Looking for the best travel jobs to earn money on the road? You’ve come to the right place.
It’s exciting, isn’t it?
The thought of working travel jobs to earn money from anywhere in the world. Moving from country to country as you please. Not depending on anybody.
Breaking free from the office, from wasted time in traffic, from having to “earn” a measly 2-week vacation each year.
Shall I go on?
Location independence is a dream many have, but few achieve. Why? Well…
They’re unaware of all their opportunities!
Sure, you can find loads of articles online that all rehash the same 10 jobs that allow you to travel…
But they are just scratching the surface.
There are SO MANY MORE ways to earn money while traveling.
That’s why I created this monster guide. We won’t just cover a handful of best travel jobs…we’ll cover them ALL!
This list is inspired by 5+ years traveling as a digital nomad and meeting hundreds of others on the road.
Let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
- 4 Types of Traveling Jobs: Which Is For You?
- How To Choose the Best Travel Jobs For YOU
- Backpacker Jobs
- 2. Waiter/Waitress
- 3. Bartender
- 4. Street performer
- 5. Street vendor
- 6. Freelance videographer
- 7. Volunteer teacher
- 8. Hostel worker
- 9. WWOOFer
- 10. Miscellaneous Volunteer (WorkAway, HelpX, etc)
- 11. Sailboat or yacht volunteer
- 12. Masseuse
- 13. Holiday Work Visa (Australia/New Zealand)
- 14. Yacht delivery
- 15. Car/RV delivery
- 16. Model
- 17. Bollywood extra
- 18. Timeshare seminar attendee
- 19. Stagehand
- 20. Freelancer for local businesses
- Expat Jobs
- 21. Language teacher
- 22. Language tutor
- 23. Au Pair
- 24. Travel Nanny
- 25. House sitter
- 26. Property manager
- 27. Open a business overseas
- 28. International shopper
- 29. Diplomat or Foreign Service Officer (FSO)
- 30. Tour guide
- 31. Pool boy (or girl)
- 32. Hairstylist
- 33. Teach your skills
- 34. Seasonal worker
- 35. Tree planter
- 36. Seed Stealer
- 37. Scuba diving instructor
- 38. Pet daycare
- 39. Dog walker
- 40. Hotel worker
- 41. Traveling medical professional
- 42. Peace Corps volunteer & NGO work
- 43. Fitness instructor
- 44. Yoga instructor
- 45. Surf instructor
- 46. Kayak/Canoe Guide
- 47. Kitesurfing instructor
- 48. Ski instructor
- 49. Dance instructor
- 50. Sailing instructor
- 51. Other instructor
- 52. Chef
- 53. Timeshare seller
- 54. Sell imported goods (in your expat country)
- Digital Nomad Jobs
- 55. Freelance content writer
- 56. Copywriter
- 57. Digital marketer
- 58. Customer service rep
- 59. Web developer
- 60. Web designer
- 61. Affiliate marketer
- 62. Accountant
- 63. Editor
- 64. Translator
- 65. Transcriptionist
- 66. Scopist
- 67. Graphic designer
- 68. Social media management
- 69. Ads manager (Google, Facebook, etc.)
- 70. Pinterest account manager
- 71. Fiverr
- 72. Agency owner
- 73. Day trader
- 74. Ebook writer
- 75. Online course creator
- 76. Professional consultant
- 77. Online tutor
- 78. Online Teacher
- 79. Virtual friend
- 80. Blog manager
- 81. Community manager
- 82. Sell photos
- 83. Sell feet pics
- 84. Sell videos
- 85. Virtual Assistant (VA)
- 86. Online fitness coach
- 87. Online yoga instructor
- 88. App developer
- 89. Travel vlogger
- 90. Youtuber
- 91. Professional gamer
- 92. Instagrammer
- 93. Podcaster
- 94. Online poker player
- 95. Watch online ads
- 96. Take online surveys
- 97. Website and application tester
- 98. Search engine evaluator
- 99. App downloader
- 100. Real estate investor
- 101. Rent your place
- 102. Sublease an apartment
- 103. Sell t-shirts online
- 104. Etsy seller
- 105. Drop shipper
- 106. Amazon FBA seller
- 107. Run a physical business remotely
- 108. Sell imported goods (in your home country)
- 109. Import/export “middleman”
- 110. Rent your clothes
- 111. Rent your car
- 112. Independent travel agent
- 113. Remote Worker
- Jobs That Require Travel
- Where Is Your Ladder Taking You?
- Frequently Asked Questions
4 Types of Traveling Jobs: Which Is For You?
Getting blasted with 100+ ways to make money traveling is like drinking from a firehose.
To avoid feeling overwhelmed, choose the job category below that interests you the most.
Backpacker jobs: Looking for quick, temporary work you can do in each destination to top up your travel fund or score free accommodation? Click here.
Expat jobs: Want to travel slower, lay down roots in another country (months or years), and earn money abroad? Click here.
Digital nomad jobs: Dream of living the laptop lifestyle, earning money from anywhere in the world with an internet connection? Click here.
Jobs that require travel: Interested in “normal” jobs where you actually get paid to travel the world? Click here.
Or, if you just want an overview of 10 of the most common travel jobs (plus how to start each), check out this video:
How To Choose the Best Travel Jobs For YOU
Nobody wants to waste time, money, and energy choosing the wrong path.
When I chose my first travel job, I had no idea of all the options out there. I picked a loser and ended up flushing $10,000 and six months of my life down the drain.
To save you from making the same mistakes, I created this 5-step process to help you strategically narrow down which job is best for you.
Give it a watch before diving into the list of jobs. (this free travel jobs workbook will help organize your thoughts).
And there you have it. A foolproof plan. You now know exactly what you need to do. Now pack up your traveling office, and let’s do it!
(Disclosure: If you purchase through links on this page, I may earn a commission at no charge to you.)
The Most Obvious Travel Career
Before diving into backpacker jobs, let’s kick things off with one of the most obvious (and powerful) ways to make money traveling…
1. Blogger
Let me tell you from experience—blogging is not for the faint of heart.
Yes, anyone can be successful if they put in the time, follow a proven strategy, and don’t give up. But most people fail.
Blogging can unlock ultimate freedom, but it comes at a high price.
You may work thousands of hours without seeing a penny, wondering if it’s all a gargantuan waste of time. But if you stick to it and show up consistently, you will find success.
That said, money isn’t the only reason starting a blog is a smart move. It’s also the perfect “training ground” for building up the digital skills needed for other traveling jobs. (Note: Your blog doesn’t have to be about travel).
Earning potential: Unlimited. Don’t believe me? Google “highest paid bloggers” or check out these travel blogs that make money.
How to start: Blogging is a profession. And just like any profession, high-quality training is a must—especially if you value your time.
Investing in a blogging course will shave down your learning curve so you can leapfrog over the millions of wannabe bloggers who never make it off the ground.
I have taken A LOT of courses over the years, and there are two that have helped me get to where I am today, earning a full-time passive income.
#1.) This one is best for finding low-competition keywords and earning passively with ads. It includes an insanely valuable forum that I use every day.
#2.) This one teaches the affiliate model and focuses on building a powerhouse site that will crush your competition.
The affiliate links above give you access to free mini-courses that will get you started.
I’ve taken a crapload of blogging courses, so if you want to see what each of them are actually like on the inside, these should help:
💰 Fat Stacks Niche Site Profits review
💰 The Affiliate Lab review
💰 Passive Income Geek review
Resources: There are a gazillion different articles that teach how to start a blog—many with conflicting and outdated information. Make sure the advice you’re following comes from someone who is actually doing exactly what you want to do (and has done so recently). Beware of blogging “gurus” who make all their money from their “how to blog” blogs that sell blogging courses.
Backpacker Jobs
These travel jobs consist of in-person work done while moving from destination to destination.
They’re typically odd-end jobs done to keep your travel fund topped up (and to avoid having to ask mom to send money to buy you a flight home).
They are generally short-term money solutions—perfect for those looking for ways to travel after college with no money, young bloodz trying to keep the adventure alive, or anyone looking to get paid to travel and party.
That said, at some point, you’ll want to “graduate” to something more sustainable.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not discouraging backpacker jobs. But there’s a time and a place. And once you get to be an old fart like me, you’ll want something more stable.
2. Waiter/Waitress
Every country has bars and restaurants, and landing a job can be done with no prior experience. You’ll probably have to start in a “normal” restaurant and work your way up to a fancy one (where the “big bucks” are made).
Earning potential: $5-20 / hour + tips (tipping varies by country)
How to start: Pick a destination where you speak the customers’ language, and start looking for places that need help. You’ll need a visa if you want to work legally (Australia/New Zealand are good options to start).
Resources: How to Become a Traveling Waitress in Australia (With No Experience)
3. Bartender
If you know how to bartend, you can find a job pretty much anywhere. Similar to waitressing, if you don’t have any experience, you’ll have to start at the bottom and work your way up.
Earning potential: $5-20 / hour + tips
How to start: Start by practicing your skills at home or in hostels (a great way to get paid to travel and party). Consider taking a bartending course. If that sounds like too much work, simply train with trusty ol’ Youtube.
Resources: Bartending School
4. Street performer
Got a cool magic trick? Play music like Beethoven? Know how to juggle fireballs while riding a unicycle blindfolded? If so, consider yourself a mobile money-making machine. If not, there’s no shame in painting yourself silver, turning into a statue, and praying your allergies don’t act up.
Earning potential: Up to $30/hour depending on the number of fireballs you can juggle at once.
How to start: Learn how to do something cool, choose your “stage” (preferably one with a lot of rich people), and break a leg.
Resources: How Much Do Street Musicians Make?
5. Street vendor
Arts and crafts in your blood? Why not earn some money with it? If you’ve traveled at all, you’ve probably crossed paths with street vendors selling their crafts. If you go this route, avoid setting up shop next to locals who are trying to make a living.
Earning potential: $0 – $200 / day depending on the awesomeness of your craft
How to start: Buy materials. Get your craft on. Find a nice shady spot with high foot-traffic. Set up shop and sell.
Resources: Selling Crafts to While Traveling
6. Freelance videographer
Becoming a highly-paid freelance videographer doesn’t happen overnight. These highly coveted travel jobs require dedication and a passion for filmmaking. But if you master your craft, companies will be lining up to give you money.
(Sidenote: In addition to travel videos, I’ve heard of professional wedding videographers being flown all over the world making serious bank as well).
Earning potential: Average full-time salary $58,479/year
How to start: Pull out your camera and start videoing. Practice every day. Speed up the learning process by taking a course. Invest in quality equipment. Find a mentor. Start your own Youtube channel. Put yourself out there.
Resources: Skillshare has a bunch of great videography courses (and best of all, you can get an extra long free trial of unlimited courses here!)
7. Volunteer teacher
A great way to support a good cause, build teaching experience, and (likely) receive free food and accommodation at the same time. Volunteering to teach English is the most common option, but it’s possible to teach other subjects as well.
Earning potential: Free room and board
How to start: A TEFL certification will make you a more effective teacher, but it’s normally not necessary for volunteer positions.
Resources: International TEFL Academy ← After spending hours researching the best TEFL courses, this is the one I chose. My research paid off. I ended up loving it so much that they offered to give my readers a special $50 discount on tuition (Coupon code: UNTETHERED). They have an online course as well as in-person classes around the world (mine was in Peru). If you’re even the least bit interested, I recommend grabbing a free brochure or checking out a live webinar to get your questions answered. If you’re on a budget, just want your certificate, and don’t mind a more superficial course, here’s a popular one for less than $100. (I only recommend this if you absolutely can’t afford a more in-depth course).
8. Hostel worker
These travel jobs are super easy to find. Oftentimes, you volunteer a few hours a day in exchange for free accommodation (and if you’re lucky, some beer).
This is a great opportunity to make friends from all over the world. Social butterflies will love party hostels where they can get paid to travel and party. Introverts might want to stick to quieter, less popular places.
Earning potential: Free room and board
How to start: Check out the resources below to find job postings. If you find a destination you particularly love, stop by hostels that look interesting and ask if they need any help.
