We’ve all seen the photos splashed across Instagram, where someone is luxuriously sunning themselves next to a pool or a beach with their laptop out with the caption “my office is better than yours”.
Following the pandemic and the rise of remote working, these kinds of posts have become more and more common, with workers discovering that if they can do their job from anywhere, why shouldn’t it be somewhere exotic or new that they can explore in their downtime?
The idea behind these kinds of working holidays is that as soon as your working day is over, instead of commuting home and sitting in front of the TV, you can go out and experience the holiday vibes without having to use up your allotted paid vacation days.
Increasingly, hostels, like the Selina chain (all their European hostels are discounted with our Hostel Card), are capitalising on this growing trend for digital nomadism by including free high speed internet, business centres, rentable office desks and designated co-living deals with other working travellers. These longer term living options allow digital nomads to have a level of security, peace and a home away from home while sharing common spaces with other like minded working travellers.
However, not all businesses or jobs are going to let you work while travelling around Europe. So what are the ways that you can make this seemingly dream life a reality?
Here’s how to make money while traveling
1. Have a remote job
Since the majority of the world was in some kind of lockdown, the prevalence of remote working is on the rise with many companies not going back to the office at all or offering a hybrid mix of working environments. If you can work from home, what’s to say you can’t set up your office in a co-working space in Barcelona or Prague?
Co-working spaces have grown in popularity around the world as a place where remote workers, self-employed people, freelancers or small teams can come in, book a desk or office space for an hour, day, or week and take advantage of included wifi, printing facilities, meeting rooms and a general community vibe.
Travelling while having a remote job is probably one of the most financially secure ways to work abroad but some employers might request you only be within a certain amount of time zones for meetings and alike. Also, you might need to work your regularly scheduled hours so you should plan to fill your evenings and weekends to explore as much as you can!
2. Go freelance or self-employed
Another option for working while travelling around Europe is to become a freelancer or be self-employed. Obviously if you’re your own boss, you only have to answer to your chosen clients. The flip side of this is that if you take time off, you don’t get any holiday pay.
However, especially if you’re in a job that lends itself to being a digital nomad like a writer, coder, photographer or developer, as long as you have an internet connection and some signal, you can pretty much work from anywhere.
The digital nomad life means that you can just move around from place to place as long as you’re able to get online for work. Often you’ll end up living in places for a couple of months at a time, setting down roots for a while before moving on to the next location rather than jumping from city to city every couple of weeks. This way you can really get a feel for the place and live relatively like a local for the time you’re there which is a really great way to experience a new culture while you’re working and supporting yourself.
3. Pick up odd jobs as you go
Probably the most common way that people work while they’re travelling around Europe is to pick up odd part time jobs as they go. Especially if you’re on a gap year or an extended travel season, it can be tricky to save up everything you’re going to need in advance and keep on living the holiday life on a shoestring budget, especially if you’re visiting more expensive European locations in Western Europe and Scandinavia.
Normally, gap year travellers or long term travellers pick up work as baristas, bar tenders or temp admin jobs. Often you can pick up a couple of shifts a week and spend the rest of the time exploring the local area while meeting and making friends with locals.
Another great place to pick up odd jobs is by working in the hostels you are staying in. A lot of the people who run the hostel on a day-to-day basis; working on the reception, in the bar, or as housekeepers, are other long term travellers who either get paid, get free accommodation, or a mix of the two. When we’re travelling, especially around Europe, accommodation is one of the biggest costs so this can make a massive difference to your budget.
How To Make Money While Traveling Made Easy!
It’s no secret that travelling across Europe can get pretty expensive, particularly if you’re planning on travelling for a number of months, so it’s sometimes necessary to work as you explore. Also, it’s sometimes hard to save up enough money for the whole trip before you leave, so by having a job while you travel around Europe, you’re taking some of the pressure off financially.
Of course, there are plenty of ways to save money for your trip before you leave home or as you travel including buying yourself or your travelling friend a Hostel Card. For just £19.99 a year, you can get up to 20% off hostels throughout Europe and it’s valid on both private and dorm rooms. Save yourself some cash on the road so you don’t have to work quite so hard and can get out and really enjoy your travels – after all, you know what they say about all work and no play…
FAQ’s
What is a working holiday?
A working holiday is an extended trip that allows you to stay abroad for longer than a typical tourist visa and gives you the freedom to work and travel simultaneously.
What does co-working mean?
The rise of co-working spaces in the recent years has also increased the desire for self-employment and flexibility to be able to work while traveling. Co-working means using an office space or other working environment by people who are self-employed. Co-working spaces allow sharing of equipment and areas.
What is a nomad life?
A nomad is a person with no settled home, moving from place to place on a regular basis. A backpacker who works while traveling is sometimes called a digital nomad.
