We are about to be a full time traveling family. Some people are probably wondering how we can afford to do it, and most likely a lot of them think we have saved up a lot to prepare for this trip. While I wish that was the case, it’s pretty far from the truth actually. We don’t have a lot saved up, but we are going to be able to cut our expenses almost in half by moving into the fifth wheel, so we won’t need to be making as much. We will be making money on the road as we go. There are a lot of ways you can earn money and below are 11 ways to earn money while traveling. The first three are ones that we currently use to make an income.
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1. Flea Market Flipping
Of course this has to be on the list. This has been our primary income for a couple of years now. Last year we hit over $130,000 in sales! And mostly on eBay. You may be wondering how can you do this and earn money while traveling? We have done it on several road trips now, check out this trip and this one. There are thrift stores, flea markets and yard sales every where you go! We are always looking for things, but even when we aren’t, stuff still sells online. If we brought it with us, we ship it out, or if not, we ship it out when we get home.
We just recently brought a few things with us to the Keys and shipped them out while down here for a month. We tried to go find a few items at the flea market and were skunked. But there are a couple great OfferUp deals (especially on water-related items) that we might pick up this week. We were recently approached by a production company to film our flea market flipping adventures on the road in the 5th wheel to possibly do a reality TV show. Things are still in the works, and who knows if it will happen, but it’s fun to think about!
If flipping items intrigues you, check out our online course on how to make money flipping items to see if it’s a good fit for you.
2. Network Marketing
Usually a person is either a raving fan of network marketing, or completely against it. The people who are raving fans are ones who are usually an associate/consultant/distributor, and the ones who are completely against it usually think it’s one of “those pyramid schemes.” (Pyramid schemes are an exchange of money only, no physical products are bought. And have been illegal since the 90’s)
I was a product user for a nutrition company called Isagenix for five years before deciding to jump into the business side. I didn’t want to be “one of those people,” but I don’t regret the decision one bit.
I think some people in network marketing get really excited and over promise, which is what gives it a bad reputation. No one should ever promise financial freedom or that you will become a millionaire if they are making $100/week. They can declare their goals and drive toward that because I think it’s important to dream big and declare your dreams! But, I don’t love all the fluff that so many people promote.
That being said, if you find a great company it can be a great way to make an extra income or full-time income. I personally know many people — know them well enough that I can call them up on the phone and chat — that make a good full-time income in my company, and are even millionaires in our company. Is it work? Yes. Does it take time? Yes. Is it worth it? YES!
Isagenix will be a good part of our income on the road, and it’s a great way to earn money while traveling because all you need is a computer and a phone to work from anywhere! We currently make enough to cover our mortgage each month, but honestly I have been working so hard to help Robbie with the Flea Market Flipper blog, I have hardly put work into my Isagenix business the past year. (I worked hard the year before and that is the beauty of residual income). I am going to change that this year because I LOVE everything health related and it’s really my passion to help people to feel better and get their health back. Nothing makes me happier than to get messages about how great someone is feeling.
You can watch this video to see why I love these health products. (It’s not me, but it’s exactly what I would say as someone with the same personal training background.)
Even if you are against network marketing as an income source, many companies still have great products. (Not all, but a lot of them do). I support my friends and have bought makeup, skin care, books, bags, oils, cleaning products and more from a direct selling company. I would rather support my friends than a big box store, AND I am getting quality products (as long as I do my research).
If you are thinking about adding a great network marketing company to your income streams, I would love to answer any of your questions regarding our compensation plan. And, if you are looking for an improvement in your health, just drop me your e-mail HERE.
3. Blogging
This one may be my favorite way to earn money while traveling, but it’s hard for me to pick between numbers 2 and 3. Blogging is also one of our income sources currently and will continue to be on the road. There are a lot of ways to make money while blogging and sharing with the world what you love. Our two main blogs at the moment are Flea Market Flipper and this one. I also have a third blog that I started 7 years ago when I knew nothing about blogging. I did it just to provide a resource to my health clients. That blog is my health blog Recapture Fitness, but it needs some work and an upgrade. I think I have over 250 posts on there over the years, but with a lot of spelling and grammar errors and I broke blogging rules I didn’t know about before.
If you have a passion you would love to share with the world, check out our post on How To Start A Blog. One of the most helpful tools to monetize our blog was taking Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. She makes over $50,000/month on affiliate marketing only! It’s insane.
Don’t let anyone tell you that if you start a blog today you will be making $10K next month. It takes time, just like anything worth while. We have been blogging on Flea Market Flipper for 2 years now and are just starting to see some traction with traffic and income. Some of our friends have done it faster than that, and some slower. Just like with network marketing, it takes work, but is totally worth it in the long haul.