Resources: WorkAway, HelpStay, HelpX, Worldpackers (use code UNTETHERED for a discount)
9. WWOOFer
WWOOF is a worldwide movement (in 120+ countries) that connects volunteers with organic farmers. Volunteers are called WWOOFers and live for free with a host family in exchange for their help on the farm.
Earning potential: Free food, accommodation, and organic farming education
How to start: Choose a destination from the WWOOF website, sign up as a volunteer, and start reaching out to hosts.
Resources: WWOOF
10. Miscellaneous Volunteer (WorkAway, HelpX, etc)
WorkAway and HelpX are two of the most popular volunteer and cultural exchange platforms. These sites are goldmines. There are all different kinds of travel jobs available—from construction to farming to hanging out and speaking English with someone’s kid.
Just make sure to pay attention to the reviews of previous volunteers to see if they had a good experience.
Earning potential: Free room and board (details vary on a job-by-job basis)
How to start: Explore the websites, find something you like, sign up, and start contacting hosts
Resources: Is Workaway Safe? How to Avoid Workaway Horror Stories
A Guide to Volunteering with WorkAway or Worldpackers
WorkAway, Worldpackers, HelpStay, HelpX
11. Sailboat or yacht volunteer
I once met a personal trainer who landed a job training a mega-rich yacht owner one-hour per day while sailing to remote tropical islands. Not a bad gig, eh? The kicker is, you’d be surprised how easy it is to land opportunities like this.
Earning potential: Free food, accommodation, and travel to exotic, hard-to-reach places
How to start: The more experience you have, the easier it will be to land jobs. However, many opportunities require no experience.
Resources: Sailing Assistant Job Posting – No experience preferred
How to Work Around the World on a Sailboat
12. Masseuse
Can you give a killer foot rub? Time to earn some money with those magic fingers. Getting certified as a masseuse can be quick, cheap, and lucrative.
India is known for its massage certifications. And Thailand is a popular place for training as well. You can get trained in less than a week for a couple hundred dollars.
Earning potential: Up to $150 / massage (country-dependent)
How to start: Choose a massage specialty. Get certified. Read the stories below to learn how to run your business on the road.
Resources:
How to Become a Travel Massage Therapist
How to Become a Thai Yoga Masseuse
13. Holiday Work Visa (Australia/New Zealand)
A holiday work visa allows you to find short-term travel jobs in New Zealand or Australia for one year (can be extended).
There are tons of well-paying short-term positions available. And they’re easy to get. You can work and save for a couple weeks/months in one city, travel a bit, move on to the next city, and repeat.
Earning potential: Depends on your work/travel ratio. Some have saved as much as $17,000 in 10 short months.
How to start: Use the links below to make sure you qualify, then follow the outlined application process.
Resources:
New Zealand Working Holiday Visa Requirements
Guide to Planning Working Holiday in New Zealand
Australia Working Holiday Visa FAQs
Video Guide to Australian Working Holiday
14. Yacht delivery
You’re not gonna land this job overnight. And you probably won’t get paid much. But you will get some crazy life stories and a passport full of stamps.
Depending on your experience, you could transport new yachts from a manufacturer to their dealers, bring recently purchased boats from dealer to buyer, our sail vessels to the Caribbean for winter storage.
Earning potential: $300 – $1000 / day (depending on boat size)
How to start: Volunteer on a yacht to see if you’re cut out for life at sea. Then look into getting your Coast Guard Captain’s License.
Resources: How to Become a Yacht Delivery Captain
15. Car/RV delivery
Similar to yacht delivery, but easier to get into (albeit, less exciting). It’s as simple as it sounds. Earn money—or at least get your travel expenses paid—to transport cars and RVs from manufacturers to dealerships (or from one rental company location to another).
This can be a full-time gig or just a travel hobby.
Earning potential: Full-timers can earn up to $50,000/year
How to start: Some companies require a commercial driver’s license for large RVs. Otherwise, just reach out to different companies and start applying (see contact list below).
Resources:
TransferCar – Free one-way car/RV rentals in Australia
Vehicle Relocation Companies in US & Canada
16. Model
How cute are you on a scale of 1-10? If you’re above a 6 (or have nice hands), you’re in luck. Why? Because I’m a 6 (according to my mom), and I’ve been sought out to be a model in Colombia—twice!
If you actually put together a portfolio and hunt down opportunities, you’ll be surprised at what you find—especially if you look “exotic” in the country you’re in (not many blue-eyed boys in Colombia).
Earning potential: Ranges from some free merch to up to $250/hour (depending on how hard you can work the camera)
How to start: Get some professional photos taken and put together a portfolio. Volunteer to do photoshoots for small businesses to get practice. Google “modeling agencies in [city]” and reach out. Hint: if you can present yourself as a professional (and not just a random body off the street), you’ll get paid more for the same job.
Resources:
Freelance Modeling 101: How to Become a Freelance Model (Step-by-Step)
Foreign Models in Demand as E-commerce Grows in China
17. Bollywood extra
Want celebrity status? If you find yourself in India, you’re in luck. You won’t get rich, but you will be able to introduce yourself as a movie star for the rest of your life. And in the end, that’s all that really matters, right?
Earning potential: $10/day + food (+ awesome resume-building experience)
How to start: There are three popular places casting agents go to recruit tourists: Colaba Causeway, Leopold Cafe, and Gateway of India. You can also go to the Salvation Army Red Shield Hostel and simply sign up to be a film extra. If approached by an agent, ask for their ID, and only follow them if you’re in a group.
Resources: From Backpacker to Bollywood Extra
This one isn’t a travel job, per se. Moreso a way of scoring free (or heavily discounted) travel deals. All you have to do is sit through a timeshare sales meeting in exchange for valuable “freebies”. Sounds easy enough, right? Don’t be so sure.
These meetings can be brutal. The salespeople are known to be extremely aggressive and manipulative, so prepare yourself for some psychological warfare.
Earning potential: Free (heavily discounted) luxury resort and/or amusement park packages
How to start: Learn about the different types of offers using the link below.
Resources: An Intro to Timeshare Offers
19. Stagehand
Earn money while traveling the world with your favorite bands. It’s hard work, but can be an amazing experience. Jobs with traveling bands include stage technicians, audio mixers, riggers, lighting technicians, cameramen, projections, etc.
Earning potential: $200 – $400 / day (bigger tours = better crews = more money)
How to start: Two paths to gaining experience: 1.) Take Audio Visual and Theatre Production courses 2.) Become a volunteer roadie for a local band and get hands-on experience.
Resources: Become a Roadie and Travel
20. Freelancer for local businesses
Many options here—website designer, social media promoter, videographer, photographer, etc.
These are typically digital nomad travel jobs, but they can be set up as backpacker jobs as well—just offer your services to hostels, tour companies, restaurants or other businesses in each destination you travel to.
I met a girl in a hostel who arranged a free one-week stay in exchange for setting up the hostel’s social media accounts and taking some professional photos. She finished all her work in one morning, then had a week to relax.
Earning potential: From free accommodation to thousands of dollars per day depending on the value of your service package.
How to start: Learn a skill you can offer on the road. You don’t have to be an expert; you just have to know enough to provide value to your clients.
Resources:
Best Freelance Jobs for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide
Free Online Courses to Learn High-Paying Freelance Skills
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Expat Jobs
An expat (or “expatriate”) is someone who leaves their home country to live and work abroad. Expat jobs offer a different type of travel experience.
Instead of moving around every week, an expat will settle in one country for a set period of time. This allows them to “live like a local” and truly soak up the culture.
These travel jobs can last from a few months to several years.
21. Language teacher
If you’re a native English speaker, you have a skill millions of people will pay to learn. Why not take advantage of that?
It’s the most popular “gateway travel job”. You can quickly beef up your bank account (especially teaching English in South Korea), go traveling for several months when your contract ends, then repeat.
Others use teaching as a stepping stone—a way to make a living immersed in another culture while they master other “digital skills” in their free time.
Earning potential: Highly country-dependent. Ranges from just breaking even to being able to save thousands each month. Many opportunities include free airfare and housing.
How to start: Research the types of teaching jobs available in different countries. Take a quality TEFL course (all courses are not created equal). Apply for positions in your dream country.
Resources: International TEFL Academy ← After spending hours researching the best TEFL courses, this is the one I chose. My research paid off. I ended up loving it so much, they offered to give my readers an special $50 discount on tuition (Coupon code: UNTETHERED). They have an online course as well as in-person classes around the world (mine was in Peru). If you’re even the least bit interested, I highly recommend grabbing a free brochure or checking out a live webinar to get your questions answered.
22. Language tutor
This is a popular option for those who go the TEFL route. By taking on private students in your spare time, you can seriously boost your income. A full private tutoring schedule can easily become more lucrative than your main teaching job (which you’ll need to keep for your visa).
Earning potential: $10-$30/hour (reports of $90/hour in Hong Kong!)
How to start: If you’re teaching at a school, see if anyone is interested in private lessons. Consider targeting one specific audience (kids, university students, business professionals, etc). Post ads online and around town—wherever your target students hang out.
Resources:
International TEFL Academy (affiliate link)
How to Make $100k per Year Teaching Overseas
23. Au Pair
An Au Pair is a temporary live-in nanny responsible for taking care of kids and household tasks. It’s an opportunity for complete cultural immersion—you become part of the family. (Just pray you don’t get stuck with a bunch of lil’ brats).
Earning potential: Room and board. Potential access to a vehicle. May include a small stipend.
How to start: Find a job at one of the sites below.
Resources:
AuPairWorld
AuPair.com
GreatAuPair
GoOverseas
Remote.com
24. Travel Nanny
A travel nanny is similar to an Au Pair, but instead (or in addition to) settling in with one family at their house, you actually travel with them.
Also referred to as a “holiday nanny” or “vacation nanny”, your job is to help parents have a stress-free vacation by entertaining the kiddos.
As you can imagine, this can get exhausting. So when you get time off to explore by yourself, you better take advantage of it!
Earning potential: All travel expenses paid for PLUS a stipend (usually a few hundred dollars per week).
How to start: Build experience baby-sitting and entertaining kids. Look for jobs with nanny agencies and in online classified ads.
Resources: How to Become a Travel Nanny (and Get Paid to Travel)
25. House sitter
Kids not your jam? What about pets? There are tons of people around the world who want to travel, but don’t have anyone to look after their pets (or house) while they’re away. That’s where you come in.
It’s a perfect opportunity to live rent-free while working on building other jobs that allow you to travel.
Earning potential: A free house to yourself + $0-$80/day (depending on responsibilities involved)
How to start: Sign up on the following housesitting websites, create a unique profile, and start applying
Resources: How to Score Housesitter Jobs and Travel the World for FREE
Trusted Housesitters
House Carers
Nomador
26. Property manager
The rise of Airbnb has brought with it many new job opportunities. Many real estate investors buy multiple properties to rent out on Airbnb. They then hire people like you to take care of check-in, check-out, and cleaning in between guests.
Earning potential: $20 – $30 / hour
How to start: Contact all the Airbnb properties near you and offer your services.
Resources: Airbnb – Become a Host ← See how much you could earn with your property
27. Open a business overseas
Travel for any extended period of time and you’re bound to find a spot you just “connect” with. Why not set down roots for a while and start your own business?
I’ve seen travelers start hostels, restaurants, cafes, motorcycle rental shops, dance clubs, tattoo parlors, yoga studios, scuba dive shops, and tour companies (to name a few). Once you’re up and running, find someone you trust to manage the business while you continue traveling.
Earning potential: Time to break out your calculator: [How much you charge per product or service] X [Amount you sell] – [Expenses]
How to start: Find a place you love. Look for opportunities. Do your research (LOTS of it). Create a business plan. Get started.
Resources: 8 Key Ingredients for a Winning Business Mindset
5 Tips for Starting a Business Abroad
28. International shopper
Each country has its own specialty goods not found in other countries. There are loads of people around the world—oftentimes immigrants—who want to buy products from their home country.
If you live in said country as an expat, you can work as their personal shopper (and shipper).
This is basically a smaller, simplified version of an import/export business, which we’ll look at later.
Earning potential: Income is capped at how many individual clients you can find and the markup you charge for your service. To take things to the next level, consider a full-blown import/export biz.
