The digital nomad lifestyle almost seems too good to be true.
But the truth is – It’s not that hard to become a digital nomad and make good money while you’re at it.
The world is now connected through the internet, smart devices, and transport, there has never been a better time to make money while traveling.
While there are so many different ways you can make money while you travel, in this blog I am going to share with you 7 of the best ways to do it.
These are the 7 best digital nomad jobs right now:
- Become a Skilled Freelancer
- Start a Full-Time Blog
- Build an ecommerce Store
- Get a Remote Job
- Become an Unskilled Freelancer
- Create Online Courses
- Become a Coach or Consultant
Now, this is not one of those posts where I list x number of the best digital nomad jobs and say “choose one that inspires you and good luck”.
If I was writing that kind of post it would be 50+ best digital nomad jobs, not just 7!
These 7 digital nomad jobs are also not short-term gains. These ideas are for people who want to build a long-term, sustainable income.
I will also break down how much potential income each idea can generate and give a rough idea of how long it will take to get there.
Do Digital Nomad Jobs Really Exist?
The short answer is… YES!
There are so many people, from lots of different countries, backgrounds, and cultures all over the world who work and travel full time as digital nomads.
I was at a coworking space recently and the staff told me that there were people from 32 different countries working from that space.
32 different countries! That’s amazing…
It shows that no matter where you are from, what your background or experiences are, you can MOST DEFINITELY make money while you travel.
You just need to have a vision of where you want to go, be committed to the journey, and work hard to get there.
How To Create Your Own Digital Nomad Job
Now that we have got that cleared up, let’s jump in and talk about how you can do it.
To give you a better understanding, I have broken down some “Quick Facts” at the beginning of each idea. Here are the definitions of each quick fact:
- Potential Income: The potential amount of money you can make from this idea each year. This is by no means definitive, but it will give you some context for what is possible.
- How Long it will Take: An estimate of how many months it can take to make enough money to travel full time.
- Hours Per Week: The typical amount of time a digital nomad spends working in this field each week while traveling.
- Startup Costs: The estimated amount of money that you will need to get started.
I have gotten these figures and facts from my own experience, speaking to a multitude of other digital nomads and my research.
Remember, each idea is broad so that you can take the one that sticks out to you most and apply it to something niche and specific that you are passionate about.
Best Digital Nomad Jobs Right Now
If you are serious about working and traveling full time, you are in the right place! Let’s get started in building your digital nomad career.
1. Skilled Freelancer
Freelancing is how most digital nomads start off.
You can create a flexible digital nomad lifestyle and ultimately still work for yourself. Does it get better than that?
I’ll leave that for you to decide.
Quick Facts:
- Potential Income: USD $40,000 to $100,000+
- How Long Will it Take?: 6-12 months
- Hours Per Week: 40 – 45 hours
- Startup Costs: $0 – $500
Skilled Freelancer Overview
Being a freelancer is one of the best places to start when traveling full-time. Most freelancers that I have met work pretty hard and also reap serious benefits in terms of earning potential and flexibility.
You can be a skilled freelancer in almost anything that provides value to the client. Some of the most popular skilled freelancer jobs for digital nomads are:
- Social media marketer
- Media buyer
- Software developer
- Content creation (writing, video, graphics)
- App developer
- Content writer
- Search engine optimization
- Accountant
The sky is literally the limit. If you have a skill and the experience to prove it – kickstart your digital nomad career as a freelancer. There are even lawyers who are digital nomads now.
As long as you can use a laptop and have an internet connection, a full-time skilled freelancer is a good place to start.
Skilled Freelancer Benefits:
- Huge flexibility in the location of work
- Very low startup costs
- Fast starting time to earn enough money to travel
- Opportunity to earn more income (and keep all the profits)
How to Get Started as a Freelancer
The way businesses hire freelancers today has changed from about 5 years ago. Businesses no longer want to hire freelancers who are “good at everything”. Most businesses want freelancers who have a very specific skill set.
The first thing you need to do is choose something to be an expert at. This will help you land more freelance gigs as well as make more money.
Why?
Experts can charge more money and get higher-paying clients. Let’s say you want to become a freelance writer. Ideally, you want to get more specific than that. Focus on a specific industry such as health and fitness.
This will help you land higher-paying freelance gigs because you are an expert freelance writer for the health and fitness industry – Your not just a generalist.
Once you have a chosen skill, ensure that you have the knowledge to deliver outstanding results.
