First, don’t quit your current job until you get up and running if you plan on starting a business, freelancing, or have something else in mind. That is not to say you can’t do it because I have always noticed that when there is a will there is a way. You figure it out as you go. Some people prefer a solid plan in place first, it will be up to you on how “prepared” you are to make this move.

How soon and how much money you make will depend on many things. Especially if you choose the entrepreneur or freelancing route. Various online influencers say it could take up to a year to start making enough money to support yourself and your family (that includes flying solo); while others say you can make thousands in 30 days. Each person's situation will be unique.

My suggestion would be before you get happy that in 30 days you could be banking or disappointed, it could take a year before you make enough to support yourself; remember, YOU are an individual and the speed and amount of money you will make depends on YOU and how much you need.

What you choose to do, your knowledge, skills, and abilities, what you need to learn, how much time you can put in, how much money you need to put in (if any), getting set up, marketing, etc. will determine income amounts and timeframe.

Alternative Paths

Not every path will take the above course of action and although the following path is not something I am primarily interested in; I can only mention what I have heard and read from others that do this.

Temp Work

If you want temporary work where you are going you can find temp jobs online or on job sites (indeed, flex jobs, etc.). Kelly Services and Express Personnel are some temp services I remember using in the past. A suggestion I have heard is to check out their website to see the specifics and apply. If you have questions, call them and I am sure they will be able to answer them. Information and reviews can also be found online.

Workamping

Workamping is a combination of working and camping. It can be full-time, part-time, or volunteer work. Compensation could include a free campsite with or without amenities and some wages. It is an exchange of your time and abilities for your camp/rv spot.

Examples of where you can find workamping include but not limited to:

• Campgrounds

• RV Resorts & Parks

• Retail Shops

• Fulfillment Centers

• Restaurants

• Lodges

• Water Parks

• Shooting Ranges

• National Parks

• State Parks

• County Parks

• U.S. Forest Services and Fish & Wildlife Service

• Farmhand

• Ranch hand

• Marina Dockworker

• Theme Parks

• Oil Field Gate Guards

• Sugar Beet Harvest Worker

• Property Caretaker

• Resort/Hospitality Workers

• Christmas Tree Farms & Stands

• Pumpkin Stands

• Firework Stands

• Beach Lifeguards

• Wilderness Guides

• Tour Guides

• Summer Activities (guides & instructors)

• Conservation Centers

• Trail Crews

• Event Staff

• Entertainers

• Maintenance Workers

• Flea Market Sellers

• Zoo Worker

• Botanical Garden Workers

• Animal Sanctuaries

• Construction Work

• Tradesman

The best advice I could give is ASK. You never know when you have something a business needs (time and skills) and all you ask in return could be a place to park with basic hookups (you might not need any hookups but need a safe place to park) and maybe a small wage.

Be Creative

As a thought, I have not even googled it yet to see if others are doing it, but put an ad in the area you are interested in for yard or house work in return for a place to park. You do their yard or house work and then in your downtime, you may have other income avenues you are pursuing.

Of course, you would want to work out the duration and trade to benefit both parties. Safety and security for both parties would need to be considered. This idea may or may not be a viable option. Referrals from friends and families would work better with this idea. Again, it was just a thought. Creativity is at play here. :)

It may seem like the suggestions so far are geared towards RV'ers and Vanlifers but these suggestions can be used for any alternative living arrangement. Which I will cover in the next post.

Corporate Remote

If you work remotely from your corporate position, so long as you have your technology in place, then you are ready to live that alternative lifestyle and hit the road (if that is what you choose to do). If you are looking for corporate work, ask them when interviewing if you could do this remotely. Give the benefits of working remotely for the position when interviewing. All they can do is say no but if it could save them money or space in the office it may be something they would be interested in. Also, you could work for a while, make yourself indispensable, then ask. :)

Work for Yourself

Most will tell you to do something that is in demand, and I am not saying that is a bad thing or not to do that, but it is more than okay to do something that isn’t in demand by the masses. Who knows, you could create the next in-demand trend.

I am focusing on something I love and am passionate about. It doesn't matter to me if it was in demand or not, this is what I want to do and I believe it will make me enough to sustain myself. If not, I can pivot. Heck, doing something you love will help to bypass the work burnout that takes so many people in life out. The good thing is you don’t have to stick with something forever. Pivot when needed.

