22 Easy Ways To Earn Money Abroad

I’ve been extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to live abroad for so many years and while I feel like I’ve been on holiday the whole time, the reality is that I’ve been working abroad.

One of the biggest misunderstandings of long-term travel is that you need to be rich. The reality is that most of us aren’t rich and don’t have a lot of money in the bank. If you’re willing to slow down a little, settle in abroad, find a job and save money, you’ll be able to continue travelling for as long as you want. And if I’m going to be completely honest, this is the best type of travel and the most memorable!

So how can you afford to travel?

It’s simple, find work and earn money while you’re travelling.

Of course, it’s going to be hard to afford to travel if you don’t work. I mean you wouldn’t even be able to afford to live at home if you didn’t work, would you? Why would you think it would be any different while living abroad?

What are the different types of work you can do abroad?

Generally, they fall into 4 different categories:

Local Jobs

These are the jobs that you find once you arrive in a certain country or city. They usually involve either printing a CV and handing it around town or applying online for different jobs.

In the past, this has been the method that I’ve used to find many different jobs abroad. I would recommend looking into getting a Working Holiday Visa so that you’re eligible to legally work in a foreign country.

Work for Accommodation

If you aren’t able to get a working holiday visa and legally get paid to work abroad, then working for accomodation is a great alternative. In exchange for free accommodation (sometimes food and pocket money aswell) you work for a few hours a day to help out. This can involve anything from farm work to working in hostels.

Check out Work Away to get an idea of the type of work offered.

Online Work

Being able to work online is every long-term travellers dream! The dream of being able to make money from your laptop anywhere in the world get’s a lot of people excited. The reality is, you’ll have to invest some time to building your skill set if you want to start making money online.

This article will show you how to start making money online in less than a week!

Travel Jobs

If you want to make travelling a part of your life, then why not consider a travel job. These jobs generally involve travelling to different places around the world while working.

Now that we understand the different types of work overseas, we can have a look at ways to earn money abroad in 2016:

1. Hostel

One of the most common ways for travellers to save money while travelling is to work in a hostel. In exchange for free accommodation at the hostel, they can work at the reception desk and/or provide basic cleaning services. This is a great option if you plan on staying in a certain city for a few weeks or months and don’t have working permits. Because you aren’t getting ‘paid’ you can legally work in the hostel.

The best way to find a job in a hostel is to be friendly with the staff, be fun and tell them you’d love to become a staff member.

Type: Work for Accomodation

Income: $0-$10 an hour

Resources:
–Job Availabilities in Hostels Around the World
–What to Expect Working in a Hostel

2. Au Pair

If you’ve ever been a babysitter or looked after children in the past, then being an Au Pair might be the perfect job for you. The role of an Au Pair is to help look after a families children and teach them your native language. Rather than a simple babysitter or nanny who comes and goes, you live with your Au Pair family and help out. This is typically a sought out job for girls.

This can be a well-paying job in many areas around the world. I’ve met a few people that have been paid more than $5000 per month, plus free accommodation and food.

Type: Work for Accommodation

Income: $5-$30 an hour

Resources:
–Au Pair World
–Smart Au Pairs

3. Volunteer

One of the most rewarding experiences that you can have while travelling is volunteering. Whether you’re helping look after endangered species or teaching others less fortunate than you how to read, volunteering will change your life.

Be careful: There are various volunteer programs abroad that make you pay to be a part of their program. A lot of these programs are nothing more than a scam and a way to make money.

Type: Work for Accommodation

Income: $0

Resources:
–How to Volunteer Abroad for Free
–Free Volunteering

4. Resort Jobs

If you love partying and don’t mind living with others, then resort jobs can be amazing. From the mountain tops to tropical islands, there are many different types of resorts all over the world. Generally, you are offered free accomodation, free food and a basic wage.

Type: Work for Accommodation/Local Job

Income: $10-$25 an hour

Resources:
–Club Med
–Are you Cut Out for Resort Work?

