‘How to fund travel’ is the thing most people want to know from us when they discover we’ve been wandering long-term with our five kids since 2007.
“You must be loaded!” is what most people think.
The truth is, we’re not. We probably earn less money than many of you.
Yet since we first started exploring in 2007, we’ve taken our kids to 11 countries on three continents (as of Feb. 2013 – we’re still going!)
Many don’t see how it’s possible to travel full time, with 5 children, especially when ‘traveling is so expensive.’
But I’m here to tell you that funding travel is really quite simple… and possible! It just takes a little creative thinking.
The first ‘secret’ to funding travel is learning how to afford it (even with a family). To do this, you need to learn the difference between travel and vacationing (yes, there is a BIG difference).
If you learn how to actually travel than you realize how inexpensive (and affordable) it is. That makes funding it on a long-term basis that much more of a possibility.
The next step is discovering how to earn money. And not just how to earn money, but how to earn money in a way that gives you freedom to travel.
Many people like to ask us what we do, perhaps thinking that they could do it too, and then be able to travel like we do. (That’s what I used to think. I was always looking for ‘the answer’ that would provide the money we needed to travel full time.)
The reality is, there is no single way to fund a travel lifestyle. The modus operandi are as varied as the individuals pursing them.
The real key to funding your travel lifestyle is to be creative, to think unconventionally about income sources, and/or find a way to do what you do, but in a more mobile way.
If you can discover a way to work remotely, find a position abroad that uses your skills, or uncover a system for taking periodical ‘sabbaticals’ throughout the year, then you’ll have discovered the freedom to explore this big, beautiful world.
(You can see specific examples of the multiple ways people have actually done it in our Fund Your Lifestyle Interview Series — discussions with travelers from all over the world, sharing the nuts and bolts of how they pay for travel.)
But, below I’m going to share the very specific income sources that we have had or currently have, in an effort to spark some ideas that might help you discover your own mobile financing.
We believe in the principle of ‘multiple streams of income‘, (or ‘patchwork income’). Instead of having one source of money, you create many – thus reducing your financial risks, and increasing your financial possibilities.
Below is how we fund travel:
This was one of the tools that made travel a possibility for us in the first place. Back in 2006, we were doing really well, and decided to move to Costa Rica, because our income was not dependent on location. That worked great… until the U.S. economic collapse of 2008.
BUT, investing in real estate is how Nancy Vogel (from FamilyonBikes.org) paid for their three-year biking adventure from Alaska to Argentina. (Watch her interview to learn more about how she did it.)
This was another thing my husband did back in 2006 – 2008. He made LOTS of money (he once made $6k one morning on a beach in Mexico… ahh, those were the days.)
Day trading, swing trading, options trading and all of those stock market things give you lots of freedom. All you need is a laptop. You can make money when the market goes up, and when it goes down. And you can trade in other markets too. But beware, it’s easy to lose your shorts (and a whole lot more), so be well educated before you try this. (I recently found this guy who might have some good advice on where to get started.)
Once the market crashed in 2008, we returned to the U.S. and my husband got contract jobs here and there. We lived frugally (traded rent for home improvements) and saved, saved, saved (a key ingredient if you want to travel). He was offered a career position with a great company earning over $100k a year… but he would be chained to a cubicle. We decided instead to stick with the temp work, and subsequently took off for the Dominican Republic in 2009.
This is a strategy that many people use — working half the year to save up, and then taking short sabbaticals to explore.
Before taking off for the Dominican Republic, we bulked up our savings by selling anything of value that we had left (we’d already sold a lot of things when we took off for Costa Rica in ’07). Gone was our expensive treadmill, couches, bookshelves and even my wedding ring… I valued the experiences of travel as a family much more than any possessions. (Our friend Adam Baker has great advice on how to ‘
Sell Your Crap‘)
Once on our island paradise, my husband was contracted to do options trading for some investors, and I worked on freelance writing. Eventually the investors backed out, and my husband went back to the states (after six months, this time to Georgia) for more temp work. My writing skills weren’t exceptional enough to make very much, but for awhile these two income streams helped pay the bills.
Since then, I have been able to make more as a freelance writer. I’ve written for travel magazines and online travel sites that pay anywhere from $50 to $150 an article. (You can find freelance work on Elance.com and Odesk.com. If you want to become a paid travel writer, here’s a list of sites that pay.
After a stint of temp work in Georgia, my husband was offered a job with a non-profit organization in Southern India. The company covered all of our expenses — including visas, immunizations, airfare, housing, utilities, etc. PLUS paid him a salary.
