What? You can get paid to travel? Yes. You can travel the world and get paid! We are living proof that you can make money traveling.
We have been traveling around the world for the past 11 years. Working in travel is our full-time job and we get a lot of questions about how we make money. In this post, we want to peel back the curtain so you can benefit from our knowledge and start on the path to making money while traveling. The first half starts with how we make money traveling and then we branch out to different ways to make money in travel.
Get Paid to Travel the World
Table of Contents
Over the years of being professional travel bloggers we have learned what works and what does not. What I know for sure is that working in travel is not a “get rich quick” kind of career. There is a lot that goes into building a business and brand that allows you to get paid to travel.
- If you want to get right into it becoming a travel blogger we have provided this quick reference for you: learn How to Start a Travel Blog
How we fund our travels
When we first started out by cycling the continent of Africa, we had no idea of how we were going to make money. We had a travel fund saved of $20,000 from working in the film industry and this is what we used for the first year to pay for our travels.
We made a base in India where we could stretch our dollar while building our expertise in travel. It was easier to grow our social media channels and blog views by constantly traveling to new and exotic destinations that didn’t break the bank.
Once our flights were bought to Asia, we travelled on a very cheap budget.
For example 4 months into our travels, I remember sitting at a cheap guesthouse in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka. We only had 2 months left in our travel budget and were worried about having to go home.
But since we had been updating on social media and writing blog posts every day, we had a small audience and a few days later we sold our first ad. They bought 4 ads at $40 a month for 12 months. We suddenly had nearly $2000 to fund our travels for another 2 months!
After that we sold more ads and as we travelled, we paid for them through our blog.
Today, most of our travels are funded through tourism boards, tour companies, and brands or destinations who want us to promote their regions or products. They will take care of our travel expenses including things like our hotel room, meals, flights, and activities.
- If you are feeling overwhelmed by money, read a few of our articles and guests post on budget travel below.
- How to find free accomodation around the world – Think you don’t have the means to travel? Be inspired by Thailand blogger, Petz who shows that even with a limited budget, you can travel the world.
- Tips for getting started as a house sitter – Professional The Travelling House Sitters Brit and Jay share their top reasons why you should start house sitting right now!
Ways We Make Money Traveling
Our income in 2020 took a nose dive in the travel space, but we still made a six figure income. That is because we have multiple sources of income. Even though travel bookings ended, we had several ways to continue earning a comfortable living. In this post, we share pre 2020 numbers and post. We feel confident that in time, we will be back to where we ended. .
Note: Some blogging income streams are only available to you once you reach a certain traffic threshold on your website but most of them you can apply early on. The takeaway here is to focus on building your brand and expertise and do what you love. As you grow organically, the money you make with grow with you.
1. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliates marketing has become a larger part of our income in the past couple of years. You can start this at any time, but its success is dependent on a loyal audience and search traffic.
What is affiliate marketing?
Basically, when you click on link to a product or service that we recommend and then make a purchase, we receive a small commission. This is at no cost to you and we always only recommend products and service that we believe in. This can range from booking websites for hotels like Booking.com or TripAdvisor to products that we like on Amazon or renting a car at Rentalcars.com.
Income: Monthly affiliate pre 2020 income ranges from $15,000 to $20,000 depending on time of year.
(travel was hit hard obviously, we’ll update when we are back traveling again but we have still been making around 1500 to 3k per month on sales)
2. Display Advertising
If you are just starting out, Google Adsense is a great place to get your feet wet with display advertising. But there are many Ad Networks that bloggers work with.
What is Display advertising?
Display advertising is where a product or service is advertised on our website through visual images like banner ads and videos on our website.
Display ads are easy to implement and you get paid a small amount of money each time someone clicks on the ad. It may not be a ton of money at first, but as you build your website it can be quite lucrative.
Once you have built your readership you can apply to work with an ad network where you can get a better price for your ad space
Currently, we work with AdThrive who pays us out by the number of visitors that come to our website and see their banner ads. We make a fixed dollar amount per 1000 impressions.
