Traveling the world and earning money at the same time, surely everyone wants that. In the digital age we live in, this is becoming more common and easier. Remote working is gaining ground. More and more people are discovering the different ways you can travel and earn money in the meantime. In this blog, I’ve listed the 10 best ways. On to a remote lifestyle (like me).
1. Go freelance and determine your own workplace
Easier said than done perhaps, for this you need to start researching what (online) work suits you and what skills you need for this. This gives you a lot of freedom and allows you to travel around the world. Remote work is possible in all kinds of sectors, from finance to marketing. More and more people are becoming freelancers and choose to determine their own workplace. They want to determine their own conditions and enjoy the freedom this gives them. For a workation, in principle, no one has to agree. If you work for a regular client or a large project, it is a good idea to mention that you will be working remotely, which avoids possible surprises for both parties.
2. Choose a flexible employer
Even if you are salaried, travel and work can be combined. Many people see obstacles in this, but that is really not necessary. I myself worked for a boss for many years and often went on a work trip. My employer was very flexible in this. Is your manager less enthusiastic about remote working? Then talk to them and find out exactly what their objections are. In this blog you can read more tips on how to talk to your employer. Before I started Working Remotely, I worked as an event manager, a job that required me to be on location regularly and for which I was ultimately responsible for an event. Even then, I was still able to work regularly from abroad. Between events I had all the freedom to go away and do my work online and manage the team. Just goes to show that more is possible than you might think. If your desire is to work remotely, but your boss won’t let you, you can choose to leave there. If remote working is really your dream, don’t give up on it. There are now plenty of companies embracing remote working. There are more and more Dutch companies that allow you to work temporarily or long-term from abroad. Here you will find a list of vacancies from companies that are okay with you working remotely sometimes. Maybe there is something for you?
3. Start a sidehustle
You often see it passed by online: create a passive income. The perfect way to become sleepy rich and travel the world. Leaning back completely is not this though, you do have to put energy into your online sidehustle first, but in time you will reap the benefits. Then money will come in while you’re lying on the beach. Popular sidehustles include: blogging, affiliate marketing, crypto, a web shop and investing. Want to start a sidehustle? Then I can recommend the Toolkit from I am Jan Modaal. I did this one myself and got a lot of valuable information from it. You can find more information about sidehustles here.
4. Start teaching online from abroad
Increasingly, you can work as an online teacher. Whereas you would think that as a teacher you really need to be in a physical location, that is now not true for all teaching. Since covid, we know that teaching online works just fine. For example, to teach others English or Spanish. Or to tutor someone. All you need is a good Internet connection.
5. Become a digital nomad and work remotely
I consider myself a part-time digital nomad. In fact, I just live in the Netherlands, but I do travel regularly. I like having a home base, but don’t want to be there too often either haha. There are also plenty of nomads who pack up all their stuff and start working completely remote. Or people who go away for a year. Living and working from a minivan is also becoming increasingly popular. That gives you all the freedom to go wherever you want without needing a plan in advance. You have your home on wheels, which means ultimate freedom. Curious about experiences of other vanlifers? Then read the story of Michel, who has been traveling across Europe in his van for 9 years.
6. Do a home exchange
You don’t earn money on this, but you do have free accommodation, saving a lot of money. After all, the cost of accommodation is often the biggest expense of a trip. You swap homes with someone you choose online, many platforms can be found for this. You can decide where to go and what kind of accommodation you want.
7. Rent out your property and make money
If you own your own home then it is ideal to rent it out during your trip. Just make sure it is allowed, both for rented and owned properties. If you break the rules, you can get into serious trouble. A popular platform for this is Airbnb. Especially if your house is in a popular location or during a vacation period, you can earn a nice income from this.
8. Babysitting children
Of course, you must have a love for children if you become an au pair, but it can be a nice way to live somewhere else temporarily and earn money. You do stay in a fixed place and won’t travel much, unless you find a travel-loving family. I have no experience with it myself, but can imagine that it would be nice to be in another place for an extended period of time and get to know it really well.
9. Become a cat sitter
Or another animal, of course. For babysitting animals, dogs and cats are the most popular. Although I also know someone who once babysat goats on a small farm. I myself babysat someone’s cat years ago during my tour of Asia in downtown Kuala Lumpur in a beautiful apartment, with pool and city views. A cat is less work than a dog; you have to walk it at least 3 times a day and feed it more often.
10. Get to work locally
Go on a trip and work in the accommodation where you are staying, you often get to stay and eat for free in exchange for working there. Or on a farm or campsite, where you work on the land, in the garden or in the service, for example. While you usually don’t make any (or little) money, you don’t have any expenses either. There are providers of these types of volunteers all over the world.
Ready to start working remotely?
Have you decided which way you want to travel and make money, but are not sure how to proceed with the preparation of your remote work adventure? I understand that, there is a lot involved. In the Remote Ready online course, I help you get started step by step. Find out how to properly prepare a workation, where to go and how to work productively from a sunny destination.
