Travelling and working are always at a tussle with each other, if you do one you cannot do the other and moreover, if you do decide not to do one and concentrate on the other, it will just keep pricking you at the back of your mind! How do we solve this paradox? How do we even begin to make it sound possible? The answer is right here, you can! Choose to drop the suits and gear up for an adventure of a lifetime as we give you ways you can earn while you travel. In keeping with the colors of the traffic signal, RED is DON’T! YELLOW is stop and think and GREEN is GO!
Volunteer
Green: If you consider yourself to be a part of the larger community and would like to do something to make things better, why not? As travel exposes you to newer cultures, you start realizing that somewhere in the corner of the world, your skills are just what is needed to create a better tomorrow.
Yellow: Volunteering requires a lot of commitment, resilience and most of all compassion. Make sure, the cause you pick is something you truly believe in and that you are willing to give whatever it takes to make things better.
Red: DO NOT hope for a five star treatment or preferential status just because you are volunteering! It is not a service that anyone owes you compensation for, you are doing it out of your own free will. Go into it only if your care is all you have to give.
Teach English
Green: There are a lot of countries in the world where English is not considered a primary language, where business is still conducted in the local language. If you possess the basic knowledge of the language you can choose to teach English in these countries at the school or even at the professional level.
Yellow: Make sure you brush up on the dialect of English used in that particular region and get a cognizance as to what their basic level of understanding the language is.
Red: Make sure that your knowledge of English is sufficient, you don’t want to be left mumbling like a fish out of water when a snotty 7 year old asks you the plural of ‘antennae’.
Take Stock Photographs
Green: You have a camera, you are reasonably good at understanding the little ticky tacky dials and you have the creative eye that can fathom little and big moments that make the destination what it is! Just go click- happy, take awesome photographs and sell them online on various stock photography websites like Stock Photography, Royalty-Free Photos & The Latest News Pictures and Stock Photos, Royalty-Free Images and Vectors. Every time someone buys your image your get a ding-ding-ding in your bank account!
Yellow: Make sure you have a hi-def camera, capable of taking good quality photos and that you state your terms of usage of the image very clearly to the host websites.
Red: Don’t get into this if you all you wanna do is take commonplace photographs. Anybody can click a picture of the Pangong Tso Lake while in Ladakh, but if you can capture the eerie beauty of it at nighttime, then that’s what is going to sell.
Work Remotely
Green: Take a reality check, do you really need to quit your job to be able to travel? If yours is an expertise that can deliver just the same amount of work whether or not you are confined to your desk, then have a talk with your employer and work remotely. It’s risk free and you won’t have to even step out of your comfort zone.
Yellow: Make sure your destination has all the resources to make working remotely, possible. If you are in a remote corner of Africa where there is no connectivity, let alone internet; you are clearly going to be in trouble.
Red: Don’t do this if you are doubtful or your employer is unclear on how many hours exactly are you going to put in. If there is a gap in expectations, either you will end working full day without any respite or you won’t be making any money and just travelling!
Buy Local Products and Sell them Online
Green: There is a huge market for locally grown and handmade products that can be sourced in different countries at a much cheaper price. Eg: Buying Kesar in Kashmir or Eaglewood in Vietnam. You can buy in bulk and sell it online or from the comfort of your home.
Yellow: Make sure you check the authenticity of the products and talk to the locals about where you can get the best price and original purchase.
Red: Make sure you check the shelf life and best storage conditions of the products that you buy. You don’t want to open your bag in front of a potential customer and find that the product has been spoilt/ broken/ deteriorated.
Work on a Yacht Crew
Green: A little risky but can really work in your favor if you have the right skills. You don’t really have to have the seamanship skills in order to find such a job. Just log on to websites like boatsandkit Resources and Information. and make sure you atleast have one specialized skill that can help you at sea. Culinary, mechanical or navigational abilities are always an added bonus.
Yellow: Make sure that you are physically sound to take voyages. Get down where the ship anchors and don’t be afraid to ask questions in order to get around town. Always be sure that you know how to find your way back or ahead.