Income: With display advertising we make between $10,000 to $15,000 per month (We now make 2k – 3k per month)
3. Destination Campaigns
Destinations campaigns used to be the main way we made money traveling when we were on the road full time. But we still do many destination campaigns each year.
What is a destination campaign?
A destination will invite us to visit their region and cover all of our expenses. They also pay us a fee to help them promote their destination through social media, creating videos, writing blog posts, and creating photography content.
If you are just starting out you may be able to get your part of your trip subsidized or even all of it paid for.
But, to charge a fee for the services you need to have built an audience and offer tangible value to the destination.
Income: Destination Campaigns can range anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000per campaign. One-off social projects and smaller destination packages range from $500 – $5000. (These fees have remained similar and we still continued to work with destinations in 2020)
4. Brand Partnerships
We work with brands and tourism companies that we believe in and feel confident recommending.
What is a brand partnership?
These are usually year-long contracts where we discuss what the clients needs are and what type of coverage we will give them. It can include social media coverage, blog posts, videos, T.V. appearances, speaking at conferences, or participating in ad campaigns. You are only limited by your imagination.
These are great if you have a brand or company that already use and want to work with them.
We have worked with brands like Allianz Global Insurance, UnCruise, American Express, Intrepid Travel, and British Airways, to name a few.
Income: Brand Partnerships can range anywhere from $5000 to $50,000per campaign depending on length and deliverables. (We kept some brand partnerships for a few months into 2020 but they eventually stopped, we have been in talks for future campaigns when travel opens up again)
5. Photography Sales
We license our photos for advertising and editorial use to Destination Marketing Organizations, (DMOs) magazines, books, and brands.
This is always part of our larger packages with brands and when we do destination campaigns.
We also sell prints to the general public through gallery shows and online.
Income: Print Sales can account for up to $10,000 per year. Photo and video licensing can range from $300 to $10,000 depending on the terms (this has remained similar in 2020/2021)
6. Public Speaking
Once you build up your authority you can apply to speak at different conferences. We have traveled the world doing speaking engagements which usually offer free trips before or after a conference.
You don’t have to speak about travel to speak at conferences, think about what your expertise is, and create a session about it. Be it inspirational, informational or about a particular subject, conferences are always looking for experts.
Public Speaking can account for up to $10,000 per year. This can ranged from $300 to $3,000 depending on the terms (This has become a larger part of our income and has actually gone up in the amount for the year)
7. Digital Products
Another way we monetize our travel blog is to make and sell your own digital products. Since we get a lot of traffic to different destination pages we decided to make downloadable travel guides
The creation of these can take a bit of time but it is one of those things that I look at as “passive income”. Once you make it once, it just needs to be updated once a year and it provides income all year long.
- We know people that strictly make money selling through Amazon and their store. They don’t use a blog and instead leverage Amazon for sales.
Income: From our City Guides we make $300 to $500 per month. (This disappeared in 2020/2021)
8. YouTube and Travel Videos
While making travel videos is always a part of our package when working with brands and destinations, we also make an income from YouTube and Roku advertising.
It takes a while to see money come in from YouTube, but once we built a solid base and subscribers list, we now make a decent monthly income off of videos.
And, now companies find us on YouTube and offer to purchase video licensing and offer sponsorship which can add up quickly.
- YouTube: $700 – $1000 per month – Video revenue went up in 2020
- ROKU – $200 – $400 per month – Roku went down to $100
9. Freelance Writing and Photography
We accept freelance writing contracts a couple of times a year. And you can still pitch travel writing to many publications around the world.
The prices can really fluctuate. When working on a branded campaign for a publication we can make thousands of dollars for one project. But when writing an article for a publication, it can be just a couple of hundred dollars. As you gain expertise, you’ll be able to approach publications with confidence, and soon, editors will be approaching you.
- Freelance Writing: 10k per year (We didn’t pursue or get offered a lot of freelance writing in 2020
- Freelance Photography: 10k per year – photography has been going strong and still makes a good income
The Planet D travel blog Revenue
Pre Pandemic we earned very high 6 figure income. In 2020 with travel plummeting, we still made 6 figures and hope for things to bounce back in the near future. Having our hand in many revenue streams has helped us through these times. We never just focused on SEO, Social Media or partnerships. By having several income streams, we have been able to whether the storm. We never put our eggs in one basket and that has worked well for 10 years. We suggest if you want to make money as a travel blogger or influencer, that you focus on having several streams of income.
