Using the Gig Economy to Earn While You Travel

Hitting the road fulltime is becoming more and more popular with the younger crowd. But to do so, you will likely need to earn while you travel. Many people who would like to become fulltime RVers feel trapped and unable to do so because of money.

After all, the younger generation doesn’t have retirement savings to fund their travels. Instead, they must find ways to make money as they travel, and while this is much more possible than it once was, it still isn’t necessarily easy unless you know where to look.

If you are one of the thousands of people out there who are stuck in a stationary home and wishing you could travel more often, know that I understand your frustration. I was once in your position, and worked hard to find a way out so I could live the RV lifestyle and roadschool my son. Lucky for you, I also logged away some information along the way that might just help you find your freedom a bit more quickly than I did. The secret? The gig economy.

That’s right! The ever-growing gig economy is the perfect way to make money while on the go. Here are some of my favorite options for taking up gigs on the road.

Related Read: 6 Hot Work Camping Jobs

Lyft
By now, most people have heard of the ride sharing service Uber and its competitor Lyft. Both are fabulous ways to earn money if you don’t mind driving, and some people make quite a bit in a single weekend. However, we must mention that of the two, Lyft is a much better option for travelers because their platform allows drivers to do jobs in various states, something that can’t be done with Uber.

Airbnb
The platform that started it all, Airbnb is an excellent way to make money while traveling if you happen to have a house you’re not quite ready to part with. Just know going in that you’ll be staying in your RV for the foreseeable future. Simply list that house on Airbnb and let it bring in money for you.

Of course, this will mean hiring someone to greet customers and clean up after each stay, but if played right, Airbnb can be a lucrative business opportunity.

Fancy Hands
For those who prefer to work from their computer, Fancy Hands is a great option. This platform allows you to do all kinds of computer-related tasks for businesses and individuals alike. This is an especially good option for those with good typing and computer skills, as workers are rated based on their speed.

Rev
Another one that’s perfect for fast typers is Rev. Rev offers affordable transcription services to customers.

You must be willing to offer customers fast turnaround times, but depending on how quickly you can type, you can make a decent amount of money doing fairly easy work. Additionally, this work can be done anytime and anyplace, making it ideal for travelers.

Postmates
If delivery work is up your alley, you may want to look into Postmates. This is one of the only delivery-based gig platforms that allows workers to quickly and easily change locations.

Those who work for this company can expect to deliver anything from groceries to take-out, and may do so via bike, scooter, car, truck, or pretty much any other mode of transportation you’ve got. For this reason, Postmates is also great for those who plan to travel in a motorhome, using bikes as their main mode of transportation.

Related Read: Workamping- How to Go Where You Want

Fiverr
People with a variety of skills to offer the world will enjoy the flexibility of Fiverr. Pretty much any service you can provide over the internet can be listed here, and you’d be surprised how much business some users receive. Whether you want to do typical jobs such as graphic design and data entry or you prefer writing songs about cats, you’re sure to find your customer base on Fiverr.

Roadie
Why not make some money on travel days as well? With Roadie you can do just that. This platform connects travelers with those who need things delivered. For example, if you’re headed to Chicago and Miss Smith needs her niece’s package delivered to the same area, Roadie will connect you and you can deliver it for her in exchange for some cold hard cash.

Obviously this is the perfect platform for someone who travels regularly.

Marketing Consultant for Campground Guest Guides
If you are looking for something a little more secure than typical Gig work, this might be for you. You can earn money and travel where you want with Southeast Publications, the Industry Leader in providing Guest Guides, Site Maps & Directories for Travel, Recreational and Hospitality Industries. Receive a (2) two-week complimentary site for the purpose of selling advertising to the local community to appear in the Guest Guides as well as a 65% commission of all monies collected above print cost. The Guest Guides are provided at no cost to the establishment and is fully paid by advertising from local businesses in the community. You get the reward of providing a much needed service to the campgrounds for free, as well as helping passing RVers connect with the local businesses and services that they need in the area. This can be a very lucrative position as you return each year to the same campgrounds and the publication and your profits grow.

Foap
Are you an amateur photographer? Do you find yourself snapping photos of anything and everything you see? If so, it’s high time you sign up for Foap.

Foap is a photo sharing platform that allows photographers like yourself to post their images for sale. Each image sold will earn $5, and some images may even be picked up by big companies such as Shutterstock, earning you big bucks in the process.

Of course, since you’ll be traveling, you’ll be able to provide tons of awesome photos, making this an excellent option.

Craigslist
Okay, so technically Craigslist isn’t a gig economy platform specifically. However, it is an excellent place to find gig work during your travels. Therefore, if you want to pick up odd jobs and the ones offered by the platforms listed above aren’t quite cutting it, you might try checking out the gig listings on Craigslist in each place you visit. These odd jobs will likely fill in any holes for you, keeping you well fed and on the road.

As you can see, there are many ways you can use the gig economy to get yourself out onto the road. That said, simply joining a platform or two won’t make you rich. You will actually need to work, and you’ll probably need to work multiple platforms in order to make ends meet.

Still, the work is relatively easy and fun, and the flexibility means you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. If you ask me, that freedom is priceless.