The idea of getting paid to travel may seem like a distant fantasy. But for the ambitious traveler, making this idea a reality isn’t as far-off as you might think. Many types of Content Creators — from new-to-the-game Instagram influencers to seasoned travel bloggers — are finding creative ways to make money while traveling. Their income doesn’t solely rely on partnering with brands and promoting their products, either. Learning how to get paid to travel means thinking outside the box and exploring avenues that initially aren’t top-of-mind. Maybe you already have traction as a Content Creator and a pretty good following, but you're seeking something more. Or perhaps you have a blog bringing in traffic, but scaling your content has been an uphill battle. As Creators, you face similar challenges in growing and monetizing your passions, regardless of what mediums you pursue. By the same token, the solutions (or how you can build income-generating momentum) are often universally relevant and strategically applicable, whether you’re a blogger, photographer, or YouTuber. So, how can you further build your brand, connect with your audience, and ultimately travel more while still earning a decent income? Let's dive into several opportunities that allow you to make money while traveling. When most people think about how to make money while traveling, they typically turn to conventional jobs based on where they want to go. Want to escape to Arizona for the winter? Find a job on a ranch. Wanderlusting for Bali? Maybe get a bartending gig. Even savvy Content Creators can get caught up in this one-dimensional way of thinking. So, to help you reframe what’s possible, here are five unique ways to get paid to travel on your terms. Running your own travel blog offers the ultimate autonomy as a self-motivated Content Creator. Even if you’re already doing well on social media, housing your content on its own web domain can further amplify your reach and tap into diversified money-making opportunities.Discover what avenues allow you to make money while traveling
Key Takeaways
Get Paid to Travel: 5 Unique Opportunities to Explore
Travel blogging
Think about how people find you. For most Content Creators, it’s visibility on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, as well as producing awesome content that shows up in people’s feeds or is shared among your audience. By repurposing your content into blog posts, people can find your work via search engines or platforms like Google Discover. Think SEO and content marketing!
But how do you turn your travel blog into a money-making machine? Here are several ways travel bloggers are making it happen:
- Affiliate marketing: One powerful way to make money while traveling is earning commissions through affiliate programs, like Amazon, Avantlink, hotel booking sites, and travel product companies.
- Ads: Featuring display ads is one of the quickest ways to earn (mostly) passive income. Platforms like Google AdSense, Ezoic, and Mediavine allow you to monetize your blog traffic by seamlessly showing ads on your blog.
- Sponsored content and press trips: Work with tourism boards, hotels, and tour operators to create sponsored content or secure paid press trips. This is where having a high-traffic travel blog gives you a lot of leverage.
- Sell digital products: Create and sell digital products such as eBooks, travel guides, or printable planners related to your travel niche. You can also sell curated photos from your destinations online.
- Email marketing: A blog enables visitors to turn into email subscribers, who are arguably more valuable than followers. These folks are opted-in and willing to hear from you, even if it's product recommendations from which you earn affiliate commissions or take part in events, trips, or other offerings.
Having your own travel blog also means having less long-term reliance on one single platform, which can be unpredictably shaky ground. A prime example is the decline in organic reach on Facebook, forcing creators to "boost" their posts in order to reach their audiences.
Brand ambassadorships
A brand ambassadorship can be a flexible way to earn supplemental income, especially if you enjoy engaging with people and promoting products you stand behind. The key to actualizing sustainable success is securing partnerships with brands you genuinely love and would love to work with.
These programs typically provide perks such as steep discounts, free upgrades, paid gigs, and other financial incentives for representing the brand through your platforms. Some of the ways brand ambassadors are earning money while traveling include:
- Press trips and hosting events: Brand ambassadors may be invited to press trips, co-host getaways, or host meet-ups and events that can provide unique travel experiences and potential compensation.
- Sponsored content and article publication: Ambassadors may be able to create sponsored content, publish their articles, and receive exposure through the brand's marketing channels.
- Sales commissions: In the same way affiliate marketing works, some brand ambassador programs offer the opportunity to earn commissions for sales generated through the ambassador's unique promo codes or referral links.
