Isn’t the Internet such a wild and (sometimes) incredible place?
When I was growing up, never in a million years did I think I’d be able to make money online and travel at the same time.
Nowadays, as long as you have a laptop and a stable Internet connection, you can earn anywhere from a couple bucks to a couple thousand, depending on your skillset and the time you’re willing to invest.
And, some people are even doing so on top of a full-time job!
Take this blog, for example. I’ve been running it for years, and it’s helped me add to my travel savings without having to dip as deeply into my full-time job salary. But you don’t need to run a blog or create an online business to have a successful side hustle. There’s a lot you can do online to make a couple extra bucks that will save you big in the long term.
Below, I’m breaking down some of the best jobs to travel with that you can use to earn extra cash online on the side.
Here are some of the best travel side hustles to help you earn money online before, during, and after your trips!
RELATED: 10+ Effortless Ways to Start Saving Money for Travel
The Best Travel Side Hustles to Fund Your Wanderlust: Jobs You Can Do While Traveling
1. Take Surveys
For an easy online side job, it doesn’t get much easier than taking surveys.
Yup! You read that right. You can get paid for your opinions!
Granted, the pay isn’t great. You’re not going to take home $500+ per month, but it’s a great way to make a little money while traveling.
Most survey sites are free to join, and you’ll typically get paid either via PayPal or with gift cards for Amazon.
Some legitimate survey companies to look into to help fund your travel side hustle are:
- Swagbucks: You can redeem your survey points for PayPal money or Amazon gift cards. Plus, you can earn extra Swagbucks for referring your friends and family to the platform.
- Survey Junkie: One of the most popular and trustworthy survey sites for your internet side hustle. It’s free to join, and you can start earning as soon as you’ve signed up.
2. Teach English Online
Got a passion for teaching? Consider looking into a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification) – you could make decent side hustle money by teaching English online.
BONUS! It’s one of the best jobs to travel with because you can easily adjust your schedule to suit your plans.
There’s only one catch: You’ll need to get accepted by an English teaching platform.
Each one has its own set of educational requirements as well as different rates.
Some of the top companies for teaching English online include:
- VIPKid: Strict teacher requirements, and you can earn $15 to $22 per hour.
- Palfish: You have complete flexibility over your schedule, and rates start from $14 per hour.
- Magic Ears: Flexible and free cancellation policy, making it ideal for travelers when something unexpected happens last minute.
- Cambly: One of the best platforms to teach English as a WFH side hustle. No TEFL or previous teaching experience is required, and rates are $10 per hour.
3. Try Freelance Writing
Are you a wordsmith? Put your gift to work and earn some extra cash online.
Why you should fund your travels with freelance writing:
- Low start-up costs: All you need is a laptop and a WiFi connection, making it one of the best on the road jobs.
- No experience required: You can make money as long as you can write well and enjoy it.
- Easy learning curve: No matter what type of writing you decide to do, there’s tons of free content and paid courses to help you master it.
But does freelance writing pay well as an online side business? Yup! Some writers earn $4k to $5k a month.
There’s only one catch. It does depend on your niche and the type of writing you do.
For example, ebooks, whitepapers, sales pages, and case studies pay more than blog posts or scriptwriting. While industries like tech and health have much higher rates, this is due to the technicality and specialty of the writing required.
How to find work online as a freelance writer:
- Content Mills: Fiver, Upwork, ContentFly
- Online Job Boards: Problogger
- Niche-Specific Facebook Groups
- Pitching article ideas to publications by researching their editorial masthead or general contact details
- Following publication editors on Twitter (they’ll often announce when they’re looking for pitches)
4. Start a Blog or YouTube Channel
Hard truth: You’re probably not going to make money from YouTube with your first video, or a blog with your first post (unless you already have an audience).
But don’t let that put you off using either platform to generate a passive income for your travel fund.
