Everyone wants to make money. Some people want to travel. And all of the people who want to travel long-term want to know how to make money abroad so that they can extend their travels. Over the past 4 years, we’ve learned many ways to make money on the road and stay travelling forever. We currently sustain ourselves completely while being location independent most of the time. So how do we do it? We’ll share our secrets here, as well as plenty of other ways we’ve heard of and tried while on the road.
These aren’t methods that are going to cost you money. You don’t have to study, become certified or have 5 years experience to get into these jobs. These are 10 methods FOR ANYONE who wants to make money abroad.
“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not a destination.”
-Carl Rogers-
Goat Note: These are lesser known ways to make money abroad. We’ve got plenty of info on Travel Blogging, Teaching English & House Sitting.
1. Au pair: This idea is a relatively new one to us but our friend, Yara, over at www.heartofavagabond.com is a master at it. An au pair is basically a nanny and there are plenty of jobs available all over the globe. Everyone could use a little help around the house and being an au pair is a great way to sustain your travels. Jobs can pay very well and while you’re working, all of your accommodation and food is usually covered. Perfect for big savings!
2. Working In Hostels: This method is becoming more and more popular amongst backpackers the world over. In most cases, travellers show up at a hostel and instead of just checking in, they offer their services and skills around the place in exchange for free accommodation and often food and wages as well! Not only is this a great way to fund your adventures, but it’s also a great way to meet new people and learn about cool new travel destinations.
“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.”
Anais Nin
3. Bartending: An oldie but a goodie. There are a ton of jobs bartending around the world. It’s handy to have some bartending experience but it isn’t always obligatory. If you’d like to go the official route, check out sites like https://www.bartendingonline.com/ and start studying for your bartending certificate. If you’re just looking to make a few quick bucks, head into your favourite bar on the road and ask for a job. Be personable, social and enthusiastic and you should have no problem. Everyone can pour a cocktail. This is the perfect job for people who love hanging out at the bar every night anyway and it usually comes with good wages, decent tips and cheap booze! It’s no wonder this has always been a traveller’s favourite.
4. WWOOFing: Working on organic farms can be a very fruitful way of adding to your travel piggy-bank while on the road. WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms) is a great organization that originally started in England in 1971, but can now be found from Kenya to Kazakhstan, Australia to America and everywhere in between. Check out their website and learn how you can get started WOOFing around the world. Typically these jobs are in exchange for food and accommodation only, but they offer travellers an extremely valuable skill. Learning agriculture and organic farming can help you to disconnect from the relentless drone of the societal machine and teach you to not only sustain your travels, but to sustain yourself from the land.
“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”
― Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution
5. Harvesting & Planting: Get ready to get dirty and sweaty to earn a buck at these jobs. Easily found in Australia, New Zealand, North America and parts of Europe, harvesting and planting jobs can pay a pretty penny if you work hard enough. We’ve talked to people who have left home with no money, picked fruit in Australia and funded months of travels from their efforts. In Canada, you can make a great wage planting trees, but you better get your rhythm down because you have to plant quickly to make big bucks in the forest. If you want to make money abroad, don’t overlook this type of work!
6. Freelance Writing: For people like us, who absolutely love writing and sharing our thoughts, stories and opinions with readers, freelance writing can be a great way to live a location independent lifestyle with some money in your pocket. It helps to already have a blog, which acts like your portfolio, but you don’t necessarily need one to start freelancing. Apply at places like BloggingPro Job Board and Freelance Writing Gigs where you can get paid to write online to hundreds of thousands of readers. Once you start to build up a reputation, jobs will start popping up all over the place.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
― Maya Angelou
7. Working On A Cruise Ship: This is one of the most lucrative jobs you’ll find while travelling. If you have a degree and some experience in hospitality, you should have no problem finding a job aboard one of these sea-bound giants. Degrees and experience aren’t always obligatory, but they definitely help. Cruise ships are an excellent option for those who love money and the open seas. Just ask Wandering Earl who’s funded most of his travels from the insane earnings he’s made on cruise ships. It’s no walk in the park and you will definitely have to be prepared to live at sea for a few weeks at a time, but when you’ve finished a stint at sea, you can sail away with a pocket full of cash to travel the world with.
