5 popular ways to earn money as a digital nomad

What does a digital nomad mean? A digital nomad is a person who generally travels from place to place while working remotely using a laptop. Becoming a digital nomad allows a life full of freedom and flexibility. To help inspire your nomadic dreams, I am going to share with you 5 popular ways to earn money as a digital nomad.

• Teach online
• Freelance writing
• Website
• Publish an book
• Social media

Check out this post on quotes to inspire travel lust.

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Teach English online

Teaching English online to children and adults online from anywhere in the world is a great way to earn extra money online. Pay rates change from platform to platform but an average of about $10 – $15 per hour if you don’t have any qualifications is to be expected. With teaching certifications and/or a degree, you can expect to earn up to $26 per hour.

What requirements are there?

• Fluent in English (not all platforms require native English speakers)
• A laptop, tablet or phone
• Strong internet connection

Previous teaching experience is not usually required. A degree or some form of teaching qualification is not necessary for all platforms. However, I recommend becoming TEFL qualified as this will open up your teaching opportunities and will earn you more money.

Find out how to become TEFL qualified here.

Earn money with these platforms –

• English Tutors Online – Cambly
• Get paid to help people learn a language | italki
• Become an online tutor • Apply to be a tutor on Preply
• Sharing the World’s Knowledge – SkimaTalk
• Apply | Teach with Palfish (requires TEFL)

Find out how to earn money online with Cambly here.

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Become a freelancer

There are many sites offering the opportunity to get paid for various things from writing articles, copy writing, social media assistance, proof reading or even product testing. The more experience you gain over time, the more you will get paid. Many sites work in such a way that you can decide how much you want to be paid per project. If you set too high a price when starting though, this might get you rejected for that particular project.

Earn money with these popular freelance sites

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• Freelancer
• PeoplePerHour
• We Work Remotely

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Create your own website

This option will not magically make a bunch of money appear fast. You need to invest your time long term before you can reap the rewards. The hard work will eventually pay off though, check out sites such as Goats On The Road for proof. Once your website starts to gather traffic, keep the momentum going and after reaching 10000 page views per month, you will be able to start earning money through adverts such as Ezoic. There are many ways to monetise a blog before hitting this target but it can take time so be patient. The rewards will be 10000% worth it!

Anyone can do this, you do not have to be tech savvy. I am not knowledgeable at all about technology but with various free videos, I got my site up and running. I recommend checking out Goats on the Road for advice and discounts. Support and my domain name (girlwiththesuitcase) from Bluehost cost about £30 for free years with a discount from Goats on the Road. That is the only expense so far that I have had to put towards my site. It can cost more or less depending on if you choose to pay for years in advance or choose monthly payments.

Create a site with –

• WordPress
• Wix.com
• Squarespace

Publish a Book

If you enjoy writing why not write a book!? It can be informative, fictional, scientific – whatever you want! If you think about the amount of knowledge and life experience you have, there are probably several books worth of content there already! Have you volunteered abroad? People like me would love to hear about this.

This is not a get rich fast scheme of course but it is worth time. Once your book is out there for sale, this will be a nice extra side-earner to supplement your savings. Or who knows, it might become a big earner!

Ways to publish a book –

• Publish your book (aboutamazon.co.uk)
• How to Sell Your Self-Published Book Online | Blurb UK
• The Choir Press

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Social media followings

Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest are the social media sites I would recommend using to start gathering a following. YouTube is a great idea too if you are into making videos. You can advertise your site on your social media accounts to increase traffic. However, if you don’t have a blog then they are still useful. Once you have around 5000 followers (sometimes less), you have opportunities to be paid. There are many ways to go about this, including brand advertising, affiliate links and publishing sponsored posts.

Some people are offered free hotel stays or free products. For example, a couple I know were offered a discount on their stay in return for writing a review article on their stay. Like building up a site, this can take time to achieve but is worth it in the long run. You can reach out to hotels/hostels and enquire about their media rates. A great thing to have is a ‘media template’ showing a bit about you and what you can offer them in return for your discount or free stay. For those who aren’t travellers, reach out to areas related to your niche.

I will be providing a free media template in a future email so sign up here to make sure you don’t miss out!

Let me know of ways you are planning to make money as a digital nomad. Or if you already do then share your tips!