Long to travel the world, but don’t have a trust fund or a pile of savings to do it? Consider becoming a digital nomad, working while traveling the world.
Some companies will support this lifestyle by allowing work-from-anywhere arrangements with existing employees. These usually only require that you get the job done and are available for meetings at hours that are convenient to your colleagues.
But even if you don’t work for one of these flexible firms, gig-based work can provide you with enough money to travel. This is particularly true when your digital nomading takes you to destinations where the cost of living is low.
Low costs for a digital nomad
In countries like Thailand and Costa Rica, for instance, rent costs a fraction as much as it does in the U.S. Prices for everything from food to transportation are equally low.
The World Population Review says it costs roughly $831 per month to live in Thailand and $852 to live in Costa Rica. Want to go even cheaper? It costs $548 a month to live in Indonesia; and $601 to live in Brazil or the Philippines. Want to live in Turkey? You could get by on $447. Madagascar? $555. Fiji? $773.
To be sure, you’ll still need to work. However, you won’t need to make as much when you live in these low-cost locales as you would in the U.S. And many types of gig jobs are well-suited for a digital nomad. Just know that gig work is notoriously unstable. So smart freelancers save in good months, so they don’t starve when the pickings are slim.
That said, here are 4 great gigs for a digital nomad.
Teach English
The great thing about teaching English as a digital nomad is that the job is can be done at any time of the day or night. And it might sharpen your ability to communicate in your adopted country.
Let’s say you’re living in Ecuador or Peru, for instance. You might choose to teach English to Spanish speakers through a site like Amazing Talker, iTalki or Wyzant.
Most online English-teaching and tutoring sites don’t require that you speak anything other than English. But, it’s a plus if you do.
This allows you to understand questions presented to you in the student’s native tongue. You can translate the question back into English and explain the answer in both languages, tutoring the student on the differences in grammar and syntax between the two languages.
All three sites allow tutors to set their own rates and schedules, and simply take a commission from the tutor’s pay when they help you find a client.
Social media marketer
Working as a social media marketer can be a lot of fun and it’s perfect for people who spend a lot of time on these platforms. The most popular social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
But new social media networks emerge all the time. And, if you love this kind of work, the only credentials you need are experience using them to increase followers and engagement.
The job requires you to manage and grow social media accounts by creating and posting content, replying to comments, creating ads, and implementing various strategies.
You can find jobs like this on the very social media platforms that you use. However, if you’re highly experienced and can show how you’ve grown followers and engagement in the past, you can also sign up with professional marketing platforms.
Sites like Mayple and MarketerHire can help you find high-end clients, who will pay $50 an hour or more for expert help.
Freelance writer
One of the things that makes freelance writing ideal for digital nomads is you don’t need much equipment to make it work. With a laptop computer and a stable internet connection, you can handle writing jobs while on the move.
Where can you find jobs? It depends on the type of freelance writing you do. It’s smart to specialize.
Want to write advertising or sales copy? Resumes? Speeches? White-papers? You can offer your services through Fiverr. This flexible platform encourages freelancers to create basic, standard and premium “packages” that describe how much and the type of writing you’ll provide for a set fee.
For instance, one freelancer offers a “basic package” to write a professional one-page resume for $75. The “standard” package adds a cover letter for $100; and with his $125 “premium” package, he’ll even update your LinkedIn profile.
Other sites that can help you find work: Contently and Skyword, which do blog posts for corporations. Cracked, which hires comedy writers. And ServiceScape, which connects writers and editors with people who need everything from academic writing to scripts.
You can also seek writing jobs on ProBlogger, Hire a Writer on Reddit, and the Cult of Copy Facebook Group.
Anything tech
Got tech skills? If you can design websites, de-bug code, develop software or advise companies on how to improve the user experience on a website, you can work from anywhere at any time and make good money.
More than a dozen online platforms can help tech experts of all types secure work. These sites include FreeUp, where tech experts describe their experience level and can earn up to $75 an hour; and Toptal, which seeks out high-end tech experts for high-paid assignments.
Staffing giant, Robert Half, also helps tech experts find remote and flexible technology jobs. The site even supports a smart phone app that allows you to search for work while on the road.
Other good options? If you have at least five years of experience, you may want to apply with Braintrust. A tech cooperative, every freelancer on this platform owns a piece of the network. As a result, you’re screened heavily when you apply. But, if you get in, you get access to high-end projects and the site takes no fees from freelancers. A 10% platform fee is simply added to client bills.
WorkingNotWorking and Creatively are both geared toward artists and designers. However, the positions these sites advertise are increasingly digital. So if you’re a designer of beautiful websites or a user-experience expert, who can make websites and apps that are both intuitive and attractive, these are great places to post a portfolio. Neither site takes a commission from creatives who find work here.
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