Getting paid to travel the world – it’s everybody’s dream, right? But most people will dismiss the idea as just that, a dream, and so for most people it becomes a dream that’s never brought to life. But if these people realised just how easy it is to make money on the go, they’d never have dismissed the idea. In fact, they’d probably be traveling the world, and making a killing at the same time.
When I first realised how easy it was to make money whilst traveling, I did three things: I booked a few flights and Airbnb lodgings, I wrote this article, and then I wrote a book to help others figure it out too (hopefully a little quicker than I did).
So here’s a guide to what I consider to be one of the most interesting and effective ways to make money whilst traveling – online freelancing. It’s one of my favourite ways to top up the bank account, and it’s so easy! No matter who you are or where you’re from, the chances are, there’s something you’re good at. And more often than not, there’ll be someone out there who’s looking for someone with your talents.
If you’re after more money-making ideas though, you’ll want my eBook, 15 Ways To Make Money Whilst Traveling. The eBook is much more in-depth – it’ll walk you through each idea, so no background knowledge is required! You can get it here from Amazon, or if you subscribe to Travel Lifestyle Magazine, a FREE copy will be sent straight to your inbox! But anyway, on with the article, and everything you need to know about supporting a traveling lifestyle with a freelance salary.
Online Freelance Writing Work
This is my forte, and this is how I started building an income that allowed me to travel. So for any non-believers out there, I’m living proof that there’s money to be made as a freelance writer.
If you’re good at writing, there are millions of freelance writing jobs, and all you have to do to get them is send a proposal written in fairly good English. You don’t even need any qualifications or writing experience! Honestly, just send out a few proposals to jobs that interest you – it can even be as simple as: ‘Dear Hiring Client, I may be new to freelancing but I’m definitely not new to writing, and I’d love to write this article for you!’ Maybe throw in a little more about yourself and why you’re interested in the job, but basically, as long as you can write in proper English, you’ll find jobs that pay.
Getting started as a freelance writer
First off, you’re going to need to choose a freelance platform. The two main options are Upwork and Freelancer. Set up your profile on one or both of these sites, add a picture and a bit about yourself, and as easy as that, you’re ready to start applying to jobs.
Most people that start out freelance writing go through a stage of down-heartedness. They haven’t got any jobs yet, or they haven’t found any well paying jobs. And in all honesty, at the start, this might be the case. But that’s only because you haven’t sussed it yet.
Sussing the freelance system
If you want to get the stage where you can travel full time on your freelance salary, you’re going to need to stick with it. Over time, you’ll realise which proposals work, and which will get instantly dismissed. Once you’ve figured that out, and formed a basic proposal template that lands you jobs 90% of the time, you’ll have your pick of clients.
So how do you get to this stage? How do you suss the system? Basically, it comes down to trial and error. But the results will be worth it. You need to send at least 10 proposals a day when you first start out, 20 if you can manage it. The more proposals you send, the more likely it is that one of them will get results. And try and vary your proposal from time to time, test out a few different templates, and ALWAYS personalise proposals to the job. Then, you should start to notice a pattern in what proposals get a response. Once you reach that stage, you’ll start applying to each job with confidence, and what’s more, you’ll have more and more clients wanting to hire you. Then it’s up to you to choose which clients you take on.
To start with, you might need to take on a few jobs that don’t pay so well, just to boost your job success score. Think of like eBay, most people wouldn’t go to a seller with no feedback, just as the high paying clients aren’t likely to hire freelancers with no feedback or experience. So take on a few starter jobs at first, and you’ll work your way up to the well-paying clients. Starting out with the smaller, less well-paid jobs will also boost your confidence as a writer – you’ll get used to the way things work and what clients are looking for.
How much can you earn as a freelance writer?
This is the question that’s no doubt been running through your mind since the beginning of this article, so how much can you earn as a freelance writer? The simple answer is, it varies. But the more effort you put in to sussing the freelance system, and building your reputation and job success score, the more you’ll be able to charge per hour, or per article.
In all honesty, when you start out, your first jobs might only pay $10 or so per article, but once you’ve got a few jobs under your belt, you’ll be eligible for better paying ones. It’s not uncommon for experienced and top rated freelancers to set their rates at up to $75 an hour. So that’s a rate you can work towards.
How practical is it to travel on a freelance salary?
I live in the UK, in the country’s most uneventful city, where the most interesting story in the local paper is about banning dressing gowns in supermarkets.
I travel and I write, because surely there are more interesting stories than that to write about and share.
