An Idea, A Plan, And A Little Something Extra
Posted on Aug 20, 2012 | 24 comments
People like to ask us how we plan to make money as we travel the world.
Well, the truth is, I'm not really sure. I know how I'd like to make money, so that's good. I also know the things I don't want to do to make money, and that's good as well. I guess we will just have to wait and see how things play out.
Most people don't like to wait and see how things play out. Honestly, I don't like it much either. I'd feel a whole lot better about taking a leap if I knew for certain I was going to land in a giant pile of money. But that's not going to happen.
No, the best we can do is trust our ideas, our guts, and our patience. The best we can do is take a well-calculated, educated leap and hope for the best.
I've got a little something for you. I'm a believer in the title of this little article. You get an idea you believe in, plan around it, give it something extra, and you'll find your way. We all have good ideas. Ideas that suit us. Ideas we care about. Ideas we want to push and plan and bring to life.
There's a benefit to sharing ideas. It gets us thinking, it inspires us, it boost our confidence. So . . . I'm asking you to share your ideas.
Marriott Rewards has given me 50,000 reward points (that's enough for 2 nights in Paris or 5 nights in Peoria) to give away as I please. They are running this "What's Your Travel Type" game that's packed with ridiculous prizes and adventures, and to help promote it they asked me if I would throw some rewards love your way. And since my wife, my kids, and I TRULY love Marriott's Residence Inns so much, we had to help out.
So here's how I'm going to give away the 50,000:
1) In the comments below, tell me your most creative, inspiring idea for making money and creating a career as you travel or move abroad. It could be anything. I've got ideas. I want to write books, set up a non-profit that sends under-privileged youth off around the world, and create a global treasure hunt. Now it's your turn.
2) A week from today, on August 28th, 2012, I'm going to choose my 5 favorite ideas, throw the names of their creators into a hat, and pick a winner. The 50,000 points will be be deposited into the winner's Marriott rewards account shortly after. Plus, the 5 ideas I choose will be included in a follow-up post.
3) Note: You must be a Marriott Rewards member to receive the prize of 50,000 bonus points. Registering at Marriott Rewards is totally free. No strings attached.
4) Make sure you check out the giveaway Marriott has going on. They're offering prizes that are way better than mine! How about a 3-day weekend for you and 40 of your closest friends? Nice!
Ok, so let's get the brains working! Remember, you can't make money and achieve the lifestyle you want without ideas. Let's see what you've got.
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Justin,
What an awesome giveaway! We love Marriott too. I had to respond to this post because it is so timely for us.
Over that past few months I had an idea. It grew out of another project and has turned into something big. I started thinking about how we could make more money.
In a nutshell I stumbled into a new industry that I love. It started by me thinking about our patchwork income. How could I make a bit more money doing something I liked. It has turned into a full business that I has the potential to meet and exceed our needs for living and travel.
I started developing mobile apps for small businesses. I am not really a sales person so I had an idea to partner with Clark's company that provides merchant services to small businesses and they adopted the program and tomorrow are rolling out the Gen-Apps program (www.gen-apps.com) to all their reps nationwide. I will be building the apps that they sell.
I have many many ideas, but this one is the perfect marriage of good idea, good timing, and good relationships I already had in place. I have had other ideas, but no way to really implement them. I think that is a very important thing to consider when you think of ideas. What strategic relationships do you have already? How can you leverage them?
This idea has taken on a life of it's own. It has grown into more than I had imagined.
I would be happy to give you more details, or more information. We are doing our first rep training Tuesday and I feel like our travel dreams are more real than ever now.
I believe you will find that idea, that income to fund your travels as well. Anything you have set your mind on it will find a solution to. It will work while you sleep. while you work all the time until you have a solution.
Until then...here's to great ideas and great brain storming!
Monica recently posted..Stupid Questions for World Travelers: Interview with Keryn Means
My idea is relatively easy. Teach online. I've begun this adventure with teaching my first this semester. If I can add additional courses this would be a reliable stream of money.
