Porsche setting the record at Nurburgring for the fastest lap towing a trailer.
Imagine towing your RV or travel trailer with a Porsche. It starts by making a little money on the side.
Technology allows many people to work remotely. But location independence doesn’t mean stay at home anymore.
Learn the best ways to make money while RVing. These strategies work great for both part time and full time RVers.
Options
| Possible Pay | Task | Location Dependent | Service | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shutterstock | Unlimited | Sell your images | No | No |
| VPKid | $16-$22/Hour | Teach English to Kids | No | Yes |
| Movie/TV Extra | $100-200/day | Appear in Films | Yes | Yes |
| Proofreading | Set Your Rate | Proofread | No | Yes |
| Fiverr | Set Your Rate | Digital Gigs | No | Yes |
| Upwork | Varies | Digital Gigs | No | Yes |
| Social Media | Unlimited | Sell Anything | No | No |
| Survey Monkey | $2-75/survey | Take Surveys | No | Yes |
#1 | Shutterstock
Nowadays, everyone has an incredible camera in their pocket. Powerful enough to take 12 megapixel images (super high quality).
You, an RVer, are out on an adventure and seeing epic things every day. You’re also looking to make money.
Why not pair the two by taking pictures of cool stuff (which you probably already do), then posting them to Shutterstock.
The best part? You only have to take the picture and upload them. Shutterstock does the rest.
How To Sign Up For Shutterstock (Tips)
Time needed: 15 minutes
Set up a Shutterstock account (for free), upload your cool pictures, and make money.
- Take pictures
Take quality pictures of the cool stuff you see RVing. If you’ve got a camera, use it. Otherwise, most smartphone cameras are up to the job.
Ideas include:
– Landscapes
– Buildings/Structures
– Plants and Wildlife
– Sunrise/Sunset
– Weather
– Urban/Rural scenes
– Everyday objects (but don’t be cliché)
Be careful about photographing people. Often you’ll need their disclosure if they are the focus of the image. I normally avoid people-pictures to save myself the worry. - Create a Shutterstock Account
Sign up at Shutterstock. Signing up is completely free. There is absolutely no risk and no reason not to do it, even if you only upload a few pictures.
- Upload Your Pictures
This is the most important part. Shutterstock makes it pretty easy.
The key is to use all 50 tags. This is essential. Tags allow people to find your images.
“Tags” are just words that tell Shutterstock what your image is about.
It may take a minute to come up with all 50, but it’s not hard. Consider everything in the image: location, time of day, colors, season, subject matter, mood, lighting, etc. People are looking for very specific images for their own content and accurate tags help Shutterstock put your images in front of the right people.
Using tags is critical to making money!
After you submit images and add tags, there will be a 1-2 day review process. This is just so Shutterstock can make sure the images meet criteria (good quality, related title/tags, not offensive, copyright, etc).
Once they approve it, your photos are live and available for the world! - Repeat
It feels great to make money in your sleep. Once your images are uploaded and approved, they are out assets making money for you. Now, find the next great scene and take some more photos to upload.
Your images are your original content and can generate profit forever.
To date, Shutterstock contributors have earned over $300,000,000 from 500,000,000 images.
BEST PART: Shuterstock is not the only option. Some sites allow you to sell the same images on multiple platforms. *Just make sure the site is not exclusive.
Images are just the beginning. These platforms also accept video, vectors, and even audio files. Now, more than ever, people are willing to pay for original content and everything you shoot will be your original perspective.
Platforms to Sell Images, Videos, and More
| Platform | Pro | Con |
| Shutterstock | Earn up to $120 per image download | |
| 500Px | Earn 70% payout on $250 license | |
| SmugMug | Earn up to 85% of the markup per photo | Subscription fee $12.50 per month |
| istockPhoto | Earn royalties from 15-45% | Low priced images (must be accepted) |
| Getty Images | Earn 20% on $375-$575 | Exclusive Contract (must be accepted) |
| 123RF | App makes it easy to upload | |
| Creative Market | 60% payout | |
| Adobe Stock | Amazing platform | Strict content approval guidelines |
We collect affiliate fees from some services we recommend.
#2 | Teach English
VIPKid is a worldwide platform that allows anyone to teach children how to speak English.
And don’t worry. You do not need to speak a foreign language!
There are no minimum hours. You can work wherever you are, in an RV, on a sailboat, or at home. Whenever, wherever!
Stats
| Teachers | Students | Classes per Month |
| 100,000 | 700,000 | 5,000,000+ |
How To Sign Up for VIPKid (With Tips)
- Sign up, create an account and complete a simple form.
- Review some materials and do a short demo lesson so they can get a glimpse at how awesome you are.
- VIPKid provides a welcome to the world of online teaching. You’ll get access to additional information and support.
- Teach a mock class with a current teacher (they’ll even help prep you for the real thing).
- Sign your contract and start teaching!
Sourced from VIPKid
Pros
- Flexibility
- Teachers and students alike have fun
- Software and tools are user-friendly
- Dedicated Support Team
Cons
- Requires certification (included, just takes time)
- Can take time to build up client base
#3 | Movie or TV Extra
It’s surprisingly easy to appear on a TV show!
Right now (in Chicago), I found opportunities to appear in a concrete commercial or star in a few indie films. I also saw the opportunity to be an extra in Stranger Things in Atlanta, GA.
Extra roles are great for RVers and other traveling explorers because it’s only a short term job and you can earn $170/day on average. (Source)
Extra casting is great for a few reasons. You get to…
- get paid high rates for only a day (or more) of work
- see the behind the scenes of big-budget productions
- appear in TV/movies you’ll recognize
- free time on set for personal tasks
One of our staff has been an extra many times. In his own words…
I love the experience of being on set and participating in the creative process. It is a great way to meet new people, but there’s also a lot of downtime—make sure to bring a good book or a deck of cards.