If you want to do something in demand but still want to do something you love, why not do both? This is life on your terms. No one can tell you otherwise. If you choose to do both then you are covered either way. Ex: you love a certain type of rock, so you design products or services around that rock but on the flip side you design products around a few in-demand rocks.

The main point is to focus on what you love and something you can do for many years, I am not going to say forever because next week you may have a desire for something different. Entrepreneurs constantly create and sell businesses and then go on to the next venture.

Getting Started

Make a list of your skills, talents, and interests:

• What do you love

  • Ex: cooking, designing, creative pursuits, DIY, organization, teaching, etc.

• What are you good at

  • Ex: creative skills, organization, web design, graphic design, photo restoration, woodworking, mechanical, engineering, etc.

• What you do at your 9-5 job

• Something you would love to get into

Consider:

• What you do for fun

• Education and training

• Something you get asked to help with frequently

• Stuff you like to do

Don’t overthink this part because you can spend days, weeks, or years thinking about it, I did. :(

If it doesn’t pan out like you think or you decide this direction is not for you, you can pivot to something else at any point.

How much time you got:

• Do you need to get going quickly or can you take some time?

• How much time a week can you spend on getting this going?

• When can I work on it?

• Can I dedicate this time in my schedule with commitment (you can be flexible here because let's face it, life happens)

• Do you want something long-term or make a few bucks quickly?

• Am I committed to investing time and maybe money into learning skills/training that may be needed?

• Am I willing to invest a little bit into getting something started? (can range from nothing to thousands of dollars)

Consider and figure out what your income goal is:

• What is your budget currently?

• If you have considered an alternative living method what is that budget?

• Typical rates and prices for what you want to off

• Consider how much you will have to work/sell to hit your income goal

Not trying to overwhelm you here but full-time creators average 6+ income streams while part-time creators average 1-2. Mind you, they don’t start them all at once. Once you get into something and after the initial phase it gets more automated (passive) then you add another stream. Ex: Investing - doesn’t take much time to implement but does require money upfront.

Services allow you to start an income stream with little to no investment but time and knowledge. Freelancing is common for those looking for an alternative income stream.

Services:

Marketing, social media, and other business services

• Email marketing services

• Affiliate marketing

• Content curation

• Community management

• Paid advertising management

• Project Manager

• Brand ambassador

• Social media management and analytics

• Online business management (OBM)

• Virtual Assistant

• Customer service support

• Financial services (taxes, financial planning, accounting, etc.)

• Tech services (App development, programmer, developer, etc.)

• Sell advertising space on your site

Teaching and education (want to expand your reach then consider teaching through courses, workshops, and webinars)

• Online course creation

• Webinar hosting

• Coaching and mentorship

• Language tutoring

• Photography and videography lessons

• Writing workshops

• Art classes

• Graphic design tutorials

• Blogging courses

• Marketing workshops

• Hobby workshops (sewing, painting, gardening, camping, etc.)

Writing, blogging, and books (Written content is profitable in the creator economy with high engagement in newsletters, articles, blogs, and books in 2023.

• Newsletter creation

• Freelance writing

• Copywriting for websites and ads

• Blogging for brands

• Technical writing

• Ghostwriting

• Ebook writing

• Review writing

• Scriptwriting for videos

• Social media writing

• Book reviewer

• Translation

• Book editor

Monetization and sales (love to create and strategize then areas focused on digital products or sales funnels are awesome)

• Selling on Etsy, eBay, or Amazon

• Amazon reselling

• Selling digital products (stock photos, templates, recipes, clothing patterns, fonts, and more)

• Dropshipping merchandise

• Merchandise sales

• Selling digital art

• Monetizing online channels (YouTube, Twitch, etc.)

