Good Websites and Other Tools for Your On-the-go Job Search

Here are a list of some websites I ran into that might be helpful to you while you search for a way to make money during your travels:

www.craigslist.org (Search multiple cities on Craigslist and not just the one or ones you will be staying in. Often, there are excellent telecommuter opportunities or creative jobs you hadn't thought of.)

www.telecommute-jobs.com (Try this site too. It seems pretty good.)

www.teleportjobs.com (Another telecommuting site.)

www.mediabistro.com (There are tons of writer and online or freelance opportunities on Media Bistro. Definitely one of my favorites of the group! Free to sign up.)

www.great-adventures.com (Adventure travel jobs, working abroad, and volunteer opportunities.)

www.laptophobo.com (This one is cool! Check it out!)

www.solotravel.org (Some good ideas here.)

www.hobotraveler.com (I always get a laugh - and some tips - from Andy at Hobo Traveler. Somehow he pulls off permanent travel and has been doing it for years, so he must be doing something right.) 

***My absolute favorite resource: YOUR IMAGINATION! Start a web design or copywriting business...a blog...a consulting company...whatever you're good at! Everyone is good at something. 

Get over the fear of the unknown and take the leap so you can start living. If you want to travel badly enough, you will find a way to integrate your work and finances into your travels. You can do it. I know you can. You will thank me later for saying this. :)

Comment on any other ideas you might have - or even if you have something semi-unrelated to add to the discussion. I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Also, if you know of another great job search resource, comment with the link and brief description of the website. 

Thanks for reading! And get going with your job search! :)

"...people don't take trips -- trips take people." -John Steinbeck

On-the-go Jobs - Part 3

Be a real estate investor.

This one requires building a foundation well before you leave home. Most importantly, you need excellent credit (700+ FICO) to attempt this on-the-go job. The recent crumbling economy requires this and you won't get a loan without a 700+ FICO. Guaranteed. You have to get the cash flow going and work on a system that will allow you to operate remotely and efficiently. (More on this later in a future post). I like real estate investing because it is almost completely passive once you get it going. 

The  Time Is Now

With a huge supply of foreclosures on the market, you're bound to find some excellent deals in a very short time. Lower price = higher cash flow. No kidding, right? Just stating the obvious...

If your credit is top-notch (720 FICO+) you will have an even easier time getting started using OPM (other people's money). Credit requirements are increasingly tight as the days go by, it seems. The days of no-doc loans have passed.

If you need ideas on getting your credit report cleaned up or completely repaired because of past mistakes (bankruptcies, foreclosures, repossessions, charge-offs, tax liens, or anything else) visit my other blog by clicking here. My husband and I have an inspiring story to share with you, so take a visit to our blog if you feel up to it. 

Dolf de Roos

I own his real estate investment series and I listen to it on my iPod all the time. I think I originally purchased the series on CD at Costco, but you can probably get it on eBay or Amazon as well.

Anyway, the point is... This series got me motivated and more knowledgeable about real estate investing. Some of the techniques might be a bit outdated since he made the CDs in the early 2ooo's (2001 or 2002 maybe?), but most of his ideas are fundamental and will never become obsolete. The best comparison I can think of is Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People. That book will always be a classic and will always hold true. I think much of the same is true about Dolf's teachings. 

Also, I highly recommend his software program if you need help deciding whether a property is potentially profitable or not. There is no other software on the market that is as effective and straightforward as Dolf's - it's like having an unbiased advisor at your fingertips anytime you need it. You'll quickly make back the money you invest in the software with all of the profitable deals you find because of it. There are plenty out there at the moment, so why not get started? It's not cheap, but on the other hand, it's not expensive considering how helpful and reliable it is. Serious real estate investors use this software and in case you were wondering - yes, it is how they have the edge over the average investor. They immediately know which deals are great and which are mediocre. They pass on the mediocre deals and leave those for the average Joe. REAP truly is a great tool for any real estate investor. Click the link below if you'd like to download Dolf's real estate acquisition software.

