Who wouldn’t want to do that – work independently, regardless of location, and earn money with traveling jobs that suit the lifestyle of a digital nomad perfectly?
Digital nomads travel and earn money with various freelance jobs or even their own online businesses.
It is a way of working location-independently with digital technologies and leading a nomadic work life. The lifestyle of digital nomads has been enabled by digitization. Digital nomads tend to work in industries such as marketing, design, IT, editing, media, tutoring, or consulting. The term is generally used for people who live and travel abroad while they work.
There are 3 ways you can make money as a digital nomad. These are the following:
- as an employee
- as a freelancer
- with your own online business
Nowadays, many jobs can be done from home and mobile working from other countries is also becoming more and more popular.
As a digital nomad, you earn a living by working remotely or running an online business. Once a person finds a remote job or starts a business that can be run online, they can go anywhere as long as there is internet!
Advantages and disadvantages of traveling jobs for digital nomads
Advantages:
Autonomy: You are completely independent and decide where and how much you work. This allows you great freedom to plan your daily life the way it suits you.
Flexible schedule: Unlike the typical 9-to-5 job, you can start earlier, start later, or just work through the night. Another option is to schedule your hours variably and be offline for a few hours in between.
No commute: Since you’re already sitting in your office, you don’t have to travel to work – and you also save the environment and time.
Cultural exchange: Whether in South America or Asia – experiencing everyday life in a new place with exciting people broadens your horizons and gives you the opportunity to get to know other cultures.
Minimalism: Your laptop and a stable internet connection are completely sufficient for most online jobs. No materialistic items accumulate and you learn to live with only the most necessary things.
Tax benefits: Depending on where you live, you may save on taxes.
Disadvantages:
Self-motivation: Without permanent employment, it often takes a lot of stamina and self-established routines. It is necessary to motivate yourself and this requires certain discipline and perseverance.
Uncertain income: Your income is dependent on the current order situation- this can also cause stress in the long run. To live the lifestyle as a Digital Nomad, you often have to work harder and for less money than in a traditional office job.
Internet dependency: An internet outage at your hotel or coffee shop can cause you to break out in a sweat just before your deadline. A secure internet connection is therefore essential, and planning in advance where you can set up a safe place to work is a good idea.
Paperwork & Accounting: No matter if you are self-employed, a freelancer or an online business – taxes, insurance, and other bureaucratic obligations will not spare you even abroad.
How do I get started?
All beginnings can be difficult. It is important to ask yourself certain questions in the beginning to find more clarity about your skills and interests.
- Where are my strengths?
- Which activities make time fly by?
- Who is my target audience?
- What do I want to sell?
- What can or do I already know?
From an equipment standpoint, a digital nomad needs a good laptop, an excellent internet connection, and tools specific to their work. These might include Zoom for online meetings, an appointment booking system, or a WhatsApp account for cross-border communication.
But which traveling jobs allow you to work remotely and location-independently?
The 14 best traveling jobs for digital nomad jobs
1. Copywriter & Freelance Writer
One of the quickest and easiest traveling jobs for digital nomads is to become a freelance writer.
You’ll likely create content for blogs, ebooks and other text-based media. This work is usually in coordination with a content manager.
Start by signing up as a freelancer to Upwork or Fiverr and build a portfolio and list of clients from there.
2. Translator
There is a great demand for translations of texts and other content on the Internet. Therefore, if you have a high level of proficiency in at least one foreign language, you can earn money online as a translator.
Translators work mainly on a contract basis with new or existing customers.
3. Online coaching/training
One of the best traveling jobs for digital nomads is to become a coach.
As a coach, you have a lot of different possibilities. You can offer group or one to one coaching and coach on various topics such as sports, nutrition or personal development.
4. Transcriber
If you have a good ear and can write quickly as well as confidently, then transcription is a fantastic traveling job for you. Transcription is needed in a wide variety of industries and the requirements are not to be too high, making this job perfect for new digital nomads.
