in europe
Work in Europe… the possibilities could be endless

So now you’ve got some ideas of ways you can travel for free and how you can make money traveling the world. So what’s holding you back now?

Tell me your story and get featured!

Do you have any more idea to make money traveling? Are you working abroad? Want to tell your story to show and inspire others to follow in your footsteps. Please get in touch for your chance to be featured on this website!

Do you Live to Travel, or Travel to Live?

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Get Paid to Travel - 17 ways to make money traveling so that you can travel forever!

 

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23 comments

Emma Hart January 28, 2015 at 8:57 am

When I was in Australia for a year, I spent quite a bit of my time working in door to door sales selling Aussie fruit and veg! I also worked in a call centre too and both were a great way of earning money while travelling and they certainly paid a lot more money than I’d ever earnt in the UK!

Reply
Claire January 28, 2015 at 11:04 am

Really interesting Anna, one thing I would say on the busking front is that people may have to check if they are required to have a performing license in that area. I know certainly in parts of Edinburgh you had to have one, saw some people getting in trouble from the police for not having one (especially during the festival)

Also, if people don’t have a TEFL certificate yet but want to teach English then there are lots of countries that offer you the chance to earn one in the country and then start teaching straight away, places like Thailand and Indonesia etc have a lot of different places to choose from

Reply
Anna Phipps February 2, 2015 at 5:57 am

Thanks Claire – Good point about the performance license I’d forgotten about all the red tape in the UK and didn’t think about that. Hopefully it would be OK to busk in Europe?? Getting a TEFL when you are already abroad and starting to teach straight away is a great idea!

Reply
Pavan Meshram January 28, 2015 at 12:08 pm

Nice one Anna. You’ve listed a whole bunch of interesting ways to make some money on the go. I haven’t traveled to foreign shores so far. But these tips shall certainly help when I am set to board my first international flight. Thanks.

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Anna Phipps February 2, 2015 at 6:00 am

Thanks Pavan! Well there is a so much to in India it would take a lifetime to see it all. Good luck when you venture overseas – hopefully now you can see it some ways to make travel affordable!

Reply
Dariece January 29, 2015 at 4:16 am

Hey Anna!

Thanks very much for the shout-out 🙂 There’s a great list of ways to make money abroad here and we’re stoked to be a part of it!

Cheers.

Reply
Anna Phipps February 2, 2015 at 6:03 am

Thanks! I love reading your blog – you have some awesome tips for teaching English and blogging so wanted to pass on the knowledge.

Reply
Sally January 30, 2015 at 3:25 am

Great list. I taught horse riding in America and it gave me enough money to travel for months… When your abroad the money you earn can go so much further due to cheaper living!

Reply
Anna Phipps April 23, 2015 at 5:09 pm

Hey Sally, teaching horse riding sounds awesome. I love horses but travel so much that I don’t get time to ride much any more at all! Maybe you would like to be involved in the interview series?

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Jasmine February 18, 2015 at 6:56 am

some great tips for travelling and working at the same time ! i have done some of these and highly recommend other travellers or want to be expats try some of them out too!! not for the money but more so for the experiences and the never-ending things you learn while working abroad ! nice blog too – glad i found your post on the nomads Facebook page 🙂 from jasmine

Reply
Anna Phipps April 23, 2015 at 5:08 pm

Thanks you Jasmine, I’ve really enjoyed your blog too and found your articles on working abroad really useful. I’m curious which was your favourite experience or which job you would recommend the most? Perhaps you would like to be involved in the interview series?

Reply
Gia @ Mismatched Passports April 23, 2015 at 3:58 pm

Interesting read! It’s always good to find ways to make money overseas. You are so right about living cheap in other countries!
Although not everyone can get part-time work easily, there are always other alternatives. Here’s how we did it: My boyfriend taught English in Singapore and Taiwan to save for his travels (he’s a Kiwi). I saved money through work as an engineer in Singapore (I’m Filipina). For the last 7 months, we’ve been travelling through money we’ve saved!

Reply
Anna Phipps April 23, 2015 at 5:04 pm

Thanks Gia, yeah hopefully there is a way for everyone to be able to travel and make money on the road. Wow you work as a engineer – thats pretty impressive! Glad you’ve both found a way to fund your travels – I really want to get over to Mexico and South America one day – more expensive than Asia though!

Reply
Elian February 19, 2019 at 2:07 pm

Hi,
I have just read the information on how do a working holiday and have fun.
I am planning on travelling sometime in spring andI bwill love to share my story with people. I have published 2 books about Golden Age dating and where I tell my incredible journey. that’s a cool idea. would love receive your feedback/ Thanks

Reply
Sophia August 7, 2015 at 9:33 am

Woww..Really an interesting article to know earning while travelling.I love the post because i always love to travel and never earn always spend..So now after reading this i would like to check out few things when i travel.

Reply
Anna August 7, 2015 at 3:27 pm

Glad you found it useful. There are lots of ways to make money on the road. Happy travels 🙂

Reply
elle salazar November 12, 2015 at 5:10 am

Great tips! Would love to consider this one day Anna.

Reply
Annisa April 10, 2016 at 3:50 pm

Hi Anna!
I’m Annisa, I currently a high-school student and I just started sort of “travel-journey” few weeks ago. I just found out about your sites, I don’t know where have i been all this time. I love to read all your posting, I do really hope someday I can make travel as my life style. You’re very true about the culture and the local people whom we rarely get a chance to get in touch with if we pick an expensive – way to travel. I did interact with some local people when i were in Malaysia & Singapore and they’re very nice. It’s really beyond my expectation. Thanks for sharing your journey. I hope to see you soon! 🙂

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Anna April 17, 2016 at 9:49 am

Hi Annisa! How exciting, I’m so glad that you have started your travel journey and already having some amazing experiences on a budget! I’m so glad that my posts have helped you too, enjoy your travels 🙂

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Yasmin October 10, 2016 at 2:57 pm

Thanks for such a great post Anna, it’s made me feel super-inspired! I’ve just signed up to Upwork! x

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Anna October 14, 2016 at 6:58 pm

Hey Yasmin! Glad you liked it and so glad its been helpful and inspiring! Good luck with your freelance career and happy travels 🙂

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Lianne February 12, 2017 at 12:44 am

Before I went abroad, I didn’t know it was possible to work in other countries! Four years later, I have more saved, more countries visited, and more free time than ever! Teaching English has been a great way to meet interesting people, always be challenged, and travel. Definitely want to get into other ways to earn while on the road, though. Thanks for the tips!

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Lalitha June 13, 2018 at 2:25 pm

Hi Anna, it is nice to see your blog.it is very much similar to my interests.i am a doctor and I want to travel with some research work like what people of that particular area eat and what is their rate of heart attack. Tell me if there are some opportunities

Reply

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