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Nomad Wallet

Travel More. You Can Afford It.

You are here: Home / Affording Travel Interview / How 5 Location-Independent Bloggers Afford to Travel

How 5 Location-Independent Bloggers Afford to Travel

December 20, 2013 by Deia 32 Comments

As I surf the web, I sometimes come across blog posts where the blogger reveals how he or she manages money while on the road.

And because these location-independent bloggers have done a great job at explaining how they support themselves, I feel like interviewing them would only repeat information that’s already available on their own websites.

So I decided to present some of those blog posts here.

Location-independent work

I have chosen five location-independent bloggers who have continue to make money as they travel.

Because these are prominent bloggers, they may also make money from their websites. But as far as I can tell, they can all survive without blogging income.

Because it’s been a while since some of these blog posts were written, I also reached out to these location-independent bloggers to check if they have any updates.

I think it’s interesting how they do very different things to earn money while traveling. :)

 

Talon of 1 Dad, 1 Kid, 1 Crazy Adventure

Talon took his son on an adventure with only $900 in his savings account. He has secured some work before leaving and continues to find gigs as they travel. Talon has worked as a medical transcriptionist, writer and scuba dive instructor.

Income sources:

  • Medical transcription work
  • Freelance writing
  • Teaching scuba diving whenever the opportunity arises

Read more: How I Fund Our Family Travel at 1 Dad, 1 Kid, 1 Crazy Adventure

Talon says:

That article is still accurate. I think I mention this in the post, but basically I want to emphasize to people that they really are only limited by their imagination. There are SO many ways to earn and save money while one travels. I really encourage people to think outside the proverbial box, make a list of ALL the things they LOVE to do and see if just maybe one or more of those things couldn’t become an income stream for them.

After I published this post, Talon also added in the Comments section below that his blog does account for most of his income now. Over email, he also further clarified:

When we first began our trip, doing medical transcription and freelance writing were my main income sources. We were traveling for just over a year before the blog started making any income, and it was about 1-1/2 years before it became our primary source of income.

 

Audrey of That Backpacker

This Canadian had her first taste of travel while escaping Canadian winters on family trips. She continued to travel in college and moved to South Korea when she graduated. She teaches English in South Korea and writes for various online publications.

Income sources:

  • Teaching English in South Korea
  • Freelance writing

Read more:  How Can You Afford to Travel Around the World? at That Backpacker

Audrey says:

[This] specific article talks about the different ways I have funded my travels over the years: part time jobs in high school and university, teaching English in Korea,  freelancing and blogging, etc. Nothing new to add to it, it’s pretty up to date. :)

 

John and Nancy of Family on Bikes

When John and Nancy took off to travel with their kids, they rented out their home in Boise and also lived off the 5% interest they were getting from their savings. Then the housing market collapsed and the savings interest rate dropped to 0.5%.  After doing some thinking, they decided to move the money from their savings account into real estate instead. Now rent has become a considerable portion of their income. (Read this post on passive income for more details on making money from investments.)

rent-income

Income sources:

  • Rent from properties
  • Interest from savings account

Read more: How We Afford Long Term Family Travel at Family on Bikes

Nancy says:

We are not traveling now, but yes, that is still how we fund our lives. If we were to take off, not much would change in the financial arena.

 

Shannon of A Little Adrift

Shannon was working online as an SEO consultant in LA when she decided she needed a change of scenery. When she told her dad that she was thinking of moving to Boston, he said, “Well, you can pretty much work from anywhere, so I say do it.” This one sentence gave Shannon “an epiphany of sorts”. She bought a one-way ticket to Australia and has been traveling ever since.

Income sources:

  • SEO consulting
  • Book royalty? (Shannon briefly mentioned publishing a book in the blog post, so I assumed she would be earning royalty now, but read her response below for her clarification.)