How to Start: Find out where immigrants hang out (online or in person) from the country you’re living in. Advertise your shopping services. (I’ve seen this done in Fiverr, but if you could tap directly into the immigrant community, I bet you’d get even more bites).
Resources: Check out these examples on Fiverr for inspiration
29. Diplomat or Foreign Service Officer (FSO)
Diplomats are the official representatives of a country abroad. They are in charge of implementing foreign policy and managing relationships with other countries.
These aren’t temporary traveling jobs. They’re competitive, highly sought after careers.
Earning potential: $40,000 – $150,000 / year depending on seniority
How to start: Research requirements for your country. In the US, you start by taking multiple aptitude tests with the state department.
Resources: How Do You Become a Diplomat?
30. Tour guide
Have extensive knowledge of a certain country or region? Becoming a tour guide is a great opportunity to travel to your favorite places and meet cool people from around the world. Perfect for a social butterfly.
Keep in mind, it can be stressful being responsible for the well-being of many people. Leadership skills are a must.
Giving tours can be done at any age, so it’s one of the best travel jobs for seniors and youngsters alike.
Earning potential: $5 – $25 / hour + tips depending on country and your charisma
How to start: Get some travel experience under your belt. Research different tour companies. Go on a tour and see what it’s like. Apply!
Resources: Get Paid to Become a Tour Leader
31. Pool boy (or girl)
Pretty self-explanatory. Learn how to take care of pools (Youtube). Find out where the pools are. Think of a creative way to convince the owners to hire you. Viola!
Note: This combines well with #25 (property manager).
Earning potential: $5 – $20 / hour
How to start: Go pool hunting (Hint: Find the wealthy neighborhoods)
Resources: A Beginner’s Guide to Swimming Pool Maintenance
32. Hairstylist
Whip out those scissors and start making people beautiful. As an expat, set up shop and start marketing (word of mouth is clutch).
This could also work as a backpacker travel job. Just have your hostel dorm-mates imagine how many Instagram Likes their #NewHairdoo will get them in their next travel photo.
Earning potential: $10 – 15 / hour
How to start: Learn how to cut and/or style hair. Buy equipment. Offer services.
Resources: Youtube, online hair-cutting schools, in-person training
33. Teach your skills
Have a skill that others would pay to learn? You don’t have to be an expert, just better than your students. Ideas: teach a sport, instrument, drawing, painting, sculpting, crafts, cooking, dancing, a language, computer skills, accounting, etc.
Options are really endless with this one.
Earning potential: $5 – $100+ / hour depending on teaching and marketing abilities
How to start: Find out where your target audience hangs out. Make connections. Get your first few clients (maybe at discount prices). Blow them away with your service. Ask for recommendations.
Resources: Youtube.com ←to learn new skills if needed
34. Seasonal worker
Lots of ideas here: commercial fishing, ski resorts, construction, forest fire fighter, hotels, ships, oil workers, school teachers, etc.
If you’re willing to work long hours in harsh conditions for a few months, you could save enough to travel for an entire year.
Earning potential: Job-dependant. Alaskan crab fisherman report earning $20,000 – $50,000 during their three-month season.
How to start: Research the different travel jobs and choose the best fit. Apply and wait for the season to start!
Resources:
How to Work a Ski Season in Canada
How to Find Awesome Fruit Picking Jobs in Japan
35. Tree planter
Planting and harvesting could be considered a seasonal travel job, but I feel it’s fascinating enough to have its own section.
I once met an intriguing Canadian couple in Nicaragua. For several years, their life has consisted of planting trees during the summer, raking in wads of cash, traveling the world until their savings run out, then repeating.
I love the simplicity. No need to overcomplicate things. Plant trees, go traveling, repeat.
Earning potential: Median wage in B.C. Canada is $300/day.
How to start: Planting trees sounds fun and magical, but it’s actually a hardcore, strenuous job. Do your research and make sure you’re up for it. Non-Canadian citizens need to apply for either a work holiday permit (easier) or an employer-sponsored permit (harder)
Resources: The Pains and Gains of Tree Planters: How to Earn up to $500/day
36. Seed Stealer
Speaking of trees, here’s another crazy story. I don’t advise this, but it is technically a way to make money.
While crossing into Costa Rica, I bumped into a 65-year-old Canadian living in Nicaragua. He was decked out in full camouflage and appeared to be on some sort of mission. Curious, I asked him his plans for the day.
He casually explained how he was about to sneak into a Costa Rican National Park and camp in the jungle under the radar.
Why?
To search for a rare tree, steal the seeds, and plant them on his farm back in Nicaragua. Apparently, the wood from these trees is used to make fine instruments. It’s worth a ton. An adult tree can sell for $10,000, and he already had a couple hundred trees planted on his farm.
After some quick mental math, I wondered if I’d just stumbled into the investment of a lifetime. Should I get in on this seed-stealing scheme?
Then I found out it takes 20 years before the trees are ready to sell. I suppose it could be a worthwhile (albeit very illegal) investment for a youngin’, but I doubt this grandpappy will be around to see his precious trees sell.
37. Scuba diving instructor
Live on a tropical island and get paid to go scuba diving every day? Uhm…yes please! And it gets even better.
When you get bored with your island paradise, just go find a new one. There are scuba shops in amazing locations all over the world looking for quality instructors. And who knows, maybe you’ll even end up opening your own shop someday.
Earning potential: Big range. From $500 – $6000 / month depending on location, dive shop, skill, and payment arrangement.
How to start: Start by getting your Open Water Certification, invest in some quality scuba gear, and work your way up from there. Cheapest places to certify are Koh Tao, Thailand (where I did mine) and Utila, Honduras.
Resources: PADI Scuba Certifications
38. Pet daycare
People love their pets. And they hate the thought of leaving them alone cooped up all day. If you can find a handful of people to pay you to take care of their pets every day, your income can add up quickly.
Earning potential: $18 – $32 / dog per day.
How to start: Get some experience volunteering at a vet clinic (learn doggie CPR, etc). Find a pet-friendly space. Start with a few pets, and work your way up to as many as you’re comfortable with.
Resources: How to Start a Doggy Day Care Business
39. Dog walker
An alternative to pet daycare is a simple pet walking service (great way to stay in shape too).
Earning potential: Let’s do some math. You charge $15/dog per 30-minute walk. How many can you walk at the same time? Find a group of friendly dogs and your hourly rate will skyrocket.
How to start: Target neighborhoods with residents who can actually afford this service. Get your clients to recommend you to their friends. Make sure to learn about any relevant local laws (e.g. Poop Laws)
Resources: How to Start a Dog Walking Business
40. Hotel worker
Hotels tend to have high turnover rates and many job opportunities available. Best of all, many do not require experience (although some countries require a license).
You can work on a short-term basis or make it into a career—working for international brands and requesting to transfer overseas.
Earning potential: Up to $20/hour + tips depending on country, hotel, and position.
How to start: Research licensing requirements for your target country. Consider getting some experience in the hospitality industry by working/volunteering at a bar, restaurant, or front desk.
Resources: How to Get a Job in Hospitality with No Experience
41. Traveling medical professional
If you’re already a nurse, doctor, physical therapist, etc., this is an easy way to incorporate travel into your life. National travel assignments generally last 2-6 months, while international assignments are commonly 1-2 years long.
Earning potential: Traveling medical jobs within the US earn significantly more than their non-traveling counterparts (like…almost double in certain cases). Outside the US, you may get paid less, but there are many other benefits.
How to start: Choose a reputable agency to help find you a job.
Resources: Doctors Without Borders
Ultimate Guide to Travel Physical Therapy
How to Become a Travel Nurse
42. Peace Corps volunteer & NGO work
As a Peace Corps volunteer, you’ll help local communities around the world overcome the different challenges they face.
This might mean working with farmers, implementing community economic development, solving environmental issues, providing healthcare and education, or creating youth development programs.
Earning potential: Room, board, healthcare, and travel costs covered. A “transition payment” of over $10,000 after two years of service.
How to start: Connect with a recruiter.
Resources: Peacecorps.gov
43. Fitness instructor
Wanna know how to make money traveling while staying fit? This one’s for you! You can get paid to train people all over the world. Start a group fitness class, make it fun, and let the recruiting begin. No Gym? No problem! That’s what parks are for.
Getting clients can be as easy as going to the gym and doing cool creative exercises. Curious people will come and start asking you questions (this happens to me all the time—even when I am purposefully anti-social). Invite them to your class and close the deal.
(Backpacker version: Give a free class in your hostel in exchange for accommodation)
Earning potential: $5/class per person. More persons = more dollars.
How to start: Consider becoming a certified personal trainer, especially if you’re planning to make this travel job into a legit business. Certifications vary by country.
Resources: How to Become a Personal Trainer
44. Yoga instructor
Same as the fitness instructor idea. I once met a girl who combined this with #35 (dive instructor) and opened a popular (and highly recommended) dive & yoga school in Thailand.
Earning potential: $5/class per person.
How to start: Invest in some quality yoga pants. Become a certified instructor. Choose a relaxing space. Find a group of budding yogis. Put on some calming music, and you’re in business.
Resources: Make Yoga Teaching Your Career – Yoga Nomads
Guide to Yoga Teacher Trainings Around the World
Yoga Trade – Job Opportunities Worldwide
45. Surf instructor
Make surfing into a lifestyle. Once you have a destination in mind, there are several ways to go about this—work for a surf school, start your own surf camp, advertise with nearby accommodations and restaurants, or simply walk around the beach offering lessons.
Whichever route you choose, you should be certified and trained to handle emergencies.
Earning potential: $13 / hour + tips (country dependent)
How to start: Get really good at surfing. Research which certifications you need for the country you want to work in. Get certified. Find people who want to learn.
Resources: Become a Surf Instructor in 10 Weeks
46. Kayak/Canoe Guide
If you love paddling through nature, this could be the best travel job for you. A good instructor is not only an expert in the water, but also has strong leadership skills and knows how to handle emergencies. It’s an intense job and requires a lot of responsibility.
Earning potential: $26,000 – $58,000 / year (location and experience-dependent)
How to start: Get your American Canoe Association (ACA) certification (or equivalent certification for the country you’ll be working in).
Resources: How to Become a Whitewater Canoeing Guide
47. Kitesurfing instructor
Kitesurfing is a hard skill to master. A high barrier to entry means quality instructors are in demand all over the world. It shouldn’t be difficult finding work as you travel from place to place.
Earning potential: $20/hour on average (location dependent)
How to start: Master your kiteboarding skills. Choose a course to get certified (ideally with an international organization like IKO). Start teaching.
Resources: International Kiteboarding Organization (IKO)Professional Air Sports Association (PASA) Certification Programs
48. Ski instructor
This could be another seasonal travel job unless you’re somewhere with year-round snow. If you love extreme sports, you could combine this with a “summer sport” and alternate each season.
Earning potential: $15 – $50 / hour depending on experience. Private instructors charge even more.
How to start: Find a course to prepare you for the internationally recognized PSIA-RM Level 1 and Level 2 ski instructor certifications.
Resources: How to Become a Certified Ski Instructor
49. Dance instructor
If you love to get jiggy wit it, this one’s for you. Living in the Salsa Dancing Capital of the World, I’ve thought about creating an online video course to prepare gringos for Colombia’s dance scene (maybe someday!).
You could also pair this with #40 (fitness instructor) to create hybrid fitness/dance classes.
Earning potential: Highly location dependent. In Colombia, dance classes are ridiculously cheap. But in first world countries, it’s not uncommon to charge $15/person in a group setting or $50 – $200 per couple for a private lesson.
How to start: Just because you can tear up the dance floor doesn’t mean you know how to teach. Start by teaching friends, taking a dance instructor course, or taking normal dance classes and paying attention to what good teachers do.
Resources: How to Travel the World as a Dancer
50. Sailing instructor
If you love to sail, this could be your ticket to earning money around the world. These travel jobs are typically found at private sailing schools, yacht clubs, and universities.
Earning potential: $20/hour on average
How to start: Check out the requirements to get certified in your country. In the US, you must pass the American Sailing Association (ASA) certification test.
Resources: Becoming a Sailing Instructor
51. Other instructor
As you can see, some of the best jobs involving travel are simply teaching other people to do awesome things. It’s a simple way to make money traveling that anybody can do. And your options don’t end with this list. If you can find a small group of people willing to pay to learn a skill, you can earn a living anywhere.
