5 side hustle ideas for digital nomads

The life of a digital nomad is pretty great. For the most part, as long as you have an internet connection and your computer, you can work from anywhere in the world. This could be poolside with a cocktail, in the middle of a picturesque jungle, or from the comfort of your couch.

One problem for digital nomads, however, is that many of the roles available to them don’t pay the big salaries offered by more traditional employment. So, what can you do to top up your income?

Well, the obvious answer may be to simply do more work. This kind of defeats the purpose of the digital nomad life. The point of this lifestyle is to be able to travel more, not spend all your time sitting at your laptop or cleaning toilets in a hostel. This is why you need a side hustle.

The right side hustle will help you to top up your salary without sacrificing too much of your time. So what are these side hustles we hear you ask? Keep reading to find out.

Content Creation

For many digital nomads, their income or their lives involves creating a lot of content. This content could be used to help you earn additional money, and there are a number of ways that you can go about it.

Blogging: You’d be forgiven for thinking that the internet is oversaturated with blogs. Whilst this may be true, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make money from blogging. Once you’ve created your website and begun to get some traffic, you can start to sell ad space on your website. The more visitors you get, the more money you’ll generate!

You can also do affiliate marketing, which is when you promote products or services on behalf of a business. Typically, this works on a commission basis where you earn money based on the sales/traffic that you are able to generate.

Social Media: If you’re spending your time in great locations around the world, you may find it easy to build a following of people looking to emulate your lifestyle. Once you reach a certain number of followers, you’ll be able to start doing sponsored posts and affiliate marketing - all of which can help to top up your income.

YouTube: If you want to make longer-form content focused on your travels, then YouTube is the place for you! A YouTube channel can work in tandem with your other channels, or top up your income on its own.

You will need a certain number of views and subscribers before you can start earning from ads and other streams, but once you’ve hit this mark you’ll be able to start earning!

Courses and Coaching

Another way to earn money online is through online courses and coaching. Creating an online course may seem like a lot of effort, but once you’ve finished the content, you can continue to sell the finished product indefinitely.

This course could be about literally anything from cooking a simple dish to web design to how to be more confident. You simply need to find a topic that you can share some knowledge about. Once you’ve created your course, upload it to relevant websites and sit back as your earnings come in. 

For extra top-ups, you can run online coaching sessions on this topic for those looking to extend their knowledge past your course material. This could be one on one or group sessions where you can charge a fee for 30-60 minutes of your time.

Tutoring 

Similar to coaching, tutoring offers a great way to top up your income from anywhere in the world. All you need to do is find a topic that you can help someone to get better at and promote your services. If you’re short on ideas, English language tutors are in high demand and you can start earning with next to no qualifications.

Tutoring opens doors for you to teach people as young as primary school children. This means you can tutor and earn sooner rather than later, and just a few hours a week can serve as a welcome top-up for your earnings.

Online Surveys

Surveys are another easy way for you to earn some extra cash on the road. Simply find a legitimate platform (we recommend starting with Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, or Branded Surveys), register your details and get started.

Although you certainly won’t be breaking the bank with surveys, you can certainly use them for some extra cash. The best part is that they’re really simple to do, so you can do them whilst catching up on your favourite shows!

Virtual Assistants

There are plenty of people around the world who need some extra help with their schedules, but can’t afford a full-time assistant. As a virtual assistant, however, you can earn some extra cash and help these people without changing your lifestyle.

Just a few hours a week with a few clients can make a big difference to your earnings! Plus, the more experience you can get, the more you can charge!

Final Thoughts

The fact is, this is just the tip of the iceberg for side hustles. These are, however, some of the most tried and tested ways for anyone to earn some extra cash - especially digital nomads! 

If you can help with things like customer service, diary management, bookkeeping, or even marketing, people will be more than happy to pay you for this service.

Why not join the Online Entrepreneurs Circle in our community for more tips on running a digital business abroad as an expat.