Are you the type who just buy a flight ticket and hit the road without sufficient financial backup? Well, maybe you should consider making some money while you travel. Here are 10 ways to earn some extra cash while you make your way around the world: It's time to use your creative skills!
Sell home-made jewelleries
Image courtesy of Lauren Manning
Creativity just seems to run freely whenever you decide to get started on a project. You are the kind of traveller who refuses to buy earrings and bracelets from exotic stalls in a market place because you know you can make something much nicer on your own - magic flows through your fingers! So maybe it's time to take it to the next level? Bring all your gear when you travel and start your new business from abroad, or simply work towards opening your own online shop. Who knows, maybe you can earn enough money to extend your trip.
What can you earn? While you can certainly earn some good money by selling jewelleries in places such as Europe and North America, other places call for much lower prices. The price for one of your precious jewelleries could range from one pound to fifty.
Things to consider: Selling homemade jewelleries abroad can put you in an ethical dilemma. Some vendors in poor countries in Asia and Latin America relies on the money from tourist and take pride in their work, so you coming there to sell might be seen as an intrusion. So before making up your mind, make sure you befriend your new colleagues on the street.
Perform on the street
Image courtesy of Sarah Elizabeth C
If you are no good at music, dancing or performing in front of an audience, please ignore this one and continue to number three. This is for those with musical abilities, natural performers who are not afraid of putting on a show in front of a big crowd. Competition is fierce and there are many street performers to compete with, so make sure you've got what it takes before embarking on your new career path.
What can you earn? Street performing is just one of those professions where income is unpredictable. In big tourist places you could, with a bit of luck, go home with a full basket of shiny coins. However, other days you might just make 5 pounds - it all comes down to location and skills! Talent always attract attention, so maybe it's time to practice before show time?
Things to consider: Blinded by the prospects of a 'bohemian lifestyle' many travellers forget to consider how hard work it actually is. It requires a lot of practice and long hours, so make sure your heart is in it.
Make money from your blog
Image courtesy of Giorgio Montersino
Do you have a blog? Are you constantly reaching out to people to increase your audience? Then travel blogging could be a winner. It might not bring you any gold, but if your blog is widely visited it could end up funding your adventures abroad.
What can you earn? In the beginning you are not likely to make any money at all, but as you improve and continue to do so, you can slowly start to feel a change. Although it might not be more than ten pounds per month, it's a start. Good bloggers end up with sponsors, make money from advertisement and work hard on making a name of themselves in the online blog universe.
Things to consider: Becoming a travel blogger is tough - but it's not impossible. Read how Young Adventuress, a now world renowned blogger, got paid to travel the world.
Sell articles to magazines and newspapers
Image courtesy of Quentin Meulepas
Do you know how to turn words into more than just lines on a piece of paper? If you have a flair for writing this could be a good opportunity to make some extra money during your trip. Write articles for travel magazines, websites and newspaper, or dig slightly deeper by exploring political topics abroad. Before the journey is over you could be on your way to become a real investigative journalist with international experience on your CV!
What can you earn? There is no set income. It all depends on where you sell your work, its length, your own experience and the sort of topic your write about. You could earn a full time income from freelancing, but you could also earn as little as a few pounds, depending where you publish and what sort of content you are writing. Read more here.
Things to consider: make sure you know everything about the industry where you wish to get your work published. Practice your skills and start out easy, then move your way up. Get good advice for freelance journalists here.
5. Paint portrays in tourist hotspots
Image courtesy of Garry Knight
Whenever you pick up a brush or even a worn down pencil, something happens. It's almost unexplainable! Your ability to portray the world is amazing and people hardly believe their own eyes when they see how you manage to paint their faces in such accurate ways. Tourists love paying for funny paintings, especially of themselves. So if you consider yourself a bit of an artist, maybe this is the perfect travel job for you? You can also fresh up your skills by taking drawing classes before departure so you avoid disappointing your future buyers.
What can you earn? Well, it's up to you really. It all depends on how much your customers are willing to pay for your work. If you are new to the business, it might be a good idea to offer cheap paintings until you get confident enough to raise the fees.
