6 WAYS WE MAKE MONEY WHILE TRAVELLING
And ways you can too!
We get asked two questions like clockwork. "Where’s the favourite place you’ve visited so far?" and the most common, "How on Earth do you fund this lifestyle?"
No, we didn't strike it lucky with a lottery windfall, nor did we stumble across a pirate's map to a chest of gold. What a bummer, huh?
The truth is that it's an ongoing puzzle, and we're constantly sifting through pieces, trying to frame the perfect financial picture, while also making sure we stay present and enjoy these precious days with our girls. We haven’t matched the earnings we had before we took off travelling, but money is flowing in from various channels now and it’s enough to sustain our dream lifestyle.
We’re big believers that life has more to offer beyond the standard 9-5, and we're unwavering in our quest to discover a better way and share what we learn with fellow dreamers along the way.
So, here are five ways that we make our traveling dream a reality, and we hope they can shine a light on how you might achieve the same.
1. Rent out property
Our full-time travel dreams first took flight thanks to property. Four years ago, we were living in a semi-renovated home on the Gold Coast when the spark to pursue this unconventional lifestyle was ignited. To fuel our travel aspirations, it was clear that we needed to complete the renovation and sell our house. This would generate the profit required to fund our globetrotting adventures.
Once the house was sold, we scaled down and purchased a smaller property that could be rented out, providing us now with a consistent flow of passive income.
We went with traditional long-term renting, but you could consider the short-term alternative. Today, sites like Airbnb, Riparide, and the like, simplify the process of offering your home for rent while you're off exploring the world.
We've met numerous families who sold their properties to finance their travels, but we'd hesitate to suggest others do the same. Had we followed this route, selling our home without immediate reinvestment, we'd now find ourselves unable to afford the current market rates. This is due to the fact that property values in our area have skyrocketed, doubling since our departure.
2. Collaborate with brands
Documenting and sharing our travels on social media has opened doors to opportunities we never knew existed. We've been gifted amazing travel gear, invited by luxury resorts to stay in exotic locations, and given the chance to experience bucket-list adventures, all thanks to a little app called Instagram. It actually blows our minds how this one app can pave the way for so many life-changing opportunities.
Sounds amazing? Well, it is and it isn’t. As full-time explorers, we’re already creating a plethora of content. It’s a way for us to document our memories and we truly love capturing every moment. This means brands are eager to align with our genuine, first-hand experiences to boost their own marketing efforts. Brands know they get a cost-effective package deal when they collaborate with family content creators. They don't have to separately hire a model, a photographer, a travel writer, and a social media expert. We do it all.
But successful collaborations require a lot effort and capturing content with kids isn’t a walk in the park. Taking photos and shooting videos, as well as editing and writing the content to subtly weave in a brand’s key messaging, can be downright exhausting when little ones are involved.
Also, building a strong presence on social media and keeping a steady posting schedule is a lot harder than it may seem. We’re terrible at it! Constantly feeding the social media beasts can also detract from your core travel goal - which for us, is spending quality time with our girls. Our strategy is to only partner with brands we genuinely love and value our work. We don't work for free or merely for product exchange, and we're very picky about the collaborations we say 'yes’ to. Because at the end of the day, even though we genuinely love creating content, it is trading time for dollars which is why we don’t rely solely on this income stream.
3. Create UGC for companies
We also work with brands and tourism boards to create content for their marketing campaigns without having to post on our socials. This is called User Generated Content (UGC). The best part here is that you don't need thousands of followers to make this work, and it can be very lucrative.
Brands crave authentic, high-quality UGC for their marketing materials, be it website banners, social media posts, newsletters, or even product catalogues. So, if you’re handy with a camera, this can be a great way to make an income while on the road.
Don’t worry if you're a complete newbie in the world of photography, because just like us, you can always learn. When we took off, we were very green. We already had a love of photography, but relied heavily on the camera's auto mode and were clueless about the art of snapping a great shot!
Our advice now? If you want to learn quickly, we’d suggest Investing in yourself early and looking into a course that not only polishes your photography and videography skills but also guides you to monetize these talents. Our personal choice was the Lost Creator Academy, a brilliant program that offers a step-by-step journey to master the art and business of both photography and videography.
4. Start a blog
We’ve only just launched this travel blog so we can’t share many nuggets of wisdom with you just yet.
We do know that blogging is a marathon, not a sprint, and making money from blogging requires time, patience, and strategic planning. We also think that starting a blog is a smart move because it’s a platform that you control entirely - you're not at the mercy of algorithm changes or policies on social platforms.
Our aim is to consistently produce quality content and create more passive income through affiliate marketing, sponsored content, ad revenue and selling prints. We’ll keep you updated as our blogging journey progresses.
5. Become an affiliate
We often get questions from those itching to know our travel tips, travel gear recommendations and from those yearning to escape the corporate grind. With each affiliate link we share and purchase made through it, we get a little bonus - no cubicle necessary, and no typical 9-to-5 grind to worry about.
If you dread the idea of selling or being spammy, don’t worry. The key is only promoting products or services that genuinely sync with your interests and, most importantly, meet your audience's needs. For us, being authentic is key - we promote only what we truly believe in. This approach ensures our recommendations are helpful and the process feels natural, not like a sales pitch.
When it comes to travel content, Travel Payouts is a real gem. It's an affiliate marketing platform that specialises in the travel industry. So, whether you’re recommending a must-visit hotel, a reliable flight booking platform, or an unforgettable guided tour, Travel Payouts has it covered. They partner with numerous travel services worldwide, meaning you have a huge range of products and services to recommend.
6. Sell digital products
Selling a digital product offers passive income while enjoying the freedom to be anywhere in the world. That’s our ultimate goal and digital products are the perfect vehicle.
We sell a comprehensive Digital Marketing Course with an added twist: Master Resell Rights. This means anybody who is keen to start their own online business, but isn’t sure where to start, can purchase the course, rebrand it and resell it as their own for 100% profit.
The brilliance lies not just in the potential for profit, but also in the course's educational value. It empowers learners with the essential skills to either launch a new venture or scale up an existing one. And the ripple effect? By reselling, it helps equip others to chart their own path to financial freedom. Win-win!
Thanks for reading! Please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase through these links, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
We truly appreciate your support!