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Are you dreaming about hitting the open road, living outdoors, visiting new places, and meeting new people? You’ve seen the campervans, you’ve heard the stories but you still aren’t quite sure how to make it all happen. More specifically you want to know how to earn a remote income to fuel this dream.
Shawn and I have been on the road for three years now and have been making money online since day one. It wasn’t always easy and money was often very very tight. Over the years we have figured out different ways to keep money flowing and people are always curious about the specific ways we earn a remote income.
If you are interested in working online or perhaps you just want to know how we earn a remote income then this post is for you. Keep reading to learn how we making money living in a van.
Table of Contents
What is a Remote Income?
If you are new to the online world, then you may not even have any idea what a remote income is nevertheless how to earn a remote income. A remote income is an income that you can earn anywhere with a laptop and wifi. Meaning, typically you do not need to be in any specific location but rather you can work online with being in an office or with other employees. You may work with a team but they are not where you are located.
How I Make Money Online
Shawn and I have been traveling full-time for around 3 years now and have learned to make money in various different ways. From short-time gigs when we weren’t making as much money online, to blogging, making money on Instagram, and then to digital marketing.
The below are the ways we currently make money. It has not always been this way and we have worked extremely hard to have money coming in from these various income streams. We also are still constantly working and try to come up with new and better ways to bring money in. If you are just starting out I recommend you head to my post all about making money in a van which covers a plethora of job opportunities when traveling in a van.
Blogging
I have been blogging for YEARS, since around 2013. It wasn’t until I got into vanlife did I really start to find my groove and was able to write consistently about something that not only did I love but that so many of you had an interest in. I love being able to provide others with resources to all the questions I had when I was beginning to think about van life, van builds, and making money on the road.
In 2019, I decided to invest in myself and went to a small mastermind called BlogHouse. It was there that I met Valerie Stimac and I convinced her to become my mentor. My trajectory from there only went up and I quickly began growing and actually seeing an income coming from the website. For reference, I currently make anywhere from $500-$2000 a month on this website through affiliate income. I’ve got a post dedicated for you if you are interested in starting a van life blog.
When I first began trying to actually grow a community on Instagram, I assumed that you needed at least 20k in followers to start working with paid partners. What I mean specifically is that brands will pay you to talk about their product on your Instagram posts or stories.
What I quickly learned was I did not need a big following to earn an income on Instagram. The important thing is to post consistently, engage with your community, and post valuable content. When I had around 4000 followers I had my first brand partnership that paid me to talk about their product. I was stoked and could not believe it. This year I have a goal of making $500 per month on Instagram.
If you are wanting to get started on working with partners on Instagram, I recommend checking out Fohr.com and AspireIQ. Also make sure that you are taking the time to create photos that will stand out amongst the crowd, use Lightroom to edit, use hashtags, and set your Instagram account up as either a business account or a creator account.
Digital Marketing
It was always my plan to have a hugely successful business making money through digital marketing. When I first learned about making money online, it was through the Bucketlist Bombshells. They created a course which teaches you ALL the skills you need to know to begin working and making money online.
So instead of making money on your own content, you focus on helping others to grow their businesses. This can be through social media management, graphic design, bookkeeping, and basic virtual assistant tasks.
Personally, I help my clients with so many different things from blog content, email management, Pinterest, and website management. I learned everything I know from the Bucketlist Bombshell Courses! Over time, I have found love in creating my own content and working with a few specific clients who are also bloggers in niches that I love! If you are just starting out be easy with yourself as it may take time to figure out exactly what you thrive doing!
How to Make Money On The Road
Now that you know how I make money on the road, I bet you are curious how you can do it too! Below are a few examples of ways that you can earn a remote income. Although this is a cumulative list I also a blog post that gives a full deep dive into van life jobs.
- Virtual Assistant
- Graphic Designer
- Email Marketing Specialist
- Website Designer
- Blogger
- Influencer
- Social Media Manager
- Writer or Editor
- Full-time Remote Job
- Selling Your Physical Products
- Photographer
Where To Find Remote Jobs
If you are ready to start working online then the first step is to decide what you would like to do. If you aren’t sure that you have any skills yet then I recommend considering taking an online course which will give you the knowledge and confidence needed to start earning a remote income! I personally took the Bucketlist Bombshell Courses and never regretted it for a second.
If you have the skills and are ready to jump in here is where I recommend starting when looking for remote work!
- Facebook Groups
- Linkedin Jobs
- Indeed
- Craigslist
- CloudPeeps
So tell me, after learning how we earn a remote income, what questions do you have? I’d love to help you get started!
