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Get Paid to Explore the Globe with ZERO Followers: Here’s How!

December 4, 2024
Make money while traveling

Today, I have a special article for y’all. I decided I was so tired of paying for my own trips. I’ve been traveling abroad for a while now and I’ve been coming out of pocket for every little thing and quite frankly I became tired of it all. So over a period of a few months, I have been obsessed with learning how to get paid to travel. I don’t know if y’all know, but there are people out here that’s getting paid a lot of coins to travel this amazing beautiful world and I’m trying to be one of them. Is there anything wrong with that? 

The Discovery

Well, I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t see anything wrong – okay. So, on my journey of getting paid to travel, I discovered some amazing things. And that is why I decided I’m going to share everything with you on how to become a paid travel content creator. Now for those of you who do not know me – when I set my mind to doing something, it’s pretty much done already. I am going to see it through to the end. Right now, I am going to kick off this new series with you and delve into how to get paid while you travel. 

Content Creation

Some of the ways of getting paid to travel involves content creation and some ways don’t relate to content creation because I feel like the most popular ways to get paid to travel is obviously being a YouTuber, or being a social media influencer. Yeah that’s cool and all, but not everybody wants to do that. Let’s just go ahead and jump into the article. Okay, so first things first. We’re going to cover how you can become a content creator because that’s the most talked about way to do it . But, first I want to make sure you guys are familiar with the four different forms of content.

Four Formats

There is written content, audio content, video content and photo content. I personally prefer video content and written content, but audio is fine too. Depending on how you are as a person, what your strengths are, and what you are naturally talented in doing, this video will help you decide on which one is right for you so you can get paid to travel the world. Now, let’s talk about the written form of content. Obviously, I am talking about blogging and possibly freelance writing as well. I won’t spend too much time on this since everyone knows exactly what this is. The words ‘blogging’ and ‘vlogging’ are interchangeable, but they are really the same thing and writing comes into play as it relates to blogs or vlogs, you have to be able to write the content or have it written for you. 

Distinguishing Vlogging and Blogging

However, to distinguish vlogging and blogging, it comes down to experience versus theory and video content versus written content. A travel vlogger, for example, mainly produces video content about their travel experience and if they have a blog, they may also write about the same experience. While the blogger may research and write about what they found. That is the main difference between the two. But, for both of them, it would be ideal to have a WordPress website and a Youtube channel to complement it. Those work really well because you may get discovered by a brand on your Youtube channel and if the brand owner knows you also have a blog, that is a plus. As a blogger, you could include a video and images about a travel destination on your blog. You can pick up free videos and images on websites like freepik, pexels and unsplash. These are usually short videos, but you can do a compilation using canva and then post it on your blog. 

Ad Revenue and Affiliate Programs

Now, how are you going to make money, you may be asking. Well, you can sign up for Google Adsense for your blog and for your Youtube channel and make money from ad revenue. You can sign with brands and become a brand ambassador for various brands by promoting their products. I would suggest working out a brand deal that works for you since you will be traveling. Let them set up an affiliate program and work out the commissions to be good enough to be able to fund your travel. So, you would promote your affiliate link since you may not be able to unbox the product itself. 

Consider other affiliate marketing programs, where you earn commissions for recommending products, services, or experiences. It’s a natural extension of what we all do—sharing favorite finds with friends—but this time, you’ll get paid for it!

Use websites like Pinterest to market your brand deal products and other affiliate products and programs as well. Pinterest is a great search engine to host images and videos along with links to your blog posts. Many bloggers utilize Pinterest as a source of marketing to get traffic to their blog content. You can do the same. 

Make money online
Travel tips to make money online

Create a Newsletter

You could also consider creating a newsletter to host your travel content. But, it would be ideal to have an ebook, travel packing checklist or travel plan to give away. Use it as a way to get people’s emails so you can send the newsletter and additional messages introducing other digital products you could create. The newsletter is optional, if you are already running a blog. But, it is a plus as well. 

I wanted to mention newsletters because they are a great form of building a community without being super tied down into building a website, and having to hire a developer and things like that. So you remove a lot of that extra work when you have a newsletter. You could sell advertisements in your newsletter after you have built it up to thousands of subscribers. But, this is a long game. The only downside is not getting started sooner rather than later. 

Creating Written Content

The next type of written format that you can get paid to travel the world is being a travel journalist. So instead of just blogging about your personal experience, you’re actually highlighting what’s going on in this destination. Your blog can be news about local struggles such as inflation. If you cannot get to a location, Google news is a great place to start. The news there is usually accurate. That means you don’t have to visit the actual destination to write about it. You can rely on current news and trends online. 