So take a moment and think—what’s a skill you’re passionate about that others might be interested in learning?
52. Chef
Guess what? People need food cooked every day, all over the world. If you can whip up a delish meal, you’ve got options. You could work short-term in restaurants, get hired as a private chef, or work on a cruise ship (and get paid to travel).
Earning potential: $1500 to $5000 per month depending on country, position, and deliciousness of food
How to start: Find a way to prove you know your way around the kitchen. A culinary degree may give you an advantage, but it’s not required.
Resources: Case Study: The Traveling Chef and Food Blogger
Remember those timeshare travel “freebies” I mentioned earlier? The ones that require you to attend high-pressure sales presentations? Well, now we’re flipping the tables.
If you like toying with emotions and manipulating people to pull out their wallets, this could be your dream job. Successful sellers work short hours and make bank off commissions. Unsuccessful sellers go hungry.
Earning potential: $70,000 – $120,000 / year
How to start: Build up experience working with travel agents, in Realtor’s offices, and in sales positions. Some states require a Realtor’s or timeshare license. Start applying in person or online.
Resources: How to Become a Timeshare Sales Representative
54. Sell imported goods (in your expat country)
I often rave about how cheap it is to live in certain parts of the world. But there’s one caveat. Name-brand stuff (electronics, clothes, watches/jewelry, makeup, perfume, etc.) can be insanely expensive.
I once bought a Bluetooth speaker in the US for $60 and later saw it in Colombia going for $100. Macbooks cost nearly double. Luxury watches? Don’t even get me started. I smell an opportunity here—the trick is doing it legally.
Earning potential: Completely dependent on your market and ability to scale
How to start: Find a good product and do a test run. Smaller products are easier (for shipping purposes). Keep in mind—if you’re based in a 3rd world country, only a small portion of the population will be able to afford top-of-the-line products (I learned this the hard way trying to sell $300 headphones). If possible, try to gather orders (and collect deposits) before buying things. This is obviously easier to do when you have contacts living in the country you are traveling to. Lastly, make sure to research how many products you are allowed to enter a country with. For example, in Colombia, you enter with two of the same products. If those two products are new Macbooks, for example, you could earn a pretty penny.
Resources: How to Start an Import/Export Business
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Digital Nomad Jobs
Digital nomad jobs allow for ultimate flexibility. All you need is:
- A digital nomad laptop
- A mobile wifi hotspot for travelers (to ensure you always have an internet connection)
- A plan for staying productive
You’re essentially “location independent” and can travel as much or as little as your heart desires.
If you’re looking for how to make money traveling long-term—this is one of your best options.
While most can be done completely online, some need to be started in person and then managed virtually.
If you already have a job that lets you work from home, taking that job with you around the world could be easier than you think. All you have to do is figure out some logistics.
There are even companies, like Remote Year, that organize everything for you and make the process dead simple (you’ll have to pay for the convenience though).
This type of work isn’t just for world travelers, either. These days, stats about digital nomads show #vanlife is more popular than ever, and the following ideas are all jobs you can do living in a van.
***If you’re interested in this lifestyle, here’s the internet’s most comprehensive written guide on how to become a digital nomad, step-by-step.
55. Freelance content writer
Another one of the best jobs for travelers.
Companies know how important it is to engage, inform, and build relationships with their audience. One way to do this is through blog posts and other written material. That’s where content writers come in.
Keep in mind, there are two types of content writers out there…
Those desperate and willing to work for peanuts. And those who craft quality content, make a name for themselves, and get paid what they’re worth. Which one are you?
Earning potential: Experienced writers with quality clients earn upwards of $100,000/year
How to start: Write every day. Create a portfolio with impressive samples, and start pitching your services. The first “good” clients are the hardest to land. Once you land your first client, work your way up the ladder. Read Jennifer Gregory’s book.
Resources: This free content marketing class will help you get your first client. (And if you’re serious, I’d highly recommend the more advanced paid version as well).
How to Land Writing Jobs Online in 3 Easy Steps
How to Become a Content Writer and Travel the World (With No Experience)
56. Copywriter
The terms “copywriter” and “content writer” are often confused. In my book, copywriters write material compelling readers to take an action that moves them down a sales funnel.
This could be a sales page selling a product or service, an email selling a “click”, Facebook ads, product descriptions, catalogs, video sales scripts…the list goes on.
It’s the highest-paid form of writing because its value is tangible and easily measurable. This makes it one of the best online jobs to do while traveling.
Earning potential: Copywriters with a proven track record who know how to market themselves can easily pull in $100,000+/year. The best make millions.
How to start: Learn to market yourself and get results for your clients. The hardest part is breaking in with no experience (but once you’re “in”, it’s one of best jobs for travel out there). Check out the resources below for books, blogs, and courses to jumpstart your copy career.
Resources: CopyHour ←I loved this course so much, I did it twice three times. See my full CopyHour review here.
57. Digital marketer
Digital marketers are experts in creating marketing campaigns using social media, search engines, email, paid ads, websites, etc. to grow businesses.
I once met a super successful digital nomad in Chiang Mai who just launched a new venture offering digital marketing services for doctors in Latin America (great example of niching down!)
Earning potential: Experienced marketers with proven track records can earn upwards of $150,000/year
How to start: Create your own “test project” (like a blog) and learn through trial and error.
Resources: How to Become a Digital Marketer
58. Customer service rep
There are tons of remote customer service jobs out there. There are also tons of people who want them. This low-barrier opportunity to work in your underwear is a recipe for high competition. Better find a way to stand out.
Earning potential: $15 – $19 / hour
How to start: Check online job boards. Find a company you resonate with. Send a unique and impactful application. Consider starting with “lower level” jobs to gain experience.
Resources: How to Snag—and Succeed at—a Remote Customer Service Job
6 Steps: How to Get a Remote Job This Weekend
59. Web developer
If I could go back in time and change my major, it’d be this. If you have solid web development skills, you can easily make a good living from anywhere on the planet (with wifi). This is hands down one of the best online jobs that allow you to travel.
Earning potential: Most freelance developers from the states earn between $67,000 and $128,000 (depending on experience, platform, and workload), according to ZipRecruiter salary data.
How to start: Choose an online or in-person course to build your skills (many free options available to dip your toes in). Practice. Decide whether you want to work remotely for a company, work with an agency, or start your own freelance business.
Resources:Case Study: My Journey to Becoming a Web Developer from Scratch
How to Become a Freelance Web Developer
How to Travel the World as a Developer
60. Web designer
If web development isn’t your thing and you’re more of an aesthetics person, web design is another one of the most lucrative travel jobs for digital nomads (especially freelancers and agency owners).
Earning potential: Average employee salary $58,000/year (experienced freelancers can earn more)
How to start: Same as a web developer. Develop your skills. Then decide if you want to work remotely for a company or go out on your own.
Resources: How to Become a Web Designer and Travel the World
61. Affiliate marketer
These clever creatures get paid commissions for recommending other people’s products and services to their audience. There are lots of ways to go about this, but most require influence, trust, and/or traffic.
Still confused? Think about those product review websites you go to before making a purchase. They earn a commission every time someone buys a product/service through the link on their site.
Or here’s another example. Here are the noise-canceling headphones I use as a digital nomad. If you click that link and buy the headphones (or anything else) from Amazon in the next 24 hours, I’ll get a commission at no extra cost to you (see what I did there? *wink wink*)
Affiliate marketing also plays a big part in many other jobs that involve traveling on this list.
Earning potential: Depending on your traffic, influence, and types of affiliate products you promote…the sky’s the limit.
How to start: Learn the ins-and-outs of affiliate marketing using the guide below.
Resources: Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: A Step-by-Step, Comprehensive Guide
62. Accountant
In today’s digital age, the opportunity to work remotely is easier than ever. Many companies have gone fully remote. This means they hire team members from all over the world—including accountants, CPAs, and even lawyers.
“Regular” jobs are quickly turning into travel jobs, and there are more opportunities to make money online than ever before. How could you leverage your profession to make money traveling?
Earning potential: Depends on the profession and services offered. Employee CPAs earn a median salary of $77,250. Freelance CPA consultants can earn more than double that.
How to start: Get certified. Apply for remote positions, ask your current employer for a remote arrangement, or start your own freelance business.
Resources: Beech Valley Solutions ←A company that helps CPAs build their own consulting practices
63. Editor
Calling all OCD Grammar Fanatics! Did you know you can use your love for pointing out people’s mistakes to fund your travels? It’s true.
Over 2 million articles are published daily on the web (not counting social media). That’s a lot of editing work. Editing work that can be done from anywhere.
Earning potential: Freelance editors earn up to $50/hour depending on experience, marketing, and job scope (copy editors can charge much more than proofreaders).
How to start: Write every day. The better you write, the more valuable you’ll be as an editor. If you lack experience, start by applying for an entry-level job with an established editing company. When you’re ready, build out your own freelance editing business.
Resources: How to Become a Successful Freelance Editor
FREE Workshop on How to Land Freelance Proofreading Clients
64. Translator
Translating can fall into any of the four categories of travel jobs. For digital nomads, this would take the form of translating documents online.
If you’re fluent in multiple languages and specialize in a certain industry, this could be your ticket to location independence.
Earning potential: Depends on the language combination, industry, and type of document (romance novel vs. technical medical document). The average freelance translator earns $62,000/year, according to ZipRecruiter. Some experienced freelancers report six-figure incomes.
How to start: Practice, practice, practice. Choose a niche, learn the lingo, and translate everything you can get your hands on. Pass translator certification programs and language proficiency tests to show potential clients you’re the real deal.
Resources: How to Become a Successful Freelance Translator Online
65. Transcriptionist
Listen to an audio file. Type what you hear. Do it fast, and don’t make mistakes.
It sounds simple, but that’s not always the case. Imagine trying to type a technical conversation between a group of foreign doctors with heavy accents…who are constantly interrupting each other…on a poorly recorded audio file. Fun fun!
Hint: By specializing in one area (like legal transcription), you can charge higher rates.
Earning potential: $25/hour for speedy typers in specialized industries. That means you can potentially earn $50 a day online—more than enough to travel in many countries—in just two hours per day.
How to start: Start with an entry-level transcription company to build up experience.
Resources:
FREE mini-course: How to Jumpstart Your Transcription Career
How to Become a Legal Transcriptionist from Home
Transcribe Anywhere Review: Is Transcriptionist Training Worth It?
66. Scopist
A scopist is a freelancer hired by court reporters. Think of scoping as the second cousin to legal transcription.
Reporters type live transcripts of court proceedings on a special steno machine. This steno language is automatically translated to English, but littered with grammar and formatting errors.
A scopist’s job is to “clean up” the reporter’s rough transcript and make sure it matches with the audio recording.
Earning potential: Up to $60,000/year or more for experienced scopists
How to start: Take a 3-6 month scoping training program to get certified. Since there is a slightly higher bar to entry, you won’t have as much competition as, say, freelance writing.
Resources: FREE Scoping Mini-Course: Earn a College-Level Income Without the College-Level Costs Scopist Jobs 101: How to Become a Scopist for Court Reporters
67. Graphic designer
Logos, product and package designs, 3D models, social media ads, and much more. There is a never-ending demand for graphic design services. Combine design skills with creative marketing and you’ve got a recipe for location freedom.
Earning potential: Median salary $50,710 for employees. Much more for freelancers who market themselves well. Much less for bad marketers. (Seeing a pattern here yet?)
How to start: A degree in graphic design won’t hurt. But honestly, if you can prove you have skills, you’ll get hired. After all, business owners hire freelancers for results, not their degrees.
Resources: How to Become a Digital Nomad Graphic Designer from Scratch
68. Social media management
How’d you like to get paid to surf Facebook, craft clever Tweets, and post beautiful Instagram pics all day? Big companies are realizing the value of social media marketing, and they need social savvy people like you to manage it for them.
Just don’t forget to look up from your screen every now and then to engage with the real world 😉
For social media lovers, this is one of the best online jobs you can do while traveling.
Earning potential: $15/hour (entry-level) to over $200/hour (experienced)
How to start: Grow your own social media channels to hone your craft and show potential clients you know your stuff. The more services you can offer your clients, the more you can charge.