Harlon Dexter, Editor
Signing Up
Backstage is the best online platform for finding extra casting calls. (They also offers starring/lead roles, if you’re interested.)
They offer a powerful and extensive filter search function that makes it easy to search the whole world (or focus on the United States).
They offer a paid subscription for a magazine and some extra features, but the free version works perfectly fine for finding job for extras.
#4 | Proofreading
Proofreading is a powerful skill to have and an easy one to offer (for great pay).
The job isn’t as complicated as being an editor.
Proofreaders focus on spelling and grammar mistakes. They don’t suggest large changes such as rephrasing sentences or restructuring entire sections – this is the job of editors.
Millennial Money
Do You Have The Skills?
Proofreading at a professional level is a step up from what most people think of as “proofreading”.
Test Your Skills
Quiz Source: Proofread Now
Is It Too Hard?
No. Anyone can be a proofreader (and learn valuable skills doing it). The test above serves to remind you why you’ll get paid so well.
A little practice goes a long way, as does a reference book…
Learning to Proofread
This book is an essential reference for anyone. We all write. We might as well do it good well.
“The greater part of the world’s troubles are due to questions and grammar.”
Michel de Montaigne
If you’re looking for an online course, consider Udemy’s program.
Getting A Job
You can get a job proofreading, part-time or full time. You could also set up a gig on Fiverr (see the next header). There are a range of opportunities on Indeed.
#5 | Fiverr
Fiverr is a great platform for sharing your skills with the world. It is lower on our list because often it requires specialized skills.
That said, Fiverr is great because it is flexible, easy, and absolutely unlimited. Jobs are called “gigs”, and you can offer any gig you can think of. Some of the weirdest fiverr gigs we’ve seen include screaming, spelling with spaghetti, and lip writing (we don’t understand either).
How Much Do You Make?
Fiverr is all about individual offerings. You’ll create listing with jobs you offer to complete. You control everything…
- What they are
- How long they take
- How much they cost
Fiverr Gig Ideas
- Photoshop
- Video Editing
- Website Design
- Graphic Design
- Drawing
- Voiceover Artist
- Musician
- Marketing
- Social Media
- Composing
- Writing
- Proofreading
- Translation
- Transcripts
- Lessons
#6 | Upwork
Upwork is an awesome platform for offering professional services online. It is more formal than some other sites and the work is often more professional and reliable.
How Does It Work?
Employers will post jobs you can find and apply to complete. They’ll review your profile before hiring.
Upwork is a powerful way to build connections to get part-time work. If initial clients like your work, often they’ll go straight to you next time.
What Can You Expect to Make?
Upwork is powerful because you are putting yourself out there to be hired. You have the power. You choose…
- what services you offer
- what rate you want (per hour or project)
- when you want to work
Creating A Profile
#7 | Social Media Affiliate
Chances are you are on some form of social media. It is easy to sign up for affiliate programs on platforms like Amazon. (They are all free!)
Affiliate programs give you a percent (normally 4-8% on Amazon) of products you help to promote.
You get up to 10% of all money spent by consumers following your link on Amazon.
It’s easy to generate a link or image + link for any product on the platform. For example…
Amazon links are easy to post on social media.
CJ Affilaite
Another great place for affiliates is CJ Affiliate, aka Commission Junction.
As a middleman, CJ is a powerful way to connect you to all kinds of businesses, whatever niche you’re in. CJ is incredibly popular (used by Home Depot to 23andMe).
I find CJ so cool for social media because you could literally post a picture of your DNA results and affiliate-link to 23andMe. If someone were to buy a DNA kit, you would get paid. Awesome, right?
Note: It’s strictly forbidden for you to buy products through your own link. Amazon may track your IP address (via cookies) and will likely block your account. Don’t do it!
Another great seller you’ll recognize is Etsy. Help sell anything on the platform and take your cut!
What Does It Take To Make Money?
Social media affiliate marketing is lower on our list because it takes an investment of time (not money) to get going.
Though the potential is limitless—this is a business you can literally make money in your sleep—you need to have faith and put in the time.
Where To Keep Learning
Oberlo, a dropshipping company, put together a guide to affiliate marketing for beginners.
Other comprehensive guides include Neil Patel’s Affiliate Marketing Made Simple.
Video Guide to Social Media Marketing
If you go down the website route, besides quality on-page content, backlinks are essential. Watch this video to get a better idea of what I mean.
Online Surveys
Survey Junkie is a place to take surveys online. It’s pretty straightforward.
You can get paid from $2 to $75 per survey. The length varies significantly.
Take Surveys ⇒ Get Paid
Part-Time Work to Avoid
There are some digital platforms that pay for services but aren’t worth the effort and time. These are websites to avoid because of low pay, difficult software, etc.
Mechanical Turk
Kotaro Hara et al., in a study published by Cornell University, found only 4% of workers on Mechanical Turk earn minimum wage ($7.25).
We recorded 2,676 workers performing 3.8 million tasks on Amazon Mechanical Turk … workers earned a median hourly wage of only ~$2/h.
A Data-Driven Analysis of Workers’ Earnings on Amazon Mechanical Turk
The Atlantic looked further into this problem and how workers can be paid less than the minimum wage. A large part of the problem is the amount of time swallowed up looking for tasks, not completing them.
“Crowdsourced workers do not have to receive the minimum wage because they are considered independent contractors, not employees.”
The Atlantic
In short, don’t be a Mechanical Turk.
The End
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