4. Online Surveys
I had never heard of Swagbucks before starting my blogging venture, but I’ve seen a lot of people who love them so I had to check them out. I read a ton of posts about people making $300-$1,000 a month using Swagbucks, so I had to see what all the fuss was about.
I created a login (free), and browsed around their website to see how it works. They are a survey company that collects data for other companies. These companies are ones that want to know buying habits, search habits and demographics for different items, etc. Swagbucks gets paid by these companies to submit the data they receive, so they are able to offer rewards, gift cards, and cash to you.
You can choose which surveys to do, how many to do, and if you want to do them at all. You can also change your browser to Swagbucks, (so they can check out the sites you visit like Google does), and they give you reward points for each time you go online and enter a website in the search. It definitely adds up over time and if you are someone who likes to play on the internet a lot it could be worth it for you.
Personally, I didn’t like the search bar they offer and I didn’t really want to take the time to do the surveys. I still have an account with them, but it’s not something I do every day. I know some people who do a couple surveys daily and make a couple hundred dollars each month from it. If you think it could be worth your time, you can check it out HERE.
Here are a couple other survey companies similar to Swagbucks that people love. Some people do surveys on each site to make money from all of them. Like I said, it’s not my favorite way to make money, and you aren’t going to get rich from it, but it is easy extra money with mindless work.
Inbox Dollars
SurveyJunkie
E-Poll
5. Proofreading
Proofreading is an awesome way to earn money while traveling, because it can be done in the comfort of your own home, or anywhere you are! All you need is a computer or tablet to read and do corrections on and you can have your own proofreading business.
If you find yourself constantly correcting your friends’ social media posts, or it drives you nuts when you see grammar used improperly on the internet, proofreading might be a great income stream for you. Our friend Caitlin Pyle used to proofread full-time from home and brought in over $40K in a year. She now teaches others how to do it in this online course. She is SUPER thorough in her material and has many students of her course making great side or full-time incomes. Check out her course HERE if you think it could be a good fit for you. Caitlin provides a great webinar full of information to help you decide if you would like to do it as an income stream.
6. Freelance Writing
If you love writing, you should think about becoming a freelance writer. This could be a great way to earn money while traveling. Check out this great blog post on How to Become a Freelance Writer.
For people seriously looking to increase their income from freelance writing, Gina Horkey has a great course called 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing.
Several companies will hire freelance writers for their blogs. You can also check out Fiverr while getting started and write for a variety of clients.
7. Social Media Managing
Are you great at social media? More than just posting a selfie every day of course. 🙂 If you are great at social media postings you can get paid to post for individuals and businesses. It’s something that many entrepreneurs outsource once they start growing. Check out this post from the Work At Home Wife on How to Become a Social Media Manager to see if it is a good fit for you.
If you are a blogger or business owner looking for a social media manager, check out my friends Matt and Heather Angel at Virtual RVA. I met them at a blogging conference earlier in the year and they are really cool people!
8. Online Tutoring
Do you have a subject you excel in and can teach others? Have you ever thought about becoming an online tutor? Check out TutorMe where you can apply to tutor kids who need the extra help. They match the kids to the tutors so you don’t have to go out looking for students. Your schedule is also flexible to when you want to be available. Since everything is online, it’s a great way to earn money while traveling. Check out a free trial with TutorMe HERE.
9. Transcribing
Becoming a transcriptionist is another fantastic way to earn money while traveling. You basically listen to audio files, then create a document, blog post, or some form of written word from the file. There is an increasing demand for this as more people and companies create videos and podcasts and would like them transcribed.
Check out this course to get you jump started with transcribing.
10. Become a Virtual Assistant
The demand for virtual assistants has grown dramatically over the past couple of years. There are so many entrepreneurs growing both online and brick and mortar businesses who are realizing the need and benefits of having a VA. Gina Horkey outlines everything you need to get started as a VA in 30 days or less to Virtual Assistant Success.
Check out this great blog post on How to Become a Virtual Assistant. It’s a great way to earn money while traveling because you can be a virtual assistant from anywhere in the world!
We might be in the market to hire a VA soon, so if you go through her course and decide to become a VA let me know! 😉
Another kind of virtual assistant is working for Fiverr. You can do projects for people anywhere from your computer. Check out this great post on how to earn money on Fiverr.
11. Become a Search Engine Evaluator
I had no idea this was even a job until I started blogging, but it makes perfect sense since most of us search something on the internet every day. Maybe even every hour on average for some. Basically, a search engine evaluator helps to make sure that relevant content comes up for whatever people are searching for. Google, Bing, and Yahoo are the biggest search engines, and they hire companies to use search engine evaluators make adjustments when needed. To dig further into this option read How To Get Paid Online as a Search Engine Evaluator by my friend Sireesha at Crowd Work News.
If you would like to stay up to date on our recent minimizing goals and traveling adventures, drop us your e-mail HERE to stay connected.
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