It will take some work, commitment, and consistency, but it’s possible to build up your online presence to a point where you can earn $50, $200, $1000 or more per month from YouTube or blogging, making either a lucrative remote side hustle.
So how do you start?
Spend time investigating the most popular YouTube or blogging niches and approach your platform with a business mindset.
For example, how-to resources are always a popular choice. This type of content does well because it answers a question someone has, and you’ll continue to get views over time because it’s a piece of evergreen content that gains viewership as long as people continue find it useful.
While vlogging and blogging are fun, most people aren’t searching for a “day in the life of [your name].” Focus on addressing problems your audience has, learning about YouTube and blogging SEO, and providing value to build your audience up quickly and sustainably.
5. Become an Online Virtual Assistant
Got skills? Monetize your knowledge with an online virtual assistant side hustle business.
I think this is one of the best jobs to do while traveling because you can leverage various skills you’ve picked up at your 9-to-5.
- Are you a whiz at understanding social media algorithms? Pitch yourself as a social media manager or niche down and focus on one particular network like Pinterest or Instagram.
- Do you have experience setting up Facebook Ads and creating sales funnels? There are plenty of online businesses that will gladly hire you for your expertise.
- Love admin? Most people hate it. You can help solopreneurs manage their inboxes, client satisfaction, email marketing, blog post optimization, and more.
If you’re unsure if a skill you have can work in the virtual assistant world, join some Facebook Groups. Lurk around and see what other people are offering or ask questions and see if there is a demand for your skillset. Or, consider offering your services for free or for a discount at first to build up testimonials. A body of work often speaks for itself.
6. Create a Digital Product
Creating a digital product is one of those tricky travel side hustles with a catch-22.
While it’s super easy to write an ebook or create a course, you need an audience to sell it to.
Why?
If no one knows about your digital product, you’re not going to get any sales, and you won’t be able to travel and make money.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
Once you set up a strategy to attract people to your digital product and you’ve created an offering that addresses a specific problem, you can start making money in your sleep.
You’re no longer trading time for cash, making it one of the best online side jobs.
7. Learn Video Editing
If there is one thing I struggle with, it’s video editing. Out of all the content I create, making videos is by far the most time-consuming (based on my personal experience).
Whether it’s Reels, or YouTube, or even Instagram Stories, it often takes me hours to get a single video out.
…And I know I’m not alone, which is why video editing is a lucrative side hustle.
Not only does it give you the freedom to work while you travel, but the demand isn’t going away any time soon.
In 2020, 96% of consumers increased their online video consumption, and 9/10 viewers said they wanted more videos from brands.
So, if you can edit videos (or don’t mind learning) and you love it, there’s a massive market that will pay you to do it.
8. Become a Coach
One of the trendiest ways to work while you travel is online coaching. The industry is exploding, and it’s not hard to see why.
All you need is this:
- An idea
- Valuable knowledge and experience in your niche
- A way for people to find you
- A way for people to pay you
- A laptop and internet connection
If you love teaching and want to help people, you can start a profitable online coaching business in hundreds of niches. People earn anything from $5k to $10k per month simply by sharing their knowledge, guiding their students, and helping them get over hurdles and achieve success.
Some of the most popular ones are:
- Business
- Money mindset
- Manifestation
- Health & fitness
- Relationships
Once you’re clear on how you want to help people, you can scale your online coaching business while traveling the world.
Travel Side Hustles FAQ
- What are the highest paying travel side hustles? Some of the highest-paying side gigs to make extra money are proofreading and editing, resume writing, and website building.
- What are the most popular online side hustles? A few of the most popular online side jobs are freelancing, blogging, social media management, virtual assistance, and teaching English online.
- How can I make an extra $1000 a month? Start a side hustle to save money for travel. There are dozens of ways you can create a remote side hustle and make extra cash online before and while you’re traveling.
What travel side hustles are you doing to try out? Got any others you think are worth mentioning? Let me know in the comments below!
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