It’s exhausting to consider, but it surely’s been 15 years (virtually to the day on the time of penning this) since Nick and I offered our possessions, give up our jobs, and set off touring the world. However, how have we been capable of afford a life of full-time journey and dwelling overseas? Discover out precisely how we do it on this article.
On this submit, I’m not going to record methods we’ve managed to save cash, downsize, or tackle additional work. That is strictly about how we earn an earnings on-line, and on the highway, and the way we receives a commission to journey.
10 Ways We’ve Paid For Our Life of Travel
Hopefully, this record beneath provides you some inspiration and concepts for how you can also begin to earn cash on-line, whereas touring and dwelling overseas.
Nowadays, we earn a living solely via our web sites and digital merchandise, however the money-making concepts on the record beneath had been glorious stepping stones for us, and I extremely advocate them!
1. Creating Advertising Movies
Nick’s nice at video enhancing and over time, he’s change into expert at working a drone. As a result of of this, we’ve obtained presents to movie and edit advertising and marketing movies for firms, and in trade, they’ve paid us for the finished video.
In all probability the good one was for Dive Grenada, a scuba firm in Grenada, or the one we did for a resort whereas touring in Raja Ampat (pictured above).
We’ve had a drone since 2014, again once they had been cumbersome, heavy, and glitchy. Our first drone was the DJI Phantom 2 and it was so huge that it had its personal backpack! Fortunately, we’ve upgraded drones since then.
If you happen to’re involved in filming and enhancing, begin honing your expertise and attain out to native companies in your area of interest or space of curiosity. Nowadays, the brand new iPhones take glorious cinematic-style movies, GoPro is nice for underwater or motion footage, and of course, having a drone will get some superb aerial photographs.
2. Educating English in China
This was the primary 12 months that we made an earnings whereas on the highway. It was 2012 and at this level, we had performed some volunteer educating in Laos and Myanmar, however knew of just a few individuals who had been making good cash educating in locations like South Korea, China and Japan.
We had been planning on touring to China anyway so whereas we had been there we determined to contact some faculties. We searched on-line, and in addition went to many cafes and hostels and located job boards with “Lecturers Wished” adverts. We then referred to as and emailed our resumes.
We didn’t count on to listen to from many (any?) of the faculties as we had no official prior expertise (solely volunteer work), however we had been improper. Many faculties had been ! So, we took our time siphoning via the choices and located an organization that we resonated with and ended up signing a one-year contract.
Inside a month, we had been dwelling and dealing at Shane English Faculty in Yangzhou China, educating college students in numerous courses from the ages of Four to 16. We labored 20 hours per week and earned round $1,400 per thirty days every. In the long run, we reached our purpose of saving $20,000 which was put in direction of our epic 5-month journey round Central Asia.
So far, some of our greatest recollections are from that 12 months in China. Nowadays, nonetheless, you don’t have to maneuver overseas to show, you are able to do it on-line from the consolation of residence in the event you select. You can learn extra about educating English overseas in our full information right here, or within the articles beneath.
Learn Extra About Educating English:
Eight Finest On-line TEFL Programs This Yr
How To Select a TEFL Course (10 Tricks to Assist You Determine)
10 Finest Locations to Train English Overseas
12 Finest On-line English Educating Firms
3. Home Sitting and Pet Sitting
In 2013, we heard of one thing referred to as home sitting and pet sitting and though the idea of receiving free lodging in trade for taking care of a furry good friend appeared too good to be true, we signed up for the Trusted Housesitters platform.
After being a member for round a month, we obtained a proposal!
Not solely did the home-owner attain out to us (fairly than us pitching them), but it surely was to take care of a candy canine within the Caribbean on the island of Grenada. We had no thought the place that was on the time, however in the event you’ve been following us for some time, you’ll know that Grenada grew to become our residence for a few years, and though we don’t dwell there anymore, it nonetheless appears like residence.
Over time, we pet-sat at 5 totally different properties in locations like Grenada, Barbados, and Costa Rica. Whereas only one of the householders additionally paid us a wage, others provided to help with flight prices. With all of them, we obtained a automobile for our use.
Home and pet sitting was a tremendous method to complement our earnings. By not paying for lodging, we had been capable of afford to dwell and work in stunning locations and meet some of the most effective canines on the planet.
Be sure to learn our full information to deal with sitting and pet sitting, and check out the articles beneath for extra info on get began.
Learn Extra About Home Sitting and Pet Sitting:
10 Finest Home Sitting Web sites to Discover a Job
Put together for Your Home Sitting Interview (and Nail It!)