Read more here: Why I Left to Travel, How I Pay for It, and How to Work as an Expat at A Little Adrift

Shannon says:

I still do the SEO and online consulting for sure, and that pays the bulk of my bills each month. My book is now out, but the income stream from that is negligible really. The book has brought me some great press, but it was a self-published book and so it is not and was not published for the money-making part of the equation.

My website brings in a very modest (maybe 10% of my monthly earnings) income through Amazon affiliate links.

Hope that helps. The consulting remains the way I fund traveling!

 

Marcello of WanderingTrader

Instead of going to college, Marcello took out a $25,000 student loan and invested it in stocks. The stock market beat him and he lost all that money in one month, but he didn’t give up. Today, after almost 10 years of day trading, Marcello only has to work one or two hours per day to generate enough income to travel.

Income source:

  • Day trading in the stock market

Read more here: Here’s What WanderingTrader is All About at WanderingTrader

Marcello says:

I make money from wanderingtrader as well via travel.. I day trade, train guys to trade, and also make money with the travel site

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Comments

  1. Jeff Bronson *Kraven* says

    February 17, 2015 at 1:32 AM

    Thanks for sharing these, always nice to see how others do it. Personally, I’m from the U.S., living in Goa, India at the moment. Sustaining on savings and eCommerce consulting/digital marketing strategies, etc.

    Reply
    • Deia says

      February 19, 2015 at 4:37 AM

      I enjoy finding out about how others do it too, evidently. ;)

      Reply
  2. Antonio Morote says

    August 31, 2014 at 8:18 AM

    What an informative post!

    Its great to find out how others fund their travelling, and has given me a few good ideas :)

    Thanks for writing this!

    Antonio
    The Travelling Tortoise

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      August 31, 2014 at 2:49 PM

      Thanks, Antonio! Glad you liked the read. :)

      Reply
  3. TravelDoIt says

    May 6, 2014 at 1:55 PM

    It’s really interesting to see how other bloggers fund their travels, and as we have future travel bloggers following us we’d be really happy to share this post.

    It’s quite strange to see the differing ways that they all make money, from medical work to the stock markets!

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      May 6, 2014 at 4:02 PM

      I find it absolutely fascinating! People to the budget travel side quite similarly (hostels, AirBnB, house-sitting, ground transport, air miles), but the real diversity is how they make money while traveling. Thanks for sharing this post! :D

      Reply
  4. Milene - My Cup of Travel says

    January 24, 2014 at 4:44 PM

    So maybe there is a solution for me. I also heard that it’s quite a good thing to know how to build websites. Nowadays many people earn lots of money with building websites. And there is of course the teaching English which you can do anywhere or like me; being stuck at the office for 9 hours a day… Hmmmm. Thanks for posting and showing me that there are other ways =)

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      January 24, 2014 at 5:12 PM

      Glad you enjoyed the read, Milene. Building websites can be quite lucrative for sure; it just takes a lot of time and effort. And you’re right, there are a lot of other options, depending on your skill set and preferences.

      Reply
  5. Andy says

    January 20, 2014 at 1:00 AM

    Great list of bloggers and breakdown. Travel blogging definitely isn’t this magical money source that many people think. Most of the even the top bloggers rely on alternative sources.

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      January 20, 2014 at 1:35 AM

      Travel blogging definitely isn’t an easy fix! It takes a lot of time and effort to build income from it.

      Reply
  6. Christina says

    January 9, 2014 at 11:29 AM

    Great article and a great website with lots of good advice.

    Have a great day!
    Christina

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      January 9, 2014 at 12:14 PM

      Thanks, Christina! :)

      Reply
  7. Tana B says

    January 8, 2014 at 8:14 PM

    Interesting post. I agree with Talon when he says people are only limited by their imagination. My fiancé and I just became digital nomads and we are constantly bouncing around ideas on how to make $$$ a couple of which that are actually working for us!!!!