- Unique travel experiences: Brand ambassador programs may offer ambassadors the chance to visit luxurious accommodations or exotic destinations, providing unforgettable travel experiences.
- Travel brand content partnerships: Ambassadors may also have the opportunity to get paid through travel brand content partnerships, allowing them to earn money while creating content for travel partners. For example, we love the vibe and authenticity in the reels that Rachel Harris (@sunnrayy) produces for Overland Explorer Vehicles (@overlandexplorervehicles).
The possibilities for brand collaboration, whether as an ambassador or otherwise, offer rewarding opportunities for Creators. By participating in these programs, brand ambassadors can enjoy unique travel experiences while earning money and valuable perks. #score
Public speaking
If you have built a reputation in your space, then becoming a public speaker while traveling can be a lucrative way to earn money while sharing your knowledge, skills, and expertise.
Public speakers are often invited to various events and conferences around the world, where they can earn a substantial income for their presence on stage. Keynote speakers, in particular, command higher fees, ranging from $500 to $3,000, depending on the event. Additionally, public speaking engagements can offer other rewarding perks, such as all-expenses-paid travel, accommodation, and meals, making it a great way to see the world without breaking the bank.
Securing public speaking gigs can fuel other revenue-generating ventures along the way. The visibility and attention you get as a speaker can translate to more visitors exploring your digital platforms and engaging with your offerings. Aligning speaking opportunities with your digital products (like eBooks or online courses), list-building strategies, or simply earning new followers further improves your income potential.
For Creators who offer niche expertise and valuable experience to share on stage, public speaking presents a viable opportunity to make money while exploring different parts of the world.
Freelance writing & journalism
Most Content Creators have a knack for telling a good story — after all, your community follows and feels connected to you for a reason! As creatives, many Influencers are also naturally talented writers with an innate ability to articulate experiences or information into engaging articles, blog posts, or news stories. While writing might not be as fun as taking photos, putting pen to paper — errr…fingers to keyboard — can open up many opportunities to get paid while traveling. Here are some of the roles to explore as a freelance writer:
- Content writing: Countless businesses, brands, and agencies need skilled writers to draft short- and long-form content for websites or blogs, including travel-related entities.
- Technical writing: Can you convert complex information into accessible instructions or guides? Technical writing is a valuable talent with lucrative potential.
- Social media writing: You're probably no stranger to wordsmithing captivating posts for Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Many businesses and social media teams need help in this arena.
- Copywriting: Unlike content writing in the general sense, copywriting involves more persuasive material for marketing or advertising, such as product description copy or ad copy.
- SEO writing: Combine your skills in search engine optimization, writing, and content marketing to pursue freelance opportunities as an SEO writer.
- Translation: If you're multilingual, many organizations will pay for your proficiencies in converting written material from one language to another.
These freelance writing opportunities are all role-specific, meaning you apply your skills to a specific form of writing. Remember to consider the subject matter or theme-specific factor when exploring such opportunities. If you have expertise in certain areas — whether it's food, fashion, or technology — you can seek roles within these niches, like content writing for a travel agency website or technical writing for an adventure gear company.
This sort of subject-specific approach is equally as relevant in journalism, where the gigs you seek hinge on the nature of the publication. The genre of travel journalism lends to various freelance roles, including:
- Travel journalist: Report on assigned destinations, pitch story ideas, and interview professionals in the travel industry. This role may involve creating written content, producing videos, or taking photographs to accompany articles.
- Photojournalist: Create visual content, such as videos or photos, to accompany travel articles or as stand-alone reports.
- Travel editor: Select stories for publication or assign specific subjects or locations to journalists.
- Cruise news writer: Write news articles specifically focused on the cruise industry, a behemoth in the travel marketplace.
- Freelance travel writer: Write travel-related content on a freelance basis with no strings attached to any specific publisher.
You can find these opportunities in various companies and media outlets that offer a range of roles in journalism. Expanding beyond just travel, you can make money while traveling by taking on journalism gigs for other types of publications, whether it's political news features, lifestyle pieces, or entertainment articles.
