Do you ever wonder where all those young people posting on social media about their gap year travelling escapades get the money? You’re about to find out. Actually, most of them start off with very little money and earn it as they go. This makes the whole trip more fun as you don’t only make the money you need to see all those great places, it also gives you skills that will later be useful when you get into the workplace.
Make no mistake, earning your money while you travel doesn’t mean that you have to live like a pauper. If you follow the tips below together with some good travel budgeting skills, you may actually discover that by the time your holiday comes to an end, you have accumulated some savings that will make your social media friends go green with envy.
Forget the borders
With the internet, there are no borders. This makes it even easier for you to make money while you travel. It doesn’t matter what you’re good at, there are many sites on the internet where you can look for jobs while travelling.
Through the internet, you can find out if there are any people that want you to look after their homes. Sometimes you can get paid for house-sitting and at other times you just get free accommodation. Whatever the case, you still save the money you would have used for accommodation.
If you have a particular talent such as writing, then just take your PC with you and look for millions of sites around the world where you can connect to Wi-Fi and get working. A number of places including hotels and restaurants have free Wi-Fi: meaning that you are literally working for free.
Build a website
To take full advantage of the internet, build a website. It’s advisable to identify an easy website builder that already has templates for the kind of stuff you want to do before you set off on your holiday.
A good website creator provides you with a platform where you can monetise your skills. Many people are under the impression that to create your own website requires amazing technical skills. This is no longer the case as a number of online website builders now allow you a convenient place where you can sell something you can make.
Once you have your own site, you can set up a tutoring service where you can teach subjects you are good at. Another good idea is to use the website to sell the photographs you take while travelling. If you take advantage of the exchange rate you can buy cheap artwork in places where you travel and sell it on your site. Sometimes people have no idea what their art pieces are worth or they simply live in a place where the cost of living is cheap enough that they are able to sell at low prices and still make a profit.
Blog your experiences
Apart from your friends, there are many people who may want to know about the places you’re visiting so that they can decide if these are places they too may want to visit. Make a site that encourages engagement in order to build a community of followers.
If you want to take this route, start planning your blog well in advance. This will give you a chance to create strategies and produce the kind of hype that will attract attention before you start your gap year travelling.
If you promote your blog well enough you will be able to attract the kind of audiences that can get you paid while travelling. Find out about Google AdWords and place some advertisements on your site. Every visitor who clicks will essentially be putting money into your pocket.
When blogging your experiences, ensure that you understand the audience for which you are writing. Connect your blog to your social media sites and ask visitors to share your experiences. This will help you attract even more followers.
The advantage of starting a blog is that you can still continue the interaction even after you have completed your adventures.
As you can see from the tips above, you don’t have to wait until you have enough money to travel before you embark on your dream adventure. You also don’t have to ask for assistance from family members or get a loan to start travelling. The great thing about raising your money as you go is that you learn new skills while at the same time also acquiring some important budgeting abilities you will use later to manage your finances. Just ensure you do the groundwork before you start your trip. For now, take whatever money you have and bon voyage.
Further reading on earning money as you travel