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      January 8, 2014 at 8:18 PM

      That’s awesome! There’s always a way to make things work if you really want something. :)

      Reply
  8. Samantha says

    January 1, 2014 at 9:24 PM

    Very interesting! We are hoping to be fully location independent one day and we’re on our way. It takes a lot of work and dedication but if you really want to do it, it’ll happen! Always very interesting to hear how prominent travel bloggers do it, great inspiration!

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      January 2, 2014 at 10:42 AM

      It’s a dream for many travelers, I think. And it helps to see that ordinary people have done it and it’s possible. It can be tough, but it will be worth the effort!

      Reply
  9. Hans Jonas Hansen says

    December 25, 2013 at 5:26 PM

    Yeah. It’s so great to travel and be able to work. My girlfriend and I are doing the same and like a couple of the people mentioned in the post, we are also doing some freelance writing. It’s a great way to finance your trip.

    When we get a little more money I would love to look into the WanderingTrader’s advice. Right now I have an apartment in Denmark that I get rent from but I’m going back to Denmark next year to sell it and then I will be cut off from any country. A real nomad. :D

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      December 25, 2013 at 9:20 PM

      That’s awesome that you found a way to finance your travels! Some travelers have property, it doesn’t have to be a hindrance. Instead, it could be a way to earn passive income while also possibly enjoying some capital appreciation too. :) Whatever you decide to do, all the best!

      Reply
  10. Zara @ Backpack ME says

    December 25, 2013 at 3:09 AM

    Very interesting to read how other bloggers manage to make a living while traveling.
    Long live the internet for allowing us all this incredible life-style. We were born at the right time!! :)

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      December 25, 2013 at 3:36 AM

      I know, right? I know that if I were born even 5 years earlier than I was, I would’ve ended up an unemployed bum. I have a huge problem with having to wake up at a set time in the morning, which means I’ll be fired for being late all the time. Plus I don’t like having a boss and I lose interest quickly if I have to do the same thing every day.

      Reply
  11. Contented Traveller says

    December 22, 2013 at 10:41 PM

    Great post, it is interesting reading how people manage their money to do what we all have a passion for,

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      December 23, 2013 at 1:32 AM

      Thanks! I love seeing how creative people can be when they really want something. :)

      Reply
  12. Marcello Arrambide says

    December 22, 2013 at 9:26 PM

    Thanks for the mention appreciate it guys

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      December 22, 2013 at 9:38 PM

      My pleasure, Marcello. :)

      Reply
  13. Gemma says

    December 22, 2013 at 8:11 PM

    Thanks for the awesome post – it comes at a perfect time as I’m researching ways to live cheaply while on the road, and also how to generate income at the same time. A round up like this makes it much clearer for me.

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      December 22, 2013 at 9:38 PM

      Thanks Gemma! Glad you like it. :)

      Reply
  14. Dariece @GoatsOnTheRoad says

    December 22, 2013 at 12:10 AM

    Great post! I love how you put all of these great bloggers, with great ways to earn money on the road, all in one place. Teaching English is the way we’ve been able to earn some money as well, now it’s from the website. Being a dive instructor, yoga teacher, bartender or something would also be great ways to make some money while on the road.

    The possibilities are endless :)

    Reply
    • Deia B says

      December 22, 2013 at 2:53 AM

      Thanks Dariece! You’re right, the possibilities are endless. It only takes some creativity and determination to make it happen. :D

      Reply
  15. Shannon O'Donnell says

    December 20, 2013 at 11:05 AM

    Thanks for including me in the round-up! It’s great to see how others are funding their travels and their dreams with a diversity of work and income to make it happen. :)

    Reply
    • Deia says

      December 20, 2013 at 11:20 AM

      Thank you for the comment, Shannon! I agree, I find it fascinating how creative people can be when they’re really passionate about their dreams to travel.

      Reply
  16. Talon says

    December 20, 2013 at 10:05 AM

    Thanks for including me! Although, I should point out that most of my income currently does come from the blog.

    Reply
    • Deia says

      December 20, 2013 at 10:50 AM

      Ah, thanks for the clarification! I’ll add that in now. :)

      Reply

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