• Buying and selling domain names

• Refurbish furniture or electronics

• Create a loyalty program

Coaching and consulting (this allows you to work with clients one-on-one but not doing the work for them, just about any field can be turned into a coaching/consulting field)

• Content creation coaching

• Brand identity consulting

• Social media consulting

• Career Coaching

• Marketing consulting

• Video production consulting

• Health and nutrition coaching

• Fitness Coaching

• Writing and editing coaching

• Business Coaching

• Life Coaching

• Spiritual coach

• Beauty consultant or color season consultant

Podcasting and broadcasting (would like to teach but in an interview style this would be perfect)

• Hosting a podcast

• Producing audio shows

• Live streaming services

• Producing YouTube content

• Video streaming for platforms like Twitch

• Broadcasting for events

• Sports commentary

• Voice dubbing services

• Video captioning or audio description services

Design and art (if you love to create then this is the perfect area for you, you can also learn these skills)

• Graphic design

• Logo design

• Branding design

• Custom illustrations

• Digital art creation

• Infographic design

• Merchandise design

• Web design

• Web Development

• Book cover design

Audio and music (these are great areas for those with a passion for music)

• Podcast production

• Voiceover work

• Audio editing services

• Music Production

• Songwriting

• Jingle creation

• Music lessons

• Sound mixing and mastering

• DJ services

• Music composition for videos

Photography and videography (location dependent but who says you can’t travel to pre-planned areas to do this gig, just market to that area when you know you want to be there)

• Event photography

• Product photography

• Event videography

• Drone photography/videography

• Video production services

• Stock photography

Editing and post-production (your jam is visuals and sounds then this is area is right up your alley)

• Photo retouching and editing

• Video editing

• Audio editing

• Podcast editing

• Proofreading services

• Copy editing

• Color correction

• Transcription services

Digital Products

• Journals

• Planners

• Subscription Boxes

• Printed Items

• Stickers

• eBooks

• Courses

• Memberships

• Templates

• Spreadsheets

• How To's

• Manuals

eCommerce

• Sell physical products

• Sell digital products

• Dropship products

• Offer a product of the month club

• Sell subscription products

• Create a product bundle

• Sell handmade products

• Create a print-on-demand store

• Offer custom products or personalized services

• Sell vintage or secondhand products

• Sell products in a specific niche, such as pet products or eco-friendly products

• Sell products through a pop-up shop or market

• Sell courses or digital downloads

• Sell software or apps

• Offer a membership program

• Sell physical or digital gift cards

• Sell merchandise related to a brand or celebrity

• Sell products from multiple suppliers

• Create a product review or comparison site

• Sell affiliate products

• Offer print services, such as business cards or flyers

Web Services

• Website setup and design services

  • Shopify – setup and design Shopify stores

  • Wix – setup and design Wix stores

Content Creator

• Write content for online stores

• Blog posts

• eBooks

  • Other related content

• Create product descriptions and listing service

• Develop and sell website marketplace themes (Shopify…)

• Host webinars and workshops – Utilize your knowledge and skills and teach them to others

• Offer SEO services

Offer services on anything you are an expert in

Flip online stores or blogs

Affiliate (Partner Programs) Programs

• Shopify

  • Refer new sellers

Corporate Careers

The list would be huge to try and put in all the career fields that could be doable in a remote setting but here is my take on a general idea of how the main occupational groups could play out. The key component to finding work to fit your lifestyle, whether remote, hybrid, nomad style, consulting, or freelancing is to think outside the box, be creative, and ASK with your current employer or when seeking employment!!!

Yes, certain career fields are location dependent. Fields that come to mind are doctors, nurses (although there are traveling nurses), brick-and-mortar store owners, etc. Fields like lawyers, psychologists, and such could be done on a consultant basis or online. Worst-case scenario, you take the knowledge you have and modify that into a service that you can provide to others.

Of course, you would need to check into the specifics and legal requirements of certain fields before heading in that direction. I am not a lawyer and sure as hell don’t know everything nor trust just any ole information I get online. I would say if you are interested in a certain field then see how it could work remotely. My motto is when there is a will there is a way. Ok, maybe not 100% of the time but worth checking into.

Overview of occupational groups from The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Architecture and Engineering

• Arts and Design

• Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance

• Business and Financial

• Community and Social Service

• Computer, Information Technology, and Mathematical

• Construction and Extraction

• Education, Training, and Library

• Entertainment and Sports

• Farming, Fishing, and Forestry

• Food Preparation and Serving

• Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

• Healthcare Support

• Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

• Legal

• Life, Physical, and Social Science

• Management

• Media and Communication

• Office and Administrative Support

• Personal Care and Service

• Production

• Protective Service

• Sales

• Transportation and Material Moving

If you are ready to live your life on your terms, look for ways and changes that could be made to actually have a life that you love. Take on one thing at a time, one step at a time. You can do this!

Until next time…dig deep and reach for your life on your terms!