Of all the questions sliding into my DMs on Instagram, the most asked one is, “How do you make money to travel?” People are always so shocked to find out that I earn my own money, I don’t have a trust fund, and that I do in fact pay for 80 percent of my trips on my own. So how do I make money to travel? Well, it’s easy… I work about 9000 freelance jobs. And I own my own business.
So, I figured I’d list out a few ways that I earn money so you can have it all in one place (and so I can just send this over and not retype it every time).
How I Make Money To Travel (And Just To Live)
I want to be clear, up until now, I have had little to no living expenses. I have lived at my Mom’s house in Florida in between travels for the past three years. Because of this, I did not have to pay rent. I paid the water and electricity bills for the months that I was home, as well as groceries. Other than that, I had no car, no insurance payments, and my cell phone is in my Dad’s office plan. So, what has worked for me in the past, may not work for me this next year as I do take on responsibilities like paying rent.
My Business
In 2017 I made no profit from my business, Travel Colorfully. I earned more money than I ever had before, but I also traveled a lot. Because of that, I basically broke even in that aspect of my earnings. My business, Travel Colorfully, focuses on the sponsored aspect of my blog and Instagram. I have a rate card that I send out to brands (because I’m the one reaching out to 90 percent of them) and I negotiate rates and packages that way. I also belong to a number of influencer networks and get work from there. However, the payments aren’t as great through these services as it would be if I reached out myself.
In 2018 I’m hoping to add video to my repertoire. I’m also building out my newsletter subscription list (and if you sign up before the end of the month you will be entered into a $100 Amazon giveaway!). By doing these things I’m offering more to other companies that I couldn’t before! I’m also really trying to make some money with affiliate links, but I haven’t had much luck with this in the past!
Freelance Work
I work so many freelance jobs. I have written for sites like Bustle and Buzzfeed. I create content for other blogs as well. And, my all-time favorite thing I have done (laced with sarcasm…) is when I wrote descriptions for stock images.
I’m not afraid to take on tedious work. It’s okay because it allows me to work remotely and live my life the way I want to. I find this work by scouring the internet and just looking for opportunities. I ask people to pass my name along if they know anyone who needs a writer. And while I do generally write about travel, I have written about other topics as well — all you need to do is a little bit of research sometimes!
I hope that this has helped a little bit! As always, leave any comments you may have and I will answer asap!
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