TRAVEL: CREATIVE TIPS TO EARN MONEY - BROKEN TRAVELER EDITION
Goooood morning readers! How are you? Check my creative ideas to earn some money on the road.
This clipart was created by me using various free sources.
"I knew I could potentially run out of money; I didn't know it would be 3 times!" - Me, myself and I in Patagonia.
When I've decided to travel Patagonia, I knew precisely that my money would be short for such a journey. However, that wouldn't stop me from pursuing what I wanted. We save here, find some coins there; slowly we make our way around and back home. If you are a somewhat broken traveler you know what I mean.
Even though I knew I could potentially run out of money, and I was prepared for that; I didn't know it would be 3 times! Only if I could pass through words the awful sensation of not having money and seeing your stash of food draining.
But no worries fellow broken backpacker! I've learned some lessons that I would like to share.
1. USE YOUR CREATIVITY
This is me selling power bars.
Everything could become a business if you are creative enough. You could use your habilities to make handcrafts, or you could play some music on the streets, or you could sell photos/postals, or maybe selling your soul!
In my case the first option was out of question as I don't know how to make handcrafts and I didn't have the tools and materials for it; music no way; photo/postals? No place to print them; who in sane mind would buy my poor soul?
So, let's create inovative ways! What do packpackers like to eat in a trail? Snacks. Do they have a market nearby? No.
Bingo! Let's be the market. On a big city I bought some boxes with 24 power bars for a cheap price, then I placed myself at some touristic area with a nice sign with my prices and voila, business success. After a while people were curious to know my story and why I was doing that, many of them insistently gave me money for the bars, without wanting to take goods. At the end of the day I had enough money to resuply my food and carry on.
This same idea could be done with pretty much anything, all you gotta do is think outside the box and know a little bit of demand. What would people buy?
2. OFFER YOUR HAND
I painted this signs for the city hall in Chile.
No, you perverted. I'm not telling you to offer yourself in marriage with that rich old lady. Hey, that's not bad idea actually.
If you are traveling with a 20+ kg backpack, doing trails and exercising a lot. I'm sorry, but you have strength for some hard work, don't be lazy. Explore the fact that you can transform your sweat into money and try to find places in need of a hand.
My main target during my trips are the camping sites, I always ask if they need someone for general work in exchange for the stay. I've worked drying bathrooms with a squeegee; gardening; painting; fixing stuff... name it and I've probably done.
All you gotta do is being nice; explain who you are and what your objectives are. Sometimes they'll have something for you, or not, other times they'll let you stay for free. Yey! If that is the case, never forget to retribute in some form the favour.
3. BE HUMBLE AND TALKATIVE
This two qualities openned so many doors for me that I could spend hours writing about it. The simple act of carrying a smile on my face and talking to people around me - from locals to the most fancy tourists around - provided me with, not only great friendships, but some extra bucks to keep on going.
During many ocasions I've engaged in conversations with people where it seems to always end into the same subject, which can be boring for many travelers after a while - What are you doing? Where are you from? Where are you going?
Be nice and talk to people, tell your story with passion and try to add something nice into your words, something to impact into people's vision of the world. Don't force it! Be yourself.
I'm sure they'll be amazed and happy to help you with something. Remember, it's not ugly accepting help, ugly is stealing. Be thankful. For that I usually carry small souvenirs from Brazil to give to those good souls out there.
4. DON'T BE AFRAID OF HARD WORK
Helping out some guys for a ride.
You have no money, you are not in position to choose. Raise those sleeves and work! Afterall, some hardwork won't kill you, unless it's something dangerous - Doh.
Don't wait until your stash of food drains completely. If you feel your money will end, start looking around. Don't choose what you want to do and deal with low payments, it's temporary anyway.
Once in El Chaltén I runned out of money, so I tried everything - from constructions to restaurants. When asked if I knew how to do something, the answear was always yes, even though sometimes I had no clue. Be open to learning new stuff.
