"Set up online course"
Do you have a skill that you want to share? International Living suggests setting up an online course with written tutorials, PDF downloads and videos. For instance, Rebecca Groskruetz used her talent for furniture painting to create a site where members can go at their own pace. When she soft-launched the business, she sold 33 programs at $127 each. After doing a bigger launch later the same year, she sold 216 programs at $149 each. Her total sales the first year: $36,375. Some online resources for teaching courses include TakeLessons, Udemy and Skillshare.
2. Tutor
Another way to take advantage of your skills: Become an online tutor. The website Cambly helps you get paid to chat with people from around the world. While you’re doing the tutoring, the site automatically tracks the time you spend, paying $10.20 an hour. While that might not sound like a lot, consider the fact that you can set your own hours, work as little or as much as you want—and if you’re living abroad, $10.20 an hour can go a long way.
3. Become a Travel Agent
Do you love to share advice on travel? Put your expertise to work and become a travel advisor. You can sign up for courses through a place like The Travel Institute. Or you can pay a fee to a company like Cruise Planners, which recruits and trains advisors to work remotely not only in planning cruises but in all kinds of travel—on land and at sea. The company was started in 1994 by a woman named Michelle Fee, who didn’t take a paycheck for the first three years so that she could invest back into the business. Now in its 25th year, Cruise Planners is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise with more than 2,500 franchisees.
4. Be a Juror
Here’s a case where you won’t dread jury duty. The site eJury has revolutionized the way that lawyers prepare for trial by creating online mock juries and focus groups that help attorneys determine prepare case. You’ll get paid for participating.
5. Play Poker
Seriously. Matador Network published a story called “How to Fund Your Travels Playing Online Poker.” We’d say that’s better than Vegas!
6. Let Someone Pick Your Brain
Do people always want to pick your brain? Now you can get paid for it. The website Clarity has curated a community of passionate experts and thought leaders who are sought out by fellow entrepreneurs in a vast range of fields. The site will help you get paid for your time and advice. Much better than getting reimbursed with a cup of coffee.
7. Become a Virtual Assistant
Are you organized and resourceful? As a virtual assistant, you make money by helping people and businesses with tasks ranging from data entry to research to customer service—the sky’s the limit. The website VANetworking was founded by a virtual assistant and is loaded with tips and job leads.
8. Sell Your Photos and Videos
If you’re traveling, it’s likely that you’re surrounded by gorgeous photo ops, and now that digital cameras are widely available, photography and videography can be a good way to earn an income. Stock websites make it easy for photographers and videographers to upload their work, then will market on your behalf and create passive income for you while you’re off shooting the next beautiful location. Stock agencies looking for submissions include Shutterstock, Photoshelter, Fotolia and iStock.
9. Become a Travel Writer
Again, if you’re traveling the world, it’s the perfect opportunity to write about your experiences and get paid for it. That said, making money as a travel writer isn’t easy since you must be able to sell your articles or create a revenue-producing travel blog. But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Lonely Planet even published an entire book on the topic, “How to Be a Travel Writer,” available in print and as an e-book.
10. Write an E-Book
Speaking of e-books, it’s a great way to turn your expertise into a platform that people will buy, creating a form of passive income. Kindle even has a step-by-step guide for how to create, publish and market an e-book.
11. Publish an E-Book
According to International Living, an even faster and easier way to make money with e-books is to find a book that has already been published in print and license it to publish online. “The person doing the online publishing gets the lion’s share of the money—paying the author the standard 8% to 15% royalties based on net sales,” says International Living. You can sometimes do a one-time payment for the rights to publish online, like Vic Johnson. “I once bought the rights to a book for $200, simply because I liked the content,” says Johnson. “Over the years, I’ve made over $50,000 selling it as an e-book.” Consider this statistic: There are over 44 million print books on Amazon but only 2.6 million Kindle books—that’s a lot of material that could be converted to e-books.
12. Teach English
Most people think you need to be living abroad in order to teach English to foreign students. But as GoOverseas.com points out, “With video chatting and conferencing growing easier and more reliable every year, teaching English lessons online is another great way to fund your life abroad or at home.” For a slew of companies that will set you up with online students, check out this article on Teach Away. Rates for teaching English online can go up to $22 an hour.
13. Create Software Reviews
If you have strong opinions about software, whether positive or negative, you can get paid for creating reviews. SoftwareJudge.com pays up to $50 dollars for, as they describe it, “tell-it-like-it-is, no marketing BS, straight-talking software reviews.”
14. Translate
Do you speak another language? Consider doing translating. “Translation positions are plentiful in an ever-melding world with more global travel among those who speak different languages,”says FlexJobs, which offers a sampling of available positions. The company Smartling also makes it easy to become a translator.
15. Create a Blog
So you’re an expert on a topic? Create a blog about it. “Always think about the value you’re providing,” says International Living. “Why should anyone read what you’re writing? What’s in it for them?” The best blogs showcase your experiences by providing info that’s helpful to others. So how to earn money? A big method is by affiliate income: earning a commission if people end up buying someone thanks to your blog. “Right now, my biggest source of affiliate income is from Amazon, which is anywhere from $300 to $600 per month,” says Ali Garland who has been blogging since 2009. “And the great thing about this type of income is that the money keeps rolling in even if I decide to take a couple of days, or even a week, off.” The blogger Nomadic Matt has multiple e-courses on the topic.