Written by: Nadia
First of all, we are not going to trick you on this post. We are not going to tell you that anybody can do anything, that if you write a novel you’ll make a lot of fast money and that you’ll be able to travel the world from one luxury hotel to another and that travelling and making money is simple. If that’s what you expect, stop reading.
What we are actually telling you is how we manage to make money while travelling, how we combine our jobs with our desire of travelling and how we discover the world together without being forced to sleep on the streets.
We made a REAL list of jobs and activities that will allow you to travel the world and make some money at the same time. But please, have in mind that this list is only valid if you have professional training or real experience for each job we propose. Don’t underestimate professional workers by saying you can do anything without any kind of training. I’ve seen already many blogs that say: “become a translator and make some extra money” or “make money by writing a novel”. Don’t believe a word, it’s not that simple, I swear.
But if you have some training or professional experience for the jobs we’ve listed, maybe you’ll be able to make your dream come true. Just try it! Let’s go:
THINGS WE’VE DONE
FREELANCE TRANSLATOR
This is my case. I’ve studied a Bachelor’s degree in Translation and Interpretation and a Master’s degree in Audiovisual Translation. Once I’ve finished my education, I became a freelance translator and now I work translating films and TV shows. I get the materials online, I translate and send them back online. As you can see, I don’t have an office or a boss or a fixed working schedule. I have freedom to choose where, how and when. I can travel the world with my laptop and still work as long as I have internet connection. Honestly, I love my job and it’s scary to think about having a steady job , because I wouldn’t be able of doing all the things I do now. But being freelance has also a dark side: you never know when you’ll get your next project, because the flux is not the same every month; you have taxes to pay (auch!), you depend on your clients… You must study your case, but it really works for me. I am lucky to have a job I love and that allows me to satisfy my dream of travelling the world.
SCREENWRITER
This is Rodri’s case. He studied at the Screenwriting University of Madrid and then, he got a scholarship to study a Master’s degree at the Screenwriting U of L.A. Now, he writes EVERY DAY and he took part on some short films that have been awarded at International Film Festivals. If you have this kind of training too, it’s a good way of travelling without quitting job, because you can write from anywhere. But screenwriters don’t make money till they sell a script. And you won’t sell every script you’ll write. You must write something very good and be very lucky. It depends on quite a lot of factors, such as if somebody wants to buy it, if the deal gets ahead… But don’t give up, never stop writing. Giving up your dream is the worst you could do. Try to combine your screenwriting dream with a steady job and maybe someday you say goodbye to your boss and set sails.
HOTEL TESTER
Yes! I swear this is true. Rodri and I actually got paid to test hotels. It was an amazing experience. A great hotel comparison company paid our stay at the hotel they wanted to test and they also gave us 100€ each. In return, we had to fill up a survey of around 100 questions about everything, even the bathroom floor. How we got this job? By answering a job offer. I don’t know if it was luck or what, but it was 100% real.
WRITER
It’s very similar to being screenwriter. You must have something written and sell it to make money. It requires time, training and hard work. But, in my case, what I do is writing short stories and send them to writing contests. I’ve won some awards and they normally consist on money. It’s not enough to make a living, but we can always use it for out next trip. Maybe you find a way to make a living out of writing. But you’ll need to be patient and work very hard.
STEADY BUT FLEXIBLE JOB
Again, Rodri’s case. As I said, screenwriters don’t make money till they sell their script, so unless you are lucky enough to be millionaire with your first script, you’ll must combine it with a steady job. Rodri works on a book store and writes as soon as he gets home. Luckily, the job at the book store is flexible and he can take days off very frequently, so it has never stopped us from travelling the world. We set sails about four or five times a year.
THINGS WE’VE NEVER DONE BUT KNOW THEY WORK
VOLUNTARY SERVICE, NGOS, SOCIAL PROJECTS…
Instead of making money while travelling, this activities will allow you to have a place to sleep and eat while exploring other cultures and helping people who really need it. One of our friends lived in Africa for several months thanks to a NGO project. Another friend is right now in Croatia for a year thanks to a voluntary service. It’s a great chance if you want to travel and help people around the world. We’d really love to experience it someday.
JOURNALIST OR REPORTER
If you are a journalist and you dream of travelling the world, why not being a foreign correspondent? Or maybe hosting a cooking TV show around the world? Or writing travelling guides? Or posts for a travelling magazine? Journalists have freedom but it requires hard work and getting there is difficult. You must have talent, contacts, work a lot, be brave… But if that’s your dream, go for it.
INFLUENCER
Many influencers are offered plane tickets and hotel rooms under one condition: to post everything online on their social networks or blogs. We all know it’s hard to become an influencer and not everybody gets there. But if you have good content and if you are original, you might have a chance. It’s difficult, but I know some influencers who travel for free and post their experience in return. Should we try?
AIR HOST, PILOT, CABIN CREW
They live feet away from the ground. Between one stopover and the next one, they sometimes have time to explore a new city. But many airlines operate under shitty working conditions and their employees’ work is underestimated by the company. We all know there’s constant strikes at some companies and that is because of the poor working conditions their employees have to suffer. Of course, not all airlines are like this. If you find one that treats you right, go for it!
There’s many other jobs that will allow you to travel while making money, but we wanted to list only the ones we’ve tried or the ones we know for sure that work based on our friends or family experience.
Do you know any other job like this? What’s your experience? Leave us a comment!
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