Many people have used international employers to help them see the world. During our travels we’ve met people who’ve worked for Caterpillar, Fuji, Walmart and more. Before biking from Alaska to Argentina, Nancy Vogel and her husband worked as school teachers in Ethiopia. It’s a great gig to be an international teacher, because they cover all your expenses, and you can often earn a tax free salary.
My own sister taught English in Thailand, before landing employment with a T.V. production company in Bangkok, handling their social media. (This site has great resources for finding international employment. You can also find some adventurous jobs at ExplorersConnect. If you’re interested in teaching jobs, check out TeachAnywhere.com
After living in India, we moved to Alaska where we added child #5 to our family. Once we decided we wanted to drive from Alaska to Argentina, I realized we needed a long-term, mobile solution for funding our adventures.
I chose to focus on blogging as a ‘career’, something I had been studying for years through sites like Copyblogger.com and Problogger.com. I started treating my blog as a business instead of a hobby, and even though it didn’t happen overnight, eventually I began earning income — through affiliate sales, advertising and text links, and selling our own information products. (If you want to try blogging as a business, I recommend starting with something from Darrin Rowse at ProBlogger or Christine Gilbert of AlmostFearless — you can get 25% off with this link.)
If you’re a techy person, than it’s easy to make money and travel. All you need is your computer. I’ve done website designs on three continents, and it’s really helped to pay the bills.
Anything such as graphic design, website design, or social media can be turned into an online, location independent career. (This is how Colin Burns of OurTravelLifestyle funds his exotic life. Watch his interview.)
Anytime we’ve come across any ‘windfalls’ of extra cash, it’s always gone to pay for our adventures. Whether tax refunds, insurance settlements or inheritances (that hasn’t happened yet), we invest the money into unforgettable experiences that will treasure forever as a family. Have you filed your taxes lately??
In Costa Rica, you can’t work as an employee, but you
can start your own business. This is true in many places around the world. So why not? Take your skills and use them to create an income. Teach scuba diving or surfing, open a photography studio, or a
trail running company.
Or get involved in local commerce. Sell homemade chocolates or soaps, or even meat chickens (our most recent income adventure.) The options are truly endless, if you get a little creative.
My husband is one of those people who motivates and inspires others. Over the years, he’s had the chance to coach and mentor many individuals — from teens to adults. And for the past couple of years he’s been able to be paid for this work.
If you have the ability to help others reach goals or gain a proper perspective on life, then why not take those skills on the road, and mentor others you meet in person, or via today’s online technology.
Above are a few of the ways we’ve been able to fund our family travels.
But we’ve also met dozens of couples and families who have found their own unique strategies. Here’s a few of them:
Many people have found work with the U.S. Embassy, taking jobs in exotic locations like Costa Rica, Dubai and Afghanistan (all over the world really). They are paid good salaries, housing is often covered, and they receive new assignments on an average of every 3 years. You can find out more about
joining the foreign services here.
There are companies emerging who offer paid positions online that can be worked from anywhere in the world. Some of the most common involve teaching English (and other languages) via the internet.
Some organizations we know of our OpenEnglish.com and LanguageLab.com
Despite the negative connotation some people attach to network marketing, it’s actually a really great business model for funding travel. It gives you the option to control your income, to create residual income, to work from anywhere (especially if you master online marketing). On top of that, you don’t have to do everything yourself (product development, payroll, etc.) and you can start for very little.
I know of at least two families (personally) that fund their travels (very comfortably) with network marketing. There’s at least 9 reasons network marketing is a great business model for funding travel. Don’t be close-minded, at least consider it. 
Yes, people do it! While spending seven splendid weeks on the shores of Laguna Bacalar, Mexico, we met several traveling performers, including our ‘pirate’ friends (from Europe) who would put on a pirate show at the local historical fort and at restaurants (they eventually opened their own pirate themed restaurant.) If you’ve got a theatrical bent, why not give it a try?
As Tim Ferriss talks about in
his book, some people have been able to negotiate with their employers to work from ‘home’ via their laptop — wherever home might be, we’ll never tell.
To gain the freedom to travel, discovering flexible income streams is critical. It’s not always easy, but it IS possible.
Take the responsibility into your own hands, instead of looking to an employer to provide the money to pay the bills, and you’ll be half way to living the life you want to live.
And for still more information, READ THESE BOOKS:
How will YOU fund your travel? Or how have you? We’d love to know!
PK Notes: how to fund travel; low; global -18,100; local – 8,100
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