Click here to order

In summary, real estate investing is not for everyone. It is, however, in my opinion one of the most efficient and financially rewarding as well as versatile options for people on-the-go. If you own, for example, 25 rental properties at $200 USD cash flow per month per property, that's $60,000 of passive income each year - more than enough to travel in Europe!

I know what you're thinking... Obviously, getting ahold of the cash or OPM to purchase those 25 properties takes time and creativity, but once you've got them you're in excellent shape. 

Preparation is the key. I never once said traveling and having the money to do it is easy. On the other hand, though, it isn't hard. You're smart - you'll figure it out! :)

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes." -Marcel Prous

On-the-go Jobs - Part 2

Start a blog.

The beauty of a blog is that you can do it from anywhere. The hard part is marketing it so people actually read it. You can have outstanding content, but if no one reads it you won't make any money. On the flip side, you can have outstanding marketing skills, but if your content sucks no one will even bother with reading it past your first posting - and that certainly won't make you any money. I believe managing a successful and popular blog is an art as well as a science. 

So how do you make money with a blog?

That's a good question - an honest one indeed. I won't get into the details since I am by no means an expert on the subject. I can, however, point you in the right direction. 

Yaro Starak, who is a successful blogger and internet marketer, has a very helpful e-book that you can download absolutely free. He is an expert on blogging and making money with blogging. He knows this topic inside out and upside down; you might have even heard of him before. He has done more podcasts on the subject than I can count and he is endorsed by Darren Rowse of Problogger.net as well as multiple other well known and successful internet businesspeople. Yaro is well worth checking out and his program is definitely worth joining. For me, it has meant the difference between earning $8000 a month and earning nothing. 

I have another blog about finance and his program has been extremely helpful to me! Before joining the program, though, please download the free e-book so you can start implementing his ideas!

IT'S FREE! CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD!

Click here to download the Blog Profits Blueprint

Then, after you've read the e-book... by all means...join his program!

Click here to join the Blog Mastermind Mentoring Program

On-the-go Jobs - Part 1

Be a travel writer.

I only recommend this one if you think you are a good writer. If you are a traveler first and a writer second, I wouldn't attempt it. I know this doesn't make much sense, but let me explain. Simply having the desire to travel isn't sufficient enough to sustain a writing career.

I also only recommend this one if you can stomach the uncertainty involved in pitching to magazines and newspapers. Chances are, they aren't going to be nearly as excited as you are about your latest article. Being a travel writer not only requires superior writing skills, but also excessive patience, self-confidence, and organization skills your mother would be proud of. 

At this point, if you think you fit the bill and are still interested - go for it with all your might! This job could be the beginning of your travel freedom and the end of your financial worries. 

David Whitley, a successful travel writer, has a very honest and content rich blog called "1001 Travel Writer Tips" for aspiring travel writers. You can click on the link to his blog on the left side of the screen under the "My Blog List" heading.

This post is the beginning of a series of posts about specific on-the-go jobs that can finance your European travels without tying you down. 

 "The time to enjoy a European trip is about three weeks after unpacking." -George Ade, "Forty Modern Fables"

Top 5 Financial Barriers...and How to Overcome Them

Most people would love to travel if given the chance - especially on an ongoing or long term basis. Arguably, traveling is the most liberating, self-discovering experience one can ever have; it makes life worth living again.

The thing that most often stops people from actually traveling... is money. 99.9% of the time, money stands in the way. I know this from personal experience. This post is designed to acknowledge some of the challenges the average aspiring traveling faces and what to do to remedy these challenges to save up some money before leaving on that trip of a lifetime.

