It is possible for an enterprising person to combine travel and earning money, and it may not be necessary to take menial jobs or to seek paid employment to do this. When you desire to travel and earn money, you should consider some of the self-employment opportunities, and develop your own ideas for making it a profitable trip.
* Courier work
There are legal ways to travel and get paid for delivering items to another country, or for transporting them to a distant part of the same country. You should always be provided with official documentation and be sure that delivery is for legitimate purposes.
* Temporary jobs
There is a long tradition of foreign students and itinerant workers gaining temporary summertime employment in agriculture. You could do some fruit picking or packing jobs for a few weeks, when and where required.
When you intend to stay in one place, where you are legally entitled to work, you can make money from part-time temporary work. At any tourist destination there are seasonal jobs to be found in shops, hotels, bars and restaurants.
* Travel writing
You have several good options for combining travel and making money as a writer:
- Find a publisher willing to pay you for contributing to a travel guide, or get paid an advance to complete a book about your own travel experiences.
- Keep an online travel journal, or post on your own travel blog. You will make money by becoming an agent for travel companies and adding your own affiliate links and banners, or by joining ad programs that pay revenue from ads in all your posts.
- Sell travel articles as exclusive website or newsletter content. You can do this through article content sites and freelance job sites.
- Be an independent travel writer. Self-published e-books and travel guides can be easily sold online. You can publish your travel books in electronic format for Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader, or use Lulu to self-publish and sell e-books with instant download.
* Photography
Photography can be a very profitable way to combine travel with making money because there is constant demand for original, high quality, digital photos online.
Register at photography sites where you make money selling series of travel photos for use as website content. You can also upload individual photos at websites that pay a small amount each time a photo is viewed online.
* Buying and selling
If you purchase traditional folk-art and regional handicraft items direct from the men and women who create them, you can sell these on at a profit at a local craft market, or supply souvenir outlets and gift stores at a popular tourist destination.
You will need export documentation if you intend taking saleable goods out of a country.
* Full-time work
If you decide to make a career out of travel you could find a job that entails constant travel to other countries, all expenses paid. You might try gaining employment within the travel industry, or work in another line of business that requires you to travel.
Whether you choose to work full-time, take temporary jobs or do your own money making activities, be sure to do the necessary research and preparation before your trip. Make it part of your travel plan. Where you travel and how you spend your time could be determined by how you decide to combine travel and earning money.