One more written format thing on the list is digital products. Sometimes you’ll see people in the travel space sell itineraries for places they’ve been or travel guides, journals, packing lists and things of that nature. This is just another way to not only provide a resource to their audience, but also put extra income in their pockets. Many people use platforms like Etsy and Amazon to sell their digital products. And that’s fine, but you could also consider putting your digital products on platforms like Payhip and Gumroad. Why do I say this? Well, Etsy and Amazon have too much control, which means they can shut down your account anytime and for any reason. I got my Etsy account disabled because of some stupid reason. So, all my work was gone. I am not saying that will happen to you, but it would be more ideal to have an Etsy or Amazon store plus the Payhip or Gumroad store. You see what I am saying? In other words, cover your butt. 

What Kind of Digital Product?

Ok, so what digital product do I create? I am glad you asked. You could write about a specific travel destination. Talk about the local culture, their cuisine, and their history. You can find a lot of that stuff online. If you do travel to the destination, then the recommendation is to hang out with the locals to learn more about them. Explain who you are and what you are trying to do. Many people are usually initially suspicious about having their picture taken by a stranger. So don’t go running up on locals trying to do your vlogging. And, you also have to protect yourself, especially if you are a solo female traveler. It would be best to do everything in a public place. 

I have created a digital product called Get Paid To Travel” where I discuss some of these things. You can grab this one ebook or my travel creator bundle. You can check this out from the link in the description. I hope you are getting value so far. If so, please hit that notification bell so you don’t miss out on the next video series. Now, let’s move on. 

As we go through these episodes, like I mentioned this is only episode two, I am going to be giving you all the actual websites and resources that will allow you to further look into these things that we’re going to be talking about. 

The Photo Format

Moving on to our photo format of content. You could become a travel photographer. If you like taking photos, then this would be ideal. So, you are the kind of person who prefers to be behind the camera instead of in front of the camera. You don’t want to be a social media influencer and that’s fine. Not many people like to be seen. Have you ever gone on a hotel website or tourist board website and seen those beautiful photos? Well, if you are a travel photographer, then you would be the person to offer this service to hotels, airbnb’s tourist boards and other places of accommodation. You could also sell your photos online to websites like Shutterstock, Getty Images, Foap and Freepik. In that case, you would have to travel and shoot amazing photos to be able to do all of this. But, you get paid doing this. So, you can definitely travel as a photographer and get paid in multiple different ways.

UGC Creation

The next thing in the photo travel category is becoming a UGC Creator. This is very similar to being a social media influencer. But, this one meets your criteria, if you don’t have an audience, or if you’re not trying to build an audience. But, you have to be able to take good pictures. You must have a good eye for specific angles. Many brands will pay for good images they can use to promote their brands. In this case, it is called UGC creation and it stands for user generated content. You could also think about becoming an Instagram Influencer, building your community over time. 

Video Content

The next format is video creation or video content. You can live stream your travels or you can just shoot a video and edit it and post it online for people to view it. Of course, you would use platforms like Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others to promote your videos. The difference between live streaming and video creation and editing is the work involved. For live streaming, you are going live and there is no editing. But, if you are going to create video content, it will require editing. But, the end result is well worth it. And while live streaming, you may forget to mention something and there is no way to go back and fix it while video creation allows you to curate the video for the final upload, providing more quality content and consistency. 

Live Streaming Content

Live streaming is more for beginners who want to monetize their channel or for people who want to get information to their viewers faster. So, do what makes your community better. One of the things you can do as a video content creator is to live stream on your phone in your local city. You don’t have to travel abroad to do this. Some people have never been to your city or state and would love to see what the locals do on a daily basis. And at least, you know your city well enough to produce good content. You could also consider going to the adjoining cities to discover new things. That would be a great idea and a treat for your audience. You can live stream yourself having dinner in a local restaurant, going to the museum, or to an event. To live stream on Youtube, though, you need 50 subscribers, but that is not an easy goal to achieve. So, don’t sleep on this. 

If you’re serious about getting paid to travel and travel for free you’re going to want to get your hands on my “Get Paid to Travel bundle.” 

Ways To Make Money Online

More Ways to Make Money Online:

Become a Fiverr Affiliate: https://tinyurl.com/fvrafflt 

Consider Print and Demand to make money: https://tinyurl.com/ptrdmd 

Make money with online surveys and more: https://tinyurl.com/myswagbk 

Sell your travel photos to Freepik: https://contributor.freepik.com/ 

Promote web hosting: https://tinyurl.com/hostingrhost 

Earn $25 each sign up with Amazon Audible Bounty Program: https://amzn.to/3CRfxOH 

Earn $10 each sign up for Amazon Kindle Unlimited Reading Program: https://amzn.to/4gjSyu2 

Earn $3 each sign up with Amazon Try Before You Buy Program: https://amzn.to/3VpJGLE 