5. DON'T RUN OUT OF MONEY!
This is obvious!
Unless you want to go crazy, as I did, don't run out of money, keep a safety reserve. I don't regret any of my decisions while traveling and I'm a firmly believer that traveling is for everyone, regardless of monetary condition.
However, be honest to yourself and have a clear vision of what you'll have to do in case you find yourself without the paper, the greens, the bucks, the coins. At least have a minimum plan you sexy broken backpacker!
BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN.
What would you do if you found out yourself with no money somewhere? Drop a message down below, I'd love to hear you.
If you liked this post, please, consider leaving your upvote for a hot coffee.
~Love ya all,
Disclaimer: The author of this post is a convict broken backpacker, who has travelled more than 10.000 km hitchhiking. Following him may cause severe problems of wanderlust and inquietud. You've been warned.
I'm Arthur. I blog about Adventure Stories, Brazil, Travel, Camping & Life Experiences.
Follow me to stay tuned for more craziness and tips.
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@mrprofessor, Interesting experience and great advice. But I agree with @gabrielatravels , that for girls this will be a bit harder. But I think that we still need to think creatively and find a solution. I also know that in critical situations the internal potential of a person will always prompt a decision. I was checking it out for myself. I know for a fact that there are no hopeless situations. Thank you!
Heyho @madlenfox, thanks for the comment!
I'm always curious to know the girls' perspective into the travel world, being myself a man I can't even imagine what girls go through.
So yeah, I do believe you girls suffer with things that we guys don't, that's really sad. However, as you agree, the creative thinking is equal for us all.
From all the things I've done myself as a man, the only one I wouldn't do if I were a woman would be the construction work.
This is a really interesting topic and I don't feel like I can give my opinion.. again, as a men I can't judge what girls face out there.
Thank you Arthur for Your answer! I always appreciate feedback:).
I think that it is necessary not to bring to the point of complete lack of Finance. I would probably have made an emergency reserve in advance in case of any force majeure. And under no circumstances would I allow myself to even touch it for no particular reason.
I also agree with you that do not need to wait for the moment when all the money runs out. I would also start looking for any work on my way. Of course, it is more difficult for girls to offer anything here. But it all depends on the country and the place where the journey takes place. It may be possible to offer some help in the garden from the locals, processing fish and seafood - if it is somewhere on the coast...
I would act on the basis of the situation :), you have raised an interesting topic. Thank you!
Isn't it so interesting? I don't discuss it so much because it sounds silly to tell girls "ah it's possible to do this and that" when in fact i'm not a girls do know what happens for real.
That's right what you are saying. There are even people who go on an adventures with no money but just go from a place to another, sleeping and eating in exchange of work, that's a really great way to see the world!
The only problem is that this is pretty hard for a girl especially if she's alone. There are too many risks which I would rather not assume. 😊
Heeello there @gabrielatravels, how are you?
Yeah, I'm one of those crazy people hahahaha - I usually have a reserve of money for basic needs and emergency, but in essence I just need food to keep on going (actually it's a self challenge to see how long I can live without touching money)
I do agree with you, unfortunately a solo girl face some risks that men don't - damn machism! However, in practice, I have seen solo girls around and making their way through this world of ours, most of them working in hostels. The one factor here is where you're planning to travel, there are places that I wouldn't go solo, even being a man.
As I said in the other comment, there are safer options out there like woofing, workaway, worldpackers and many others.. or you could find a like minded friend and go on adventure together.
Yep, I completely agree with what you've written. And I do believe that the best way is to find a partner (better a real man ready to fight if needed, hahaha) and explore the world. Or a group of many adventurous people. :)
Or carry a gun hahahahaha
I carry pepper spray depending where I go.
I have pepper spray too but I don't know if I will ever be that brave to use it if needed lol
Aaahhhhh my friend, when things get ugly we do anything for protection! But I'm sure you'll never need to use it. However, better safe than sorry.