8. Selling Photos Online: “What??! You mean all of these awesome sunset photos I’ve been taking can actually make me money?!” Well, if you have an eye for photography, a good camera and a few images to get started, you could very well subsidize your travels with income earned from selling photos. Check out sites like Shutter Stock and Smug Mug to get started, post up a bunch of unique photos and see how it goes. I once met a guy who had made enough to support a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia solely on earnings from his photos. His major tip was to be original and have a wide selection in your online portfolio. For sure you’ll be taking photos while travelling anyway, so why not try’n sell a few?
9. Translation / Editorial Jobs: Are you bilingual or at least good at correcting mistakes in your native language? Check local newspapers around the world and you’ll almost always find job postings for translation and editing. Although most jobs are looking for native English speakers, there are plenty of places that will hire you so long as you have a good grasp on written English and English grammar. These jobs aren’t just for English speakers though, there are multilingual newspapers & magazines in almost every country and they often look for proof-readers and editors as well.
10. Teach Teach Teach: Do you know how to speak a language? Teach it. But, that’s not the only thing you can teach abroad. Do you know how to dance? Teach it. Do you know how to play an instrument? Teach it. Do you know how to take photos? Teach it. Literally any skill can be taught. Arrive in a country, lay down some roots for a few days and post up flyers explaining your area of expertise, your cost, availability and why you’re the best person to teach that particular skill. Add a local phone number and a translation in the local language (hire the guy who went with method #9) and wait for the calls to start coming in. You’d be surprised how many people are keen to learn a new skill, no matter where you are in the world.
“Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.”
― Aristotle
So there you have it. 10 things that ANYONE can do to make money abroad. You don’t need to have a PHD, MBA or TEFL to make money abroad. The world is becoming more and more facilitating for those who want to travel and work location independent. If you’re dreaming of travel but always use the excuse “I just don’t have the money” then you should already be packing your bags and booking your ticket after reading this article.
There’s nothing stopping you from travelling the world, you just have to be creative and take the leap into the unknown. The world is always there to provide if you’re following a path that makes you happy. These 10 methods should be enough to get you started, after that… who knows where the road will take you.
Surely these aren’t the only ways to make money abroad… How do you sustain a life of travel? Please share with us below!
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What an awesome post Nick and Dariece! Yes, after 5 Au-pair jobs around the world, I’m almost a pro on everything Au-pair related and it can be a truly rewarding way to slow travel.
Working on cruise ships has been on my mind for a while now, as I’m a certified masseuse. It could be a fun experience for sure.
Great ideas to explore the world and get paid for it!
Thanks for the great article. Are there any issues with work visas in order to teach English, be a nanny or bartender?
Thank you for the list! I am setting off this summer to travel long-term however realise I will run out of money after a few months and have to find some form of money-making…any of the above would be great 🙂
Very good list, guys. I toyed with the idea of au pairing a while ago…but realised I don’t like kids enough to have to live with them and look after than 24/7! Teaching kids is a much better deal for me, as I like spending time with them, but then giving them back to their parents at the end of the day! WWOOFing is also appealing, though with the need to have an internet connection for my blog work and my partner’s freelance work, it’s not entirely practical for us at the moment.
What great ideas! I would totally do the cruise ship if I was single lol but I do like the idea of selling photography. Never even thought about that and hubby takes some amazing photos.
Great list. I will start travelling long-term again in September and I don’t have any end date in mind, so I will definitely try some things of the ones mentioned above.