Inquiries to Ask Earlier than Accepting a Home Sitting/Pet Sitting Job
Turn out to be a Home Sitter and Pet Sitter (Full Information)
4. Freelance Writing Work
At one level, this was an enormous earnings earner for us. It was one of the highest methods we initially made cash on-line, whereas on the highway. After we had been home sitting and our weblog was nonetheless rising, we reached out to a bunch of publications and pitched our article concepts.
Some mentioned no, however many others mentioned sure!
We had full-time columns with two on-line publications and obtained just a few one-offs infrequently as effectively. At one level, between the 2 of us, we had been persistently writing 30 articles per thirty days!
Freelance writing was and is an effective way to earn a living. There’s cash to be made in case you have the dedication and motivation to put in writing high quality articles. The extra articles you possibly can produce, the more cash you can also make.
Nowadays, we pay a big crew of skilled freelance writers to create content material for our web sites. Many of them write Three articles per week, for a complete of 12 articles a month every. Those self same writers additionally produce other writing gigs…that means they’re making an amazing month-to-month wage for positive. Excessive-quality, human-written content material continues to be very a lot in demand.
To get began freelance writing, you possibly can attain out to colleagues in your area of interest to see if they’re wanting for writers. Different choices are to enroll for platforms like Strong Gigs (which sends you the most effective writing gigs to your inbox every week), or FlexJobs and Upwork.
Learn Extra About Freelance Writing:
10 Finest Freelance Writing Programs
10 Freelance Writing Abilities You Have to Succeed
15 Professionals and Cons of Being a Freelance Author
Get Freelance Writing Jobs for Newcomers
5. Promoting Video Clips
Whereas we had been filming movies from around the globe for our YouTube channel, we by no means thought-about the truth that somebody may need to purchase some of the clips.
In the future, whereas we had been touring, Nick’s brother in Canada messaged: “This man from Korea retains calling and leaving messages about wanting a video of yours from Mongolia. I’ve hung up on him just a few instances and I’ve ignored him, because it’s in all probability spam, however he’s referred to as lots so now I’m letting you realize”
We thought it was bizarre as effectively. However, we referred to as the man.
Because it seems, it wasn’t spam. A Korean advertising and marketing firm needed a 10-second clip that we had constituted of our travels round Mongolia…at a price of $100 per second. That’s probably the most cash we’ve ever made in 10 seconds!
If you happen to take nice video clips along with your digital camera, telephone, or drone, you possibly can promote them to platforms like Artgrid, Shutterstock, and Adobe Inventory. Or, perhaps a international media firm will contact you too!
6. Social Media and Content material Administration
For a pair of years, again in 2014 and 2015, we had just a few shoppers who paid us a month-to-month charge to handle their social media accounts and to create content material for their weblog.
We’d study their model and targets, and in flip write content material that was a match for them (on this case, it was monetary and life-style which was proper up our alley).
We might submit partaking content material on their Fb, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, and at one level, we had been even working Pinterest accounts. This was an amazing gig because it assured us a constant earnings each month.
If you happen to’re involved in changing into a social media supervisor, attain out to companies in your area of interest on locations like Fb, Instagram, or LinkedIn and see in the event that they want any assist.
Learn Extra About Social Media Administration:
Make Cash as a Freelance Social Media Supervisor
15 Finest Instruments for Social Media Managers
7. Travel Running a blog
That is the principle manner we’ve earned cash as digital nomads and is our present (and most favourite) money-making methodology. Listed below are just a few of the highest methods journey bloggers make an earnings.
Paid Press Journeys
As our weblog grew and we obtained extra guests to our web site, YouTube channel, and social media accounts, we began to obtain presents for paid press journeys from varied manufacturers.
As journey bloggers, we’ve obtained quite a few emails from tourism boards, accommodations, and tour firms providing us free journeys overseas, plus a wage. That is one of the good components about being within the journey area. We’ve met some superb folks, skilled some epic issues, and earned an amazing earnings alongside the way in which.
Getting paid to soak in a Japanese tub in Tokyo, plot new trekking routes in Jyrgalan, Kyrgyzstan, and go swimming with pigs within the Bahamas are some of our most memorable press journeys.
As your engagement in your social accounts grows, or because the visitors to your web site will increase, you’ll begin to see presents coming in as effectively. You is likely to be tempted to say “sure” to every thing, however don’t. Solely conform to work with firms that you simply resonate with, and that you would be able to truthfully advocate.
In-Content material Advertisements
One other main earnings earner via our web site is from in-content promoting. We’ve all seen them, all of us don’t like them, however there are advertisements all over the place nowadays.
There are totally different ranges of advertisements that web site homeowners can select from and we’ve got ours turned manner down. We may very well be incomes extra, however we don’t need to annoy our readers too a lot!