I am going crazy right now :-D traveling with very limited cash
Go for it @macchiata!!!! That's the idea, going crazy! hahahahaha being normal is too boring.
Don't forget to have fun and document everything on your trip, it'll be a pleasure to read about your journey.
that reserve of cash, makes people go crazy and they arnt in the flow of life , they are in the no flow of a mind connection with pieces of paper and metal round lumps hahahaha :)
LET IT GO AND GIVE AWAY WHAT YOU WANT TO RECIEVE MORE OF - and then tell what happened a few days after :) Go on, take them last penny's you have in the whole world and give them to the next street musician that you see!!
THEN your on the right track for the universe to give you everything you dreamed of!
Some good practical tips Arthur! It's refreshing to get these creative travel tips as we often see how to make money online whilst travelling. This is a more back-to-basis approach. It still applies. :D
Hoooooray @travelling-two, thanks for the comment!
That's exactly what I thought while having the idea "hmm, there are so many options that we forget the basic ones".
I wanted to bring some light for really down-to-earth options that have worked for me for over 2 months in Patagonia - They are incredibly open there into exchanging a bit of work for the stay, people just gotta ask.
Then there are some other safer options as workaway, woofing and some ongs, but since I haven't tried those yet I've decided not to include. Maybe in a version 2 or I could interview people who have tried.
No worries Arthur!
Will you be trying WorkAway, Woofing or other means of work and travel initiatives on your next travels? Whenever that is.
There will be more options in the future for sure...who knows?!
Well, I've never thought about trying because I tend to go through some wild places, where generaly there aren't any works available. But I do see them as options, since we end up learning so much, specially on the farms.
Actually I'd offer our ranch as an option, but there aren't backpackers in our area.
Have you ever tried any of these?
Nope! But we are willing to. It will be a totally different experience. Becca's family had 'Woofers' on their farm in Portugal, but that's a few years back now.
It sure is different and incredible, both for the host and the guests. Wow, they have a farm in Portugal? What do they produce?
My dad once bought some books about Olive trees from Portugal, but we could never produce on our lands, I don't know why he gave up on the idea.
Yes and it was a cattle enterprise, but it's no longer due to family reasons. The work was hard and long, but worth it. Yet, there are just unforeseen circumstances.
Your father should have done it! Maybe you could start it yourself?
Of course, next semester I'll leave my work at the school to prepare for my next big adventure. I'll possibly spend some days at the ranch building stuff and talking about ranch life.
In our plans an earth oven.
This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
wow wow wow, thanks a bunch @c-squared!
All the support is very much appreciated and If there's something I could do to retribute, just let me know.
Great to meet you ! I have travelled around 30,000km hitchhiking and been moving for 8 years! And i ran out of money 3 days into it lol. Ive slowed down alot though and make homes in different countrys for free since 4 years.
Never let money stop you from travelling!
Or make you work to save to go travel,that sounds like a shit deal lol. Firstly it depends on how fast you travel to how much money you have, if your completely broke then you go the slowest for sure but thats real travelling, not an extended holiday which one saves up to do,only to know whilst planning becore hand when they would return to work.
Sounds like torture for freedom!
I know many are doing it like this,but why and how do they manage to not realise that to go back to work and save up,is just not needed?!
I learnt to play cover songs and sing with guitar but the first 3 years i couldnt and didnt do it. I would always meet others in a city and we would do something, my favorite for a year was making ashtrays out of empty beer and cola cans lol. What do you need mpney for really? If theres no still edidble waste from society in the trash of super markets then you should work at a farm 😂
Anyway life works! I bet you got pronoia also?
If you have a tent then your free and have a place to sleep ☺
Heey @movingman It's also a pleasure to meet you! I'm glad we are like minded.
I absolutely agree with you, we don't need to be forced to follow this 'carrer' thing and work for years at the same place, sounds like a life long torture. After my first big trip I realised that, and since then I've slowly adapted my mind to seek for new options.
