Poor Man Survival
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A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
The Top 10 Ways to Earn an Income as a Digital Nomad
by Jason Gaspero
All over the world, folks
of all ages are turning their backs on the traditional nine-to-five grind and
setting off for travel, fun, adventure, and profit. And they’re getting paid
while they’re at it.
Their “offices” are
wherever they open their laptops… on white-sand beaches, in tropical mountain
valleys, and in vibrant university towns. They seek income opportunities online
— which keeps them tethered only to an Internet connection. And they can live
better while they spend less, by earning in dollars and living (and spending)
in places where the cost of living is much lower than in the U.S.
These mobile earners are
commonly known as Digital Nomads — and joining the tribe is easier than you may
think.
Earning remotely — and
working for yourself instead of clocking in at the office, hospital, shop, or
factory — is a trend that’s gaining popularity. PeoplePerHour, an online freelance marketplace, forecasts that one in two
people in the U.S. and the UK will be freelance by 2020.
Some Digital Nomads
country-hop every few weeks and live in dozens of countries every year. “I’m
free,” says Nimisha Walji, who took what she knows about yoga and turned it
into an online income. “I can go where the wind takes me and live any place I
choose! If I hear about somewhere nice, or feel like a change, I can pursue
that in a matter of days. Sometimes hours.”
There are all kinds of
different ways to make money as a Digital Nomad, so it’s not hard to find one
that both suits your interests and could fund your dream lifestyle.
It’s a lot easier to
embrace the Digital Nomad lifestyle than you might think. You don’t need a
special degree. You don’t need special equipment, other than a laptop and a
reliable internet connection. Simply fire up your computer and, boom, you could
be making money.
The ranks of freelancers,
which include independent workers in many fields, swelled to 55 million in
2016, an increase of 3.8% over the past two years, according to Freelancers
Union, a nonprofit organization that represents freelancers.
I’m a Digital Nomad
myself. Over the past 11 years, I’ve surfed near-perfect waves at sunset in
Bali, Indonesia… run with the bulls at the Fiesta de San Fermin in Pamplona,
Spain… celebrated Oktoberfest with a few steins of lager in Munich… and trekked
through rice paddies in Sapa, Vietnam.
I’ve been able to afford
these adventures, and had the freedom to do so, because I write freelance for
companies that need copy to sell their products. Today, I live on the tiny
tropical island of Koh Phangan, Thailand.
Most days, I’ll put in
three to six hours of writing in the morning. Then, I’ll spend the rest of the
day exploring the island’s spectacular beaches, catching up with friends, or
visiting the night market in town to grab my favorite Thai meal — steamed chicken
with rice and soup for just $1.44. Other days, I’ll take it easy in the
morning, then perhaps do a bit of work in the evening. I never have a boss
looking over my shoulder, so it’s all up to me.
The internet has made it
more simple than ever for aspiring Digital Nomads to discover new places to
live; find cheap international flights; secure good short- and long-term
accommodation; and meet fellow Digital Nomads, travelers, and expats. I’m not
the only one who feels that the social aspect is one of the best parts of being
a Digital Nomad.
David and Diane Daniel
were early adopters of the Digital Nomad lifestyle. Since 2005, this wandering
duo has been traveling to the world’s most appealing destinations and earning a
great income at the same time. “We were Digital Nomads before it was cool,”
says 51-year-old Diane. “We take home with us. It’s just us, together. That’s
it!”
“Since 2005, we’ve been
traveling, spending time in Mexico, Italy, and France,” says David. “I’ve also
worked from Australia, Ecuador, Canada, and England.” For the past few months,
the pair has been kicking back on a Caribbean island just off the coast near
Cancún, Mexico.
“We’ve been to Isla
Mujeres several times before,” says Diane. “It’s a great place with mostly
stable internet, wonderful restaurants and beaches, and perfect tropical
weather. We’re housesitting now for some folks who only come down during the
winter. We’re caring for their dogs, and all we have to do is pay the
electricity bill and the internet bill.”
When they aren’t riding
their motor scooter around the island or visiting with friends, Diane manages
her own online graphic design business and adds photographs to the couple’s
stock photo portfolios.