I would start by creating profiles on sites like Fiverr and UpWork as well as leveraging your contacts on LinkedIn to get work. You can also check out relevant Facebook groups as this is a good place to pick up some clients.
Keys to Success:
- Choosing a good niche industry to focus on
- Being an expert in a specific skill or market
- Building good relations with clients long-term
- Leveraging your current network to get your initial clients
Want to become a freelance writer? Learn step by step how to become a content writer and see the process to earn over 6-figures per year.
2. Full-Time Blogger
Ever thought of running your own blog?
Blogging can create a great digital nomad lifestyle. It’s not as easy as most people make it out to be, but your hard work can really pay off.
Quick Facts:
- Potential Income: $40,000 to $200,000+
- How Long Will it Take?: 12 – 24 months
- Hours Per Week: 20 hours
- Startup Costs: $150 – $1000
Blogger Overview
We have all heard of travel bloggers.
But bloggers come in many different forms and in lots of different niches. You could be a blogger who writes blog posts, a blogger who makes videos (vlogger) or both.
The best thing about blogging is that there are so many opportunities to monetize. You can do it through affiliate marketing, referrals, sponsored posts, ads, and so much more.
After getting some traction, bloggers typically spend less than 20 hours a week working on writing, creating, posting and marketing. This means that you have a huge earning potential with very little work.
However, in the beginning, getting a good blog up and running does take a lot of effort and time. And I mean a lot!
But once you get there, the payoff is great. If you love to write, shoot videos, teach, and inspire others, being a blogger could be a great option. You could start a lifestyle blog or blog about a niche you are passionate about.
Benefits Of Running A Blog:
- Large earning potential
- Very little work after getting good traction
- Many different ways to earn money
- Low startup costs
How to Get Started with Blogging
The most important thing when starting a blog is choosing a niche. You need to choose a niche that you are passionate about, is specific, and has an audience that is engaged.
Once you have chosen your niche topic, you need to shift your focus to content.
Content will be the lifeblood of your business, so make sure you are relevant, provide value and speak to the needs of your audience. Do these 3 things well and you will be on your way to setting yourself up as a successful blogger.
Keys to Success:
- Choose a niche topic with an engaged audience
- Write or Shoot 3-4 blogs/vlogs each week
- Provide lots of value for your audience
- Build a good email list of followers
- Be consistent and have a long-term perspective
3. Ecommerce Store
Ecommerce stores are considered by some as the ultimate online business.
Why?
Because once you have your business up and running you can predictably make money. And if you have a good product, your earnings can explode. Here’s what you need to know.
Quick Facts:
- Potential Income: $25,000 – $150,000
- How Long Will it Take?: 8-15 months
- Hours Per Week: 15-20 hours
- Startup Costs: $250 – $10,000
Ecommerce Store Owner Overview
Ecommerce can be a great digital nomad job.
You have a lot of flexibility in the business model you use whether it’s print-on-demand, drop-shipping, digital product, white-labeling, or creating your own product.
Marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy also open up a place where you can list and sell products to an already established audience.
Being an ecommerce store owner is great because you can often scale quickly and once going, requires just a couple of hours a day to fulfill orders and update digital marketing activities.
That said, if you create your own product, you will need to be aware of the potentially difficult operations and cash flow issues that can arise.
Because online competition has increased over the years, you need to have a strong digital marketing strategy in place. Being either skilled in digital marketing or having extra cash to hire an agency is essential to get continued sales and build a loyal fan base.
Ecommerce Store Owner Benefits:
- Very little time required to run the business
- Lots of flexibility with the business model
- Potential fast return on investment
- Able to scale fast or downsize as required
How to Get Started With An Ecommerce Store
A successful ecommerce store always starts with an audience that you want to sell to.
Most people make the mistake of deciding on a product then trying to find an audience to buy that product.
Once you have decided on a niche audience (industry/market) you will need to do your research to find out what products they want to buy.
Spend time doing your research, asking questions in online forums, and talking to people to find out what they are interested in.
This will be the difference between having an amazing start and a potentially devastating one.
Keys to Success:
- Finding and serving a niche audience that has disposable income
- Good quality products with enough margin
- Strong digital marketing strategy
- Cash flow management and good operations
4. Remote Job
You don’t have to run a business to become a digital nomad.
If you didn’t know… The world has gone remote (almost). The truth is that tons of companies offer remote jobs to employees and encourage them to become digital nomads.
If starting your own business isn’t your thing, get a remote job instead.
