Do you wish you could travel the world and explore different cultures? What’s holding you back? For most of us, it’s this little irritating detail: lack of money. So, what do you do? You spend your time lurking on social media and scrolling through hundreds — no, thousands — of pictures of other people on exotic vacations. The envy is hard to cope with. We know just how it feels. It’s especially difficult when you know the people in the pictures. Then you ask yourself, how come they can afford this and you can’t?

Well, what if we told you that these people simply figured out how to make money while travelling? What’s more, it’s not rocket science. Anyone can do it, including you. Do you want to know more? In that case, keep reading.

Teaching Your Native Language

There’s a high demand for native English teachers all over the world, so if you happen to be one, the most obvious and easiest way you can make money while travelling is to teach English as a foreign language.

The requirements for English teachers can vary from country to country and even from school to school, so it’s better to play it safe and get a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate.

Most people that have had this type of job say it was a good experience. They have fond memories of doing something interesting and emotionally rewarding since they get to help their students achieve their goals. Having said that, some schools offer less than ideal conditions, so it’s important to read reviews and learn more about the red flags you should look out for, like being asked for a fee just for the chance to teach there.

There’s also the option of teaching online. This is especially suited for those of you who don’t want to spend several months in the same place. It’s also more lucrative for those who are native speakers of another language such as French, German or Italian since the internet gives you a larger pool of potential customers. All you need is a stable connection, and you can work from anywhere. To get customers, you can either work for an online school or use a platform for freelancers.

As you gain experience, you can set up your own platform, so you no longer have to pay part of your fee as commission. Then you’ll want to look into secure online payments and the ins and outs of bank transfers, such as Canadian bank institution numbers and which banks offer the most affordable fees.

Freelance Writing, Blogging & Guest Blogging

Do you enjoy writing? If the answer is yes, you’re in luck because it will give you quite a few opportunities to earn money while travelling.

For guest blogging, you’ll have to first do a bit of research and find popular websites that publish travel-related content. Read some of the posts, so you get an idea of what topics to choose and which approaches and styles are preferred. Then try your hand at writing a few posts yourself to get some practice and build a portfolio you can use when applying for gigs.

When it comes to getting gigs, you can either use freelance platforms to look for ads related to copywriting, or you can try a more assertive approach and send your portfolio to blogs that publish relevant content.

We have to warn you that you won’t make a lot of money in the beginning. You can expect to get even as little as $15 for a 500-word blog post. However, as you gain more experience, get a few useful contacts and get good reviews, you can charge more money. It may take some time to turn freelance writing into a full-time job, but until then, it will be a great way to earn extra money working remotely without a fixed schedule.

We also recommend that you start your own blog since this will give you more ways to generate revenue like affiliate marketing and ads.

Selling Photos

If you like travelling you probably also like to take pictures of your vacations. And if you start your own blog, you’re going to want to use those photos since it makes the content more engaging. Then why not invest some time into improving your photography skills? You’ll find a lot of free online resources like video tutorials on YouTube. Once you become more skilled, you can boost your income by selling your photos on platforms like Dreamstime, Shutterstock and Getty Images. Although you will have to pay a portion of what you make from your photos as commission, you’ll still make enough money, and the best part is that it’s passive income, so you have more time to enjoy your travels.

Blogging will give you valuable insight into what kind of photos are most appealing and sell the best. You might even find that you enjoy photography so much that you’d even consider turning it into a career.

Travel Vlogging

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But video is better. Most people like to watch YouTube videos before travelling somewhere new since it’s the most engaging way to find out what to expect and which are the best attractions.

Vlogging requires a bit more equipment than blogging and taking photos, but the initial investment is well worth it. You’ll first need a camera. When it comes to travel vlogging, GoPros tend to be the preferred choice since they’re durable, compact and offer excellent video quality. Of course, you’ll also need a laptop and editing software.

Building an audience on YouTube is not easy, but blogging will give you insight into what topics get the most search queries. You’ll also have to write scripts that tend to be a lot longer than your blog posts, and they have to sound natural. Although somewhere in the backs of their minds, viewers know that the videos are scripted, they want them to sound like a real conversation. So you need to sound like you’re improvising even though you’re not.

You may have spent weeks planning the trip, doing research, and writing your lines. After you finish filming, you’ll spend another few hours editing. However, the content you upload needs to look like you were travelling like the free spirit that you are, and you just took out your camera and started filming on a whim.