How I Make Money While Traveling Full-Time

I get asked this question a lot:

“How do you afford to travel all the time?”

The short answer is pretty simple.

I work. Hard.

I rack up overtime until labor laws—or my manager—tell me to go home. Then I keep working. When the season ends, I pack up my trailer and travel. Then I find another job and do it all over again.

Sometimes I forget why I work so hard.

There are days when all I want to do is sit on a beach, soak up the sun, and sip sangria. But then I look through my photo gallery. I look at my list of places I still want to see. I think about the next adventure waiting for me.

And I remember.

This lifestyle doesn't happen by accident.

Over the years, I've built several different sources of income that allow me to keep traveling. Some are traditional jobs, some are freelance work, and some are businesses I've slowly built around my photography.

These are my primary sources of income while I'm on the road.

1. Seasonal Jobs Colter Bay StormsStorm clouds pass over Colter Bay Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park.

Seasonal work is still my primary source of income.

One of the biggest advantages of traveling full-time is that I'm not tied to one particular location, so I can follow the seasons and look for work wherever I happen to be headed next.

I've worked a variety of seasonal positions over the years, and I've learned that some employers specifically target full-time RVers and seasonal workers.

My favorite resource for finding these positions is CoolWorks, which lists seasonal jobs throughout the United States. Workamper is another useful resource, particularly for jobs geared toward RVers.

The work isn't always glamorous. I've worked long hours, taken jobs I never expected to have, and occasionally wondered what exactly I had gotten myself into.

But seasonal work has allowed me to experience places (and take advantage of various job perks) I might never have been able to afford to live otherwise.

And that's a pretty good trade.

2. Upwork

Over the last few years, I've also built a freelance career through Upwork.

This has become an especially valuable part of my lifestyle because I can take the work with me.

I currently have several active contracts and have worked on a surprisingly wide range of projects, including QuickBooks processing, social media management, blog management, inventory tracking, data entry, and administrative work.

My background in business and years of working with computers made this a natural extension of skills I already had.

The biggest advantage is flexibility.

I can work from my trailer, a campground, an apartment, or a quiet little corner of wherever I happen to be staying. As long as I have a reliable internet connection, my office can be almost anywhere.

3. My Etsy Store

Photography is the reason I started traveling this way in the first place, so naturally, I wanted it to become part of the business too.

My Etsy shop, Angela Hope Photos, is where I make my landscape and wildlife photography available as prints.

This isn't my largest source of income, but it is one of the most rewarding.

There is something pretty special about knowing that a photograph I took somewhere in Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, or Switzerland might eventually end up hanging in someone else's home.

It also gives me a reason to keep photographing the places I visit—not just for myself, but for people who want to bring a little piece of those landscapes home.

4. Zazzle

I also have a Zazzle store called Designspiration, where my photography becomes the design inspiration for a wider range of products. 

This is where I get to be a little more creative. I enjoy turning my photography and other art in postcards, greeting cards, mugs, magnets, bookmarks, and more. 

One of the things I enjoy most about this part of my business is that almost any photograph can become something new.

A landscape that works beautifully as a fine-art print might also make an interesting magnet or card. 

5. Amazon Creator Income

Another small piece of my income comes from recommending products I actually use.

Through Amazon's creator and affiliate programs, I can earn a small commission when someone purchases something through one of my links.

I occasionally recommend photography equipment, travel gear, RV products, books, and other things that have made life on the road easier.

There is no additional cost to the shopper. If you're going to purchase something from Amazon anyway, using one of my links is simply a small way to support my business.

It's not a huge income stream, but those small streams add up—and I appreciate every bit of support.

6. UserTesting

And then there are the occasional side gigs.

UserTesting allows me to get paid for testing websites and applications and providing feedback about the experience.

Most tests take around 30 minutes, although availability varies and you won't qualify for every test.

The biggest requirement is having reliable Wi-Fi and a reasonably quiet place to work.

It's definitely not something I would rely on as my primary income, but when I have some free time and a test is available, it's an easy way to make a little extra money.

So, How Do I Afford This Lifestyle?

The truth is, there isn't one magical source of income that pays for my travels.

It's a combination of things.

I work seasonal jobs. I freelance. I sell photography. I create products. I take on small opportunities when they make sense. 

And I save. And I plan. I plan a lot.

That's probably the least exciting part of the answer, but it's an important one.

Traveling full-time doesn't mean I spend every day on vacation. There are plenty of days when I'm working long hours, sitting at my computer, doing laundry, grocery shopping, editing photographs, or figuring out how I'm going to get from one place to the next.

But I have also spent most of my life living in places that other people save vacation days to visit.

I've followed the seasons across the country. I've lived near national parks, worked in tourist towns, watched wildlife from my doorstep, and spent countless days exploring places I once only saw in photographs.

For me, that's worth the work.

What Could You Do?

One of my favorite things about being a full-time traveler is how open this lifestyle can be.

There isn't one right way to make money on the road.

Some people work remotely. Some work seasonal jobs. Some run businesses. Some freelance. Some work in campgrounds or national parks. Some pick up odd jobs wherever they happen to land.

The important thing is finding something that works for your lifestyle, your skills, and the kind of freedom you're looking for.

You don't necessarily need to figure it all out at once.

Start with one opportunity.

Then another.

Eventually, you might be surprised by how many pieces can fit together.

Happy travels!