Resources: How to Become a Social Media Manager from Home
How to Travel the World as a Freelance Social Media Manager
How to Get an Awesome Social Media Job in Travel
69. Ads manager (Google, Facebook, etc.)
The average small business spends thousands of dollars on Facebook and Google ads each month. Large companies spend millions. If done correctly, these ads bring in new customers and grow the company. If you can help do this, they’ll throw money at you.
Earning potential: Starting salary $35,000 – $50,000 with an agency. More if you find your own clients.
How to start: Studying PPC theory will only get you so far. The only way to learn fast is through experience. This means making mistakes that lose money (yours or your clients) and learning from them.
Resources: How to Become a Facebook Ads Manager and Make Money From Home
70. Pinterest account manager
Similar to a social media manager, but specialized specifically in Pinterest. Pinterest can be a huge traffic generator for bloggers. It’s also a time suck. That’s why successful bloggers are quick to hire someone to take care of Pinterest for them. That someone could be you!
Earning potential: $15 – $50 / hour depending on expertise, clients, and value provided.
How to start: Build up your own Pinterest account to use as a portfolio. Offer to take on discounted work to collect a few case studies. Once you can prove your value, dive in!
Resources: How to Become a Pinterest Manager and Work Remotely
71. Fiverr
Fiverr is cool. It’s one of the simplest ways to start freelancing. You can sell any service imaginable (like seriously weird stuff). A quick and easy way to dip your toes into the world of travel jobs.
At first glance, it might not seem like a profitable business model. After all, most jobs start at $5 each—how much could you really earn?
Turns out, some people have “cracked the code” and make a full-time income with Fiverr. Or they start on Fiverr to build their portfolio, then graduate to bigger and better projects.
(Note: Fiverr isn’t the only freelance job site in town. Here’s another 64 sites to find freelance work.)
Earning potential: Base price $5/gig. By using upsells and repurposing your services, this can add up surprisingly quickly.
How to start: Choose a service you’d like to offer (or multiple). Post it on Fiverr. Do exceptional work to get good reviews. Implement systems to work faster and earn more for each gig.
Resources: How to Make Money on Fiverr: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
72. Agency owner
So you’ve nailed the whole independent freelancing thing. Now what? Well, one of the next natural steps is to start your own agency (AKA drop servicing).
As a freelancer, you trade your time for money. You’re limited by the number of hours in each day. But if you put together a team of freelancers trained to do your work for you, your earning power suddenly becomes limited only by the number of clients you can land.
Done correctly, this is one of the best travel jobs out there—you make money traveling while others do the work.
Earning potential: Unlimited
How to start: Master your marketing skills. Slowly start subcontracting your work out and forming partnerships until you have created a well-oiled machine.
Resources: FREE Drop Servicing Training Class
How to Start a Drop Servicing Business for Beginners
Drop Servicing Blueprint Review ← Review of popular drop servicing course
73. Day trader
Obvious inherent risk involved with this travel job. But done correctly, this risk can be minimized. There are plenty of knowledgeable people around the world making a living this way. Don’t get into this if you don’t love math.
Earning potential: Totally depends on your investment, number of daily trades, and success rate
How to start: Start with a beginners’ book on day trading. Educate yourself as much as possible using multiple credible sources (see resources). Invest at your own risk.
Resources: Investopedia – The Best Day Trading Schools and Courses
Wandering Trader ←Blog about a day trader who travels the world
74. Ebook writer
Want instant respect anywhere you go? That’s what you’ll get when you can start introducing yourself as an “author” to everyone you meet.
Not only does writing an ebook build mad street cred, but it can also be a nice passive income generator (write it once, sell it forever). The key is solving a problem people are willing to pay for.
This is best combined with other travel jobs that expose you to large audiences (blogger, Youtuber, Instagrammer, etc.).
Earning potential: Gonna need that calculator again: [Price of book – seller associated fees] x [# of people in the world you convince to buy]
How to start: Make a list of topics you know a lot about. Check Amazon to see if those topics are good sellers. Read the article below to avoid any big mistakes. Grab an XL coffee and start typing!
Resources: 21 Dumb Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your First E-book
75. Online course creator
Like ebooks, this is another way to make passive income while traveling. It can be as simple or complex as you’d like—just make sure it provides real value.
Don’t be one of those “gurus” who reads a book, thinks they’re an expert, and creates a course promising unproven results. Instead, create something that will truly help people. If you want a business that lasts, trust is everything.
Earning potential: Unlimited. [Price of course – fees] x [Size of niche willing to buy]
How to start: Start simple. Check out the different platforms that make course creation easier (see Resources). Choose a niche. Identify a problem. Create a solution.
Resources:
How to Make Money with an Awesome Online Course: The Complete Guide
76. Professional consultant
If you’re an expert in a particular field, people will pay to access your brain. The trick is networking and building a reputation as someone who can solve problems.
You don’t have to be some fancy business expert either. You can give consultations about any topic people are willing to pay to learn — similar to coaching.
For example, I’ve met traveling holistic health coaches, virtual voice coaches, and if you’re spiritually inclined, you could even become a Christian life coach who works virtually.
Earning potential: $50 – $5000 per hour. If the value you provide is clearly worth more than you charge, the sky’s the limit.
How to start: Match your expertise with a market known to hire consultants. Make a website. Start marketing yourself.
Resources:
How to Become a Consultant: 9 Steps to Doing It Right
How to Start a Consulting Business
77. Online tutor
Here’s another way to leverage the skills and knowledge you already have to make money traveling. Do you know a foreign language? Math whiz? Computer geek? If you went to college, what was your major?
There are hundreds of different subjects people will pay to be tutored in. I bet you can find one that suits you.
Earning potential: $10 – $20 / hour working with an agency (subject-dependent). You can triple this rate by finding your own tutees (love that word).
How to start: The easiest way to start is with an agency. You’ll get paid less, but you’ll learn the ropes and build your reputation. From there, branch out on your own.
Resources:
How to Become an Online Tutor for Elementary Students (While Traveling)
Preply – Language tutoring jobs
TutorMe – Various subjects
Tutor.com – Various subjects
78. Online Teacher
Similar to online tutoring, this can be done with any subject. Teaching English is the most common route.
Tons of travelers fund their adventures this way. It’s one of the best traveling jobs out there—teach for a few hours each day, then go out and explore.
Due to its flexibility, it’s also one of the best travel jobs for couples (assuming you’re both native English speakers).
Earning potential: $18 – $22 / hour with a company. More if you establish yourself and find your own students.
How to start: Although not always required, getting TEFL certified will boost your confidence, increase your likelihood of landing jobs, and make you a more effective teacher. Just be careful which program you choose (see my recommendation below). Start applying with online English teaching companies.
Resources:
International TEFL Academy ← After spending hours researching the best TEFL courses, this is the one I chose. My research paid off. I ended up loving it so much, they offered to give my readers an exclusive $50 discount on tuition (Coupon code: UNTETHERED). They have an online course as well as in-person classes around the world — mine was in Peru. If you’re even the least bit interested, I highly recommend requesting a free brochure or checking out a live webinar to get your questions answered. If you’re on a budget, just want your certificate, and don’t mind a more superficial course, here’s a popular one for less than $100. I only recommend this if you absolutely can’t afford a more in-depth course.
Is VIPKID Worth It?
How to Teach English Online to Mexican Students
Top 5 Companies to Teach English Online to Spanish Students
How to Teach English Online While Traveling (to Adults)
79. Virtual friend
Nowadays, people are lonelier than ever.
Blame the pandemic. Blame social media. Blame our smartphone addiction. But it’s the sad truth.
Fortunately, there’s a win-win solution. Lonely people can pay you (an awesome and charming person) to be their virtual friend.
This can take many forms — from chatting on social media to phone calls, video calls, and even themed experiences.
This can be purely platonic. But as you can imagine, there’s also an opportunity to be a more-than-friends virtual friend. There’s something for everyone.
And while it may feel a little bit weird and uncomfortable to get paid to talk to lonely men and women. Just remember, without virtual friends, there’d be a lot more loneliness in the world. Think of yourself as an informal psychologist. They wouldn’t be willing to pay if they didn’t need it!
Earning potential: Up to $50 per hour for charming friends who can offer unique skillsets. For more basic services, most platforms estimate an average of $15 to $30 per hour. Your mileage may vary depending on how well you’re able to fill your schedule.
How to start: Sign up for different friendship service platforms, create a profile, and match with clients looking for companionship.
Resources:
How to Get Paid to Be an Online Friend
How to Get Paid to Chat in English Online
How to Get Paid to Chat Online: 20 Ways to Make Money Talking
80. Blog manager
Running a blog can be exhausting—a never-ending to-do list. That’s why most successful bloggers don’t do it alone. They hire someone to take charge of content creation and technical aspects. This allows them to focus on high-impact work.
If you know the ins and outs of blogging, marketing, social media, WordPress, etc, this travel job is right up your alley.
Earning potential: $3000/month depending on duties
How to start: Start your own blog (whether that be a personal blog, a travel blog, or anything else) and build experience. Then scour job boards and blogging Facebook groups to find opportunities.
Resources:
22 Qualities of a Mind-Blowing Blog Manager
Role of a Blog Manager
81. Community manager
Whether it be a Facebook group, forum, or another place where online communities hang out, someone is working behind the scenes to keep the community engaged and making sure everything runs smoothly.
This can be a time-consuming task. If the owner is short on time, they’ll hire a community manager to take over.
Earning potential: Average salary $51,000/year, according to GlassDoor
How to start: Learn the basics through free (or paid) online groups and courses (see link below). Gain experience by volunteering to help manage an online community you love.
Resources: How to Become a Community Manager
82. Sell photos
If you’re a skilled photographer, you can make a good chunk of change selling your photos.
Just upload your best work to the microstock sites listed below and see if people are willing to pay a small fee to use them. You may not make a full-time income, but it will definitely help with travel expenses.
Even if you’re still new to photography, it’s a fun travel hobby to pick up. And you never know where it may lead.
Another idea is to hang out at photo-friendly tourist attractions and offer to take professional photos of other travelers with your fancy camera. Just be careful doing this abroad as it’s technically illegal without a work visa.
Earning potential: $300+ per month. Depends on how many photos you have for sale and how popular they are. If selling in person, you could ask for donations and would likely receive $1 to $5 per photo. In a busy place, this could add up.
How to start: For best results, invest in a nice camera and some photography lessons. Take unique, generic shots and submit them to different microstock sites.
Resources:
Top 5 Places to Sell Photos Online in 2019
How to Make Thousands of Dollars Off Your Travel Photos
How to Make Extra Cash From the Photos on Your Hard Drive
83. Sell feet pics
This one is a bit controversial and can potentially get weird. But I met a couple girls who fund their travel by snapping a few pics each day, then anonymously selling them to people online.
Sure, you may have to deal with some creeps. But it doesn’t always have to be weird. There are many individuals, businesses, and modeling agencies who need pictures of feet for non-sexual reasons.
Earning potential: $5 to $100+ per photo. If you’re dedicated, you can make a full-time income selling foot pics.
How to start: Take care of your feet, learn some poses and basic photography skills, and sign up for the foot pic platforms in the guide below.
Resources: How to Sell Feet Pics Online Safely
84. Sell videos
Here’s one of the best jobs that involve travel for those who love making videos.
You could create a documentary of your travels, sell your footage to travel sites, sell stock footage, monetize a Youtube channel, or sell video services to businesses.
No matter which you choose, beautiful and captivating videos are a must.
Earning potential: Veteran videographers charge businesses more than $2000/day for high-end video packages. Stock footage sites sell videos for $5+ per download. Youtube channels don’t really have an income cap.
How to start: Sharpen your skills by creating your own videos and Youtube channel. Then start marketing your services.
Resources:
Become a Travel Video Producer
70 Job Ideas for Freelance Videographers and Video Editors
85. Virtual Assistant (VA)
VAs help bloggers, business owners, and other busy people by taking time-consuming tasks off their plates.
It’s a travel job that comes in many shapes and sizes. You could specialize in one in-demand task (social media, research, email, data entry and online form-filling jobs, etc), or you can be a jack of all trades.
