Do you have some intense wanderlust and want to make money while traveling? There are plenty of ways to see the country or the entire world with jobs that pay or even provide living quarters, meals, and other expenses. If you’re ready to hit the road (or sea), here are jobs designed with travelers in mind.
Work Seasonally at a National Park
Anyone who loves the great outdoors and wants to see more of the country should look into a campsite or national park side hustle. The U.S. National Park Service offers paid employment, student positions, and volunteer opportunities that could help you make money while traveling. The pay is usually decent, and meals and lodging are often included.
The National Park Service posts jobs through USAJobs.gov with refreshingly transparent job postings. You see exactly what’s expected, seasonality, projected hours, overtime requirements, and pay. A lifeguard serving the Cape Cod National Seashore currently earns $15.43 per hour for full- and part-time hours. A Maintenance Worker in “multiple locations” starts at $23.13 per hour with an on-duty period between March and October. Most jobs mention possible weekend or holiday hours, especially in popular tourist areas like Mount Rushmore.
Deliver RVs
If you enjoy driving and want a taste of RV life, you can deliver them to customers or companies to make money while traveling. RV vacation rentals are often booked one way. To meet their customer’s needs, customers will either hire RV delivery drivers or pay their expenses while they enjoy the free ride. You’ll need a good driving record, pass a drug screen test, and may require a Department of Transportation physical. Depending on the RV you drive, you may also need a Class B commercial license with an air brake endorsement.
Other companies pay you to haul an RV. If you have a three-quarter-ton truck (at least), you can get paid to see the country with Wave Express and earn dollars per mile. Here’s a breakdown of how much you can expect to make as a transport driver. It’s also wise to contact local RV transport Companies to inquire about driveaway, delivery, or other contract work.
Land Gigs as a Digital Marketing Assistant
It can seem intimidating if you’re new to the marketing world. How does it work, and what do you do? In reality, marketing gigs are relatively easy to land, provided you’re a fast learner and get creative with your position. For example, a travel website could need help researching which agencies work with travel influencers. They may hire a marketing assistant to compile the information in a spreadsheet and craft cold emails to pitch working together.
Marketing gigs are varied and encompass a vast field of expertise. But that doesn’t mean you need to be an expert at everything. Narrow down your focus to just one or two areas you can help with and arrive with a proactive attitude and desire to make your clients’ lives easier.
Here are a few marketing side hustle ideas to consider:
- Social Media Manager – Upload posts, create simple graphics in Canva, engage communities)
- YouTube Manager – Upload videos, oversee video editors, create optimized summaries, respond to comments)
- Author’s Assistant – Write and send out press releases, reach out to podcasts about interviews, and upload content to Amazon’s KPD system for online books)
- Blogger – Write, upload, and format blog posts for businesses to improve their Google search rankings and raise brand awareness.
You can reach out to businesses, entrepreneurs, and blogs you know and admire, but Upwork also posts hundreds of marketing side hustle jobs each day. It’s how I earn between $5,000 t0 $7,000 per month while working part-time. I take my work with me, can work while I travel, and control my own schedule. Learn how to get started with an Upwork side hustle here.
Start Freelance Writing
A writing side gig is flexible, fun, and offers unlimited ways to earn money while traveling. You don’t need a degree and can instead rely on the experience you already have. For example, if you’re a teacher, you can write for parenting publications about dealing with school struggles or learning disabilities. A construction worker can write for trade publications or DIY home blogs about the best DIY projects and how to make them less intimidating.
You can also take a local approach and ask about your writing services at small businesses or publications. A realtor may be interested in someone creating listings, local city guides, blog posts, or sales copy. If you’re already on the road, start with your hometown or where you were living last. But if you’re planning to stick around the places you’re traveling for a few months, you can also approach local businesses about your work.
Still trying to figure out where to start? Here are some resources on creating a writing side hustle.
- How to Start a Writing Side Hustle
- How to Write for Magazines (and Make Money)
- Can You Make Money Writing?
It’s easy to get sucked into low-paying writing work, but there are high-paying clients out there. Start small while thinking big and offer your clients value. It’s not about writing their sales copy; it’s about how to write something that compels someone to buy their products or services. Clients understand the value is in the results you can help them get, not just the time you take off their plate.
Pro Tip: After spending years freelancing with mediocre results, I joined the Writer’s Den and learned how to take command of my writing side hustle, earned more, and enjoyed more flexibility to travel. Learn more about The Writer’s Den here.
Help Out on a Beet Farm
RVers and U.S. travelers are in the know: Sugar beet farming is a great way to earn money while traveling. The annual Sugar Beet Harvest starts at the beginning of October and lasts 15 days. When sugar beets are harvested, they’re about a foot long and weigh up to five pounds. It’s hard work, but it’s also a gig you’ll see people of all ages working, including senior citizens. The Express Employment Professionals staffing agency is responsible for staffing temporary help at the nation’s largest producers, Sidney Sugars and American Crystal Sugars.