You have to remember this didn’t happen overnight and it is a ton of work.
I think if you are prepared for the monthly fluctuation in income, love traveling, writing, being creative, and are dedicated enough to be your won boss you too can get paid to travel.
Other Travel Jobs to Pay You to Travel
The ways we make money above is certainly not the only ways that you can make money traveling. We know plenty of other bloggers who do other things that we don’t. These are all great ways to add diversity to your income stream.
10. Teach English Online
We have met many full-time travelers that were doing just that.
They make an hourly wage from $15-$20 per hour just by letting people practice their English over Skype, Zoom, or Google Meet.
If you are living abroad in a country that is cheap to travel, this is an excellent way to supplement your travels and even live if you are staying in the right place where it is cheap to travel.
Check out QKids and VIPKID to get started.
Read Our full guide on How to Teach English Online
11. Teach English Overseas
If our travel blogging career didn’t work out, we were going to teach english overseas. If you have a college degree, you can make huge money teaching english.
I know many travel bloggers started out teaching English overseas. When they had days off, they would go out and explore, write about and share their experiences and grow their audience.
TEFL is a good place to start.
12. Work on a Cruise Ship
I (Deb) have actually done this. I was a singer on a cruise ship and it was an amazing way to get paid to travel.
There are many opportunities on a cruise ship from being a bartender, a waitress in the bars and restaurants blackjack dealer (I have done that as well and it’s a fun job) chef, barista, fitness coach, event coordinator. The possibilities are endless!
The pay isn’t huge, but your room and board is covered and you will get to travel long term without breaking your wallet.
13. Work at a Resort or International Hotel
Looking to find a job in travel? Check out resorts where you can bring in your expertise. Get an education and you can work as hotel staff and management around the world!
Whenever we visit high end hotels, the staff is always international and constantly moving around.
From teaching snowboarding (our Prime Minister of Canada did this for a season) to working in restaurants, being a part of the entertainment staff or fitness.
14. Spa Staff
Dave and I love to go to the spa and whenever we do, we notice that the staff is very international.
Become a massage therapist and the sky is the limit. Resorts, cruise ships, and private spas are always looking for reliable staff.
15. Creating and Running your own Tours
We have many friends in the travel blogging and photogrpahy world who have designed and run their own tours for their readers.
This can be quite labour intensive at the beginning but it can also be quite lucrative.
The key to making this successful is to be an expert in the area that you want to focus on.
Once upon a time, only National Geographic Photographers and Lonely Planet or Travel and Leisure writers could get paid to travel the world. Now, the possibilities of getting paid to travel are endless.
16. Yoga Instructor
Many people are offering Yoga Instruction online. Use your time in isolation to become a certified yoga instructor and then look for schools around the world to apply.
People go on yoga retreats all the time and this is an excellent opportunity to travel and get paid while doing it.
Unique Ways to Get Paid to Travel
17. Travel Nurse
Do you have a medical, or a nursing background – take your business abroad.
18. Social Media Assistant
Do you have Social Media skills? – become a social media assistant, virtual assistant or consultant. We have a Pinterest manager and we used to have someone help schedule our tweets and Facebook updates.
19. Website Developer and Maintenance
Know web development? – offer your expertise to help businesses and bloggers with their website maintenance.
20. Deliver Cars or Boats
Many people hire others to drive their car home from a vacation in the south or when moving across country. If you have a licence, be a car delivery person and take a road trip!
Repositioning of boats is also popular. If you have sailing experience, you can captain a sailboat to its next port of call.
21. Work on a private yacht
I’ll never forget meeting Bobby in Nepal. He was an American working as a first mate on a private yacht in the Middle East. For his vacation, he decided to trek to Everest Base Camp. He said he made a lot of money as staff.
Do you know of another way to make money from traveling?
We’d love you to share your ideas in the comments.
