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Less stress, more enjoyment– van life has its own perks!
A lot of expenses from electricity, water, and gas bills to rent go down when you decide to switch to van life. But certain expenses like Netflix subscriptions, traveling to places, and health insurance tend to stay the same.
Hence, van lifers need to make money to meet expenses. Sure, a mundane nine-to-five job would be awful for van lifers, but watching your bank balance drain won’t make you feel good either.
So, are there any van life jobs that are good paying yet flexible, allowing you to work in between your adventures? Well, the answer is yes, so continue reading to know about making money while living a van life!
Van Life Jobs: 13 Ways To Make Money Living In A Van
1. Become A Freelance Writer
If you’re a grammar nerd and possess excellent writing skills, taking up freelance writing is a great way to make money on the road. To work as a freelance writer, you do not require any degree, which is the best part about this remote job.
In regard to freelance writing, you can either opt for content writing or copywriting. Content writing includes curating informational content, such as blog posts for businesses. You can secure the highest-paying writing gigs if you can produce SEO-friendly content that ranks high on the search engine results page (SERPs).
Copywriting, on the other hand, is more or less similar to content writing, except that it’s written to attract the reader’s attention toward purchasing products or services. While content writing is simple, copywriting involves a great deal of psychology and persuasion. Hence, it’s a bit more advanced than content writing.
2. Graphic Designer
Working as a graphic designer is yet another excellent way to earn money while enjoying life on the road. Tons of companies hire graphic designers to amp up their branding game by creating graphics for social media platforms, designing a logo, and whatnot.
Some even hire graphic designers to curate images for blog posts, graphics for YouTube, templates, charts, and PDFs.
3. Virtual Assistant
Have a stable internet connection and good communication skills? In that case, working remotely as a virtual assistant will help you make money to meet your van life expenses.
- Responding to or writing customers’ emails
- Making short-form videos
- Managing a calendar
- Managing social media accounts
- Data entry
- Assisting customers over phone calls
4. Offer Tutoring Services
Van lifers who are living on the road close to a city or a school can offer tutoring services to nearby children. Also, offer lessons in English because many people aren’t fluent in English, which means they’ll pay you a high amount to learn the language.
You can either call a few schools in the area to know how to apply as a teacher or post an ad on advertising companies like Craigslist. By working as a tutor, you can earn as much as $100.
5. Proofreader
Have an eye for keen detail and cannot stand grammatical errors? Well, then, being a proofreader is just the gig that will help you make money while living and traveling in a van.
Almost all brands hunt for proofreaders who can go through the work of their writers with a fine-toothed comb to correct errors. So, if you don’t mind spending a few hours of your day reading a few articles, then the job of a proofreader will be perfect for making a living while on the go.
6. Digital Marketing
Tech-savvy individuals who neither prefer reading nor writing gigs can provide digital marketing services to businesses.
All brands– big or small, are in need of digital marketers who can generate leads, nourish them until they turn into customers, and increase their bottom line. To earn passive income as a digital marketer, you must be proficient in the following services:
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
- Pay-per-click advertising or PPC
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
It will be a bonus if you know how to increase brand awareness by targeting the right audience on platforms like YouTube and Google.
7. Start A Printable Business On Etsy
Etsy is quite popular worldwide and you can sell your services at Etsy even if you live a van life.
Among van lifers who don’t prefer to work remotely in companies, starting a printable business on platforms like Etsy is common. While exploring cities and towns, you can make money on the road by selling printables to people, such as :
- Greeting cards
- Calendars
- Halloween printables
- Coloring pages
- Gift tags
- Day planners
- Baby shower games
- Wedding invitations
- Bachelorette party games
- Paper dolls
- Mother day printables
- Gift certificates
- Meal planners
- Gift tags
8. Become A Flea Market Flipper
A fun way to make money as a van lifer is to buy things from thrift stores or flea markets and sell them at a slightly increased price, so you can make some profits.
If you’re a van lifer who will be traveling through various towns and cities, the possibilities are endless. And the best part about being a flea market flipper is that you need not have to purchase only expensive items, as smaller ones do better.
So, several small articles instead of too many large items will be a more sensible choice. Of course, you can look for free stuff on Craigslist if exploring the streets sounds like a task.
Or, if possible, pick up unique, antique things from the neighborhood on garbage days. You can polish those stuff and earn profits by flipping them.
9. Fill Online Surveys
Among the many van life jobs, filling out online surveys is much sought-after for many van lifers.
Because this job doesn’t require too much of your time, it will be the perfect way to earn money via remote work while living on the road. There are a lot of websites that offer users gift cards if they fill out online surveys.
So, how about taking up this task instead of other seasonal jobs to earn money to support your van life? Sounds like an amazing way to make money, doesn’t it?
10. Grocery Shopping
By delivering groceries to people’s doorsteps, you can make more money easily.
All you need to do is sign up as an Instacart shopper, shop groceries for orders that come in, and deliver them to the customer’s doorstep. Quite a few van lifers find this side gig better than other remote jobs, perhaps because it doesn’t turn you into a digital nomad like other side hustles.
11. Sell Handmade Products
If you’re good at art and craft, one of the ideal ways to earn money is to sell handmade products.
What makes this better than other remote jobs is that you need not be online or on your computer for prolonged hours to make a good amount of money while living in a van. Homemade products that you can sell online/offline are as follows:
- Beauty products
- Soap
- Jewelry
- T-shirts
- Tote bags
- Wooden toys
- Candles
- Sweet treats
12. Virtual Fitness Instructor
Anyone who is a fitness enthusiast can take up the role of a virtual fitness instructor.
However, you need to earn a certificate from a recognized fitness institute to get started as a fitness instructor. Once certified, you can start taking 1:1 sessions or offer group coaching as you find convenient.
A few organizations where you can earn your certificate as a fitness instructor are:
- National Federation of Personal Trainers (NFPT)
- National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
- American Council on Exercise (ACE)
13. Consider Odd Jobs
Another excellent way to make money while living in a van is to help people with simple household chores. Yes, we are talking about DIY tasks that you might be a pro at!
All you need to do is create an account on the Handy app, list the skills or DIY tasks you’re good at, and take up gigs as you find convenient. Best of all, you need not commit yourself to this app, which would work well if you intend to move to a different location in a day or two.
A few jobs in demand at Handy are:
- Technology installer
- Pool services like maintaining the swimming pool
- Home improvement chores
- Electrician
- House cleaner
- Garage door repairs
- Lawn care chores
Summing It Up
Though comprehensive, this isn’t an exhaustive list of how you can earn money as a van lifer. There are tons of ways to earn money even on the go; the trick to success lies in finding a job that you’re passionate about.
With a little bit of effort and creativity, you can earn a high sum while living in a van by either being a copywriter, content writer, digital marketer, Etsy seller, teacher, or any other role that interests you. Before you get started with any role, make sure to do a bit of research, so you’ll know how to go about it.
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