Quick Facts:
- Potential Income: $40,000 – $85,000
- How Long Will it Take?: 2-6 months
- Hours Per Week: 40 – 45 hours
- Startup Costs: $0 – $100
Remote Job Overview
Getting a remote job is probably the fastest way to become a digital nomad.
If you are the kind of person who just wants to travel and work but doesn’t have the drive to build a business, getting a remote job could be your best option.
Getting a remote job is the fastest way to start earning enough money to travel full time. You are still in a stable job, you just get all the benefits of traveling as well.
The only downside to getting a remote job is the fact that it is a job.
So you will always have to put in the full-time hours each week and depending on your contract, you may have to still work the business hours of your head office (which can be tricky with different time zones).
You also are capped at your earning potential and there isn’t any way to scale.
However, in saying that, most digital nomads and full-time travelers that I know with remote jobs, are building their business on the side. So, this could actually be a big benefit.
Make sure you think about the type of job you want. Job type will be a big factor in the lifestyle you have as a digital nomad.
Benefits of a Remote Job:
- You could get a job by next week and start traveling immediately
- Stable salary and income
- Opportunity to travel without having to start a business
- Part of a team
How to Get Started with a Remote Job
To get started with a remote job you need to look at your digital nomad skills, experience, and qualities.
You then need to create a strong professional profile for yourself which can include:
- Resume
- Cover letter
- LinkedIn profile
- Other social sites
- Personal Website
Then it’s time to look for a job.
Check out websites like Flexjobs, Hubstaff, We Work Remotely, Working Nomads, and even LinkedIn. Then it’s the same as following the formal recruitment process.
With this type of job, you will often go through different stages and rounds in the interview process. If you stick to applying for jobs that are a great fit, you will be much more successful.
Keys to Success:
- Having good experience and skills that suit the job
- Creating a strong professional profile
- Choosing jobs to apply for that suit you perfectly
- Managing your time and sticking to deadlines
5. Unskilled Freelancer
You don’t have to be a “skilled” freelancer.
There are tons of digital nomad jobs designed for unskilled freelancers. The truth is you need to have some sort of skills but when I say “unskilled” I just mean a job type that doesn’t require formal education or previous skills to learn.
Here’s what you need to know to become an unskilled freelancer.
Quick Facts:
- Potential Income: $25,000 – $50,000+
- How Long Will it Take?: 3 – 12 months
- Hours Per Week: 10 – 40+ hours
- Startup Costs: $100 – $500
Unskilled Freelancer Overview
You don’t need a university degree to get (or create) a digital nomad job.
In other words, someone who knows how to use a computer, send emails and use Microsoft word could easily jump into these freelance jobs and start making money.
You might be thinking, “do these really exist?” Yes, they do!
The number 1 example of this job type is a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant typically has tasks such as scheduling appointments, booking flights, web research, managing emails, creating documents, and other administrative work.
Other unskilled freelance jobs can include-
- Content writing
- Proofreading/Editing
- Customer service
- Tutoring
- English teaching
- Content writer
- Social media manager (depends on the clients’ requirements).
A lot of startups and entrepreneurs look to hire unskilled freelancers part-time, so there is a significant amount of opportunity and you can typically manage 2-3 clients at one time.
If you don’t have any formal skills or experience, but still have a passion to travel and work remotely, look more into these kinds of jobs for freelancing.
Benefits of an Unskilled Freelancer:
- No formal skills or experience required
- High demand for part-time or even full-time work
- Good salary and enough to travel and live
- Huge flexibility in the location to work
How to Start as an Unskilled Freelancer
The first thing you need to do is decide the kinds of services that you want to offer your clients.
If you are looking at a virtual assistant role, you need to come up with a list of services that you will offer. After that, come up with a pricing model which either includes a pay-per-hour fee or set packages.
You will want to create a website and an online professional profile for yourself. Remember you are a freelancer, not an employee, so you are not entitled to benefits and you do have overheads such as website hosting, office expenses, and software subscriptions.
So when you approach clients, make sure that your pricing includes these things.
Keys to Success:
- A concise list of services that you can offer
- Building good relations with clients long-term
- Assisting clients with tasks that you can do
- Leveraging your current network to get your initial clients
6. Online Course Creator
I personally love this as an idea as a digital nomad job.
Here’s why:
because it is extremely popular at the moment (and will be in the future) to take courses online. Thinking of starting your own online course?
Pay attention to this next section.
Quick Facts:
- Potential Income: $35,000 to $120,000
- How Long Will it Take?: 6-12 months
- Hours Per Week: 10-15 hours
- Startup Costs: $500 – $5000
Online Course Creator
The internet has completely changed the way we learn and one of the things that has come out of that change is online courses.