The following are the top five financial barriers that people face and how to avoid (or better yet,  overcome) them:

5. Car payments. These types of payments can easily be eliminated. You're going to be traveling, so you probably won't miss the car much anyway. Either sell it and get rid of it completely, or sell it and buy a cheaper used car with cash so you can keep the extra money. If you're caught up on having the latest and greatest car, you will never be able to travel - unless you're a millionaire of course. If you were a millionaire, you wouldn't need to read this blog, though. :)

4. Too many monthly splurges disguised as necessities. The little expenses add up...more than you might think. Do you really need to go to Starbucks every morning? Make coffee at home and put it in a to-go cup. I hear Costco sells some killer Dunkin' Donuts coffee.... Also, do you really need that gym membership? You can do quicker and more effective workouts at home with minimal equipment (an exercise ball and dumbbells) or no equipment at all. (More on exercise later). Do you need both a landline AND a cell phone? Cut out the land line and stick with just a cell phone to save yourself $50-$100 USD each month. Do you need to eat at so many restaurants? Cooking at home is much cheaper...and healthier. If you have a system down, planning meals and cooking at home can be quicker and easier than eating out, too. These are just a start, but I'm sure you can think of more.

3. Medical bills. Yikes... Medical bills can be worse than the actual injury or illness one might be suffering from. I can relate to this one as my son fractured his ulna about 4 weeks ago. We're thankful the break wasn't that bad and he's doing just fine now with another 2 weeks to go with the cast. What's ailing us now are the bills we received in the mail. Since we're self-employed, we have crappy insurance with a $5000 deductible. The situation is much worse for a lot of people. Medical bills can take a toll on even the most frugal person. One word of advice here is to always make sure you have extra money put aside for these predicaments, and travel insurance is a MUST when you start your trips. To get these bills paid down before you leave, use the money you saved from implementing the ideas in #4 - or get started on one of the on-the-go jobs ahead of time. 

2. HELOC debt. Yikes again... Same advice here - use the ideas in #4 and get an on-the-go job well ahead of time. Also, you could TRY to sell your house, but in the current market I wouldn't count on it. Another option is to approach a debt consolidation company to help lower the payments and interest. 

1. Credit card debt. I used to be the queen of credit card debt. I once had over $20,000 USD charged up between several different cards. Obviously I wasn't doing any traveling during this period of time; I think it was during the time my husband worked in an office job and made a crap salary. I just recently got it all paid off, and now I'm ready to travel again with a clear conscience. The strategy that worked for me was to 1) make sure the cards had low interest (or zero interest if possible), 2) start a business, and 3) use the on-the-go jobs to bring in more money than we spent. After a year and a half of plugging away at it, we finally paid it all off. You can too if you budget correctly and don't give up. You may not be able to travel for a year or more, but you will at some point. Traveling debt-free is the only way to do it, and you will be much happier for it. Keep your eye on the goal and you will get there.

On-the-go Job Ideas

So... 

You need to try to make money as you travel - not an easy task. The good part is, there are lots of options. It can be local jobs (if you have a workers' permit/visa, of course) or online. The more creative you get, the more opportunities become available to you. You are only limited by your imagination. If you want to make something happen, you will find a way. 

What types of jobs are suitable for a traveler? This post will focus on a few basic guidelines to help you think of ideas and narrow down possibilities. 

What you do depends on your expertise - and especially your interests. If you aren't interested in what you're doing, you will get burned out very quickly. Burnout can rain on your parade (I mean travels!) and deplete your funds even quicker. You can only tolerate something so long before you can't stand it any longer. Therefore, the first step in finding an on-the-go job is being honest with yourself about what you enjoy or are interested in. 

The second step is writing down ideas. A few to get you going include: freelance travel writing (or photography), blog writing, eBay sales, or any job that allows you to telecommute. If you have a good relationship with your current employer and if it's possible that your job could be done remotely, consider asking your manager or supervisor about telecommuting. Another thing (which is one of my favorites) that can be done remotely once you get it going - is real estate investing. Other offline, local ideas include seasonal jobs at your destination, housesitting, English teaching jobs, and anything temporary (such as waiter/waitress jobs). More on each of these individually later. 

