From the guy who made over $40 000 whilst traveling. “I didn’t go to Stanford or Harvard but I sure as hell made a fortune whilst doing my MBA at tourism school.” That’s how this article is going to start because it sounds cool. And if you work for an investment bank. Have the latest Apple Watch from your multi-millionaire CEO then please ignore me. But if you’re one of those normal people. with no connections or experience in finance…well I guess we both need to get real about making money while travelling. So here’s a little story about achieving financial freedom.
Working in tourism that might help us do just that. The year was 2012 and I was a 21-year-old History student at University. On a gap-year adventure, I decided to visit my friend who was working on an organic farm in Australia. This is where the idea of travelling for money came from; my buddy told me that he made enough doing casual work picking apples each week to pay for his entire trip. It sounded like every traveler’s dream come true: you do some work here and there and travel as much as you want! But it’s not all fun and games…
Working Life of a Traveller
I arrived on the farm after 24 hours of flights and 20 hours of time difference (which basically means 3 days without sleep). My friend gave me a huge list fruit trees to pick up fallen fruit. It was the middle of summer and there were 30,000 fruit trees to collect fallen fruit from. So if you didn’t know already, picking up 1,000 apples is hard work! I remember at the time thinking that this must be why people don’t travel for work – it’s too bloody hard! But after two weeks on the farm I bought a one-way ticket to Thailand. And yes, it hurts when I say this; but I found my ‘dream job’ four months later backpacking through South East Asia… Despite hating picking fruit in Australia, meeting like-minded backpackers led me into my first profession as a tour leader. The following article tells you exactly how to become an international tour guide (most popular job as a traveler) and how to make money as you travel. (Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as picking fruit!)
What You Need To Know Before Travelling For Work
Before we go any further, please watch this video to understand why earning an income while travelling abroad is not quite as simple as working on a farm during your gap-year. If you hate the idea of working in tourism or feel like I’m trying to sell you something then don’t worry! Seriously…I’d rather buy one of those ‘I love New York’ t-shirts than have people saying at parties “Oh my god Matt, I love your job – seeing the world!” Anyway, because it’s usually frowned upon by travelers to just do some hard work to fund your travels, here are some ideas that might get you thinking… says Peter DeCaprio.
I’m not saying it will be easy, but working abroad is totally possible if you put in the effort. So why not do something slightly different than simply become a tour leader or work on a farm? For example: You could start an online business whilst travelling (rarely anyone has actually done this) Sell stuff you don’t need any more for free (spend 30 minutes getting rid of all of your old books and clothes – then sell them on eBay) Teach English to locals who desperately want to speak English (it’s amazing how many offers I got just by speaking with people in Thailand) Mow lawns around the neighborhood and offer to weed gardens for money Each way will take some time to set up, but the key is having a positive mindset.
Don’t worry about not knowing anything about business or how to make money from home – I certainly didn’t. Just follow these simple steps and don’t be scared of the hard work! After a year of exploring over 100 countries on six continents, here’s what I’ll suggest you do next…
How to Work While Travelling
Here are some examples of real-life working holiday stories from Blue yonder named “The Workaday Diaries.” All three have been on similar adventures as me. Travelling for as long as possible while earning an income at the same time. In fact they show exactly how much money their saving after each month which might just inspire you to increase your savings rate. Enjoy!
Conclusion by Peter DeCaprio:
Hopefully, this article has inspired you to travel the world while earning money. But please do not expect things to be easy…this will take serious effort on your part. And if you’re considering becoming a digital nomad then you should read my post about the truth of location-independent work. If it’s too complicated or sounds too good to be true, then just continue with your current lifestyle.