You can now teach hundreds of thousands of people around the world from your laptop. That is kind of crazy. If you have a skill or hobby that you know other people would be interested in learning, then an online course is a great option.
You can create courses on anything, from teaching people how to become a good barista to more professional things like starting a business.
Benefits of a Video Course Teacher:
- Can be low startup costs
- Extremely scalable business
- High demand for courses
- Very little work each week once started
- High income earning potential
How to Start Creating Online Courses
The first thing you have to decide is the types of courses you want to make.
Do you want to create a long (3 hours +) course that teaches people something large? Or, would you prefer to create a short (less than 1.5 hours) course that teaches a very specific skill?
After deciding this, think about the type of skills, hobbies, passions, and experiences you have and make a list of potential courses you could create.
You also need to decide whether you will create a course for a platform like Skillshare or Udemy, or go it alone and leverage software like Kartra or Teachable to run a full-fledged course-based business.
If you’re just getting started, I would opt for the first choice and after having some success create your own brand and website for your courses.
This will dramatically increase your income earning potential over time.
Keys to Success:
- Offer real information based on experience
- Serve a niche audience
- Invest in the right equipment
- Choose a business model that works for you
7. Coach or Consultant
It is crazy how fast the coaching and consulting industry has exploded over the last few years.
Nowadays, everyone has a coach or consultant for everything. This is truly a great industry to get yourself involved in right now.
Quick Facts:
- Potential Income: $50,000 to $200,000
- How Long Will it Take?: 3-18 months
- Hours Per Week: 30 – 50 hours
- Startup Costs: $1000 – $5000
Coach And Consultant Overview
The options are literally endless when it comes to coaching and consulting. If you can fast-track someone on their way to success, there is an opportunity for you.
Coaches and consultants work very hard, especially at the beginning of their businesses. You will need to create a system to build your personal brand and attract potential clients.
There are multiple different types of business models available. You need to decide whether you will:
- Create an online program
- 1 to 1 coaching/consulting
- Group programs
You also need to decide whether to charge by the hour, have set packages, or charge subscription fees.
But with so many decisions you also get a lot of flexibility to create an online business that suits your digital nomad lifestyle.
Coaches and consultants both have huge income earning potential, regardless of the model they choose.
I have personally met a lot of full-time traveling coaches and consultants that earn very good money. Some work long hours, others don’t.
It depends on the goals they have and the type of business they run.
Benefits of Being a Coach or Consultant:
- High income earning potential
- Very flexible digital nomad lifestyle
- Short starting time
- Long-term, high growth industry
How to Get Started as a Coach or Consultant
Your first step is to decide what you are going to be coaching or consulting on.
To be a good coach or consultant you need to have real experience. Just knowledge is not enough. People will come to you with a wealth of challenges and you need to know how to handle and help them.
After deciding your niche area to focus on you need to look at the different business models available.
As you plan to travel full time, I would choose a model that works well with that lifestyle.
You will also need to have a reasonable idea of how to brand and market yourself so that you can get good clients and charge reasonable fees.
The key to remember as a coach or consultant is, if you provide value and care for your clients, you are already 50% of the way to being successful!
Word of warning: Make sure you know what you are doing.
You don’t want to be the “business coach” that has never run a business or the “digital nomad lifestyle coach” that has only just become a digital nomad.
Keys to Success:
- Real-world, insightful experience
- Ability to understand and solve problems quickly
- Good branding and marketing strategies
- Excellent content and plans to help people
Choose The Best Digital Nomad Job For You
There is so much opportunity as a digital nomad.
The 7 digital nomad jobs that I have listed are the ones that I think have the most potential right now.
The real key to making money online is serving a niche and specific audience, regardless of whether you have a remote job, start a business or become a freelancer.
People often make the mistake of trying to serve everyone or learn too many skills and therefore are not focussed enough. This is not a good perspective to take and will lead to difficulties down the road.
Now that you have a good overview of the best ways to make money while traveling, the next step is to select what you are going to do.
Choose one of the ways above, then apply it to what you want to do and where your passions lie.
Remember:
You are not trying to make a few quick bucks online. Rather, with these ideas, you are building a long-term, sustainable income. Keep this in mind while you get started and make sure your expectations are in the right place.
You should also make a digital nomad budget so you know exactly how much you need to earn.
If you do these things, hold on to your vision, and work hard, I have no doubt that you can make money while traveling the world full time.