I suggest creating some niche websites that can be used to generate income with very little involvement. Even if you create one website that creates a little bit of income, when you start to create multiples, it all adds up.
InACents recently posted..Legoland California Free Child Ticket with Adult Ticket via Alhambra Water
What about an artist? You could make your own tshirt art and sell it online, people love fun and crazy tees. Or even stock photography... If you take photos and are good at it, get them onto stock photography sites and start letting them make money for you, trickle by trickle! ...... Hmm I might go do that now hahaha.
Fortunately my husband is a programmer so we're planning on him doing what he does now. Our biggest issue is ergonomics so he can be as comfortable as possible in a rented home and drumming up consulting customers. I guess we'll figure it out as we go along.
If you have the qualifications, teach English. Qualifications do vary country by country, so you have to check. My English teaching position has funded a lifestyle of expat living and travel for the past 11+ years.
You can also write books when you are traveling. I've written two. The books I write focus on English testing. I have a contract in place before I start, so I know I am going to be paid once I deliver the product. What are you an expert at? Find a publisher in that area, and pitch them. There is always a need for good technical writers.
Become familiar with some of the freelance sites and bid on jobs that fit your skill set. Other than the appropriate skills, all you need is a laptop and an Internet connection. Elance.com is reputable.
Thanks for the opportunity to win the Marriott points. That is a fantastic prize.
Nancie
Nancie recently posted..A Salty Tourist Attraction in Czech’s Karlovy Vary
Sweet! I love Marriott's and now with 3 kids, we pretty much have to stay in the larger Residence Inns.
My idea...First person travel guides for sale on Kindle and other epub devices. It's up-to-date as you write it because you're there at the time. Tailor it to your specific niche that you fit in, such as family, pets, adventure, foodies, etc.
This is a great idea for a post! A lot of people with family overseas need a local facilitator to get things done for them when they can't. For example, they would look for someone that can check on grandma once a week, or help her shop for groceries, or mail back some personal items. It's easier for them to communicate with you since you're both from the same country. That's a pretty easy service to offer to those in your country of origin with family where you are traveling to.
Depending on your skill sets, you could always start a location-independent business. Some skills that easily transfer into this kind of business include:
graphic design
web development/programming
copywriting
content strategy
business strategy
marketing strategy
Etc.
My own personal journey started with working at ad agencies as a copywriter and content strategist for years and then starting my own business and setting off around the world!
Good luck!
Gigi recently posted..Here There Be Dragons
I think my plan is pretty exciting, so let me share it with you. I'm a video game designer and producer with over ten years of experience with some of the field's biggest companies. I've worked on big-brand games for PC, console, handheld, and social networks.
I'm ditching my corporate gig and headed around the world in search of the planet's most fascinating local game traditions. Not video games, but the rich culture of card, board, and field games that has a history spanning thousands of years around the globe. I'll be making short web videos on what I find. It's a bit like Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations but for games.
The project is going to be a blast, but it also promotes the freelance and consulting services I can offer to help anyone who wants to develop engaging (and monetized) interactive content.
I'm not a film maker, and consulting is always a risk, so there is certainly a leap I'm taking. Like most leaps, it's scary but fun!
Currently I'm a sea lion trainer, so to make money while traveling, I'd love to be able to offer my animal training services! Sheep, elephants, dogs, monkeys, camels, yaks...you name it. Work would never be boring that's for sure!
Put a link on this blog that says GET COACHING.
Have the link lead to a page where you offer one hour phone sessions coaching others to do what you have done. You can focus on any area you want: How to use miles to travel the country. How to get over fear. How to manage family travel. How to write a blog. On and on.... your choice.
As a coach who makes a very nice living, I am so surprised at how many bloggers do not offer it as an option on their site.
When I was planning my trip around the country I would have been excited to pay for hour sessions with others who know more about travel, minimalism, location independence and homeschooling than I do.
Trust me on this one...
I would love to travel in the winter months and have a small import business. I would do the shopping myself in whatever country we are in and send the goods home. Then in the summer months I would travel around to all of the local fairs and markets, selling my beautiful things and camping our way through our country!
