Ways to Earn a Steady Income Travelling the World as a Digital Nomad

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If you have the tiniest bit of wanderlust in you, then you’re a person who is constantly on the search for greener pastures in faraway lands. Unfortunately, your job doesn’t pay you enough or give you enough vacation time to explore those destinations.
 
Imagine having the opportunity to travel full-time and being able to earn a steady income while doing it… that would be a dream come true, right? The white-sand beaches and clear blue waters are calling your name… you’re in arm’s reach of the dream, yet there’s something holding you back. What could it be?

​If you’re like most people who long to live a life of travel, there are two things that typically hold them back. The first thing holding them back is what it actually takes to live the digital nomad lifestyle. The second thing that holds people back is the fear of not having a steady income.
 
It’s perfectly understandable why people are cautious about making such a lifestyle change. But once you understand what it takes to live the lifestyle and can feel assured in knowing that you can have a steady income, you’ll be ready to make the necessary lifestyle changes as soon as you possibly can!
 
First, let’s look at what it actually takes for you to become a digital nomad.

What it Takes to Become a Digital Nomad

​Becoming a digital nomad is actually quite simple. First and foremost, you have to make the decision to become one. Once you make that decision, you can then start making the necessary arrangements to earn an income as one. Here are some necessary requirements of what it takes to become a digital nomad.

You have to feel comfortable being alone

​As a digital nomad, you’re going to have to get comfortable with the idea of being by yourself during your travels, unless you have a travel partner. Most digital nomads are solo travelers and make great friends during their journeys, but oftentimes are alone.
 
It’s important that you know and understand this upfront because although you’re seeing the world and all its beauty, it gets lonely. The sooner you can embrace loneliness, the faster it won’t put a damper on your adventures. Loneliness should be an expectation you know you’ll experience.

You have to be a disciplined self-starter

​When it comes to earning a steady income as a digital nomad, there isn’t going to be anyone there to tell you to finish your work… you are your own boss and you’ll only make money when you put in the work for it. So, the more work you put in, the more earning potential you’ll have, but it takes discipline to do it.
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​Ways to Earn as a Digital Nomad

​As you can see, it doesn’t take much to become a digital nomad but there are some qualities and characteristics you will need to learn and understand in order to be a successful one. Now we can dive into the many ways to earn a steady income traveling the world as a digital nomad.

Engage in Freelance Writing

​You may not realize it but there is a need for good writers around the world. So many people and businesses have blogs that need good, original content but the owners of the websites either don’t have the time to write or they don’t have a way with words to produce the content needed. So what do these business and website owners do? They hire freelance writers.
 
The great thing about freelance writing is that you get to set your own prices and how much content you can do for your clients. That’s not necessarily saying that clients are at your mercy but you can only give them what you’re able to give them. If you have a way with words, you can be a freelance writer and only write things you like, whether it be fairytales, books, or informational articles.
 
Sites like Upwork and PeoplePerHour are great sites to pick up freelance work. As a freelance writer, your earning potential is endless. You can do as little or as much work as you want.

Books, Ebooks or Audiobooks

If freelance isn't your thing, you have a passion for writing, a knack for marketing and a dream of publishing your own creations, there are thousands of publishing companies around the globe that will be keen to publish your work. Books, Ebooks or Audiobooks, whatever your chosen format, there is a company for you. If you're located around New York, here is a handy list of publishing companies in NYC who could help you get your book out into the world.

Rent Your Home Out

Renting out your home is one of the quickest ways to earn a steady income while traveling the world on your nomadic adventures. Technically, by definition, a digital nomad is someone who earns an income by utilization of the internet but look at renting your home out as a passive form of income.
 
By renting your home out, you’re giving yourself a steady source of monthly income. There are home rental sites like Airbnb and Zillow that allow you to put your home up for rent but the key to success lies in finding the right renter.
 
While you’re on your digital nomad journeys, you want to rent your home out to long-term renters, not people who only need to rent your home for a few months.
 
Safety Tip: Renting your home out is also a great way to keep your home safe during your travels. An empty house is one of the biggest signs that robbers look for when selecting their target homes to rob. If they see that a house is occupied, thieves tend to stay away.

Build an E-Commerce Store

​Building an e-commerce store is also a great way to earn a steady income during your travels. The best part about this particular earning type is the fact that you don’t have to wait for your digital nomad journeys to begin… you can start earning long before your travels.
 
Let’s say you’ve decided to give yourself a year to save before starting your journeys. While you’re saving, you can build your e-commerce site and start building your customer base long before you start seeing the world.
 
That way, by the time you pack your bags to head out, you’ll have already established a nice sized audience as well as followers who are hard-core fans of your products. They’ll be buying from you regardless of where you live!

Seek Remote Work

​When most people become digital nomads, they end up having to quit their full-time jobs. But let’s say you work for a company that has remote work opportunities… Do you know what that would mean for you? That means that you wouldn’t have to quit your job or give up any of your employee benefits… You can still work for your current employer without having to go into the office! As long as you have a laptop, phone, and internet access, you’ll be able to work from anywhere in the world!
 
Even if your current employer doesn’t have remote work opportunities, that doesn’t mean that you can’t seek other companies that do have remote work opportunities. It shouldn’t be too hard to find those opportunities either.
 
According to Forbes, more and more companies are hiring remote workers because it’s not only better for business but more so because remote workers are significantly more productive and efficient. When people go into the office, productivity levels tend to slow down.