Many people dream of going on a road trip that will take many months to complete, traveling across the country, and taking in the views and experiences along the way. Unfortunately, most people do not get to live out this dream, and while sometimes it’s due to commitments such as family ties or just life getting in the way, it is often down to lack of funds that are needed to pay for life on the road.
In fact, you are fortunate if you can afford this kind of trip without worrying about money, and treat it like an extremely long vacation. For those who do need to find extra funding, there are many possibilities…
Take a remote working career
Remote working is one of the most modern ways of working. It means that you have the security of a normal full-time or part-time job, with the flexibility to work wherever you want, whether it’s at home, in a local café, or out and about on the road while you’re fulfilling your dream of traveling across the country.
Of course, some careers really do mix well with remote working, while there are others that most certainly do not. You may find that you require different skill sets or qualifications for remote working, but with so many colleges and universities now offering online courses in many different subjects, there is no reason why you cannot learn, study and gain qualifications while you are traveling, before you begin your new career.
Set up an internet-based business
There are many internet businesses that you can create, that don’t require anything more than a means of having access to the internet (whether it’s using a laptop or smartphone), a little time, and a bit of knowledge – which can be gained from either watching YouTube videos, or signing up for a crash online course.
These online businesses, such as
- affiliate marketing,
- content or blog writing,
- or even selling items on a drop shipping basis,
may not necessarily bring in money straight away, but can be steady little earners once they are up and running.
Choose remote work when on the move
If you prefer more control over your work and the hours that you are going to be spending doing it, there is the option of becoming an ad-hoc delivery driver while making your way across the country. Securing shipping work while you’re on the road, can be as simple as looking at relevant websites, and entering bids on those jobs that will take you from your current location, to the next location on your wish-list. Of course, these sites will have truck loads of work listed on them, but they will also have individual loads available as well.
With this in mind, you will be able to get your journey paid for as you travel, if you plan your workloads and your way ahead, carefully.
Sub-contract your skills
If you are planning on staying in certain locations for fixed periods of time, you may very well find that you can get the odd job here and there, along the way. This could make your journey a little more interesting, and you’ll be meeting new people and spending time with them, in each location you wind up in.
The jobs themselves, may not be totally thrilling though – for instance, you could find yourself doing a lot of bar work, or waiting on tables in the locations that you stop at, unless of course, you have a particular skill set that is in high demand.
If this is the case, you may find that getting everything in order to contact employment agencies before your arrival, is beneficial, as they may well have work lined up for you, on the very day you arrive in the area.
So, to wrap it all up
Traveling across the country may not be as bad for the bank account as perhaps you first thought, as long as you plan your trip carefully and are not overly fussy about the type of work that you could end up doing to earn money along the way.
Depending on whether or not you are planning to stop in various locations for a week or more, will decide which of the options mentioned above, is better for you. But obviously, you will be able to combine as many different methods as you desire, while making sure that you have plenty of time left to enjoy the locations that you choose to stop and rest in.
For instance, you could stay for a couple of weeks in a region and have a part-time role, while at the same time, having some delivery work lined up that will take you to your next destination. Where there’s a will, there’s a way to make money on the move.