Amy @WorldschoolAdventures recently posted..Our New Project
"You get an idea you believe in, plan around it, give it something extra, and you'll find your way." I love this and believe in it completely!
I want to earn money (and satisfaction) as I travel the world by writing about and raising awareness for conservation and the natural world. I plan to write a hell of a lot, take inspiring wildlife and landscape photographs (skill level dependent - I'm getting better!), and maybe even throw some film into the mix.
But because that's all (despite being what I love) almost like work, and I've always had a serious art hobby, I'm really hoping that as I settle down in one place for a while, I'll be able to take ideas from my sketchbook, and use those photographs, to create a line of graphite artworks of the amazing animals I encounter. The profits I'd make from selling these online would help to fund my travels and conservation projects I find along the way. The logistics are very up in the air, but it's a plan I'm entertaining, and hopefully I can pull it off!
Lindsey recently posted..An Unexpected Lesson from Sir David Attenborough’s A Life on Earth
I think my idea would be to find something that I know a bit about that will help people and then write an ebook or course about it and sell, sell, sell!!! ;o) Easier said than done I expect though!
Excellent prize - must go and sign up for them now and hope they accept UK people.
Kirsty recently posted..Things I will miss
wow, great prize! my idea is to photograph people's children at the school events you can't attend or them doing mundane things (taking spelling tests, playing on the playground, eating lunch etc.) and then binding the photos in a book like a wedding album. great for the working parent who doesn't want to miss anything!
Pitch a reality TV show! Get paid to travel, have cameras follow your day-to-day life on the road - homeschooling, meeting locals, charity work, whatever you plan to do while traveling, it all gets documented for you to keep, and your story will inspire others!
Michelle recently posted..The life of a secret hoarder…
Well I've always thought busking is a great ideas. Smaller cities don't require a license and you can pull in a pretty penny in under five hours depending on the day. So my suggestion go to clown or mime school. Another option become a musician. In any case you can do this anywhere in the world anytime and even if you don't make any money you are sure to put a smile on someone's face.
Some good ideas. It seems a lot has to do with you. Are you more comfortable with service (teaching, selling or offering a skill set) or product (app or e-book)? While a service is the easiest to start, it may be the toughest to bring in clients, or a recurring revenue stream. While a product is great to provide that recurring revenue stream, it can be commoditized quite easily, and thereby lose differentiation or pricing power. Somethings work, and somethings don't. A lot depends on timing or placement, and a bit of luck. I am not saying this to be negative, but my thought is to take 3 solid ideas, and see what thrives. I would like to see you strike gold on your first shot out, but it is likely the people selling the shovels are the ones making the gold.
Looking for something more tangible than my take: for buying a business, look at bizbuysell.com. Great place to see what ideas are out there and what they are selling for! Looking for a service to start, look in the book store or Amazon for "101 Businesses to Start." Also look at the magazine rack for entrepreneur magazines. Hope this helps.
My first and foremost reason for traveling is that my time is "short" in that I have multiple sclerosis and my vision will probably be gone in 10 years. That being said, I am trying to live each day to its fullest with my 4yo toddler and experience the world with her (and partially through her eyes). Right now I'm trying to get the whole roadschooling and travel thing down before she's 5. Writing roadschooling books or creating working homeschool plans for various parts of the world would be a great way to be location independent.
One other thing I've always wanted to do is to patent an invention. I have an idea that came to me almost 7 years ago that I feel would help solve the problem of people perishing during heat waves. I've always wanted to make that dream a reality and be able to give NGOs something to help in 3rd world countries where electricity, air conditioning, and cold water may be a scarcity. My only problem is figuring out how it would really come to fruition in those regions and how best to meet the need of the populace. It may sound like a far flung dream but its still there rattling around my brain.
AdventureBee recently posted..A Wild Day North of Las Vegas
There are some terrific ideas above.
