Lots of people would love the freedom to travel wherever and whenever they want. The ability to explore new places and meet new people on your own schedule is a temptation many people would enjoy.
The biggest hurdle to living out those dreams is finding ways to fund your travels. If you’re like most people, it’s likely you need to stay employed in the 9-to-5 grind just to afford to pay the rent and bills.
So what if there was a way you could travel on a whim and see the world at your leisure while still earning a good income along the way? The key is to rethink your idea of paid work and re-shuffle your finances to suit your travel goals.
Before You Leave
Before you begin your travels, take some time to sort out your finances. Obviously, the more you can reduce your debts before you leave, the easier it will be to fund your travels while you’re on the road.
If you’re keeping up with repayments on multiple credit cards or other debts, consider the benefits of loan consolidation. You might be able to reduce your monthly repayments and make it easier to start paying off those balances.
Take Your Work with You
The advent of the internet has made it easier than ever before to earn a comfortable income with nothing more than your laptop and an internet connection. There are plenty of ways to earn an income online, so explore the ones that best match your skills and put them to good use.
For example, travel magazines love well-written pieces with spectacular photos that showcase vacation destinations. RV and camping magazines also love to hear how people achieve their dreams of exploring the country.
If writing isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other online jobs that pay well for your time and effort. Data entry, transcription, and graphic design are sought after skills for many business owners.
Seasonal Work
There are plenty of farms or orchards in many states offering travelers the opportunity to earn some additional money during harvest season. You might travel to one state to pick oranges for a few weeks before traveling to the next state to harvest sugar beets.
The work may only extend for a few weeks at a time, but it’s an opportunity to visit locations you might otherwise have missed. Besides, you’re earning some extra cash along the way that could fund the next leg of your journey.
Gig Economy
There are lots of online platforms out there designed to help people pick up paid gigs, so why not offer your services on a few of these? For example, sites like Fiverr are filled with people willing to complete simple tasks for a quick $5. Upsell your services to more involved tasks and you can increase your earnings per gig by another $20 or $25.
Likewise, sites like Mechanical Turk or Spare5 also pay a few cents for completing quick, easy tasks. If you’re sitting in your RV or camper at night with nothing better to do, it’s possible to earn a few extra dollars on your smartphone or mobile device.
You won’t make a full-time income out of gig work, but earning a few extra dollars each day in your spare time can add up each week. After all, every dollar contributes towards your end goal.
The key to earning enough money to fund the travel lifestyle is to mix and match a variety of income opportunities. There might be times when you’ll be doing a little physical work. Other times you might earn plenty using nothing more than your laptop and an internet connection. The point is that you really can take your work with you and still enjoy the travel lifestyle your way.