Do you dream of a life where you get paid to travel? Do you crave snorkeling in turquoise Caribbean waters, wandering the cobblestone streets of Italy, or hiking through red rock formations in a national park?

It might seem like something out of a dream, but nowadays there are more ways than ever to make money traveling — and many of them have nothing to do with having large start-up costs or millions of followers on social media.

I know firsthand that it’s possible for anyone to travel and get paid because I’ve done it. I’ve stayed in luxury resorts, explored national parks, and built income streams connected to travel. And I’ve done it all without having a huge social media following or viral content.

If you want to earn an income traveling, you just need to learn how to build skills and seek opportunities that support a digital nomad income. Below are seven legit ways to get paid to travel that don’t require 100k followers to get started. 

1. Create Travel UGC for Hotels, Resorts, and Airbnbs

One of the fastest-growing ways to travel and get paid is by creating UGC for hotels, resorts, and short-term rentals.

UGC, or user-generated content, is photos and videos created by everyday travelers. They sell it to brands like hotels, resorts, and short-term rental properties to use for marketing purposes. Rather than only hiring professional photographers, many travel brands are now hiring UGC creators to capture what an authentic stay at their property looks like for travelers.

Here’s the key distinction: travel UGC creators are not travel influencers.

When you work as a travel UGC creator, you do not need to have a social media following to get paid to travel. You do not need to share any photos or videos of your stay at a hotel from your own social media accounts. There’s no pressure to go viral, keep up with your social media accounts, or post the content you create.

Instead, you’ll be creating UGC travel content that the brand can use for:

• Advertisements 
• Hotel and resort websites 
• Booking platforms 
• Social media 
• Email marketing
• Destination marketing materials 

Hotels, resorts, and Airbnbs are constantly in need of fresh travel content to promote their property and encourage guests to book with them. Eye-catching photos and engaging videos can show potential tourists what it would be like to stay at their property and potentially book with them.

It may seem like a new concept, but you’ve probably seen UGC for tourism marketing in many places without even realizing it. Some examples include hotel room walkthrough videos, lifestyle clips enjoying amenities like a spa or on-site hotel restaurant, shots of a glass of wine overlooking a hotel pool, and sunset balcony views. This is the exact type of content that can help you make money traveling.

If you’re already taking photos of beautiful hotel rooms, filming poolside sunsets, capturing scenic balcony views, or photographing Instagrammable shots of your meals while you’re on vacation, you’re already halfway to becoming a travel UGC creator. You just need to learn how to turn those little moments into valuable marketing content that hotels and resorts are willing to pay for, so you can get paid to travel.

If you want to learn how to become a UGC travel creator, grab my guide, Check-In & CaSh-Out! From creating your travel UGC portfolio to pitching hotels and resorts, I walk you through everything you need to turn this opportunity into a real income stream. 

Becoming a travel UGC creator is one of the easiest ways to make money from traveling as a beginner. You can get started with creating an eye-catching portfolio today for free with my Free Canva Portfolio Template. It’s the shortcut to looking professional so you can start landing those paid travel partnerships.

2. Consider Seasonal Travel Work in Iconic Destinations

If you’re craving endless adventures and a steady paycheck, seasonal work is one of the best ways to get paid to travel.

Seasonal jobs are temporary roles in tourism destinations that hire extra staff during busy travel seasons. These positions are incredibly popular in places like national parks, ski resorts, and iconic vacation spots where tourism peaks at a certain time of the year.

I have personally worked seasonal jobs in some incredible locations, such as Grand Canyon National Park, Mackinac Island (Michigan), and Acadia National Park. Living and working in places like these completely changes how you experience travel. Seasonal jobs allow you to get paid to travel, while giving you the opportunity to explore the area. Instead of rushing through a travel destination in days, you get to spend months exploring hiking trails, scenic viewpoints, and local attractions during your time off.

One of the reasons seasonal jobs can be a great way to make money traveling is that many of the major expenses may be covered. Depending on the job, employers might cover employee housing and low-cost or free meals, on top of a steady paycheck throughout the season. Due to these reduced costs, seasonal jobs can be one of the most affordable ways to travel long-term.

Seasonal travel work doesn’t require special skills. Some of the types of job positions may include food service and restaurant staff, gift shop or retail associates, hotel and hospitality workers, guest services and front desk roles, and tourism operations and tour support.

If you’re curious about these opportunities, CoolWorks.com is one of the best resources. It specializes in seasonal jobs in national parks, ski resorts, ranches, and other tourist destinations, making it a go-to platform for people who want to make money traveling while living in beautiful, adventurous locations. 

3. Become a Travel Influencer 

Travel influencing is one of the most sought-after ways to get paid to travel. Many people think it’s too difficult to become an influencer, but the truth? 

To succeed as a travel influencer, you just need to build an engaged audience. That doesn’t necessarily mean a huge audience. A small but engaged audience offers more benefits than a huge, unengaged audience. You don’t need to get millions of followers to make an income as a travel influencer; you just need to learn how to connect with your audience.

Once you’ve built an engaged audience, you can earn money through sponsored posts, brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, YouTube ads, and selling digital products. Here are some examples of ways you can make money traveling as an influencer: 

• Showcasing a hotel or resort you’re staying at. 
• Featuring a brand or product (e.g. travel gear). 
• Documenting your trip to an attraction or business during your trip. 

If you get enough views, you can also earn an income that way.

While becoming a traveler influencer sounds like an exciting way to travel and get paid, it requires patience and strategy. You likely won’t earn an income overnight, unless you happen to go viral. It takes time to grow your brand. I recommend starting with one platform (TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube) instead of trying everything. This allows you to understand one platform, determine what type of content resonates with your audience, and consistently build your brand.