Read Next More Ideas on how to live your dream
- How to Travel the World – The Ultimate Travel Resource
- Our best travel tips from years on the road
- How to Start a Travel Blog in 11 Easy Steps
- How to Be a Professional Travel Blogger – 12 Steps to Financial Freedom
- Discover Your Passion – How to Find Your Path to Success
- Travel Resources
- How to Make Money Blogging
- 7 Common Travel Mistakes First Time Travelers Make
We make money traveling through our ads and affiliates on our travel blog, as influencers on Instagram & YouTube, and as brand ambassadors. But there are many other ways to make money traveling.
We make a comfortable 6 figure income annually through these income sources.
As a travel blogger, you can earn money traveling by selling e-books or courses, freelance writing, affiliate income, and more.
Disclaimer: We do receive an affiliate commission from the books and courses mentioned. If you click through there is no extra cost to you.
These job ideas were so helpful!! Teaching English online or overseas sounds like something that I would love to do. Working on a cruise ship also sounds like a dream and something I would love to do. Thank you again for the amazing ideas!!
This was really a helpful article to become a travel influencer
Great Article. lots of information use for all time with high strategy. great work with great content. Awesome work.
Hey Dave and Deb,
Great post about how travel bloggers make money through blogging. The point you make about earning huge amount of money through travel blogging resonates well, because it details that bloggers can earn profit in their travels through advertisement, photography, content writing, and even public speaking.
Thanks for sharing those amazing tips. I find that very helpful. I am trying to implement afiliate soon. I got advertisement covered for now.
I have found out that there is no sure way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.
I’ve been following your blog since 2017. Over the years, you blog gain lot’s of fame. No doubt you’ve guys have done the hard work. It’s not easy to achieve what you have done. I also received so many inquires on my blog but mostly asking for free links >))P
Thanks for sharing the information and that is good idea to earn the money.
goodness, you visited awesome places everywhere throughout the world, I truly need to travel all around the globe.
I do agree with Dave Statment
Agreed on Dave and Deb Statement.
If you are passioned about about to Travel Around the world, You’ll never lose hope and Try to Do something different than others. hey The PlanetD Team you guys are really awesome in sharing such great photos. Thanks
Regards,
Umaymah
Hey Dave and Deb,
Great post about how travel bloggers make money through blogging. The point you make about earning huge amount of money through travel blogging resonates well, because it details that bloggers can earn profit in their travels through advertisement, photography, content writing, and even public speaking.
Recently, we wrote something similar: https://www.museuly.com/blog/highest-paid-travel-bloggers/
Making money online is a beautiful labor of love, especially if you’re doing something that’s passionate to your heart. 🙂
Outstanding article…Hope to get paid to travel someday as well….
wow, i wish the same to be paid of my travel by others . btw nice article thanks
Wow! There’s so much to take in here! I think this is going to take a few sessions to digest. Thanks so much for the information though, so helpful xx
Thank for sharing this type of tips, really it was very helpfull to us .
well planet D you have done the right job at the right time well written article thanks for sharing with us
An amazing detailed article, you guys are amazing. Love from Dubai.
Very helpful guide for people who want to become a real travel blogger!!!
wow, you visited wonderful places all over the world, I really want to travel all around the world.
Hi Dave & Deb, great tips! Thankfully more and more companies realize nowadays that remote working can be a huge advantage, and there are sites like Upwork or Fiverr where people can easily find any type of freelance work.
Keep up the awesome work with this blog! 😉
Thanks a lot for sharing such valuable information!
Blog is perfect! Very good pic.
I always follow your articles, and you write terrific but this post get paid to travel is fantastic. Keep writing like this, keep working keep going
I also have an excellent blog about travels and mystery lovers.
What an amazing compilation of tips! This is really good post for everybody starting an online business and a life of travel to realize it is possible to achieve dreams! Dream travels!
Travel blogging has become a very hot profession these days. What could be better than making some good money while staying in 5-star hotels, enjoying food, having best local tours? Very nice insights.
Hi Dave and deb, we will glag to offer yoy free desert safari trip whenever you visit to Dubai.
thanks
Dubai Adventures
So much information about traveling the world and getting paid for that on a single page.