Have done the teaching abroad but I am also considering others such as WWOOFing, hostel working, and being an au pair 😀
Great post! I have been infected with wanderlust ,and for the last three years, have pretty much been traveling and funding my journey with freelance writing income. Several years ago, I taught English in Japan for a year, and it was an amazing experience. For anyone thinking about taking the leap, find an opportunity that resonates with you and just do it!
Wow, you have another great skill that you could put to use in order to make money abroad! That is amazing…anything else you can do that you’re keeping from us 😉 haha.
cheers!
Hey Lisa,
Glad the list could give you some ideas! Where do you plan to take off to?
Happy Travels 🙂
haha, you’re hilarious Sam! That’s a valid point though about being an au pair…one must love being around kids 24/7 🙂
Definitely give selling your photos a try…what’s the worst that can happen? Good luck 🙂
Awesome Stef! We love hearing about people travelling long term 🙂 Have a great trip and good luck trying out some of these money making ideas.
Nice! Where did you teach?
Hey Kelli, I like what you said about people finding something that resonates with them and then just going for it! If you’re following your passion and what you’re meant to be doing, everything will fall into place.
We also loved our year of teaching abroad in China! Do you think you would teach english again?
Cheers!
Great tips guys 🙂
I’m not sure about shutter stock though – it used to be a good place to sell images, but now the images sold there don’t really fetch you much (exceptions are always there though :))
Love the idea of working on a cruise ship 🙂
For the time-being, we are relying on the writing bit 😉
Cheers
Hahaha I do have a lot of skills, but I suck at making money. I’ve been searching for jobs abroad as an English- Portuguese – Spanish teacher since I’m trilingual, but being a non-native speaker really is a barrier. Not only do they want native speakers, but most of them require a full BSC degree. I went to college in London, but exchanged it for traveling 🙂
I’ve been living abroad in Spain for nearly seven years, and my advice is this: don’t turn anything down! I’m primarily a teacher, but I’ve updated guidebooks, worked as a tour guide, translate kiddie books and do voiceovers. You sometimes have to hustle for a bit of money, but the reward is great!
Sounds like a good exchange to me 😉
Maybe you could look into editing jobs or translation? I’m sure you’ll come up with something…you’ve been on the road for so long that you must be doing something right!
Cheers 🙂
That’s a great list which shows there are so many things you can do when travelling full-time to financially support yourself. I always wanted to be an Au-pair, but I don’t have a driving licence which is a big problem. So far, I’ve been doing some social media freelancing stuff and teaching English. Next year I might work in a hotel or hostel.
Amazing list!! And I love all the graphics and photos you included. Hopefully we’ll be able to have a bit of an additional income next year when I can start teaching yoga 🙂 The freelance writing and photos one can be tough, but it is definitely worth going after!
Thanks for sharing that Vid.
We met a guy who shared that he was travelling on his earnings from Shutter Stock, so I guess he was quite the photographer 🙂
A cruise ship would definitely be interesting! We may have to try it out one day too.
Keep up with the awesome writing 🙂
Hello from Belize!
Wow, those are some really interesting ways you’ve been able to make some extra money 🙂 Thanks for sharing them!
Cheers.
Thanks Agness. It’s true there are soooo many things a person can do to support themselves financially while on the road. Is there anyway you can get a driver’s license, maybe the next time you’re in Poland?!
What sort of freelance social media work are you doing, I’m curious!
Cheers.
Add another way to make money to the list!
Being a yoga teacher was always something I wanted to do as well. Maybe I’ll look into that as well. I hope it works out for you, good luck 🙂
You two clearly know how to get creative with your income strategies. I’ve only ever tried teaching overseas, but I’d love to give one of these jobs a try. Especially WWOOFing, but mostly because the name reminds me of a dog barking. Great stuff, guys.
haha, that’s one way to choose a career!
Maybe after you’re finished in China you can check out another way to make some cash abroad 🙂
Cheers!