5. Farm Work

One of the most popular ways for travellers to make money on the road (especially in Australia and New Zealand) is to work on a farm. These jobs can be anything from picking potatoes to driving tractors. Unfortunately, this type of work generally doesn’t pay very well, although many provide free accommodation and food in return for your efforts.

Type: Work for Accommodation/Local Job

Income: $0-$18 an hour

Resources:
–WWOOF International
–Paying and Volunteer Farm Work Jobs World Wide

6. Flight Attendant

Being a flight attendant is the first job that most people think of when looking for a travel job. While this seems like one of the most glamorous jobs, it’s actually quite difficult. With a tough application process, a long training period and constantly dealing with unhappy customers, becoming a flight attendant definitely isn’t for everyone.

Type: Travel Job

Income: $20-$35 an hour

Resources:
–Flight Attendant Careers
–What it’s Really Like to Work as a Flight Attendant

7. Cruise Ship

There are many different jobs you can do on a cruise ship including cooking, deck hand, performing, engineer and more. These jobs generally offer free accommodation, food and travel insurance. If you don’t mind spending long periods of time on a ship and like travelling to exotic places, then working on a cruise ship might be the perfect job for you.

Type: Travel Job

Income: $15-$30 an hour

Resources: 
–How to Get a Job on Board Cruise Ships
–What it’s Actually Like to Work on a Cruise Ship

8. Travel Writer

If you’ve ever thought about travelling to different locations around the world, staying in fancy hotels and resorts and writing about your experiences, then travel writing is a great option. While it’s not an easy industry to break into, writing articles online can help you afford to travel for years to come.

Type: Travel Job/Online Work

Income: $10-$200 per article (plus free travel)

Resources:
–How to Make Money Writing Articles Online [The Ultimate Guide]
–How to Become a Travel Writer

9. Tour Escort

Big tour companies such as Contiki and Bus About hire tour escorts to lead their groups on trips around multiple countries. There are opportunities to lead tours all around the world. Most of these companies expect a minimum commitment of 1-2 years and don’t necessarily pay very well for the amount of work you do.

Type: Travel Job

Income: $15-$30 an hour (plus free travel and accommodation)

Resources:
–Contiki Jobs
–Become a Tour Escort

10. Tour Guide

Different to a tour escort, a tour guide generally does tours in one location. Whether you take a hiking tour of a certain region, a city tour or a museum tour, there are plenty of options. Pick where you want to live, learn about the cities history and landmarks, contact the local tourist office and apply for a job.

Type: Local Job

Income: $10-$25 an hour

Resources:
–Lead Adventure Travel Tours
–So you Want to be a Tour Guide

11. Busking

If you play an instrument, busking is an easy way to make money from anywhere in the world. While you won’t earn a full-time wage, busking allows you the freedom to play whenever you want, and earn enough money for food and cheap accommodation.

Type: Local Job

Income: $0-$25 an hour

Resources:
–Rules for Successful Buskers
–How to Make Money Busking

12. Tutor

If you’re looking for a way to make money using skills that you already have, then I suggest looking into tutoring. You can either tutor face-to-face or online via video. Though you won’t become a millionaire overnight, you can earn enough money to fund your full-time travel life.

Type: Local Job/Online Work

Income: $5-$20 an hour

Resources:
–Talk Online With Others for Money
–Become a Tutor Online

13. Teach English

One of the most popular ways for foreigners to make money while living abroad is teaching English. English is a language that is in high demand and there is a lack of good English teachers in many countries. If you’re looking for a job that pays well and offers a great experience interacting with locals, then teaching English overseas is the way to go.

Type: Local Job/Online Work

Income: $10-$20 an hour

Resources:
–How to Get an English Teaching Job Overseas
–10 Ways to Teach English Abroad

14. Bartender/Server

The main way that I’ve funded many years living abroad has been through bartending and waiting tables. Once you have experience in this industry, you can work anywhere in the world and fund your travel life overseas. If you like earning decent money and partying with locals then working as a bartender is perfect.