Red: Seasickness is not the best quality to have if you are planning to sail. No notable skills to boast of is also a big no-no!
Work on Farms of other people
Green: Join an organization the likes of World-Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms (WWOOF), which gives you an opportunity to join an international network of volunteers who want to work on an organic farm. You usually get lodging and boarding at the expense of the owner of the farm and it’s a great way to interact with the locals.
Yellow: Research and ensure that the country you wish to travel to has a WWOOF office, with openings for volunteers at the time that you want to visit.
Red: If you are not the kind that would want to get hands dirty, picking fruit and mucking through dirt, it’s obviously a no brainer that you shouldn’t opt for this.
Become a Guide buddy
Green: The brainchild of an Indian Travel enthusiast Saurav Agarwal, http://Guidebuddy.me is a website that helps you become a travel buddy in the country of your choice. Anybody can sign up and with adequate knowledge of the destination, show around tourists who come to the destination. Perfect for first time travelers for whom travelling in a strange land can be quite daunting!
Yellow: What could be better than being shown around by a local? Make sure that you have atleast one special skill or location expertise to offer!
Red: Don’t do this, if you are not good at people skills or are new to a country without adequate information about its customs and dos and don’ts. You don’t wanna be the one who gets a nervous first time traveler in trouble.
Start Blogging
Green: If writing is one of your strengths and you are willing to go to great lengths to nourish it by having experiences, then travel blogging is the perfect way to go. There are many travel websites like lonely planet, Nat Geo and others who will pay you for writing blogs.
Yellow: Pick one niche area, like ‘travelling cheap’ ‘adventure travel’ ‘local experiences’ and star writing in order to build a more loyal fan base of audiences. It’s always better to create your own niche than crowding into the ones that already exist!
Red: Travel blogging or anything that requires you to simply travel and earn, requires a major commitment. Try not to seek the comfort of predictability while travelling, go that extra mile!
Trade work at a hostel
Green: If you are going to a destination where hostel culture is flourishing like Amsterdam, New Zealand or other similar countries; try and barter an exchange with the owner about being employed there itself. You may not be paid very great, but you’ll most likely get free lodging at your room.
Yellow: Make sure you make you terms of employment very clear from the start. If there’s a mountainous amount of work that does not leave you with enough time or energy to explore, then you’ve just earned a sore deal.
Red: Essentially it is slave labor, like olden times! Work and stay for free. Make sure the hostel is legitimate and offers you opportunities within its purvey. Do Not exchange money, or you could get into trouble with the Visa authorities over working visa.
Work as a Bartender
Green: If you know your mixology skills and have no issue going around the place pouring cups of coffee or drinks, this is pretty good deal to earn some extra cash.
Yellow: While most establishments appreciate the additional help, larger ones may ask you for your work permit, be sure you either have one or make it clear that you are willing to work around it.
Red: There’s nothing to stop you from doing this, really! Man Up! And serve some coffee!
Become a street performer
Green: If you have an art that you excel in, why not make a quick buck out of it? Tap dancing, guitar, hang drums, painting or sketching; every country could do with a little bit of art in the public arena!
Yellow: Take cues from other performers about the kind of audience in the region. You don’t want to perform some old thing that they have already seen, novelty is always appreciated.
Red: Please guarantee that performances are allowed in the public space, spending the night in jail is not the best utilization of time, is it?
House sit/ Home Swap
Green: Do It! You can just make it happen, log on to websites like Travel Anywhere & Stay for Free!, homexchangevacation Resources and Information. or Home Swap with Home Base Holidays and put out an ad to rent out your home for different travelers who love to backpack across the globe and stay cheap. It’s a total no-brainer that you can stay in their house if you ever decide to travel to where they stay.
Yellow: Make sure you check their credentials and the legitimacy of their houses and identity claims before you give away your house to them.
Red: Please do not give out unnecessary details like, the combination to your safe or your credit card PIN! Or you might lose the only house you know and have to stay on the road. That’s not what ‘roadtrips’ means, FYI!