It has been a great pleasure to read your story and the videos and pics are excellent……
I hope someday I will be able to travel the world the way you have been travelling…
very very inspirational indeed
This is very comprehensive list having great ideas.
Great article guys. It does take time and we are slowly getting there. It is great to know that we are on the right track. Look forward to seeing and listening to you at #TBEXEurop2017. You guys are such an inspiration.
Do what you know and perception is converted into character.
You guys clearly haven’t heard of the world’s coolest travel club. It also gives the opportunity to travel and get paid. After reading this, i’m more convinced that what i’m doing is the best way to get paid by traveling, ever.
We haven’t heard of the coolest travel club. But I am so glad that you have found a way to travel and get paid for it! 🙂
Very good way to deliver the ideas.
Thank you
good article.
Thank you. It was awesome, I get to know lot of new things through this article. You guys are really doing a great job by sharing your personal experiences.
Thanks Tamal! All the best to you.
Great Post! It was very knowledgeable for me.
Thanks for sharing.
Very useful tips. Excellent for the beginners.
That’s a full-blown list of possibilities to earn money whilst traveling. And they do work, I can imagine.
I was wondering if the travel on itself is considered as a holiday, working whilst on holiday is gonna be hard. It mainly depends on the mindset of course. It would get boring if every day was spent traveling only. And it would be tricky to travel without money later on, so eventually, the mind-shift should happen.
Thanks for sharing the great ways to earn money whilst traveling. Have a wonderful time. Hopefully, it’s not raining where you are right now.
New social networks becoming progressively more prominent. In short, you’re open to a lot of opportunities that I didn’t have
Very good advice, I have been dreaming of being a full-time blogger since long, just did not get anough coarage to start it. The main reason is my day job is very strict in timing and I became exhausted by the tie I finish it and do not have much energy to work at home. But in the other hand I am not sure will it ok to quit my day job first as I have Kid and wife that depending on me.
Overall its good advice, I have a blog also and i am getting good value through.
You guys are awesome 🙂
thanks for sharing this information.and it was the great opportunity for travel lovers
Hire me!!! Lol I want to travel and work more then anything
Very interesting read.. .thanks for sharing..
I was lucky enough to work in the travel industry for various airlines, for 25 years +, which was a great way to see the world for free or low cost. There are still good travel concessions to be had if you work in the airline/travel industry, and there are lots of opportunities apart from being a flight attendant. I am still learning my trade as a travel blogger though, as no internet media existed when I first started travelling. I guess that means I have to re-visit lots of countries, which is great, and I am beginning to do that.
Thanks Dave and Deb. All my questions got answered. Wonderful and informative article.
My God!!! This blog is perfect! All happiness in the world!
I love to travel
Ohhhh this blog is perfect for the trip lovers, yours trips it´s very very crazy….I´m love trip.
Great list of info a resources! I think what is lost on most people searching this topic is, no matter what route you go, it boils down to putting in the work.
Shaun
very intresting post! very helpful, thanks for share with us
Glad we could help! Cheers.
As a travel lover person I always used to think about I can get such money. truely, I was also very depressed at the present time. But this tips are really great for me and for the persons like me. Thanks for the great help.
Well thanks alot for these great tips, One of the biggest problem is how to make all the money for exploring the world, It would be best if we start earning while travelling, what a great advice, Thanks alot …
thanks for all the tips! very helpful, detailed & informative. happy travels!
Love it! You two are good!!
I’ve been going through your blog, FANTASTIC! What you two are doing is exsctly what my husband and I are working towards. I just started our blog and am SO inspired by you. Thank you!
I traveled overseas as a child and have been missing it terribly, is been a growing hunger in my heart and soul. My best friend is my better half, we work together (he owns his own sign company), lately we’ve been in that rut and getting out and leaving is becoming more of a necessity for our sanity. I so glad to have found your blog and all your inspiration to push us along in our goals. We’ve been using kids and material things as excuses to hold us back from doing what we REALLY want to do with our lives. I will be signing up for the travel blog success courses and following you more closely (now that I’ve found my inspiration). Once again thank you, I hope to meet you both some day and exchange stories and laughter.