Things to consider: Competition is fierce and you will meet many talented painters out there, people who have practised ever since they were old enough to hold a brush in their hands. Others might have a talent for luring people into their trap simply by using their charm. So what are you going to do? What sort of painter will you be?
Take up seasonal jobs around the world
Image courtesy of Frontier Australia Fruit Picking Project
Working holidays are popular, especially for travellers wanting to explore Australia or New Zealand. Why not work as a fruit picker? Help out on a ranch or work in bar over the summer? There are many different jobs for those wanting to earn a bit of money over a short period of time.
What can you earn? Some of these jobs just pay for your food and accommodation, others pay quite well. Fruit picking in Australia can for example pay you an hourly wage or it can be paid according to how much fruit you pick, so if you consider yourself a bit of a supernatural workaholic, this could be it!
Things to consider: Seasonal jobs are often paid at minimum wage or lower, so it's not a job that will make you rich, but it can certainly prolong your travel experience and earn you some extra cash.
Become a freelance website developer/designer
Image courtesy of Francois Schnell
Do people constantly ask you for advice when it comes to website design? Do you already spend a lot of time creating new websites, designing them and playing with advanced HTML codes? Well, you might as well take your passion a step further and start setting up a business. It will certainly become handy when you travel the world. Many companies are willing to pay quite a bit for a fancy website.
What can you earn? This varies widely and it all comes down to your level of expertise and experience. Read more here.
Things to consider: Where do you want to take it? Is it just your goal to get a bit of cash while you travel? Or are you planning on building up a future as a freelance web designer? Make sure you have the right level of experience and find your customers accordingly. Sometimes you can register with agencies there will help you, but they often require experience. A good idea could be to start out on pages such as people per hour.
Teach English during your trip
Image courtesy of Frontier Madagascar Teaching Project
Gain a TEFL certificate and start teaching English around the world. Get as much experience as you can and could end up getting paid! Why not volunteer in a developing country whilst gaining experience in teaching?
What can you earn? Many qualified English teachers in developing countries get food and accommodation, but not an actual salary. Other teaching positions are paid quite well, especially in countries such as China, Taiwan and South Korea where many parents are eager to make sure that their children are ready for the global world.
Things to consider: First of all you need to consider why you want to do it. Are you in it for the money? Do you want to help impoverished communities? Or a bit of both?
Work on organic farms for food and lodging
Image courtesy of shelbielayne
If you don't care too much about earning money but just need to save money on food and accommodation, organic farms could be the perfect fix for you - if you like farms and countryside that is.
What can you earn? Well, you earn a place to sleep and get fed whilst supporting organic farming. That should be enough, right? If not, you could embark on an Australia adventure and work in ranges across the country.
Things to consider: Do you know how to work on a farm, or are you actually a bit of a city escaper who has never seen a horse? Well, maybe you ought to get some wildlife experience before getting paid to work? You can always join a volunteer project in a remote part of the world, learn range skills in Australia or simply get straight to it. Worldwide organic farming offers a lot of opportunities for travellers who wish to work on a farm in exchange for food and board.
Find work as a diver
Image courtesy of Frontier Madagascar Marine Conservation & Diving Project
Are you a qualified diver, or are you planning to become one? Why not volunteer in marine conservation and become a qualified diver at the same time? Then you can conquer the world with your new skills and maybe one day find paid work doing something you love!
What can you earn? This very much depends on the country as well as the industry. While you can find volunteer projects that will provide you with food and accommodation in exchange for you expertise more commercial minded project could pay a lot. However, as a traveller, a bed is sometimes all you need.
Things to consider: Well, before you get paid to do any diving at all, you need training. Join a PADI diving training project abroad and learn the skills in amazing surroundings somewhere slightly more exotic than the UK.
There you go. Now when you have the recipe for success, you are soon ready to take on the world, but why not dedicate some of your trip to volunteering? Participate in community development project, take care of animals or conduct exciting surveys in the jungle! Once you open the door to the world it's impossible to close it again, so make sure you are ready.
Check out 'Into the Wild' for more articles like this. Frontier runs wildlife and marine conservation, development, teaching and adventure travel projects in over 50 countries worldwide - so join us and explore the world!
By Caroline Edwards