Earning potential: New, skilled VAs can expect $20-40 / hour. This rate can double or triple based on duties, experience, and pricing structure. There are even stories of VAs who specialize and earn $10k a month.
How to start: Use the resources below to create your own VA roadmap
Resources: FREE Class: How to Land Your First VA Client
How to Become a Virtual Assistant Digital Nomad
275+ Awesome Service Ideas for New Virtual Assistants
Best Virtual Assistant Courses to Start Earning ASAP
90 Day VA Course Review — Is It Worth It?
86. Online fitness coach
Thanks to technology and automation, personal training is now one of the best travel jobs for fitness fanatics.
Online fitness coaching is exploding in popularity. It’s a flexible and economical alternative to hiring an in-person personal trainer. As a coach, you provide detailed training, nutrition, and health advice through email, Skype sessions, or whatever works best for your clients.
Earning potential: $10,000+ / month with automated systems that allow you to take on more clients (and even sell online courses).
How to start: Become a certified personal trainer. Choose your target market. Create exercise programs. Find clients. Streamline processes.
Resources:
How to Get Started as an Online Personal Trainer
7 Steps to Become a Successful Online Fitness Coach
How to Travel the World as an Online Personal Trainer – Podcast episode
87. Online yoga instructor
Similar to a fitness coach but focused on yoga and spirituality. One option is to start your own business—find students or sell videos of your yoga classes online. Another option is to work for a digital fitness/yoga company and give classes virtually.
Earning potential: $35+ / hour for virtual classes.
How to start: Consider becoming a certified yoga instructor. Create a video library of your yoga sessions. Offer free samples and sell the full package. Start by posting recordings of your online classes on platforms like Teachable. Work on building your own website and audience to sell to directly.
Resources:
Start Teaching Yoga Online
5 Ways to Take Your Yoga Business Online
88. App developer
Coding skills combined with a “problem solver” mindset is a recipe for unlimited business opportunities.
As you go through everyday life, think to yourself, “How could an app make this easier?”
Once a travel job for experienced coders only, this is no longer the case. Nowadays, app-building tools make it easy for anyone to create simple apps. And oftentimes, simple is better.
Earning potential: How many people are in your target market? What are they willing to pay to have an annoying problem solved? Grab that calculator.
How to start: Start training your problem-solving muscles. As they get stronger, you’ll be amazed at how many ideas start popping in your head.
Resources:
How to Build Your Own App If You Don’t Know How to Code
The Travel Blogging, App-Developing Couple on a Never Ending Voyage
89. Travel vlogger
Travel the world, make awesome videos, become a Youtube celebrity, and get paid. Sounds like a dream travel job to me. It’s not easy, but it’s possible.
The cool thing about travel vlogging is that, whether you make money or not, you’ll have cool videos to remember your adventures for the rest of your life. Like this one 🙂
Earning potential: $100,000+ / year for creators with large followings. There are many ways you can monetize an audience (ads, affiliates, products, sponsorships, etc.).
How to start: Pull out your camera and start making videos. Do it for the passion, not the money. Polish your skills, build an audience, and see where it takes you.
Resources: Skillshare Vlogging Course – Use that link for free access to all courses.
Youtube Creator Academy – Free online courses
How to Make Travel Videos for Youtube (And Grow Your Channel)
Top 15 Travel Vloggers on Youtube
90. Youtuber
While travel vlogging may be the most obvious choice if you’re gonna be out exploring the world, there are many other ways to be successful on Youtube.
Whether that’s making funny videos, art videos, inspirational videos, educational videos, news videos…basically anything that’ll attract eyeballs.
If you want to make money from ads, just make sure the kind of eyeballs you’re attracting (i.e. your audience) has money to spend.
Earning potential: The average channel makes $3-$5 per 1000 views. If you build a following and rack up millions of views per video, the sky’s the limit!
How to Start: Choose a niche to serve and start publishing as much useful content for them as possible. Don’t worry about fancy equipment when just starting. Keep in mind, you need to reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time (within a 12-month period) before you can apply for monetization.
Resources: Here are my favorite Youtube channels that teach how to grow your channel from scratch:
Think Media
Cathrin Manning
Nick Nimmin
91. Professional gamer
Love playing video games? Time to earn some money with it. On platforms like Twitch and Facebook gaming, you can stream yourself playing video games, build a following, and start earning money.
There are several different ways to earn, including, ads, donations, subscriptions, affiliate marketing, and even selling your own products.
My Colombian step-aunt-in-law (is that a thing?) does this and earns a couple hundred dollars per month. And from what I understood, she was still getting her account off the ground.
Not life-changing money, by any means. But if you’re gonna play anyway, mind as well earn from it!
This would obviously require a unique travel style as you’d have to set up your gaming system in each destination.
Besides streaming, there are now a handful of blockchain and NFT-based games coming out where you can earn real money for playing. Two popular options are Axie Infinity and Defi Kingdoms.
Earning potential: The top twitch streamer, Ninja, earns over $5 million per year. More realistically, an average streamer—who has spent time building up their channel and plays 40 hours/week—can expect to earn $3,000-$5,000 per month before taxes.
How to Start: Choose a platform (Twitch or Facebook Gaming), set up an account, turn on your webcam, and start playing. To shorten the learning curve, consider taking a Twitch course on Udemy.
Resources: How Facebook Gaming Streamers Make Money
92. Instagrammer
Yet another way to make money with photography. Take beautiful pictures of your travels (or whatever industry you choose), create a brand, and tell your story.
Earn through sponsored posts and trips, affiliate marketing, or selling your own product.
Earning potential: Depends on your number of followers and engagement. From hundreds of dollars to over $30,000 per sponsored post (@thebucketlistfamily)
How to start: Choose a niche, plan your brand, build a following.
Resources:
How to Make Money on Instagram (Whether You Have 1k or 100k Followers)
Exactly How Much Travel Influencers Get Paid for an Instagram Post
93. Podcaster
It’s never been easier to start a podcast. You can use it as a standalone business, or just one piece of your overall brand.
Either way, it’s a great opportunity to connect with and interview impressive people who’d otherwise be difficult to start a relationship with.
Earning potential: $0 to hundreds of thousands of dollars per episode depending on podcast popularity. Average earnings for a 30-second ad in 2023 is $18 per 1,000 listeners. Popular podcasters charge as much as $45/1,000 listeners. With a big audience and lots of episodes, this can add up FAST (especially if your episodes are long enough to do multiple ads per episode).
How to Start: Choose a topic you won’t get sick of. Pick a podcast name. Buy the minimum amount of equipment. Record, edit, and publish episodes. Upload to podcast directories (iTunes, Spotify, etc). Promote yourself!
Resources: How To Start a Podcast: The Complete Guide
Best Podcast Hosting Site and Platforms to Start On (Free & Paid)
94. Online poker player
The first time I heard about this travel job, I thought it was a joke. Turns out, it’s real.
In fact, there are even “Poker Refugees”—banned from playing in their home country—whose sole motivation for travel is to be able to continue playing poker. Crazy, right?
But just one big win pays for months of travel.
Earning potential: Depends on skill, games played, and risk. Low-middle stakes players can make $1000+ / month. Mid-high stakes players can rake in $10,000+ / month.
How to start: Get really good at poker.
Resources:
Digital Nomad Poker Travel Guide for Beginners
How Much Money Can You Make Playing Online Poker in 2019?
95. Watch online ads
It doesn’t get much easier than this. You’re not gonna get rich, but you can make a nice side income. You might even get paid for videos you were going to watch anyway.
In my opinion, you’re better off using your time on more profitable and fulfilling travel jobs on this list—but to each their own!
Earning potential: $100 – $1000+ / month depending on how long you want to sit mindlessly glued to a screen while traveling
How to start: Sign up to a reputable site or app (see resources) and start watching.
Resources: 19 Easy Ways to Get Paid to Watch Videos (and TV)
Ad Watching Sites: ClixSense, NeoBux, Paidverts
96. Take online surveys
Similar to watching ads, this is not how millionaires are made. But if you’re bored, it’s an easy way to gather some extra beer money. And if you know the secrets to cheap travel, it could go a long way.
Earning potential: $1000/month for hardcore survey-takers.
How to start: Sign up for reputable sites using the resource below (beware of scams).
Resources: Survey Junkie ← One of the most popular online survey sites
SwagBucks ← Another popular option
97. Website and application tester
Companies pay sites like UserTesting to gather data and feedback about their websites and apps. UserTesting collects this data by hiring “testers” to go to a website (or app), complete some tasks, and give oral feedback.
Earning potential: Up to $60 per test (via PayPal)
How to start: Sign up, take a sample test, wait for approval, then start taking paid tests
Resources: UserTesting – Become a User Tester
98. Search engine evaluator
Google algorithms are smart, but they still make mistakes. That’s why human evaluators are needed to analyze search results and ensure the most relevant, high-quality content shows up on top.
Earning potential: Most earn $18 – $30 / hour, according to ZipRecruiter.
How to start: Apply to job openings (see resources), study the Search Quality Evaluator guidelines, pass the qualification test, start working
Resources:
Evaluator Job Sites: Appen, RaterLabs, LionBridge, ZeroChaos, iSoftStone
99. App downloader
Instead of wasting time scrolling through social media, why not turn your phone addiction into a travel job?
There are several market research apps that’ll pay you to offer opinions, play games, take pictures, share content, test services, write diaries, download apps, or participate in free trials.
Earning potential: $5/hour (+ bonuses)
How to start: Download the apps in the article below. The next time you’re bored, standing in line, or waiting for the bus, use the apps.
Resources: 20 Apps That Make You Money
100. Real estate investor
I fell into this business by accident/marriage. It’s turned out to be shockingly lucrative, and I now consider it one of the best travel jobs out there.
It helps to have a “home base” (for me it’s Cali, Colombia), but it’s not necessary.
All you need is a property manager to take care of things while you’re off traveling the world. If you want to start small, you can invest in a real estate portfolio with as little as $500.
Earning potential: 8-50% return on your investment per year (depending on your level of involvement, market conditions, and opportunities available).
How to start: If you have no connections and no desire to learn, start with a portfolio company like Fundrise. Otherwise, read some real estate books, make some friends in the industry, and see what opportunities you can find
Resources:
BiggerPockets ←Awesome resource for learning about real estate investing
Shoot me an email for info on investing in properties in Cali, Colombia.
101. Rent your place
Don’t have a place to rent? Buy one! It’s obviously not an option for everyone, but something to think about.
Instead of saving thousands of dollars for a trip, why not put it towards a downpayment on a house you can rent out to help pay for your trip?
If you use Airbnb, you’ll need someone to clean in between guests. Too much hassle? Another option is finding longer-term tenants before you leave. You can rent the entire place or individual rooms.
I have a relative whose mortgage payment for a 4-bedroom house is $450/month. He rents each room individually for $400 ($400 x 4 = $1600). That’s over $1000 in his pocket each month (minus taxes and other expenses).
If you already have a place, don’t let it sit empty while you’re gone—put it to use!
Earning potential: Property-dependent
How to start: Find a property that rents for positive cash flow. Decide who will manage everything while you’re away.
Resources:
How to Manage Airbnb Remotely (and Travel with the Profits)
How to Rent Your Home and Go Traveling
102. Sublease an apartment
If being a homeowner isn’t your thing, here’s an alternative.
Sign a long-term lease agreement at a discounted rate, then rent it out as a short-term, premium vacation rental.
This is a popular business model in tropical Southeast Asian countries like Bali, but it could work in touristic areas of your hometown as well.
Earning potential: $500+ / month (per property)
How to start: Carefully research local laws. Find an attractive apartment or villa in a touristic area. Negotiate a discounted rate for a long-term rental (make sure the owner knows about your plans). Hire someone to manage the property between guests. Rent it out on a short-term basis.
Resources: 8 Do’s and Don’t When Investing in a Bali Villa
103. Sell t-shirts online
This is the perfect “intro business” to learn the ropes of online marketing and e-commerce (key skills for many other travel jobs).
You can start a store in a day for almost no money down. No need to buy inventory either. Just hook up with a t-shirt printer/drop shipper, connect them to your store, and they’ll ship directly to your customers as shirts are purchased.
