Do you dream of living the life of a digital nomad, where you can work from your local cafe or while travelling to beautiful and affordable cities? You can, but it all starts with money!
And in this guide, we will share how to make money as a digital nomad and tips for successfully working from anywhere.
As remote work is becoming increasingly popular, options for digital nomad jobs are only expanding. You can provide freelance services, start a blog, work remotely for a company, and so much more.
How to Make Money as a Digital Nomad
Here are seven ways digital nomads earn an income online from anywhere in the world.
1) Work Online as a Self-Employed Freelancer
One of our favourite ways to get digital nomad work is by becoming a self-employed freelancer. Self-employed freelancers are independent workers who make money on a per-job basis. Since you’re essentially your own boss, you choose when and where you work.
Freelance work can be short-term or long-term, depending on the service you provide and the clients you’re working with. There are many types of freelancing jobs, which is why many digital nomads go this route.
You can almost always find work doing something you enjoy and are good at. A few examples of freelance work include writing, being a virtual assistant, social media management, and graphic design.
One great thing about freelancing is that there are many ways to find work in your niche. From freelance marketplaces to job boards and networking, the opportunities are endless!
Read more: 10 Best Websites for Finding Online Work Now
2) Start a Blog and Work Towards Passive Income
Starting a blog has become one of the most popular ways to make money as a digital nomad. Similar to freelancing, your blog can focus on just about any topic you’re interested in.
While starting and running a blog takes a lot of work and will take time to start earning, there are many ways to monetize a blog and create passive income. And many bloggers hire people to help them grow their businesses even more.
One of the top ways to make money blogging is through affiliate marketing. This is where you recommend products or services you like to your readers. You earn a commission when they make a purchase using your affiliate link.
Bloggers can also earn passive income through ads. This entails signing up for an ad network like Google AdSense or Ezoic (who don’t have a minimum page view count) and placing ads on your site. These are usually targeted ads that cater to your audience.
When your blog readers either view or click on the ad, you earn a commission. Learn more about the best ad networks for small publishers.
Once your blog reaches a certain number of sessions, you can either stay with Ezoic or apply for ad networks like Mediavine and Monumetric where you can earn even more from your blog.
Read More:
- 15 Best Finance YouTube Channels (Meet Your Personal Finance Goals)
- Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: Here’s How to Get Started
- Ten Steps to Mastering Advanced Affiliate Marketing
- A Complete Guide to Investing for Digital Nomads
3) Become Online English Teacher
When I first entered the digital nomad world a few years ago, I was an online English teacher and loved it! This industry is larger than many people realize, and there are many opportunities to find a teaching or tutoring job online.
The best part about this gig is that you can do it without any prior teaching experience. With that said, most online teaching jobs require you to have a Bachelor’s degree and some sort of certification for teaching English.
Read our guide to becoming an online English teacher to learn more.
Read More: 10 Best Digital Nomad Jobs for Beginners
4) Monetize a Podcast
Did you know that more than 80% of podcast listeners listen for more than 7 hours a week? That’s a lot of listening to podcasts! That’s why monetizing a podcast is another fun and unique way to make money as a digital nomad.
While creating and running a successful podcast can get fancy, it doesn’t have to! It can actually be quite straightforward. Here are ten simple steps to creating a successful podcast).
For starters, all you have to do is come up with a topic you know enough about and that other people will enjoy listening to. This means there are lots of options!
Of course, it takes some time to get your podcast going. But once you do, it can be a great way to bring in an income. You can start a Patreon or implement sponsored or audio ads to monetize your podcast.
Read More: Ten Ideas for Starting a Home-Based Business
5) Start a YouTube Channel
We all know how amazing and popular YouTube is. As its popularity only grows, there’s room for more and more digital nomads to use this platform to earn money.
YouTube offers several income streams, including its own YouTube Partner Program. You can also create sponsored content, become an affiliate partner with brands you would be interested in sharing, and use your channel to sell merchandise.
Being a YouTuber isn’t a get-rich-quick job and many creators make a significant portion of their income from their fans via sites like Patreon and by selling merchandise but it can be fun and rewarding with some time and effort!
Read more: 6 Easy Ways to Grow Your YouTube Channel
6) Become a Photographer
If you enjoy taking photos and are looking for digital nomad work that doesn’t entail being on a computer all day, becoming a photographer might be right for you. Many travellers already spend a lot of their time taking photos, so why not do it for money?
While you’re travelling, you come across so many photo opportunities with picture-perfect scenery, fantastic food, and historical sites. Turn this into a job by selling your photos to stock photography websites like Shutterstock and to publications.
Read More: A Complete Guide to Digital Nomad Taxes
7) Work Remotely for a Company
As you can see, many digital nomad jobs require you to work for yourself. If you aren’t feeling entrepreneurial, not to worry. You can always work remotely for a company.
While finding a gig that allows for remote work hasn’t always been so easy, it’s become easier than ever since many companies had to go this route during the pandemic and found that it can work.
In fact, many well-known companies like Apple, Spotify, and Hopper offer remote positions. And, those are just a few! If you prefer smaller businesses, there are also options for that.
One of the best ways to find remote jobs for a company is to check LinkedIn, which offers a ‘remote’ search feature. Other great job boards that share remote work are We Work Remotely and JustRemote.
Tip: If you currently work for a company and are thinking about becoming a digital nomad, see if you can take your work remotely. Propose the idea to your boss, along with a plan for how you’ll successfully do your job outside of the office.
Read More: How to Live Cheaply as a Digital Nomad (10 Must-Know Tips)
Final Tips for Working as a Digital Nomad
Becoming a digital nomad offers an enriching lifestyle. Many people dream of having a flexible work schedule and making money from anywhere in the world! The good news? It’s becoming easier and easier to do.
With that said, there are some things to be mindful of to be a successful digital nomad:
- Find a job that works best for you and your skills. There are so many options out there!
- Once you find your ideal digital nomad gig, you may find that you’re working more than you did at your 9-5, so it’s important to prioritize having a healthy work-life balance.
- With fluctuating income and travel expenses, ensuring you know how to budget for this lifestyle is essential.
We hope this list of the best digital nomad jobs and tips for success has inspired you! If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in checking out 18 must-read books for freelancers and digital nomads.