Like you, I've hitchhiked with only little money for food and a lot of enthusiasm for working on various things; my next trip will be a bicycle trip, again same idea. Camping, eating and cycling. I'm working my ass of to try and buy some photography gear so I can make a photo book of the coast, let's see how it goes.
My main objective is to either live in a van or a sailboat. I think a sailboat would be a better option as I could use it for charter.
Like you say - We should never let money stop us from travelling!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Good winds, man! I'll be "stalking" your blog from now on hahahaha
Nice one! Thats the key to all freedoms - reconditioning the conditioned mind!
I did my first cycle trip from north Germany to Norway, man- wow, its the best way to travel on land!
With a van, its a responsibilty and it costs. A bike is free! I really see no point in even buying food, thats another thing to change the pattern of mind, dependacy on money to be fed.. In all honesty in europe over 6 years I spent no more than 2000 euro on clothes and food. Im quite a hardcore dumpsterdiver! learn how to do this and you actually put on weight compared to what you can afford to buy!
I love what you said about being Talkative.. this gets you very far! even from hitchiking and just talking to people who gave me a ride, when i got out the car they would usually give me money for inspiring stories of travels and alternative approaches to life
Yeah man! Food waste is a thing for sure, here in Brazil we have a lot of buffet restaurants, if you go there after they close they will for sure give you a bunch of food, that'll be my aproach for the next trip.
As for talking and being nice, it opens so many doors - How many times people invited me to their houses, just because I talked to them.
yep, its fucking insainly beautiful! openness, opens doors :)
Yeah man! Food waste is a thing for sure, here in Brazil we have a lot of buffet restaurants, if you go there after they close they will for sure give you a bunch of food, that'll be my aproach for the next trip.
As for talking and being nice, it opens so many doors - How many times people invited me to their houses, just because I talked to them.
Im in norway now and right near the sea, the next travel forever is a boat :) well i want a "small"ferry!
Oh man, why not going for sails? I've heard that during the winter up there it's possible to find to good deals as people only use the boats during the summer days.
I saw a ferry for 20,000 euro (200,000 kr) It had 125m2 room inside! Theres no way you'd get me on some tiny sailing boat, where would I grow food ?! I want a ferry, maybe I can put a sail on it?! or a solar powered engine!!
Wow wow, you're having some inovative ideas there! I would love to be there to help. Do you use Discord? We are having three diferent 'fronts' here for this amazing conversation.
Sorry I didnt see this reply until i was just now backtracking to see if i missed anyone , which I nearly did! I cant squeeze discord on my phone without removing more important apps :( Im just using email as a messenger service lol
I watched last night a solar powered floating house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Forgot to add that its very easy to find free boats as people just go buy a new one and want to get rid fast as possible , the old one - way too much wealth in this country thats for sure
Really???? Is that a thing with sailboats there? Because if yes I'll just book a ticket to Europe, cycle all the way up there and get one of these, and I'll gradly meet you.
yes its like this here. Everything is just used, get a new one, a trash the old one. Its discusting. every foreign person here find it insane. My friend drove here and in 3 days collected everything from a whole kitchen to a sofa and took it back to his home in another country , saying that it would have taken him 12 years to work and pay for 3 days of searching here.
Its wrong but , it is. WELCOME TO THE PLAYGROUND!
THE BOATS NEED WORK OF COURSE BUT THEY ARE FREE!
Doesn't matter, it's for free! I'm a mechanical engineer, so fixing things should not be a problem.
DUDE we should exchange some ideas on Discord!
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in my opinion.your posting is very cool and good, besides tu useful for me and for all steemit.dan colleagues and hopefully your post will be good semakon again amiin thanks for postingannya.
hey thanks a bunch @vania01 and I'm glad it's useful for you! Hitch-hiking is a lot of fun.
@steemcleaners
in my opinion.your posting is very cool and good, besides tu useful for me and for all steemit.dan colleagues and hopefully your post will be good semakon again amiin thanks for postingannya.