Thank you Stay22 for sponsoring this blog post! More about Stay22 in item number two on this list.
Traveling the world is a dream for many, but what if you could turn that dream into a reality—and get paid for it? Whether you’re a travel enthusiast, digital nomad, or content creator, there are plenty of ways to fund your adventures. These are our top 10 suggestions for ways to get paid to travel the world.
Create and share your travel experiences through blogging, social media, or user-generated content (UGC). Platforms like blogging, podcasting, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok offer monetization opportunities through ad revenue, sponsored posts, brand partnerships, and affiliate marketing. No matter if you're someone who enjoys being in front of a camera or would rather be a nameless blog writer or a faceless podcaster, there's a content creation option for you! Share your unique perspective and build a loyal audience who can’t get enough of your adventures.
The best way to begin content creation is to learn about SEO, develop your photography and videography skills, and find your original point of view. If you're looking for the best tools for growing a blog, we'd recommend using SEMRUSH. For video and photography skill development, you can't beat free videos on Youtube.
Promote products or services you love and earn a commission for every sale made through your referral link. This can be anything from travel gear and accommodations to travel insurance. Affiliate marketing is certainly a long game when it comes to revenue. The more views and clicks you get on your content, the more you'll make in affiliate marketing.
Important note: Not all affiliate programs are created equal! Our favorite travel affiliate marketing platform is Stay22 (who is actually sponsoring this blog post!) because of the possibility to link to multiple different travel booking sites in one place. The interface is super easy to use and its variety of booking options attracts travelers from all over the world.
For example, Booking.com is more popular amongst Europeans whereas Expedia.com is more popular amongst folks in the USA. Stay22 offers the ability to link to both websites all in one place. Instead of having accounts with 20 different travel booking affiliate programs, you can keep them all in one place and get paid out more often since the revenue will add up faster.
Surprisingly, the most lucrative way to generate income through Stay22 is through their AI-powered technology to target viewers on your site with the most relatable booking sites and locations according to their search history. About 90% of our revenue on Stay22 has been from their AI-powered tool Nova, which instantly sets it apart from its competitors.
Our favorite thing about Stay22 has been their customer service though. Truthfully, not all affiliate programs have left a good impression on us. In fact, many of them are downright disastrous in regards to usability and the support has been nonexistent. When we first applied to join the Stay22 network we had not one but two calls with the team to first learn about the product and then another call to fully set up our account and link it to our website.
Currently Expedia.com, Booking.com, Hotels.com, Kayak, TripAdvisor, Trivago and VRBO.com are available on Stay22, but the company is always looking to add new partnership programs. This is awesome for creators like ourselves who are too small to join most major travel affiliate programs. Stay22 works as the middleman and secures the opportunity to join those affiliate programs. It's my hope that one day they'll add direct booking abilities with some of our favorite travel brands such as Delta, Hyatt, and Enterprise. We'll see! So far we've been very impressed by the platform and we're looking forward to growing with them.
To get started on your journey of getting paid to travel the world, sign up for Stay22 today and start generating income on reservation recommendations! Use this link to join Stay22 and receive a $100 bonus once you generate 100 reservations through your Stay22 affiliate link.
Use your travel expertise and connection to your audience to lead group tours. There are lots of options to host trips through these days, so we'd recommend shopping around for the one that best fits your niche and has raving reviews from both tour hosts and participants. Leading tours is a fantastic way to explore new destinations while sharing your passion for travel with others. We had the opportunity to lead a trip to Iceland in 2022 and we had an absolutely wonderful time! We're still friends with everyone who traveled with us on that trip!
Collaborate with tourism boards and travel bureaus. They often look for influencers and content creators to promote their destinations. Reach out with a well-crafted pitch, showcasing how you can highlight their location in an engaging and authentic way. It takes practice and patience when trying to work with travel bureaus, but don't give up! If you have a unique angle, story, or perspective you can use to promote the destination, share that with the bureau when you pitch. Remember that many bureaus work on a July-June fiscal calendar which can be confusing when pitching since that also overlaps with most destination's peak season. Be ready to pitch bureaus 6-12 months in advance to get your name in the hat to snag a piece of their annual marketing budget.
Turn your travel stories into published articles. Travel websites, magazines, and blogs are always on the lookout for fresh content. Pitch your ideas to publications like Lonely Planet, Travel + Leisure, and National Geographic Traveller. This, too, is a long game and takes a lot of time, but if you love to write and would like to make a name for yourself in the travel industry while also growing your portfolio, this could be a great option for you to get paid to travel!
Your travel photos can be a significant source of income. Instead of uploading to stock photo sites, consider licensing them directly to brands, publishers, and travel agencies. Your high-quality, unique images are worth more than you think! Send e-mails to bureaus, brands, and publishers with a direct link to your gallery of the photos you've captured of the place/product they represent and ask them if they would be interested in licensing any of your photos. Keep in mind there are different ways to license photos which are determined by length of licensure and what level of rights they have to use the image (full right, exclusivity, etc.). There is good money to be had from licensing photos, but know that you'll almost always need to be the one to reach out to brands vs. them approaching you!
If you’re a native English speaker, you can teach English online and earn a steady income. Platforms like VIPKid, TeachAway, and iTalki connect you with students from around the world. All you need is a stable internet connection and a passion for teaching. Pay and acceptance rate on various platforms often depends on level education achieved as well as whether or not you've had any previous teaching experience.
Okay, I know this isn't really getting paid to travel the world as much as it is getting paid while traveling the world, but this an important option in our opinion because most of the ways you'll get paid to travel the world don't grow overnight. Most of the options on this list take time to grow and by working a part-time (or even full-time) remote job while traveling can help pay the bills and travel expenses while double dipping and creating content on the places you visit. Many companies now offer remote work options, especially fields like web development, graphic design, customer service, marketing, and administration (although not limited to these). Websites like Remote.co and We Work Remotely list job opportunities that allow you to work from anywhere.
Get free accommodation by house-sitting or pet-sitting domestically or internationally. Websites like TrustedHousesitters connect you with homeowners looking for someone to take care of their home and pets while they’re away. It’s a great way to live like a local and save on lodging costs. While we haven't had the opportunity to try this ourselves, we have friends who have housesat a historic chateau in France, another friend who has house sat in Hawaii and Alaska, and other friends who have used house sitting as an opportunity to live rent free while traveling the USA for a year.
Checkout our podcast episode with Curated with Kyla about her experiences housesitting as a way to travel.
Consider taking up seasonal jobs in tourist hotspots. You could work as a ski instructor in the winter or a beach lifeguard in the summer. These jobs often come with the added perk of free or discounted accommodation. One of our good friends has worked in some of the most beautiful national parks in the USA including Yellowstone, Denali, and Glacier during the peak months. Not only does she get paid to work at these national parks but she also gets free housing!
Note: Many of the jobs in national parks are not through the official National Parks Service but rather through official third party vendors who lead tours or provide accommodations, or might simply be nearby to the national park.
The world is full of opportunities for those who seek them. By leveraging your skills and passions, you can not only travel the world but also get paid to do it. There's no one right way to get paid to travel the world, so figure out what bests fits your skillset and what you aligns with your passions and go for it!
To get started on your journey of getting paid to travel the world, sign up for Stay22 today and start generating income on reservation recommendations! Use this link to join Stay22 and receive a $100 bonus once you generate 100 reservations through your Stay22 affiliate link.
