How I Make Money and Travel

I get this question a lot from people asking me how I’m about to travel so much and how do I pay for it? Well, I’m finally gonna let you guys in on my little secret on how I can live a travel lifestyle.

Well, it’s not really secret. I’ll also be completely honest. It’s not always a lavish lifestyle. What I\’m about to tell you is just how I do it and as much as I enjoy what I do, it\’s definitely not for everyone.

Seasonal Jobs

What is seasonal work you may ask? Well I actually heard about it on a travel podcast and had never heard of it. I did some research and found out that there are resorts who are looking for workers to come work for them during their busy season.

Some of these resorts need people badly and what they\’ll do is offer a bunch of benefits to work for them. Some perks I’ve had are: -free or discounted employee housing. -free or discounted meals for employees. -discounts to stays at the resort for you, your family, and/or friends. (Usually 25-50% off). -Bonuses if you stay the whole season with them (in good standing)

This all depends on the company but I have gotten some great benefits staying in places like Lake Powell, Breckenridge, and Denali. I have also been able to save so much by doing seasonal jobs that I can take a month or so off during off seasons and do my own traveling!

Now, here is some more honesty. These jobs do require you to WORK. Also, depending on which department you work at, you will be dealing with guests from all over the world who are on vacation. So, they will expect a lot from you working for these companies. It all comes with working customer service. They\’ll be great days where you’ll meet some amazing people and some days… not so much.

Another truth is the pay can be pretty low at some of the companies. Mostly because they are giving you are benefits that they hope will bring employees to work for them. Plus, it\’s seasonal work so you don’t get the benefits of a corporate job like health insurance and retirement plans, at first. If you want to move up with the company in management you most likely can get all these benefits but than it’d be probably scheduled corporate hours. But, the option is there for people.

I would say if you\’re wanting to start traveling, want to make some money, and don’t mind customer service then seasonal work is a great place to start your adventure.

Become an independent travel agent

So I actually got introduced to this by someone I met on Instagram. I was a bit skeptical of starting a travel business at first (especially during a pandemic). But the more and more I researched on it the more I realized I could definitely make some extra cash and even get more insight on the travel industry.

So, basically as an independent travel agent I work under a host agency that gives me the rights and certification to be able to create bookings for travel that I can earn commissions back from. I have actually been able to do that with my own trips too. For instance, my trip to Hawaii I booked. I was able to book a hotel for a few days stay in Maui and activities to do in Oahu that I will get commission from!

I’ve definitely enjoyed being able to do something I do already. However, will say that the you do need to put in the work to make some good money doing this. It’s not a get rich quick scheme or you’ll make money overnight. Basically the more you put in and do the trainings to help you market your business will help you go farther in booking travel for you and your family.

You will have to put yourself out there to be able to get bookings. But I will say I have done sales before and selling travel is something I actually enjoy doing since it’s something I basically do for a living now.

I would say if you to talk about travel, don’t mind sales, and want to also save while traveling then try out becoming a travel agent!

Freelance Blog Writing

This is probably my favorite way to make some extra cash since I enjoy writing. This is actually how I first started making money when I left my corporate job. I would find companies who needed writers and would write usually around 500-1000 word blog posts for them. Depending on the company they would charge me $.10 -$1 per word. It definitely wasn’t much, but if you work for a company long enough they’ll possibly pay you more or bring you on full time.

The benefit of this is you can do this type of work from anywhere. Also, companies are usually pretty lenient on when they need the posts done. Of course, be professional and do the work in a timely manner, but if something were to come up and you need extra time. Most companies are happy to work with you. Just don’t make it a habit.

Some of my favorite platforms to find work are freelancers.com, writers.work, and Upwork. Also, indeed I found some great freelance work just by typing in keywords like “freelance” and “writer work from home”

If you love writing and just want to make some extra cash while you travel then I would say try out freelance writing work.

Just Go for it!

I always tell people who are questioning doing what I do to just do it! I definitely was not sure how I was going to be able to make this work out. I was scared and totally had no real plan. I thought I would fail and would have to give up and go back to normal job. But, I also knew that if I didn’t try now I probably would go on living a life I didn’t want.

I’ll tell you something my middle school teacher once told me that has stuck with me forever: When you get the chance to travel just do it! You won’t regret it.

He was right, everywhere I’ve been I can say I don’t regret going there. If anything, I’m so happy I had the experience to travel to a new place and live!

So, I’m spreading these words of wisdom with you all and hope you take the leap and do it too!

When you get the chance to travel, just do it! You won’t regret it!

Wise teacher from middle school