5. Travel Planner
One of my favorite traveling jobs for digital nomads is to become a travel planner!
A who organizes vacation and travel packages for clients.
During and after consultation with a client, they perform various tasks, such as setting an itinerary, booking flights, and organizing the rental of a car or leisure.
6. (Travel) photographer
A perfect traveling job for a digital nomad is as a travel photographer as long as you’re prepared to face a lot of competition.
But if you love adventure photography and are really interested in it and have some skill and creativity, you should try your luck and use your photos at least as an additional source of income.
You can sell your photos as stock photos or directly to magazines or publishers, for example.
7. Online classes
Online courses are now offered in a wide variety of subjects. If you are trained in a certain subject, it is a good idea to share your expertise via online teaching. With the success of online teaching platforms, you can now teach learners from anywhere, at any time of day, and also apply your own methodology.
To find learners, you can either create your own website or sign up as a teacher through platforms.
The key to success is finding the right niche and marketing yourself properly. A website and social media presence are just the basics here.
8. Blogger or Vlogger
As a blogger or vlogger, you have the opportunity to create text or video content for your audience and earn additional money through collaborations with advertisers.
These days YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook all offer fantastic opportunities to grow a large following via vlogging.
Starting a blog, albeit a longer term goal, is one of the best traveling jobs, perfectly suited to a digital nomad lifestyle.
9. Public Relations
As a PR consultant, you mainly deal with the image of an organization, company or brand. Internal and external communication tools such as press releases, mailings, social media, and advertisements are used to inform, but also to dialogue with the target audience and the press.
10. Proofreader
Many editors work in publishing after a long degree in language studies. But you can also start your own business correcting and editing texts.
Especially due to the increase in self-publishing authors, the opportunities for proofreaders and editors is growing steadily.
11. Virtual Assistant
Employed individuals and small businesses use virtual assistants to outsource various tasks. You are responsible for various tasks and are a kind of secretary for these companies.
12. SEO Specialist
A search engine optimizer makes sure that their client’s websites reach the top of Google.
Search engine optimization is extremely important for many companies and therefore SEO experts are in demand like never before. If you are already active in this field and have a track record of success, then you should think about offering your services or opening your own SEO company.
13. Programmer
As a programmer, you are responsible for programming software or apps.
Since programming can only be done from a laptop, you can easily do this job regardless of location.
However, since technology is always evolving, you have to stay on the ball. The information from computer science courses becomes outdated very quickly and therefore you can also teach yourself the basic knowledge about web development in an online course.
14. Travel bloggers
Yes, there are a lot of travel bloggers and you can quickly get the impression that this field is oversaturated. However, most travel bloggers don’t create great content and also lack business acumen. You can definitely succeed if you are willing to put in the work and time.
Tips to get started with traveling jobs as a digital nomad
- Focus on the jobs with the most value and secure contracts there to increase your income
- Look for innovative ideas to keep your costs down, such as sharing accommodation or serviced apartments etc.
- Look for passive income opportunities to supplement the contracts you make during your trip. This way you take the financial pressure off yourself
When you are self-employed, in most cases you have to make acquisitions to even get a contract. Especially in the early days, it is important to focus entirely on the work, either to build a customer base or to collect good reviews in freelancer portals. Be aware that it can take a long time until you can live from regular orders.
Even if the lifestyle of a digital nomad sounds attractive, you should not suddenly give up everything and quit your job today. On the contrary, a structured plan is very important. It can help you stay motivated even if everything looks doomed to fail.
So before you start, take some time and think about how you want to earn money. Many people build up their own business parallel to their current job. When enough income is generated, they jump (but really only then) into self-employment. This way you avoid having no income at all for a while. The sooner you start, the sooner you can enjoy your digital nomadic life.
Maria Baker was born and raised in New Jersey in 1985. After graduating from high school, she studied a double major in economics and journalism and has been working as a freelance journalist for several years now. The author specializes in topics related to the benefits of domain check tools within a business, SEO, and digitization.