Travel influencing can be highly rewarding, but it’s not for everyone. Unlike travel UGC creators, travel influencers need to stay on top of posting regularly. Consistency is key if you want to see success. 

4. Land Partnerships with Tourism Boards

One of the most exciting ways to get paid to travel is by landing partnerships with tourism boards and destination marketing organizations (DMOs). If you’ve ever wondered how to get paid to create travel content, this might be right up your alley.

Tourism boards and DMOs promote cities, regions, and national destinations. They rely heavily on content creators to help spread the word to potential tourists. If you’re interested in creating travel UGC, paid travel partnerships with tourism boards and DMOs can be another great way to make money traveling.

There are several ways content creators can get paid to collaborate with tourism boards and DMOs, such as press trips, travel storytelling, video content projects, and destination marketing campaigns. These types of collaborations can be one of the best ways to travel for free and get paid. In addition to getting paid for creating engaging, high-quality photos, videos, and/or blog posts, tourism boards and DMOs might also cover travel costs, meals, activities, and hotel expenses.

Tourism boards work with travel UGC creators, travel influencers, photographers, videographers, bloggers, vloggers, and social media content creators. You don’t need to have a huge social media following; you just need to be able to create content that appeals to their target audience. 

5. Build a Profitable Travel Blog

Have you wondered how to get paid to travel without being an influencer? Maybe you can’t stand having to be on social media 24/7. If so, travel blogging might be the right option for you. 

It won’t earn you money overnight. It’s a time investment, but if you want to get paid to travel long-term, a travel blog is one of the smartest things you can do. Unlike social media platforms, a blog is an asset you actually own.

When you post on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, the algorithm controls your views. You’re always dependent on a social media platform that you don’t control. This is a problem that travel influencers face.

But a blog is different. You control the content, the platform, and the strategy you’re using to bring in traffic. Your travel blog can work 24/7, bringing in traffic and income — even while you’re traveling or sleeping.

Your blogs appear in the Google search engine and appear for people who are looking to read relevant topics (e.g. Best Places to Stay in the Maldives or 10 Best Things to Do in Florence, Italy). Travel bloggers earn income through affiliate links, sponsored posts, travel guides, and brand partnerships — and more.

And your blog posts? They can continue to gain Google traffic for years, making travel blogging one of the best long-term strategies to make money traveling.

Your blog can also support your other income streams, including travel UGC creation. Many creators use their blogs as a portfolio to showcase their travel photos, destination content, and past collaborations when pitching hotels, resorts, Airbnbs, and tourism boards to land paid collaborations.

Whether you’re doing travel UGC, travel influencing or any other type of travel business, your blog is the home base to your website. Your blog is the one asset you actually own, and it can be a great way to generate traffic. To learn more about growing visibility for your travel business through blogging and Pinterest marketing, grab my guide Set It & Jet. 

6. Selling Digital Travel Products

Another powerful way to get paid to travel is by turning your knowledge into digital travel products that people can download instantly.

If you’ve spent time researching destinations, planning trips, or creating travel content, you likely have so much valuable information that people would be willing to pay for. Here are some of the types of products you can create: 

• PDF travel guides 
• Travel itineraries 
• Packing lists for various types of trips (e.g., what to pack for Iceland) 
• Travel planning guides to help people organize trips 
• Lightroom presets for editing travel photos
• Canva templates for travel creators 

The best part? Digital travel products are a great way to earn passive income. Once created, digital products continue to sell repeatedly. It’s one of the best long-term ways to make money while traveling. 

7. Teaching What You Know

If you’re already a travel creator (or plan to become one), another way you can make money from traveling is by educating and coaching other people. When you’ve spent years figuring out how to get paid to travel, you have valuable knowledge that other people can learn from.

There are so many different ways you can teach other people how to make money traveling. From creating ebooks, courses, and guides to offering 1:1 strategy sessions, coaching, or workshops, you can choose whichever format you want to use to help people start monetizing travel content.

Teaching could look like an ebook or guide that will earn you income for years to come, a digital class, or full-on coaching down the road.

Don’t underestimate the earning potential of sharing what you already know — and how it can help you make money traveling. 

Turning Your Love of Travel Into Income 

When it comes to getting paid to travel, there are many paths you can take. From becoming a travel UGC creator or travel influencer to starting a travel blog or selling digital products, there are so many ways you can earn an income while traveling. And the best part? You don’t have to limit yourself to only one! You can create multiple streams of travel income by combining some of these ideas (e.g., creating UGC for hotels, starting a travel blog, and selling digital travel products). The possibilities are endless if you want to get paid to travel.

And remember: you might have your own unique skills that you can implement to create a path to earning money from traveling that’s entirely your own! Consider what you can do that could potentially bring in an income that allows you to get paid to travel the world. 

Want to Learn More About Getting Paid to Travel? 

Want to learn more about how you can travel and get paid? Check out Booked While You Sleep, my $1 guide that discusses how you can make money traveling without becoming an influencer. It will help you identify an income path that fits your strengths and then teach you how to begin. You’ll learn things like how to begin travel UGC pitching or Pinterest, and blogging strategies to start your own travel business.

Take it a step further and join my Clear For Takeoff Telegram Community, where you’ll get real-time tips, strategies, and behind-the-scenes travel creator insights. You’ll learn everything about mindset shifts to help you build a stronger business and visibility strategies to get discovered without the algorithms, travel UGC & blogging insights and tips — and so much more!