Jobhop Jobhop's blog : 10 Digital Nomad Jobs to do During Your Gap Year
First of all, what is a digital nomad?
A digital nomad is someone who takes advantage of technology to
basically create a lifestyle that allows them to live and work anywhere in the
world with Wi-Fi.
Plainly
put, they choose to take on online jobs that give them the freedom to
choose when they work, how they work and where they work.
Seriously,
with free Wi-Fi so accessible around the world nowadays, why not live it up in
a new country whenever you feel like it?
Does
it sound like your kind of job? Read on. Maybe not? I would suggest reading on
anyway because I don't think you understand just how cool this is.
Rather
than simply being a 'year off', a gap year can actually be an extraordinary
opportunity to seek direction in what your next move might be and a chance to
make productive strides towards your future. It is also, believe it or not, a
perfect opportunity to see the world and make a bit of extra cash by getting a
gap year job.
Not just limited to those who have just left sixth form or college, spending a gap year working abroad could be an excellent boost for your CV, an opportunity to dabble in something new, or just to balance out the cost of those pricey flights! So what digital nomad jobs are available while on a gap year? Plenty! Here are ten of our faves...
1.
Photographer
If you know how to capture amazing shots behind the camera, why not make some money out of it while you're travelling? You could start your own online shop, create an account and sell your images on stock photography sights, or you could even set up some photo shoots along the way for hotels and tour companies.
2.
Blogging
These
days it's so easy to create yourself a website and start producing content on
the internet. The more time you put into it, the more valuable content you
create, which means more traffic coming your way.
Once
you have traffic to your blog, you can make money in a lot of different ways.
Some common ways include:
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Writing sponsored posts and reviews
-
Affiliate marketing
-
Providing services - e.g. consulting
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Displaying Google AdSense or ads through a similar network
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Selling private advertisements
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Selling digital/physical products
If you're interested in starting a blog and making money online while you travel, you can host your own website for next to nothing. And if you have no idea how to host a domain name or start a self-hosted blog, there's plenty of easy to follow video tutorials online.
3.
Freelance Writer
A few
ways to land writing gigs include:
-
Signing up for a platform like Upwork where you can search and apply for a number
of online projects.
-
Looking at job boards that offer remote working opportunities.
-
Reaching out to companies via email to offer your services. If you go down this
route, it's a good idea to have your own website to use as a reference.
For
freelancers, sites like Upwork are designed to hook up companies with
freelancers to work on short or long term projects as contractors. The best
part is that you can write anywhere in the world, as long as it has half decent
Wi-Fi.
Obviously, this job does require that you have a certain marketable skill set and it will likely take you some time to set up before you start getting paid for it, so we recommend that you work on this before you set off on your gap year.
4.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate
marketing is the act of promoting other people's products that you trust and
recommend. If someone clicks on the link that you provide them with and then
buys the product, you receive a commission. Obviously at no extra cost to the
customer who buys through the link.
The
most important thing in affiliate marketing is that you generate a lot of
traffic to your website. You will need to spend a lot of time and effort on
this before seeing any profits through affiliate marketing.
If you're interested in promoting a particular product, contact the company direct as they may have an affiliate programme. Otherwise, you can sign up for affiliate programmes such as Amazon Associates where you will instantly have access to the banners, link and promotional material if you need.
5.
Social Media Marketing
If you spend a lot of your day on social media, why not use it to make money? Surprisingly, keeping their Twitter and Facebook accounts up to date and publishing fresh and interesting information is a real headache for a lot of companies. Taking over their Facebook business page and Twitter account is a perfect digital nomad job that requires minimal technical knowledge and the best part is it can be done from anywhere!
6.
Graphic/Web Designer
Much
like freelance writing, you're able to find plenty of freelance web or graphic
design opportunities all over the internet, especially on platforms like Upwork.
For a better approach to this, you could start your own business and advertise your services via Google or Facebook. Also, an up to date blog and the use of social media will help you to reach out to more people, attract clients and earn money online!
7.
Virtual Assistant
Many
people who run online businesses outsource parts of their work to an assistant
in order to free up more time to focus on more important things. With the help
of virtual assistants they can stop worrying about updating their website or
social media channels and work on upcoming projects.
The
duties of a virtual assistant tends to vary but if you were to land yourself a
position like this, you could be responsible for:
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Updating and managing content on websites
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Customer relations
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Social media management
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Copywriting
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Administration related duties
8.
Create and sell digital products
If
you're doing it right, creating and selling your own digital products could be
one of the best digital nomad jobs going and it's a fantastic way to make an
income online.
Some
types of digital products include video training courses, webinars, ebooks,
email newsletters, content memberships, web graphics, audio content,
photographs, software, checklists, reports and worksheets.
Whatever your nice may be, there will always be people interested and looking for answers.
9.
Videography
Much
like photography, there is many things you can do with your awesome video work.
If you're travelling and videoing the journey, get in contact with hotels or
tourist companies and see if they would be willing to host you in return for a
professional video. There are hundreds of travellers and digital nomads who make
a living by doing this.
Otherwise,
try getting in contact with companies to sell your video services or upload
short video clips to websites such as Shutterstock.
You can also monetise your videos on YouTube, so video away!
10.
Consulting
Along
with selling digital products on your website, you could also offer a service
like consulting where you are paid to share your knowledge with others and
provide a solution to their problems.
Many
digital nomads make a living from consulting in a number of different ways.
Some offer one-on-one guidance via Skype, others will utilise Facebook groups
to help a number of people and some actually take on the tasks for their
clients.
Some popular types of consulting include: financial, life coaching and marketing. However, there are no boundaries when it comes to consulting.
Your turn! Have you got any more ideas to earn money online whilst travelling? Or are you already a digital nomad? If so, what do you do? Please share your thoughts with us over on Twitter!
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