Earning potential: $100,000+ / year for big sellers.
How to start: Read the guides below, choose a niche, research popular designs, set up shop
Resources:
How to Start an Online T-shirt Business: The Ultimate Guide
How to Turn Your Funny T-shirt Ideas Into Cold Hard Cash
How Two Guys in Their 20s Built a $150,000 Side Hustle Selling T-shirt on Amazon
104. Etsy seller
Etsy is an e-commerce platform for selling handmade and vintage gifts, jewelry, clothes, and crafts. You can also sell digital items like printable stationary, stickers, and designs.
Digital products are obviously easier to manage while traveling. But with some creativity and a solid system, physical products could work as well.
Earning potential: $3000+ / month depending on the time and effort you dedicate.
How to start: Create a business plan, open up your store, start listing your products.
Resources: 15 Crazy Popular Digital Products to Sell on Etsy
5 Best Etsy Printables Courses for Passive Income Seekers (Free & Paid)
105. Drop shipper
Dropshipping is an e-commerce strategy requiring no inventory. You partner with a manufacturer who ships directly to your customers.
The trick is working directly with manufacturers (not “middle-men” posing as manufacturers). This way, the products you sell have enough profit margin to make it worthwhile.
As far as travel jobs go, drop shipping tends to get a bad rap. Oodles of “gurus” take advantage of desperate travelers by promising overnight riches to those who follow their simple “proven” systems.
Just remember: If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Drop shipping is a legit travel job. But don’t expect it to be easy.
Earning potential: Unlimited
How to start: Choose a niche, do competitor research, design a marketing plan, find a supplier, build your website.
Resources: 6 Steps to Building a Successful Online Drop Shipping Business
106. Amazon FBA seller
FBA stands for “Fulfilled by Amazon”. This means you store your inventory in Amazon warehouses and pay them to handle order fulfillment, shipping and returns.
This is the first online business venture I started. It went amazingly well until I made a crippling, rookie mistake (I’ll save that story for a future post).
Despite my failure — which was totally preventable — I still believe it has the potential to be one of the highest-paying location-independent jobs out there.
Earning potential: Unlimited
How to start: Look for low-competition products selling on Amazon, find a manufacturer (usually in China) who makes the product, ship some inventory to Amazon, create a listing, launch your product. Viola!
Resources:
Free Amazon FBA Seller Masterclass (wholesaling method)
Amazon Selling Blueprint (low risk way to test the waters)
Freedom Ticket Review (epic course that comes free with Amazon tool subscription)
107. Run a physical business remotely
You don’t need to re-invent the wheel or start a multinational corporation here. The simpler it is, the easier it will be to manage from afar.
Earning potential: Unlimited
How to start: Start with a service that solves a problem, build a client base, train workers to provide the service (take yourself out of the equation), go travel.
Resources: The Side Hustle Show Podcast ←Podcast jam-packed with side hustle business ideas and inspiration
108. Sell imported goods (in your home country)
Here’s a twist on the expat import/export business described above. While traveling, you’ll likely come across cool products that could be marked up and sold in your home country. Figure out how to do it at scale, and you’ve got yourself a business.
I’ve seen this done with handmade hammocks, alpaca sweaters, and indigenous artwork. It’s also a great opportunity to make a positive impact on the local community.
Again, some of the best travel jobs are those you stumble into by accident. Opportunities you can’t see unless you step outside your comfort zone. This is a perfect example.
Earning potential: Unlimited
How to start: Buy a suitcases-full of products and do a test run. If it sells well, build a relationship with the producers and see if they’re interested in doing business. Create an online shop to run virtually or find a local store that will sell it.
Resources: Cielo Hammocks ←Example business
109. Import/export “middleman”
Similar to sourcing your own product abroad and selling it in your home country (or any country with high demand), this travel job is more focused on being the middleman.
For example, one Colombian traveler I met works for a company that sources all different types of socks in China and supplies them to stores in Colombia and Ecuador at a markup.
Right now she’s learning the ropes so that in the future, she can start her very own “middlewoman” business.
This would probably have to start as an expat job while you find a supplier and get everything set up. Once everything is streamlined, it could become a digital nomad job you manage remotely.
Earning potential: Limited only to the number of stores you can convince to use you as their supplier.
How to Start: Like my friend Laura, it’s probably best to start by working for and learning the ropes from someone who is already doing this. Brushing up on your Chinese wouldn’t hurt either!
Resources: How to Start an Imports/Exports Business
110. Rent your clothes
Don’t let your closet full of stylish clothes go to waste. Instead of packing them in storage while you travel, you can rent them out to generate extra income.
Right now, most services focus on women’s clothing (Guys, do I sense a business opportunity here?)
Earning potential: 15-25% of recommended retail price for 4-8 day rentals.
How to start: Sign up for clothes rental companies with garment protection policies.
Resources:
A Guide to Renting Your Clothes Online
Style Lend ←Clothes rental platform
111. Rent your car
Instead of letting ol’ Betsy rust away in your driveway back home, why not rent her out instead? Doing so could pay for most of your trip! If that’s not one of the easiest travel jobs, I don’t know what is.
Earning potential: $6,000 to $35,000 per year per car, depending on model and location. Here’s a calculator to help you determine how much you could earn.
How to start: Sign up with a service below, make a listing, find a helper to hand off the keys and verify the license of each renter.
Resources: Car Rental Services: Turo, HyreCar, GetAround, Drivy (UK)
112. Independent travel agent
I hate spending time hunting for cheap tickets and arranging flights. My wife loves it. If you enjoy putting together itineraries, this could be right up your wheelhouse.
Keep in mind that this travel job is actually a sales role. The more you sell, the more you’ll earn.
Earning potential: $50,000+ / year (plus valuable travel perks)
How to start: Travel a lot to gain experience. Apply to a host agency (see resources) as an independent contractor.
Resources: How to Work-From-Home as a Travel Agent
113. Remote Worker
This one is so obvious it’s often overlooked. Instead of venturing out and starting a completely new job, why not set up a remote arrangement with your current employer.
For example, one of our Youtube subscribers told us that she does medical coding and processes dental insurance claims — all from her laptop while traveling the world.
If you have some responsibilities that require your presence, find a way to get someone else to take over those responsibilities (sometimes you have to get creative!).
Another advantage to working remotely is you’ll probably be able to keep all your benefits.
If your employer won’t let you work abroad (many don’t), find a similar role with a fully remote company.
Earning potential: Similar to what you currently earn.
How to Start: Ask your boss to try working from home one day per week. Promise that your work output on those days will be greater than when you come to the office. Come through on your promise, and record data to prove it. Ask boss to switch to permanent remote work. Move to a tropical island 🏝. If that doesn’t work, there are plenty of job boards that post remote jobs. One job board I used to land one of my first remote gigs is called Dynamite Jobs. Flexjobs is another popular one.
Resources: How to Ask to Work from Home (with Scripts + Templates)
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Jobs That Require Travel
Unlike the other three types of travel jobs that focus on working on the road, these travel-required jobs actually pay you to travel. Sounds amazing, right? The downside to jobs that require travel is limited time and flexibility to go out and explore each destination.
114. Cruise ship worker
Cruise ships are stock-full of careers that travel. Daycare, fitness instructors, DJs, chefs, bartenders. You name it.
This is one of the best entry-level jobs that require travel because you don’t need experience to start as a deckhand, waiter/waitress, housekeeper, gift shop clerk, or customer service worker!
Earning potential: $1500/month for entry-level positions (with practically zero living expenses). Up to $6000+ / month for higher-level positions.
How to start: Research different cruise lines and the positions they have available.
Resources: Wandering Earl’s Guide to Landing Your First Cruise Ship Job ←This guy is the “working on a cruise ship” expert. He’s been traveling the world non-stop for over two decades and knows his stuff when it comes to careers in travel.
115. Yacht sailing
Looking for a job that travels by sea?
I’ve met multiple travelers who’ve worked on private yachts that sail to remote tropical islands. Many sailing families just need an extra hand cooking, playing with kids, or steering the yacht while they sleep.
This is a great way (maybe the only way) to visit some of the hard-to-reach islands with no airports.
Earning potential: Ranges from free food/accommodation on a family yacht to $3000/month as an inexperienced worker on a superyacht.
How to start: A positive attitude and a pretty smile could get you hired on a family yacht. Bigger luxury yachts require STCW certification and an ENG1 medical exam. Go to a popular yacht port (e.g. Fort Lauderdale, FL) and apply for jobs through a crew agency or by simply “dock walking”.
Resources: How to Get a Job as a Yacht Stewardess (or any luxury yacht job)
116. Traveling personal shopper
My wife once met a fellow Colombian woman who started a side hustle as an “international errand runner” for rich Colombians.
Her clients order luxury items not found in Colombia (and too risky to ship)—purses, shoes, exotic Asian dogs, etc.—ya know, standard baller life stuff. Then this girl would fly around the world to pick them up.
Apparently, her side hustle is going well…because she now owns a second fancy apartment in downtown LA.
Earning potential: Enough to buy a nice apartment in LA.
How to Start: Find out where the rich people hang out. Become their friends. Offer your services.
Resources: What is a Job as a Personal Shopper Really Like?
117. Flight attendant
The perfect travel job for those who’d rather be flying around the world than stuck in an office all day. Pros: Free and heavily discounted travel. Cons: Erratic schedules and little time to explore.
Earning potential: Median salary $61,640, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
How to start: Build up your resume (foreign languages a plus). Research different airlines (they’re not all created equal). Apply, and if hired, get ready for an intense 3-8 week training.
Resources: How to Become a Flight Attendant
118. Pilot
Maybe instead of ensuring seats are in the upright position, you’d rather fly the plane? If so, you’re in for a long, but rewarding process. A pilot is one of the ultimate jobs that requires travel.
Earning potential: Varies widely depending on aircraft, airline, and years of service. Average starting salary is $20,000 to $40,000 with raises every year. Median salary $134,630. Check out this infographic to see how earning potential snowballs with experience.
How to start: Choose a pilot school. Obtain medical certificates and student pilot certificate. Earn pilot’s license. Pass any additional medical, psychological and intelligence tests required by airlines you want to fly for. Be proud you chose one of the best careers for traveling ✈️.
Resources: Become a Pilot: Education and Career Roadmap
119. Travel Writer
Travel the world, write about it, and get paid. Everyone and their mom dreams about making a living this way, so you better find a way to stand out.
These traveling careers include writing for magazines, websites, guidebooks, hotels, and tourism boards.
Earning potential: $15 – $1000 per 500-word article depending on skill and experience.
How to start: Build credibility by starting your own travel blog. Grow your network (online and offline). Search for opportunities, and pitch your services. This is one of the most accessible jobs that require travel—anyone can do it!
Resources: The Life of a Travel Writer
120. Journalist
Similar to travel writing, but more focused on news stories.
I recently met a fascinating gentleman who once was a journalist in Colombia in the 80s. His job was to suit up with the local police, chase around the Cali Cartel, and write about the war on drugs for an English newspaper.
Holy crap!
If journalism interests you, there are plenty of opportunities to travel the globe and report on world events. Just realize that—depending on what you’re reporting on—this could potentially be one of the most dangerous jobs requiring travel.
Earning potential: Earnings vary depending on the country you work in, but the average pay for a US journalist is ~$23/hour. Freelancers can earn more.
How to Start: You don’t need a journalism degree to become a journalist (although it can’t hurt). You could start with a blog of your own to build your portfolio, then climb up the ladder—starting with local news outlets and working your way up.
Resources: How to Break into Journalism with No Prior Experience
Where Is Your Ladder Taking You?
WHEW! You made it! I thought I almost lost you for a second.
As you can see, you’ve got options. Travel jobs are everywhere.
And honestly?
This list is only the beginning. Once you begin your journey and start putting yourself out there, you’ll be shocked at the unexpected opportunities you’ll stumble into. (I never dreamed I’d go on a backpacking trip and end up investing in Colombian real estate…yet here I am).
Whatever you do, don’t cage yourself in.
It might feel like you’re trapped in a career that no longer excites you. Like you only have a handful of life paths to choose from. Like it’s too late to start in a new direction…
But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In reality, your opportunities are virtually endless. You create your future. You’re in the driver’s seat. You get to steer life where you want it to go.