Thanks Tammy, so glad we could inspire you. Before we started ThePlanetD we were constantly scouring the Internet and magazines for inspiration, so I’m glad to see that we are doing our job of keeping the inspiration going. It’s great to see another couple that works together. If you already do that at home, you will settle nicely into blogging together. Plus it sounds like you are already quite artistic with running a sign company. I’m sure we will meet one day, you’d be surprised at how many people we’ve talked to online and then met somewhere out there in the world. In the 21st century, the earth is very small. Thanks for the comment and all the best to you!
Just wanting to let your readers know that they can find out what their rate of pay would be in Australia, if they are considering working while travelling to this part of the world. Thank you.
http://www.workinaustralia101.com/2015/07/what-would-your-pay-rate-be-in-australia.html
Safe travels, Sharon
Thanks for sharing, that’s some valuable information that I’m happy to leave on here 🙂
We saved $40,000 last year – just by 1) renting our Montreal condo, 2) Spanky continuing her job from a distance, 3) living overseas. And we got to ‘live’ in the Czech Republic, Thailand, and Croatia with lots of little side trips.
And it wasn’t just about saving the money. It was about breaking that 9-5 home-work routine that drains the life out of everyone. It also made us realize just how darn expensive Canada is.
We’ve spent the last month in Montreal catching up on admin stuff and will be leaving in a couple of weeks for Year 2 of our travels.
Frank (bbqboy)
Very good job you always write very interesting articles and we can admiral amazing photos and video.
I really admire you for quiting your job, traveling and making money. I believe that this is what we all want to do, but very few of us have your courage to do it. Great post! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your tips. I have a question… I have a 7 year old son but I would still like to have a job traveling. How often do you come across someone with a small child with them in their adventures?
I like most of your ideas …… my feeling is like in all these occasions, the initial days are going to be the most challenging ….. i think travel blogging, freelance writing and looking for part time jobs while traveling are the best ways to do it…
Have you encountered any stories/problems with your carry-on luggage during all your travels?
Not really no.
Thank you for such a wonderful post. Your stunning photos and informative posts keep on bringing me back to your blog again and again. All the best for upcoming journeys. By the way, another way of making money while travelling is to draw and paint your way across the world 🙂 (Candace Rose Rardon). Opportunities are endless. ~Gaurav (India)
Thank you for the kind words. Thanks for mentioning Candace! We know her and I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I appreciate you sharing. And you are so right, the possibilities are endless!
I love reading such posts where we talk about money-making to be able to travel. It’s always encouraging and helps us to think as to how we can spread our wings and look for newer ways to make money. Thanks so much for this post!
Thanks Renuka. It’s great to share stuff like this to help get the creative juices flowing. We always need a little motivation ourselves. Even we are always searching for something new to try. Thanks for the comment!
It’s my first time here and I love your blog!! and thanks so much for sharing your hints and tips on managing a travel blog :):) I’ve been working as a wedding photographer for the last few years and have fallen out of love with weddings! I’ve recently (in the last few weeks) started a travel and lifestyle blog as I love shooting travel photography and have travelled quite a bit over the last 20 years and have a 6 month trip to SE Asia coming up in November so seizing the moment. I have a VERY long way to go yet though until I gain some interest! Keep up the amazing work and happy travels 🙂
Best of luck to you Nicola. You are going to love South East Asia, it is a photographer’s paradise. Keep us posted on how things go!
@Shane, yes! Thank you, will look at this with my gf when she gets back to the room! Excited just to read about it!
Thanks a lot for sharing such valuable information!
I’ve just started blogging and working out my ways to facilitate both traveling and making money.Posts like these throw the light and show the ways to newbie’s like me!
Way to go! Bookmarking it NOW
Thank you Reshma, and glad we could give you some resources. Sometimes all we need are a few suggestions to get the creative juices flowing.
@Scott This isn’t a mega yacht but this yacht captain sent us this ad last week: http://www.jobsabroadbulletin.co.uk/cookhousekeeper-deckhand-for-luxury-private-motor-yacht/. The position is a volunteer one but it might be a way to get some experience along with a free cruise around the Greek islands.