Dan O’Donnell, a former
real estate agent from Washington, hosts a meet up for Digital Nomads in Chiang
Mai, Thailand, every Tuesday at the Sri Paa Restaurant. There nomads can swap
ideas, make contacts, discuss new trends, and enjoy a tasty Thai meal.
Dan is a Digital Nomad
himself and understands the need to network. His primary source of income is
his personal development and team-building board game, Better Me, which he
sells through his website. His secondary source of income is ad revenue from
his Positive Thinking Facebook page.
On a typical day, Dan
works a few hours from late morning to mid-afternoon, goes to eat, then heads
to the gym or plays some beach volleyball. Then he’ll usually work again in the
evening. “The freedom of location and schedule is really nice,” says Dan.
“Also, the ability to live somewhere I enjoy for well under a thousand dollars
a month (about $750 a month) allows me to save money and reinvest in my
projects.”
When it comes to ways to
earn an income as a Digital Nomad, Dan offers plenty of ideas. “There are many
approaches, and some fit certain people better than others. If you have an
existing skill set or love for a certain type of work, consider what you can do
to capitalize on that. Also, if you can find a system so that you don’t need to
reinvent the wheel — like drop-shipping or selling through Amazon — you can
save a lot of time and frustration.”
10 Top Digital-Nomad Incomes
If you like the idea of
being your own boss, working flexible hours and living anywhere in the world
you feel like spending time, here are 10 top opportunities that can produce
income fast:
1. Sell products online through your website or a third-party site like Amazon.
2. Earn as an online
tutor through Skype or udemy.com. If you have knowledge and experience to share, then folks want
to hear about it. You can earn teaching almost anything — Microsoft Excel,
photography, marketing, guitar, knitting, and more. You can earn anywhere
between $25 and $300 per lesson.
3. Start a blog and earn
with affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is
when you promote a product or company on your blog or website, with a link to
the seller. Affiliate networks have different systems. Some pay you for every
user that clicks on the link, others require the customer buy a product before
you get paid a commission.
4. Become a freelance
copywriter. Copywriters write simple
letters and emails for companies to help sell their products online. As a
copywriter, you’ll dictate your own schedule and how much work you want to take
on.
5. Provide drop-shipping
services. Drop-shipping is a type
of online selling where you don’t need to pay for storage or manage inventory.
You simply market the products and when somebody buys, you have the products
shipped straight from the manufacturer to your customer. You don’t need
warehouse space. You never even see the product. See shopify.com and start creating your own store.
6. Become a stock
photographer. Your Digital Nomad
lifestyle will take you to new and exotic places, where you’ll take colorful
and exciting photos. With stock photography, you can turn these travel
snapshots into a passive income that makes money on autopilot while you explore
the world. See here for more details.
7. Teach English online. As a native speaker you already have the most important tool
for teaching English. You can be earning as much as $30 an hour on sites such
as italki.com.
8. Become an online
researcher performing the
behind-the-scenes tasks that ensure the web-based information of businesses and
organizations is accurate. With no startup costs and no specialized education
needed, online research is one of the easiest Digital Nomad incomes to get up
and running. See here for more.
9. Provide online
freelance services. Freelancing websites
like Upwork.com are connecting thousands of freelancers with businesses that
need their services every day. From graphic design to proofreading to travel
writing, it’s easier than ever to find work as a freelancer.
10. Earn with e-books. You don’t have to be a bestselling author to make money with
e-books. You could repackage books that are in the public domain and sell them
online or license existing print books, convert them to an e-book, and pay the
author part of the royalties.
Hopefully, this list has
given you a better idea of the kind of opportunities that are out there. But
don’t for a second think this covers all the things you can do… There
are, in fact, many more flexible income options available…
Yours for better living,
Bruce ‘the Poor Man’
Post Script…
Want to develop your own sideline income? Grab our low-cost CD. Based on seminars I provided to returning
Veterans, this has proven popular & profitable for others…
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2 comments:
I just read the average American doesn't have an extra $500 for emergencies and that one in five households have zero employed adults! One would hope after years of the so-called Obama recovery, people would take advantage of information such as this.
Good stuff boss! As I lay here recuperating from surgery I've been wondering how I could make some extra cash.
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