I think if you happen to be a technical guy, it makes perfect sense to do something technical – programming, web site development, etc. Or, if you by chance are a good artist, it also makes sense to maybe do something like caricatures or portraits while on the road to raise travel cash. If you can play the fiddle, get ‘em dancing on the street whilst throwing money into a hat. If you are blessed with the gift of gab or are exceptionally good looking, there are a number of options available to you when it comes to selling a product or service, appearing in local television, etc.
These are all options, but local currencies – depending on where you’re traveling – generally won’t sustain you & your family’s wanderlust. Fiddle playing on the streets of Zurich, Switzerland where your hat is filling up with Swiss Francs? Different story, morning glory. But creating web sites for local businesses in Managua, Nicaragua probably won’t earn you enough to cover travel out of Central America.
Here’s my suggestion: Take up a cause close to you and your wife’s heart, and get people to fund your efforts. What are you two passionate about?
• Education?
• Health care?
• Animal welfare?
• The environment?
• Human rights?
• Oceans?
• Reducing deforestation?
• Protecting world heritage sites?
• Children’s rights and welfare?
• Exposing corruption?
These are really just a few column headings – within each are more specific causes that help define who you really are.
Go do some good in the world. Right some wrongs. Try your hand at fixing a problem. Loudly draw attention to the ones creating or adding to the problems.
Tell us all about what you’re doing via your blog. Make it interesting with specific, detailed anecdotes. Focus on the ‘adventures’ surrounding your cause, not the boring stuff. Minimal pontificating. Spend some time trying to get those with either money or influence to listen to you.
You’ll make money.
I’m not saying that on Day 2 the cash will be pouring in. It's never that easy. It will take time and a significant amount of effort on your part.
This works for a lot of people. It allows you to travel, often for free, and often getting paid.
If you have any kind of expertise or interest in something, promote yourself as a speaker. The more you do to publicize your talent - website, writing a book, writing articles, the more word gets out to others. As a lecturer, I get paid trips to all kinds of great places. The more people see you speak, the more chances they will recommend you to someone else.
I haven't seen this one yet -
If the company you already work for is multinational, do some research on what job positions are in other countries, and find out how your specific experience would be helpful in those other countries.
For example, the company I work for just opened a satellite office in the Netherlands (our first foray internationally). I know that they are hiring a lot of local talent there, but just about everyone will be new to the company and not know about the company philosophy, ethics, etc.
I have been at the company for nearly 10 years, have management experience and can be a great resource for how our company works, what we value and how to do a great job of working for our customers. So I have been planning on how to let my boss know that I am interested in relocating and letting the HR people know specifically what value I can be for the company in our satellite location.
Then, after a couple years if I wanted to come back to the states, I still have a job here, and I have gained invaluable experience working in another culture, picking up a foreign language and being able to have a great distinction on a future resume.
I'd like to create what I call a "Tour Through Time."
Essentially, this would be a non-accredited study abroad course on world history, perhaps fulfilling the place of a gap year, or more realistically a summer study abroad. For practical purposes this might be split into two "courses" covering Western civilization and another for everything else (not to be too ethnocentric
.
It would start in the cradle of civilization, visiting places such as Carthage (modern-day Tunis), Egypt, Rome, and Greece where we would read books, tour ancient sites, and visit museums to create an immersive, chronological understanding of history.
We'd explore the reaches of the Roman Empire, visit Jerusalem to understand the impact of Christianity, Istanbul for the fracturing of the Roman Empire into East and West and the rise of Islam and the Ottoman Empire, mainland Europe for the Middle Ages, Florence and Italy for the Renaissance, Western Europe for the Enlightenment, and fly to the Caribbean and Central and South America to explore the New World before, going back to Europe for the Industrial Revolution, World War I, and World War II.
The idea is that by the end you will have a complete understanding of world history, told in a chronological fashion.
The inspiration for this comes from my dissatisfaction with my own understanding of history due to the patchy way history is taught in school; a little of this, a little of that, without any real context.
This is the epic trip I intend on taking myself, but it would be more fun to do it with a group that is motivated by the desire to fulfill their curiosity. I would fill the role of tour guide and teacher, arranging stays, tours, reading lists, etc. so that people can focus on enjoying the learning experience.