One another of our sites we interviewed a superyacht stewardess: http://www.the-working-traveller.com/worldwideworker-katie-wilter-superyacht-stewardess/, while these agencies might also help with your research: Dovaston Crew, Silver Swan Recruitment, Super Yacht Crew, YPI Crew, Camper & Nicholsons International, Luxury Yacht Group, Bluewater, WilsonHalligan, Northrop and Johnson.
Thanks for sharing Shane, that’s really valuable information. I appreciate it!
Dear Deb and Dave,
Sorry to be a bit negative, but why is erverybody always sharing those absurdly coloured, filtered pictures on Instagram? I find them horrible. Am I the only one?
I hope, I didn’t offend you. But if a great picture on Instagram means to apply such a filter on a before normal picture … Well then, I might have lost touch with this world. 🙂
Maybe I should register for a therapy until I like such pictures?
Best regards, Charles
No worries Charles, it’s definitely not for everyone. Our Instagram photos are quite different from what we post on our website. I look at Instagram as a form of artistic impression. I love looking at saturated colours and seeing what creative ideas and concepts people come up with. That’s the great thing about art and photography, it’s subjective. But you are right, we don’t put our Instagram shots on our website. Our photos on ThePlanetD are more true to life, crisp and real to the eye. But we like playing with both. And no, you haven’t lost touch with the world. I think it’s the people that bury their noses in their cell phones 24/7 liking and commenting on Instagram are the ones that have lost touch with the world…literally. They need to look up and explore the beauty around them, not only the things happening on the screens of their iPads and phones.
Being an au pair is a great way to not only travel the world but to completely immerse into other cultures. I spent 2 years in the US and 1 year in Germany. Thanks to that I could slowly discover the countries and cultures and not worry about paying bills or renting a house. I could definitely recommend it to anyone! My brother actually became an au pair too, because he got jealous of all the travelling I’ve done wiith my host families and friends.
Thanks for sharing Marta. Yet another way to get paid to travel. I love it! I had heard about that, what an amazing way to travel. And I am assuming that the people who can afford an Au Pair are quite wealthy, so you most likely get to travel and live in style!
@Noel – It’s definitely a win if you can make money in your home currency. @judykarwacki – Whaaaaat? I wanna work on a MegaYacht!
I think the crazy thing is like @shane said, there are so many opportunities and the more you travel the more you discover them. It’s a bit liberating to realize travel isn’t super expensive, and there are becoming more and more abundant opportunities. Again MegaYacht – will research this!
You are so right, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many ways to make money while traveling now. It’s an exciting time to explore the world. Good luck with the MegaYacht research.
Great ideas, I think if you can take a profession that can travel abroad in the currency you make, then that really works well to your favor, along with scaling back or downsizing to afford this type of lifestyle.
That’s a great point too. Living remotely does offer that opportunity. A lot of people can be paid in their own currency while working abroad. Put that money into a lower cost of living and it’s win win! Thanks for sharing Noel.
Thank you for the wonderful ideas. I will follow some of the tips but others may not be applicable to mine. I have travelled 13 countries already but still I am using my own money for the travel expenses. I wish I can do what you have done. More travel to you soon.
Best of luck to you! It sounds like you are well on your way to a great travel career. Dave and I didn’t start really getting into travel until our 30’s, you’re probably well ahead of us already!
What an amazing place. It would be perfect to take my luxury car rental company over there
Thank you for the shout-out! Essential oils really changed my life, although I had been traveling 17 years before that. I think if there is a will to travel, there is always a way to make the money to do it.
Thanks for the inspiration at TBEX Katja, You looked so happy and content. Wow! 17 years of traveling amazing! I guess what I meant was that you weren’t focusing on a travel blog like us, you had an entirely different business model and made it work. It’s impressive! And I forgot to mention that Tom Cruise featured your product on Oprah. I must go and add that in!
thanks deb and dave as always! before we’ce learned about travel blogging my fiance and i are doing massage therapy and english teaching from asia to latin america.. would love to share story or tips on how to be a massage therapist on the road.. can i guest post on planetd since you’ve already mentioned it above!:)
Definitely send us an email. We’d love to share your story of how it goes!
these are all great tips! thanks for sharing! im thinking of freelance writing just dont know when to take the leap!