Over 1,300 people work at the Sugar Beet Harvest each year, from collecting beet samples to assisting the Piler Operators with cleaning up. The days are long, but it only lasts a few months, and then you have a few thousand dollars in your pocket before moving on, with pay starting at $16.90 an hour. The first 8 hours are at a regular pay rate, and the last 4 are time and a half. Most jobs are outdoors, which can take a toll if you’re not mentally and physically prepared. You also get a free campsite as part of your compensation. RVers usually get a full hookup for their rig, but the weather gets frigid at night if you plan to pitch a tent.
Launch a Travel Nurse Career
I thought I was in the know about travel jobs but had just heard about travel nursing a few years ago. A travel nurse can make $87 an hour and up to $286,000 a year, depending on their location and specialty. When a clinic or hospital experiences a staffing shortage, they need qualified nurses to fill in the gaps quickly. Travel nurses can choose agency-provided houses or take a stipend to find their own housing.
The upsides are free travel, housing, and the opportunity to expand your skill set and resume. But if you’re just super intrigued by this idea but aren’t a nurse, there’s a hidden side hustle idea here. Instead of renting out your home as a long-term rental to build an Airbnb side hustle, you can rent it out to travel nursing agencies. You end up with a short-term, reliable tenant, and their agency pays the rent.
Become a Multi-City DoorDasher
DoorDash is already a popular way to earn extra money as a weekend side hustle, but you can also dash in multiple cities and states. As long as DoorDash is available, you can get to work and make money while traveling. However, the company states you can only dash within the country where you reside. So if you live in the United States, you can’t dash to Canada. When you open your DoorDash app to start working, select ‘Dash Now’ and then confirm the pop-up that says you want to dash in a new location.
Live and Work on a Cruise Ship
Working on board a cruise ship lets you see the world with all your expenses paid and some money in your pocket. Some people join cruise ships in positions they can’t land on shore, including dancers, performers, and chefs. Other jobs might include maintenance, cleaning, and guest services. Most cruise ships hire internationally, making meeting new people and learning about different cultures rewarding. Other perks include free medical care from exams to antibiotics and weeks off between contracts.
Of course, there are downsides to any dream job. If you’re traveling with your significant other, you could team up to work on a ship together or look for other travel jobs for couples. The crew usually shares living quarters that consist of bunk beds. You’ll also work long hours with a few days off until youracontract ends.
House or Pet Sit
If you love to travel, you’ve probably heard about housesitting and pet-sitting. It’s competitive to get into, but entirely possible. For starters, you can ask your network if you can housesit when they travel to gain some references and try it out. If you’re flexible, you’re also more likely to land a gig on a site like TrustedHouseSitters. Landing house sitting job in the middle of nowhere Arkansas is more realistic than getting a gig in Hawaii. As you gain more experience and reviews, you’re more likely to build credibility and expand your reach. And you can even house or pet sit with your whole family in tow—including kids!
Consider your current skillet and what you can offer fellow travelers who want to keep their homes or pets safe. If you have experience with farm animals, you can land work at a small hobby farm to earn money while traveling. I used to land pet-sitting jobs around my town because I knew how to administer various medications to cats, dogs, and rabbits. Whether you have carpentry skills or an incredible landscaper, these are all skills you can leverage to position yourself as the perfect house sitter.
Freelance for Your Old Employer
With so many glamorous and romantic-sounding travel side hustles out there, people often overlook this method of making money while traveling. Instead of trying to launch something from scratch, you can look to your old employer(s) instead. Provided you left on good terms and didn’t burn any bridges, you can offer services ranging from writing to marketing, data entry, customer service, project management, and beyond. It doesn’t necessarily need to tap into whatever you did for them before. If they know and like you, they’re more willing to hire you to do odd jobs around the office or tackle large projects they need a hand with.
Understand Your Taxes When You Earn Money While Traveling
With so many thrilling adventures in front of you, you need to consider a few legal details before you start earning money while traveling. Whether you’re joining the Sugar Beet Harvest or DoorDashing in multiple states, you’ll need to consider the taxes. Even if you only worked in a state for one day, you need to file income tax returns in that state and your current state.
However, living and working on a cruise ship and Antarctica work differently. You’ll need to pay taxes due to their country and state of origin. So if you are from Georgia but worked on a cruise ship with different ports in Alaska, you should only need to pay state income tax in Georgia.
I am not a CPA or accountant; nothing here should be considered legal or tax advice. My best advice is to work with an experienced CPA who understands how to deal with your tax liability for all your side hustles and how you earn money while traveling. Good luck!