Travel and Make Money?

By Michael

Seventy-five percent of all people surveyed thought the best job was that of a travel writer. Well, that is what I remember of an article written back in the 1980's. But even today many people say the same thing. The idea of traveling and getting paid for it intrigued me those many years ago.

Problem is that all is not as it seems. You do not get to necessarily go where you want, your integrity can be tested and over the years the money has pretty much dried up. If you work for a magazine then they told you where to go. If a cruise line or someone else gives you a free trip you feel compelled to write only good things about it. Freelance writing use to pay $1 a word. Then it slowly dwindled down to a point where now fresh out of school 22 year-old editors working for half the average wage in America tell you the great experience you will receive writing for them for free.

The game has changed some but people are still traveling, writing and getting paid for it. And yes, there are still magazines publishing their work as a freelancer. But those I have spoken with tell me it is just part of a source of income needed.

Today travel blogging is the way people are subsidizing their travel. But now you must add marketing to your job description. There are various ways to monetize your blogsite. One can find many articles and Youtube videos about how to do it. But again, that is just part of the solution. Bloggers are house sitters, tour guides, English teachers and do jobs that can be done from anywhere, like graphic design. Some bloggers do not quit their day job and take the time doing small trips and articles building up their audience first. Or they write e-books about their trips.

The good news is that anyone can travel and make money. It just depends upon how much you are willing to work. In checking out travel bloggers you find retired couples, young couples, couples with children, single men, women and mother and daughter teams. Each type comes with ways to handle the situation. Single women concentrate on safety. Couples with children have to worry about schooling, food, naps, etc.

But to give you an idea of what is possible let me introduce you to some who have already forged the path. What they have done, may give you insight into what is possible for you.

BBQBoy and Spanky - 48 year-old couple. Like my wife and I, they are a North American married to a Latina. For many years they did the normal routine of a 9 to 5 job with travel once a year. This allowed them to build their reader base. Now they rent their home in Canada to others and travel the world. Frank(BBQBoy) writes in a conversational style dishing out the good, the bad and the ugly of their exploits. And also, like our blog, there are articles in both English and Spanish.

Nomadic Chic - Jeannie describes herself as, "I'm a mid-lifer who quit a growing corporate career to reawaken my passions." She has been traveling since 2010 after selling everything she owned and heading to India. Over 33,0000 followers on Twitter keep up with her adventures. One of the things Jeannie recommends for women wanting to travel alone is the Go Girl Guides.

Two Monkeys Travel Group - Kach from the Philippines and Jonathan from the United Kingdom are a young couple. They have done things slightly different. Their countries traveled to date are in excess of 30. However their blog site utilizes other travel writers. With over 59,000 twitter followers and over 75,000 hits to their webpage monthly advertisers come to them.

The Broke Backpacker - The name of Will's blog pretty much says it all. From his site he says, "I have lived in India for a year, worked on bars in Vietnam, herded goats in the Holy Land." He writes about how volunteering abroad has changed his life and how to become a travel blogger. His social media friends number over 100,000. All of his travel money does not come from such things as goat herding. He has sponsors listed on his website.

World Family Travel - The young couple travels the world with their two boys. They say, "Travel with children adds a whole new dimension to a trip, seeing things through children's eyes is magical." On their website their method for long term family travel is, "Extreme budget travel, savings, working sometimes, finding the best bargains and making money through travel blogging." You can find articles there about the subject including one titled, How To Start a Blog to Make Money.

There is no doubt in my mind that wanderlust affects many people and frustration sits in them until they figure out how to satisfy that thirst. The above are just a few of the thousands who have found ways to travel and get paid. It is not easy as many of those tell you in their blogs. You have to work at it, but it is possible and the rewards are worth it.

Michael is a former Michigander who now lives in Colombia with his wife Graciela. On their blogsite www.MichaelandGraciela.com they cover that South American country.

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