Hopefully this is enough to get a light bulb to come on in your head. :)

"Half the fun of the travel is the esthetic of lostness." -Ray Bradbury

Again, the Money Factor

Yes, I know. Money. Again. This topic will come up a lot, I'm afraid. 

Money may not buy happiness, but it does fund your travels. 

Most of you are probably wondering how I have enough money to travel so much. First, let me assure you, I'm not rich. Second, I don't travel ALL the time, but I do take vacations quite often. As a side note, my husband and I are seriously considering a one year sabbatical, but we need to do more planning to solidify the idea. That's another topic for another blog...

Moving on...

It definitely is true that you need more money to travel than to stay at home, but not for living expenses. It's simply for creating a peace of mind in the case of any emergencies that may arise. It's always good to bring too much money than not enough. Easy enough.

No?

Okay, not so easy indeed. As most of our parents used to say, money doesn't grow on trees. Money is hard to make - especially if you don't have much to begin with, but I've become more efficient over the years in making it. 

Have Multiple Sources of Income

The more passive or mobile they are, the better. My ideal situation is to have 3-6 months' worth of income saved up before I leave - and make the rest of it while I travel. The longer the trip is, (say, like in my family's sabbatical), the more important this becomes. Also, don't hesitate to cut a trip short if you run uncomfortably low on funds.

On-the-Go Jobs

One general guideline that helps me is if it can be done remotely or doesn't need my active involvement (passive is ok) for long periods - it's perfect. Like I said before, plan your work around your travel and not the other way around.

Which jobs? I'll bounce some ideas off you in later posts. Until then, use your creativity.

Pay Off Your Credit Cards

I'll close on a sort of depressing note for some people. It needs to be said, though. Sorry.

Here goes...

I highly advise against traveling (especially long-term traveling or backpacking adventures) if you are in over your head in credit card or HELOC/second mortgage debt. Pay it off. If you can't, don't travel. Clearing your mind and paying off the debt is better than any vacation. 

Make your own wise judgment before traveling while still in debt. Personally, I wouldn't do it. This isn't a debt management blog, so I'll stop there.

I'll be back soon with a suggestion or two regarding on-the-go jobs. See you then!

Comments...?

"When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money." -Susan Heller

Friends Are Worth Their Weight in Gold (or Euros!)

Making friends can benefit people in all walks of life - but today I'm going to emphasize on how this is valuable to travelers. We all know that having friends in general is always a worthwhile and rewarding experience, so I won't reiterate the obvious. Since this blog is about traveling in Europe without going broke, I will stick to how making friends while traveling can help achieve that goal. I don't want to sound unappreciative of friends or like I'm trying to take advantage of people, so please don't take this post that way. I am highlighting the benefits of making friends in the places you travel. Regardless, never underestimate the power of a friend - in your travels and at home. Friends are priceless and I would never put a price on friendship.

With that said...

Get to Know Them First

Mingle with the locals for a bit and don't expect anyone to offer up any help for a few days  or more (although they often do on your first meeting!). There are some extremely kind people in this world and many of them are willing to help you right off the bat. Don't expect this, though. You're an adult and should take care of yourself. :) 

Still, the kindness of strangers amazes me. People go out of their way to help you sometimes, and it touches my heart (and theirs) every time they do. I have been dug out of some hefty situations due to the kindness of strangers. A lot of times they become my friend who I see many more times. Even if I never see them again, I still feel as though I made a lifelong friend. With all of the anger and injustice in the world, it's good to know that most people are still kind and generous - no matter where you go.

Recommendations

Friends can be the go-to source for a wealth of information on their locality. For me, they have been the reason why I find cheap restaurants (although I usually cook my own food), hidden or discount supermarkets, freebies such as local concerts and the like, and low cost entertainment or attractions. They are also often a reason for me to get into places at a resident rate. 