Host group trips
Taking ownership of group travel experiences through platforms like TrovaTrip provides a direct path to getting paid while traveling with other like-minded individuals.
At Trova, we accommodate both Travelers (those seeking unique and memorable travel experiences) and Hosts (Creators who want to explore the world with their communities). As a Host, you get to include your margin in the sale price of the trip. With the average Host earning around $6,000 per trip, hosting group trips is a great way to get paid to travel while experiencing different parts of the globe with your community.
Hosting multiple trips can generate a repeatable income stream while traveling. We provide the tools and support you need to manage your trips while connecting even deeper with your community, enabling you to turn your followers into friends, scale your brand as a Creator, and grow your business as a Host.
In addition, hosting group trips with Trova allows you to strengthen bonds with your existing audience while reaching new ones, and offer unique and engaging content that can attract new partnerships and opportunities. It also offers the ability to lead workshops and share your knowledge with your Travelers.
If this sounds like it's up your alley, learn more about group trips and the benefits of being a Host through Trova below.
What are group trips?
Group trips are organized travel experiences where a group of individuals, often with shared interests, travel together to a particular destination. Group trip itineraries are designed around specific locations and activities of interest, whether exploring stunning hikes in Patagonia or Costa Rica's nightlife.
Individuals with an established following or community typically host group trips that offer a shared travel experience. Booking and hosting group travel experiences are done on Trova's platform, allowing Creators to invite their online community to travel with them in person. Trova and our local operating partners facilitate the planning, booking, and execution of these group travel experiences, catering to the growing demand for community-oriented travel.
Benefits of being a group trip Host
Becoming a Host and leading group trips leads to many rewarding benefits, from social, financial, and personal growth opportunities, including:
- Low overhead, low stress: Pre-organized group trips provide a seamless travel experience, allowing Hosts and Travelers to relax and enjoy the adventure without the stress that comes with planning and organizing every detail of a trip.
- Meaningful connections: Leading group trips allows Hosts to create more meaningful connections with their audience, establishing themselves as thought leaders within their community.
- Content creation: Hosting group trips provides plenty of opportunities to capture original and engaging content, helping to build your brand and attract new followers and potential partnerships.
- Get paid to travel: Being a group trip Host provides a rewarding way to travel. Hosts are paid a portion of the trip revenue, creating a substantial earning potential on each trip they lead.
- Value and inclusions: Traveling as a group often means a more economical, value-packed experience with bundled inclusions, like accommodation, meals, transportation, and exclusive access to sights.
- Safety in numbers: Being in a group mitigates the risks of traveling alone, and having guaranteed accommodation every night means less exposure to unsafe areas.
- A local Guide to lead the way: All TrovaTrips include a local Guide who is the in-destination expert. They speak the local language, know the customs and lay of the land, and keep the trip itinerary moving in a timely manner.
- Meet like-minded people: Group travel allows for deep bonding with like-minded Travelers, providing a sense of community and belonging and an opportunity to make friends instantly.
- Learning from diverse perspectives: Group travel lends to learning from various perspectives throughout the trip, including interactions with local cultures and knowledgeable tour guides, as well as the rich diversity of perspectives within the group itself.
Through Trova's platform, Hosts can select from over 150 professionally designed itineraries and tailor their trips to include workshops or classes that further position them as an expert within their field. Learn more about how Trova works.
Getting paid to travel is a voyage, not a vacation
For every successful Content Creator, whether an Instagram Influencer, YouTuber, or travel blogger, you seldom see the grind behind their success. The fact is, figuring out how to make money while traveling takes time; it's a voyage, not just a week-long vacation.
The best way to get paid to travel is to pursue an avenue that fits your personality and goals. Whether it's through hosting group trips, monetizing your blog, securing brand partnerships, or a combination of channels, actualizing financial freedom as a semi-nomadic Content Creator takes time. Sharing your experiences and consistently creating content can help you get there, but connecting with your community in person is the best way to turn your followers into life-long supporters while strengthening your brand.
