Traveling the world is very expensive. Luckily, there is a way to live in many different countries while also working at the same time. It is called being a digital nomad and is the best way to be able to afford long-term travel. It’s also a great way to explore so you can find the ideal country where you would like to settle if you are unhappy living in the one where you were born.
Since there are many options for getting paid while abroad and working remotely is no longer such an oddity, digital nomading is exploding in popularity. The world has now opened up to be experienced in a way that is living more like a local than as a tourist. If you’re interested in moving abroad and want to get paid while doing so, then you need to learn the ways to make money to do so. In this article, we will go over some of the best ways to make money to become a digital nomad.
1 – Keep your remote job
The most logical way to be able to travel and work is to keep the job you currently have and go remote if you aren’t already. This prevents the need to try to build up an income before setting out. You already know how much you will make and can then budget accordingly.
It isn’t as simple a process as it seems, however, since you may not be allowed to work your current job abroad. If your company doesn’t have a presence in that country then there is no way for your taxes to be withheld.
Health insurance won’t be covered by your employer either since it won’t be valid in another country so will need to find coverage yourself. You can compare international health insurance and find the coverage that works for your situation, however.
If you don’t already have a job that allows for remote work then you can certainly find one. Look online and you will find many jobs in your industry that offer remote positions.
2 – Blogging
People are surprised to learn that blogging can be a very lucrative online business. In fact, blogging can make people rich these days if it is done correctly. There is a creative economy happening now in which people are using their creativity to make money. This means that as a content creator you have a lot of possibilities to be able to earn an income.
The key is to pick a topic that is both popular and also has a lot of possibilities for monetization. You may be tempted to blog about your experiences as a digital nomad, but there are likely other topics that are more profitable. The key is to focus on a topic where people are spending money.
There are people who are blogging about their nomad experience, but it takes finding the right angle for it to be successful. Try to niche down and think about some of the topics that are underserved that people are looking to do. For instance, if you are working as a freelance translator while working as a digital nomad then this is a topic that would be great to blog about since people will be looking for this type of information even if they don’t plan to become a digital nomad themselves.
Once you have a dedicated following you can make money from ads on your site, or even by selling your own digital product such as courses. Affiliate marketing is also very popular for blogs so if there is a product associated with your topic then you can make money in commissions when people buy it. When you’re accepted into the affiliate program you get a tracking code so all purchases made through that link will be paid a percentage of the purchase price.
3 – Doing e-commerce
Owning a store is now easier than ever since it can be done entirely online these days. Many consumers prefer to shop online and look for stores where they can buy goods instead of going to a regular brick-and-mortar location.
You can start an ecommerce store and run it from anywhere in the world. You don’t need to physically ship the products yourself so it is totally hands-off and can be done remotely.
The way it works is that you will have a website on which people will do their shopping. Then, when a purchase is made, the order is sent to a fulfillment center. This is where they will pick, pack, and ship your product. Smaller operations will generally do their own shipping, but once you get to a certain size and revenue base it makes sense to outsource the fulfillment.
Once you make the switch from shipping products yourself to outsourcing the fulfillment, then you can hit the road and live and work wherever you like.