Love the tips! Chelsea and I have volunteered every couple months during our travels through Central and South America and have loved each experience. It started off as a way to save money (though many places still require you to help cover your food/living expenses), but the bigger plus has been that its exposed us to some incredible experiences that we wouldn’t have otherwise considered. We’ve worked at a couple farms in Costa Rica, a hotel/restaurant in Panama, a forest conservation project in Nicaragua … all unique and unforgettable. We just finished a month volunteering at a wildlife preserve in Bolivia – I spent my days walking a bear through the jungle, how crazy is that?!
A couple great websites we use to line up volunteer gigs are: helpx.net and workaway.info
Each charges a small yearly fee, but it’s totally worthwhile. They’re also not limited to a certain country or type of volunteer gig, unlike some of the WWOOFing organizations.
Cheers,
Mandrew (TwoBeinChili)
Hey guys,
Thanks for adding those websites for volunteering! We used to go on Workaway, but totally forgot about it, thanks for the reminder 🙂
It sounds like you’ve had some awesome experiences with volunteering. Like you said, it may have started as a way to save money, but the memorable experiences would be worth paying a few bucks for.
Cheers and happy travels!
I taught in Japan for a year as well through the JET program. Made great money, travelled around and was able to save $10,000. I would do it again
Indeed, one can make money while abroad 😉
Some even do day trading for funding their trips!
Awesome! There’s definitely some great money to be earned in Japan 🙂 Happy travels!
Day trading! Excellent 🙂 Whatever works.
Specially for young parents who are hands on with their children, I would highly suggest the online jobs or money making ideas cause it allows them to have the convenience of working at home, and if lucky, get the chance to choose their working hours because flexibility is a part of every online job and income generating ways the internet offers.
I’ve done translating and seasonal jobs in hospitality. I do recommend hotel jobs because besides good pay,you mostly get also accommodation and food for little money or even for free. And you don’t even need to speak the local language to do housekeeping or help in the kitchen. Plus my bf and I occassionally take photos and do some graphic work, too. to earn money whilst travelling is easier than most people think.
Great point!
Working online and from home is the ideal job for a parent. What’s more important than spending time with your children?
Thank you for the comment.
Hey Monika,
Thanks for sharing your awesome ideas with us!
Translating and hospitality jobs are an excellent way to make money abroad, and it’s so great that you can do some graphic work on the side. Keep it up!
Cheers 🙂
Thanks for all this great insight and the resources attached! I am a permanent traveller myself but I’ve had the misfortune to fall in love with someone who isn’t…yet. Hehe, ok it’s maybe the best thing that ever happened to me. But he is a local here and endless travel will be much harder for him, regardless of the fact that he really wants to, because of his nationality. You’ve given us some ideas though! Hmmmm….
Maybe you can change his mind when you tell him how awesome travel is, and you give him some money making ideas 😉
Cheers.
Yes.
There are many legal issues with teaching English. It is usually illegal unless you have a work permit for the territory you are in. If you are caught, you will be fined (officially or unofficially), deported or even temporarily locked up as an illegal immigrant worker.
In order to avoid being caught, don’t work in schools or training centers unless you have an official work permit. Don’t advertise using cards or local adverts.
The best way for you to teach would be to use word of mouth. Offer your services to locals who seem to be interested in learning English. When you are in the act of teaching English, make it look like you and your client are just socialising as friends.
If you want more money by teaching in a more formal way, then get a work permit from the Government.
Dear, Goats on the Road. Thank you for all your posts and this one particularly. I quit my job on month ago and now realize that probably can’t return to that routine office job. Your article make me more confident that I could live another life without temporary job. Now I have something to think about and that’s why this post is invaluable 🙂
Thank you so much for the kind words. We’re glad that this post was useful to you. Good luck 🙂
Hi
Just read about your inspirational journeys through life, it is very good that you choose to live instead of just existing. Looks like you have gained much spirituality on the way to.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for your comment Sunny 🙂
Just like at most luxurious resorts in Koh Samui, breakfast was additionally included,
and it was a breakfast buffet.