Type: Local Job

Income: $10-$25 an hour

Resources:
–Learn How to Travel the World With Bartending
–How to Easily Find a Hospitality Job Abroad

15. Chef

If you have experience working in a kitchen, you’ll be able to find a job almost anywhere in the world. Good chefs are always in high demand and luckily there are restaurants all over the world. While this is a well-paying job, you will have to work quite a lot and may not get as much time to travel and appreciate your time abroad.

Type: Local Job

Income: $15-$35 an hour

Resources:
–Chef Jobs Abroad
–Catering Jobs Abroad for Chefs

16. Blogging

The ultimate dream for a lot of travellers is to start a successful blog. It normally takes years to start making money from a blog, but if you start today and have a long term vision, you’ll be able to fund your travels through your blog.

Type: Online Work

Income: $500-$4000 a month

Resources:
–How to Start a Travel Blog [Step-By-Step Guide]
–6 Things to Know Before you Start a Travel Blog

17. Freelance

The quickest way to start making money online is by freelancing. Whether you’re a writer, graphic designer or know how to code, there are millions of different jobs for freelancers online. If you think you don’t have any skills that you can freelance, consider SEO writing because you can start making money in a couple of days.

Type: Online Work

Income: $5-$50 an hour

Resources:
–5 Steps to Start Making Money With SEO Writing
-Find Jobs on Upwork
-Find Jobs on Freelancer
-Find Jobs on iWriter

18. Vlogging

Putting up video blogs every day to sites such as Youtube can take a lot of time. However, if you enjoy shooting videos, editing them and sharing them with the world, then vlogging is the right option for you. Unfortunately, in order to get paid, you generally have to monetize your videos through Youtube which means you need to get a lot of people watching your videos.

Type: Online Work

Income: $100-$5,000 per video

Resources:
–How to Start Vlogging on Youtube
–How to Create Kick-ass Travel Videos

19. Virtual Assistant

Being a virtual assistant involves completing organisational tasks for someone from organising their calendar, to setting meetings, to doing research on a certain topic. This isn’t the most glamorous job and usually involves doing some mundane tasks, but it can be done online and means you can continue travelling for as long as you want.

Type: Online Work

Income: $5-$15 an hour

Resources:
–How to Become a Virtual Assistant
–Find Jobs on Fiverr

20. AirBnB

If you have an apartment or house and plan on keeping it while you travel, consider renting it out. By using websites such as Airbnb you can rent out room/s in your place for some extra travel money. This can help you earn a bit of extra cash while your on the road.

Type: Online Work

Income: $20-$100 a night

Resources:
–Rent Out Your Room
–Get Paid for Your Pad

21. Photography

If you know how to use a camera, chances are you can make some money by selling your photography. While this is a very competitive business, if you follow the right strategy and commit to improving the quality of your photographs then you can make a nice living.

Type: Online Work

Income: $1-$500 per photo.

Resources:
–Top 15 Sites to Sell Your Photos Online
–Travel Photography Course

22. Poker

Funnily enough, I was able to fund my second overseas trip through the money I made from Online Poker. To be honest, I got lucky, and unless you’re good with numbers, have patience and are willing to lose sometimes, then online poker might not be for you. That being said, having the ability to be anywhere in the world, take out your computer and start making money from poker is pretty cool.

Type: Online Work

Income: $0-$100 an hour

Resources:
–The biggest Online Poker Website
–How to Fund Your Travels Playing Online Poker

Conclusion

The reality is that there are plenty of different ways to make money while you’re overseas. Although not all of them will suit your needs, I know that you’ll easily be able to make money using one of the methods I’ve mentioned.

To be honest, the best type of travelling is when you’re able to stay somewhere for a little while, settle in, work and interact with the locals. In this way, you get to experience other cultures first hand.

I hope that you’re now inspired to start planning your next trip overseas and understand that you don’t need to save a lot of money to make your dream of travelling a reality. All you need to do is find a job on the road, save for a little and continue travelling.

Have you ever worked abroad? What type of job did you have?