Earn $3 each sign up with Amazon Baby Registry Program: https://amzn.to/3OAn6Mu

Make money writing content: https://tinyurl.com/ritecontent  

Become a Flight Attendant

Want to get paid to travel the world? OK, become a flight attendant. Yes, I just said it. Of course, it is a process to become a flight attendant, but it would be worth it, especially if you are in your early twenties. It would be an amazing experience, allowing you to see the world and still get paid doing so, but of course, there are pros and cons of being a flight attendant. Flight attendants don’t make a ton of money. It would take years to be in a senior position to be able to go beyond the average pay. And, they work long hours on their feet, but the job can be rewarding, but it depends on how you view it. You have to also be a patient person to deal with irritating passengers.  However, despite all of that, I do think it’s a great idea to become a flight attendant, especially if you can do it early enough to where you can grow in your career to really get that good pay.

Travel Nurse

If you’re a nurse, consider becoming a travel nurse (if you’re already in the field, of course). It’s not something to jump into just for the travel perks, as nursing is a demanding career that requires passion and skill. However, for experienced nurses, travel nursing offers significantly higher pay—sometimes nearly 10 times more than local positions—and opportunities to see new places while working.

Work on a Cruise Ship

Another option is becoming a cruise ship worker. Cruise lines need staff for all sorts of roles, from housekeeping and entertainment to chefs and fitness trainers. These jobs often come with free accommodations and the chance to visit stunning destinations. Contracts are typically long-term, but you’re getting paid to see the world.

Other Travel Related Options

There are other viable ways to make money while you travel or make money with travel. I am just trying to give some ideas. Here are some other exciting travel-related jobs, which include:

  • Travel Agent: Plan vacations for others while earning commissions.
  • Au Pair: Work as a nanny for families abroad, often with free accommodations and travel included.
  • Language Teacher: Teach English or another language overseas. Many countries pay for teachers to relocate, and while some require degrees, many do not.
  • Traveling Chef: If you’re skilled in the kitchen, you can work events like weddings or private dinners worldwide.
  • House Sitter: Get paid to care for luxurious homes (and sometimes pets) in exotic locations.

If you love being around people and sharing your passion for travel, working in travel-related jobs can be a fantastic way to make money while exploring the world. For example, you could work with tourism boards in the destination country. If you’re familiar with the area, you might be able to lead group tours and share your knowledge with visitors. It’s a rewarding way to make money while staying connected to the local culture.

Another option is to look into expat jobs. These are positions specifically for foreigners living abroad, like teaching English, working at international schools, or even finding roles in hospitality. These jobs are often flexible and can provide a steady income while you travel.

Working Holiday Visas

And don’t forget about working holiday visas! Countries like Australia and New Zealand offer these visas to travelers who want to work while exploring. They’re perfect if you’re looking for short-term jobs in industries like farming, hospitality, or retail. If you’re skilled in a particular profession, places like Canada also offer skilled worker visas. These programs are excellent for travelers who want to combine their career goals with their love of adventure.

For those with a knack for planning, hosting group trips can be highly rewarding. If you have a magnetic personality and excellent organizational skills, you can plan and lead trips while earning money.

Brand sponsorships are another lucrative avenue. Everyday creators (not just celebrities) are landing deals to promote products, sometimes earning thousands for a single post or video.

Finally, explore destination campaigns. Tourism boards often sponsor creators to promote their regions, covering airfare, accommodations, and additional pay. Search for “Tourism Board” alongside a city or country to find opportunities.

My Personal Goals

For me, the focus is YouTube, which has been growing steadily (thank you for your support!). I’m also exploring live streaming to engage with my audience in real-time. I made this faceless channel because I am such an introvert and prefer to work behind the scenes, but connecting with people is real and I understand that. I am asking for your patience as I get the courage to face the camera. My main goal is to bring you value on every single video, whether I show my face or not and I hope you have come to appreciate that. 

Additionally, I’m working on building a newsletter to stay connected outside social media. Writing isn’t my strength, so I plan to hire help to ensure consistency and quality.

I’m also delving into digital products—think travel guides and creator bundles—while gearing up to host group trips in 2025. I can’t wait to meet my community in person!

Affiliate marketing is another area I’m diving into. I recently got approved for an Amazon storefront (FYI, they require 20,000 followers on a platform), so I’ll be sharing curated travel finds there.

Finally, I’m actively pitching to brands for sponsorships and reaching out to tourism boards for destination collaborations.

This journey is just beginning, and I’m thrilled to share it with you. Let’s turn our travel dreams into paid realities!

Okay, that’s it for now folks. I hope you got a lot of value from the information shared. Please remember to subscribe to the channel. Here is the link: CLICK HERE!

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How to Make Money Online: https://youtu.be/DaRDepAKzsY

How to Get Paid To Travel: https://youtu.be/0aZ9wmno3DA  

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