Good luck to you. Take it from me the sooner the better. As someone who didn’t know what I wanted to do for a very long time, I wish I figured it out earlier. But at the same time, you have to take the leap when you are ready, too soon can be overwhelming. Just follow your instincts.
Hi Deb and Dave,
This is good. Really good…..
I’ve been doing research on travel blogging and I love the suggestions you’ve provided on generating revenue.
I clicked the link for the inspiration series but the content of the page doesn’t load. https://theplanetd.com/inspiration-series/ Maybe it’s just an issue with the browser I’m using.
Again, thanks!
Anne
Thanks for the heads up, I’ll see what’s happening. I noticed it’s not loading either. We’ll get that fixed lickety split!
It’s working now, Cheers!
This is such a great and informative post. I’ve been working on getting more into freelance stuff, and eventually want to try out a couple more of these methods! Thanks for putting it all together
Thanks Dave, best of luck with your freelancing! There is still lots of work out there. I actually think there is more work than ever with the Internet opening up. It’s not a closed door mentality anymore. It used to be overwhelming trying to figure out how to get published, now there are many opportunities! Cheers!
What an amazing compilation of tips! This is really good post for everybody starting an online bussiness and a life of travel to realize it is possible to achieve dreams! Happy travels!
Thanks again for another instructive post Dave and Deb!
Travel bloggers who make a name for themselves can also become brand ambassadors, do consulting work for destinations and brands, attract sponsors, etc. There’s a variety of other ways to make money, especially if you become known for your niche. I always recommend that newbie bloggers develop a niche. Otherwise, it’s much harder to rise above the noise. Cheers, see you tonight!
I worked on a yachting tourism study in Antigua a couple of years ago and learned about a dream travel job that I wish existed when I was in my teens/20s. It is working on megayachts. It’s better than cruise ships because they are small so you work with a family and small group. A lot of the work is around supporting the guests in recreation such as snorkeling, SUP, fishing, picnicing, etc. Long hours but very good pay, especially tips, and lots of time off. The people I met were having a ball doing it. Caribbean during the North American winters and Mediterrean postings during the summers. Hiring generally occurs in Florida.
I can’t believe I didn’t include that! We have a friend of ours that is working on a Mega Yacht right now! We met Bobby in Nepal in 2010 and he is still travelling the world and working on yachts. Excellent advice, thanks Judy!
There are so many ways to get paid to travel: DJing in the Alps, managing a campsite in France, guest clergy onboard cruise ships, immersive English teaching in Germany or Spain, sea kayaking instructor jobs in Alaska, crewing a private motor yacht around the Greek islands, cleaning and readying a canal boat in the UK, becoming a dive instructor, holiday rep, airport transfer driver, or artist in residence, leading school tours or gap year programmes, driving an overland truck through Africa, looking after disabled holidaymakers, working for summer camps in America or winter camps in Switzerland, enticing customers into bars in Kavos, waiting tables in an Amsterdam comedy club, hairdressing on Europe’s waterways, volunteer surf instruction in Nicaragua, working in expat bars, picking strawberries in Denmark, advising holidaymakers on the best methods to avoid sunburn in Spain, kitchen jobs in Portugal, tour leading in Vietnam, catering stewards in Dubai, managing a hotel in the Falkland Islands…
Thanks for helping to spread the world about working abroad. I highly recommend a book called Work Your Way Around the World (written by a Canadian). I never did any of the things listed above, instead finding my own way to afford to travel, but this book helped me to realise it was possible to travel even when you have little money.
Thanks for sharing Shane. You are right, the possibilities are endless. People just need a little nudge to start thinking outside the box. So many people think that they can’t get paid to travel and yet, you can do anything.
Dear Dave and Deb: Always wonderful to learn from your experience, and appreciate that you are always willing to share your secrets. Wishing you the best for future travels. .. Prasad from India
Thanks Prasad. We thought it was a good idea to give people a one stop shop to build their travel careers.
also thanks for sharing and giving the response
It was really helpful for those who love to travel.