Nobody else is gonna do it for you.
If your ladder is leaning against the wrong wall, stop climbing. Continuing will only get you further from where you want to be. To achieve your dreams, you need to change walls. The sooner you accept this, the faster you’ll get there.
So, which travel jobs caught your attention?
Any of them spark your excitement? If so, here’s my advice…
Don’t let that spark die. Fire the flame. Continue investigating. Build momentum.
Your dream life is within reach. Now go get it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Your earnings depend on many factors including job type, experience, hours worked, and the country you’re in. Don’t automatically discount low-paying jobs though. Remember, you choose where you work. In San Francisco, you’re lucky to afford a cozy cardboard box earning $2000/month. But in Thailand, you’ll live like a king. That said, there are plenty of digital nomads earning six figures.
The highest-paying travel jobs are those that involve running your own business (digital marketers, bloggers, course creators, eCommerce store owners, etc.). Many of these jobs are scalable, meaning there is no income cap. Software engineers and experienced pilots are more traditional jobs that can make bank.
Working in a foreign country generally requires a work visa. However, I’ve never heard of a digital nomad who works from their computer having any issues — some countries even offer digital nomad visas for longer stays. On the other hand, it is technically illegal to do paid in-person work without a visa—so proceed at your own risk!
Tax requirements differ from country to country. If you are a US citizen, you must file taxes and report your earnings worldwide. Digital nomad taxes can get confusing—with heavy consequences if you do it wrong—so it’s wise to work with a tax preparer who specializes in expat taxes.
Most travel jobs do not require a college degree. The majority are entrepreneurial in nature and involve trading some kind of value for money. As long as your buyer gets value, nobody cares what degrees you hold. The exception would be jobs like pilots, accountants, health professionals, etc.
One of the most flexible part-time travel jobs is teaching English online. Many platforms allow you to set your own schedule and work less than 10 hours per week. Other than that, any freelancing job can be done part-time because you choose how many clients to take on.
If you have zero technical skills, you can do in-person jobs like bartending, teaching, volunteering, Au Pair, tour guiding, etc. If you have basic tech skills, you can do freelance writing, proofreading, editing, translating, social media management, and basic virtual assistant work.
Tattoos are becoming less taboo than they were in the past, but in some countries (especially in small villages), they are frowned upon. Odds are you’ll be fine. But research your target destination to be safe. Depending on where you go, you may have to cover them up.
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***This took me an embarrassingly long time to write (like literally an entire month—thanks, ADD). So it’d be SUPER if you shared it with anyone it could help. Gracias! 🤗***
Need an extra boost of inspiration? Check out this beastly list of adventure quotes (perfect for Instagram captions).
Mitch is your typical nomadic backpacker. Or at least, he was. But after stopping in Colombia to take “one week” of salsa lessons, his life took a sharp left turn. He met a cute Colombian girl in dance class, fell in love, and got married. Over half a decade has passed since he left his career to travel the world as a digital nomad, and he’s never looked back.
Nowadays, he’s the blogger behind Project Untethered — where he runs an awesome email newsletter and Youtube channel teaching adventure-craved wanderlusters how to escape the rat race, earn money from anywhere, and build an “untethered life”.
His advice has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, Yahoo, MSN, Reader’s Digest, Condé Nast Traveler, and more.
Mitch's Travel Recommendations:
Travel Planning Resources - Everything you need to plan your trip on one convenient page.
Going Cheap Flights Newsletter - Get flight deals from your airport up to 90% off sent straight to your inbox.
Safetywing Insurance - This cheap travel insurance has saved me over $15,000 in medical bills.
Booking.com - Book accommodation without adding your credit card (in case you need to cancel).
Trusted House Sitters - Take care of pets in exchange for free (sometimes luxury) accommodation.
Flexjobs - Find remote jobs without having to sift through crappy ones.
Skillshare - Free trial to take unlimited classes that teach digital nomad skills.
Wise - Send and receive money abroad cheaply (great for freelancers).
Bollywood star! Oh gosh, I wanna to be! I did never think about this kind of earning money while in travel. So great! 😀
Same here! It’s definitely top on my India bucket list. Probably the closest I’ll ever get to being a movie star 🤩 Thanks for the comment!
EPIC. Simply…..EPIC. Thanks for putting together the most comprehensive resource EVER.
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P.
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C.
Literally can’t stop smiling after reading your comment. I kept wondering if all the seemingly endless hours of work would be worth it. Now I know it was! 🤗
Fantastic list! Saved in my bookmarks, and made a separate list of options that caught my attention. Thanks for including helpful resources on how to start after these options! Awesome resource 🙂
That’s awesome, Branden! I’m stoked you actually did the exercise and wrote down a list of ideas (hopefully you didn’t forget the sombrero). But seriously though. That simple act of writing it down is super powerful. The next step is narrowing it down to your favorite! Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter and shoot me an email with any questions that come up. I’ll be sending out lots of other stuff I think you’ll find helpful in the future. Cheers!
Dude, this is a MASSIVE resource! So well done, and useful. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Sean! It’s super rewarding hearing all the hard work paid off. I truly hope it helps a lot of people!
Mitch this list is epic! Tweeted…phenomenal job.
Thanks, man! That means a lot coming from you. And it’s my first unsolicited share from a big timer. I’m honored! Also looking forward to following more of your content. It looks like you’ve literally created the dream life!
Wow, you weren’t joking when you said this was an epic list! If only this was around in my backpacking days, who knows where I might have ended up! It gave me a smile to read through this. Good work!!!
Thanks, Amber! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It looks like you ended up right where you needed to be—traveling and having adventures with your family! ☺️ If you know anyone else you think it might inspire, I’d be thrilled if you shared it with them!
Wow Mitch!
I’m so glad Marsha from Smartblogger sent me this link!
I’m impressed it only took you a month to write this!
I’ve been living out of a backpack for the last 5 months with no end date in sight. I’m currently in Australia for another 2wks.
I do a lot of Workaway which is awesome! Plus my age, 58yrs old, can be a bit of a constraint when trying to get some work. Their loss!!! LOL
I’m getting my blog built now! GutsyGlobetrotters.com.
Love your post and the epic amount of work you put into it.
Hey Donna, thanks so much for the kind words! Sounds like you’re living quite the adventure! I’d love to follow you’re adventures as well—be sure to reach out once you have everything set up! Also, feel free to shoot me any questions that may pop up! 🤗✈
This post was truly epic! (Which is why I shared it with EVERYONE!) Thanks for doing all of this research and sharing your experience. Very cool!
Thank you so much, Cathy! I really appreciate you sharing—I hope it reaches and helps a lot of people! 😊
It is so amazing how these jobs allow one to pursue the love for travel while still making a living. It’s all a matter of finding these opportunities!
So true! The key is not letting fear stop you from stepping outside your comfort zone…that’s where all the opportunities lie!
Terrific post Mitch! Loads of work to produce such a lot of value but really worth it! Congrats, Best Rosemary
Thanks, Rosemary! That means a lot coming from such a seasoned traveler!
This is absolutely AMAZING! You’re incredible, Mitch!!!
Jonnie, You found me! So pumped that you liked it, thanks for the confidence boost! 💪🏼
Great list. thank you for the many useful links 🙂
You bet! Glad you found them helpful!
Wow, Mitch, that’s an incredibly comprehensive list! My favorites are Street Perform, Pilot, and Yacht Ship Sailor, but for now I’ll have to stick with blogger and videographer. However there’s certainly room for a street performance now and then… Great job with the list. If someone can’t find an idea in here, they’re not looking hard enough!
Thanks Paul! Videographer sounds pretty epic as well! P.S. Your site looks awesome! Keep up the great work! 🙂
That was an outstanding post Mitch. Best ideas for people who are looking for jobs.
i love travelling and my favorite is Dance instructor.
Glad you liked it! Working as a dance instructor is a perfect job because people want to learn to dance all over the world! What kind of dancing do you like?
Hey thanks Mitch.. you’ve made me enthusiastic once again to pursue a career in web designing after reading this.
Do it!!! 🙌
Amazing!! I’ve read many blogs with these kind of list but I have to say this one is the most impressive one yet. My dream has always been to travel and most importantly, keep traveling. Thanks so much!
Thanks for the kind words, Riff! Was there anything on the list that stood out to you?
I’ve read a lot of blogs that teach you how to make money, but this is one of the best ones out there. Great job!
Thanks for the confidence boost, Renato! 💪🏼
what a complete list ! thanks for that !
Nice Work.
Wow…. give me a break… You have a vast ocean hide in this article man… You are a hero. wonderful tips… Bollywood stars make the most use I guess.
Who wouldn’t like to travel and now with money making tips are silver lining I guess.
I have bookmarked this pin. need to read better to know more.
Thank you for sharing.
Very helpful and motivating article. Thank you!
I’ve doe so much resource in this topic but haven’t found anything as simple and informative as your website. I really enjoy your style of writing and help you give to other readers, I will dive in to your work a little bit more and potently contact you if needed. There is so much unnecessary information out there as of people don’t want to give out too much.
Thank you for dedicating your time to create this blogs, I appreciate this a lot.
I’m glad you’ve found it helpful, Jojo. Feel free to reach out with any questions!
Wow, this is actually quite a long list of potential jobs. I am a part time travel blogger so I have a job in London. If I ever did make the move full time, then god knows what I will do. It would be hard for me to do as I got children, but who knows, they is always a way. 😀
Love the “where there’s a will, there’s a way” attitude, Danik! I don’t have any first-hand experience traveling with children, but I know lots of people do it (and love it!)
It’s a pretty awesome world we live in when people can find so many opportunities while still maintaining the lifestyle that they love so much! I’ve been lucky enough to make a living through travel and I hope that many others can enjoy that experience.
You got that right! We have more opportunities now than ever before (if you’re willing to break the mold, live outside the box, and take advantage of them). Glad to hear you’re able to make a living through travel, that is AWESOME!
How cool would it be to be a Bollywood Extra!!! Haha… Definitely will look into this when we visit India!! Thanks for a great read!!
It’d be EPIC! Definitely on the bucket list 🤩 Let me know if you end up doing it!
Thanks for the killer list Mitch! I’ve done many of these jobs over the years, but most recently, loving being a digital nomad making money via blogging. The possibilities really are endless now that we have such amazing technology at our disposal!
Thanks, Meg! Totally! That’s my dream as well. Even if blogging doesn’t end up bringing me as much money as some of the other jobs, I still love the idea of not having to answer to anyone and having my own “thing” that I have complete control over 🙂
Love this travel blog post. Such a amazing blog post. Thanks for sharing this information and keep updating us.
Great ideas,Travelling not only passion it will bring money if we do it in proper way.This truth is well explained in the post..Kudos to the author..
Yay number 1! Becoming a blogger..does it still count even though we don’t make money from it yet haha! =)
Of course it counts! 🙂 However I would advise a Plan B to hold you over until it starts making money haha! Good luck on your journey!!
impressive!
I’m read this article two months before, and I’m starting my import-export business.
Thanks a lot for the suggestion.
Wow!! You have really covered it all. Nice
💪🏼 I hope you found it helpful!
Mitch, two questions 1. Isn’t there a business that one can go into that requires spending no more than a week or less in a foreign country to drop off and item and pick up an item? The other 80% of the work would be done online.
2. Have you heard of a solo person starting their own humanitarian business?
Hey Corey, do you mean something like a delivery business? I know people who do things like “personal shopping” where they buy something (usually something expensive and hard to find) in one country, then bring it to the buyer in another country. I’ve never met anyone personally who has started a humanitarian business, but I’m sure it’s possible!
Definitely will look into this when we visit India!! Thanks 🙂
If you make it in one, don’t forget to post the link here so we can all watch!
Awesome!!!!!!!!
Now that’s a complete list
Thanks
Thanks for sharing with us. I’ve done many of these jobs over the years, but most recently, loving being a digital nomad making money via blogging. The possibilities really are endless now that we have such amazing technology at our disposal!
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They sure are! Awesome to hear your blog is doing well!
Wow, I have never seen such a comprehensive list of resources. Thanks for taking the time to prepare this.
I’m glad you found it helpful! Did job ideas on the list stick out to you?
thanks for the info.