As soon as our web site visitors reached 50,000 customers per thirty days, we had been capable of be part of Mediavine which is one of the most effective advert firms round.
Advertisements could be obtrusive, however they assist to help our web site and we’re capable of earn cash from our in any other case free content material that we create. When you attain 50,000 customers per thirty days, I like to recommend becoming a member of Mediavine (they’ve an amazing group). You merely press a button and advertisements will probably be turned on for your web site. You’ll be earning profits very quickly.
Affiliate Advertising
The ultimate main manner we earn cash via our web site is thru internet online affiliate marketing partnerships. We advocate merchandise that we use, like, and know are respected. If you buy one thing utilizing our hyperlink, we obtain a small fee — and we thanks for your variety help!
Some of the highest associates that we promote and love are journey firms like Get Your Information, Viator, Uncover Automobiles, and Reserving.com. We additionally share the most effective digital nomad firms for TEFL, freelance writing, proofreading, and running a blog.
Learn Extra About Travel Running a blog:
Make Cash With a Travel Weblog
5 Ways Travel Bloggers Are Making Extra Cash Than Ever
Select a Travel Weblog Identify
10 Causes to Begin a Weblog
8. Constructing Authority Area of interest Web sites
Goats On The Highway is our child, and we’ve been working it since 2012. However, many of you in all probability don’t know that we’ve got Three different web sites!
One is within the outside sports activities area of interest, one is in music, and one other one is destination-specific. We’ve groups serving to to run these websites, and whereas Nick works fairly a bit on the sports activities web site, we’ve got consultants writing on the opposite subjects. These smaller web sites aren’t our major earners, however a good quantity of cash trickles in every month from them.
Gone are the times of creating spammy, get-rich-quick, web sites the place the writers and homeowners are nameless (fortunately!). However it’s nonetheless potential to begin small authority websites round a subject that you simply’re educated and obsessed with and create a helpful useful resource for your readers.
Learn extra About Creating Area of interest Web sites:
101 Area of interest Web site Concepts to Get You Began
10 Causes to Begin a Second Weblog
Our New Web site: An In-Depth Progress Report After 2 Months
How To Construct a 6-Determine Weblog in One Yr
9. Talking Gigs
Over time, our model grew and we began to change into generally known as consultants in our area of interest. We’ve been invited to talk on varied running a blog, digital nomad, and journey subjects. Some of them have been in-person talking gigs in locations like Turkey and the USA, whereas others have been paid on-line summits.
We at all times love sharing our data and are nonetheless engaged on being assured talking in entrance of folks! Making a prerecorded product for a web based convention, or becoming a member of a dwell summit on-line is one factor, however standing on stage in entrance of a whole lot of folks is sort of nervewracking.
When you begin to change into acknowledged as an knowledgeable in your discipline, you’ll in all probability be requested to share your knowledge with others. Say sure! You by no means know who you’ll meet, or the place that path will lead you.
10. Creating and Promoting Digital Programs
The ultimate major manner that we’ve supported our travels and life-style over the previous 15 years is by creating and promoting digital merchandise and programs on the Teachable platform.
With our Travel Weblog Kickstarter Course, we’ve helped greater than 1,000 folks begin and develop web sites in a range of niches! That is one thing we’re proud of as we consider that proudly owning your individual enterprise via running a blog is the most effective factor ever.
Positive, there are execs and cons of running a blog (as with every thing), however there’s no different job we’d fairly do.
On high of serving to our college students create web sites from scratch, we even have a complicated blogger course referred to as website positioning Made Easy with round 300 enrolled college students. Quickly, we’re planning on popping out with a brand new, extra private teaching expertise as effectively. If there’s one factor we love, it’s partaking with our superb group and we’re stoked for the brand new enterprise.
If there’s a subject that you simply’re educated about and one thing that you simply consider you possibly can educate others to do, why not create a course? With platforms like Skillshare, Teachable, YouTube, or creating your individual web site, there are lots of methods you possibly can share your recommendation with the world.
Learn Extra About Digital Programs:
Free Travel Weblog Kickstarter Course (whenever you begin a weblog via us!)
Free 1-Hour website positioning Coaching Video
website positioning Made Easy: Superior Blogger Course
7 Finest Platforms to Promote On-line Programs
That’s it!
To this point, we’ve been to greater than 75 nations on 5 continents and have been capable of help our touring behavior over time utilizing the 10 methods I shared above. The primary factor we’ve discovered is the significance of diversifying our earnings streams and that it’s okay to strive (and fail) at new issues.
I hope you discovered this record helpful and inspirational! In that case, please share it with your folks on social media, WhatsApp, or e-mail 🙂