All of this simply because I know them. Most people are honored to give out information like this. It makes them feel important and helpful. And it saves money to boot. You can't go wrong asking one of your newly-made local friends how you can do stuff or buy stuff cheaper. After all, they do live there and have to stay within their own budgets. Their opinions and suggestions are non-biased. They won't profit from recommending a certain restaurant or place to you, so this is all the better reason to listen to them. Who else better to ask? Plus, they don't even have to be a friend per se for you to ask them general questions. You can ask any local. Go ahead - try it...

What about guidebooks if you're shy? Don't be shy... The Europeans will shake the timidity out of you before you leave, so don't worry about that. Back on topic: guidebooks give me nightmares and make me max out my AmEx card anyway.... Just look at what most of them recommend: hotels! A big no-no in my experience. Locals are MUCH better than guidebooks. They are the ultimate living guidebook!

Housing

I have had friends (and even acquaintances) offer me very cheap places to stay. I say very cheap because it's even cheaper than the village rooms I referred to in my last post. Some of them are even so kind as to insist I stay for FREE. Some of them won't take my money, and that's okay. Take them up on it, but don't overstay your welcome. Move on ASAP so you don't burden them. Oh, and buy them a gift for their hospitality whether they charge you to stay there or not! A couple bottles of wine or other similar gift fits this situation nicely. Even better is if you brought any items in your luggage that symbolizes where you're from (Colorado in my case). They love getting items like that because they're unique and reminds them of your friendship.

Say Goodbye to Language Barriers

If you have a local friend, you will no longer need to play Charades with other locals who don't speak your language. This makes getting around a lot easier and saves a load of time. 

Also, this friend can help sharpen your skills and lead you that much closer to learning his or her language. Eventually you will be able to speak enough yourself to not need their help anymore. This reminds me of the Lao Tzu quote: "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." 

Safety

Another important thing I would like to mention is how making a local friend can provide you with increased safety. By hanging out with a local, you blend into the scene more and don't become such a target for thieves and other criminals. This also goes with the theme of my blog, which is saving money. If your money doesn't get stolen, you save money. Right? Friends help you to not blatantly and unknowingly scream out, "I'm a tourist! I have all my money on me right now! Look! Here's a laptop, too!" They also probably know the places to avoid as well.

Transportation

I've had numerous friends give me a ride to places, so this is much cheaper than paying a taxi or renting a car. It's even better/cheaper than taking the bus and saves you more time than riding a bike or scooter. I always offer to reimburse them for gas - sometimes they accept, but mostly they don't. Usually it's free for me even though I beg them to take some gas money. 

One final thought I have is that I am not the best traveler. Fundamentally, I am a writer. Obviously I can't rely on friends to dig me out of steep situations or help me every single time I need it, but they haven't failed me yet along with my common sense. As with many things - careers and such, it's not necessarily what you know so much as who you know. Those in the corporate world know what I'm talking about. What you know will make you wiser, but who you know will help you through the present so that you have the opportunity to obtain that wisdom.  

These are my initial thoughts. I might add a spin-off post on this very important topic later! There is so much to say about it, so I will build upon it as my blog grows.

Comments anyone?

"I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself." -James Baldwin

The Mindset is What Matters Most

Money, money, money...

I can just hear the ABBA song playing in your head...over and over again. Lack of funds is the #1 reason (not fear) why most people never take the plunge to travel. You know how it is. As you're running over in your mind where you would go on your travels and how wonderful it's going to be, you run face first into the brick wall affectionately known as reality. Suddenly you remember the stack of bills you have to pay: the rent and the car payment and credit cards galore.

Yikes. Well, that puts you in your place, doesn't it? Forget traveling, you say - you just need to get by.

Right?

Wrong.  

Think outside the box and it can be done. Plan your work around your travels...not the other way around. The key here is to get yourself in the mindset. The traveling will follow. Don't let negative people, places, and things get you down. Keep your eye on the goal and use your creativity to the utmost degree. Think, speak, and dream travel.

One resource that I highly recommend for inspiration is The Secret. It is a movie as well as a book and is available on Amazon. You can also read about the basics of it for free on the website at www.thesecret.tv . 

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." -Lao Tzu