10 Best Remote Jobs for Travelers (what I do + more)
I spent the last couple seasons in a quiet town outside Tokyo.
Every morning, I woke up next to bamboo trees and enjoyed cheap drip coffee before going to a local cafe to do some remote work and blogging.
I’m a traveling musician without an office or a boss — it’s the dream I’ve always wanted. And the best part?
Anyone can do this!
So welcome to my list of the best remote jobs for travelers.
These are the exact things I’m doing to make money right now plus some other popular ideas for more inspiration.
Making money while you travel isn’t as hard as it may sound. It can be fun and a strong source of pride (once you “crack the code”). So I’m stoked that you’ll be joining me soon.
But let’s wrap up this chit chat – let’s do this!
Table of Contents Show
Remote Jobs for Travelers vs. Regular Remote Work
Not all online jobs are the same.
Despite their flexibility, some remote work still has obstacles (if you’re a traveler).
Namely, location and time available are two points to keep in mind.
Many remote jobs require you to be in a certain location or be available during certain times of the day (for Zoom calls or to finish client tasks by EOD, for example).
This is the biggest difference between remote jobs for travelers versus regular remote work.
So be sure to read the fine print and prioritize gigs where you can work from anywhere, completely on your own schedule.
And with that, let’s keep moving and look at my favorite online jobs for travelers!
Recommended: How to Make Money While Traveling
5 Best Remote Jobs for Travelers (what I’m doing)
These are the exact remote jobs that I’m currently doing (or have done) as a full-time traveler.
1. Teaching English Online
My first taste of remote income while traveling was from teaching English online.
That was nearly seven years ago — and I never looked back.
If you’re a native English speaker, then this is probably the quickest way to start making money online. The demand is high and the barriers to entry relatively low.
Of course, you can teach other languages too, but English has the highest demand.
So here are a few popular places to start your ESL job search journey:
This was my first gig online (I still hold lessons here and there)
The starting pay is meh (¥600 for 25 minutes), but you can increase your pay rate the more you teach
I like it because it’s low-stress and the students are great
Recommended: Is Teaching English Abroad Worth It?
2. Freelancing
Freelancing is an awesome way to monetize your skills, knowledge and/or resources.
It’s a big part of my own income right now and it’s something anyone can do. I freelance in content strategy and SEO, but you can find work in almost anything.
Some other common freelancing opportunities include:
Social media management
Content creation
Video editing
Writing
Graphic design
Specialized skills (AI, coding, etc.)
3. Writing
If you like writing, then this could be the perfect remote job for you while traveling.
It can be tricky to find decent gigs if you’re new or don’t have an established portfolio, but if you put yourself out there enough you can definitely make it work.
Here are some places you can start looking for online writing gigs:
Platforms like Working Nomads or We Work Remotely post various writing (and other remote) jobs
If you’re keen to learn more, this guide from SmartBlogger is pretty comprehensive and shares some clever strategies also.
4. AI Model Training
With new technology comes new opportunities. Enter AI model training.
Training AI involves reviewing AI-generated responses for factuality, safety, accuracy and other metrics. It’s a great entry-level segue into AI work (if that behooves you).
The goal is to make them safer, more reliable and trustworthy and better at capturing the nuances of humans and prompts.
Your feedback becomes data for AI to improve its responses and how it answers queries and commands. It’s kind of cool (and comforting) to know that you’re helping improve and keep AI systems safe and accurate.
I started doing AI model training to supplement my freelance work, which can sometimes be sporadic. And it’s been a great side hustle so far!
And since this type of work is usually pretty flexible, it’s perfect for traveling.
*UPDATE*
I was model training for Outlier (which is a great gig), but I found out the hard way that the platform only works if you’re working from the U.S. Even with a VPN, I couldn’t log in to do training tasks while traveling overseas (bummer!).
I haven’t tried DataAnnotation (another popular option) yet, BUT based on this article from their blog, it sounds like you should be able to work on this platform while traveling.
5. Build A Personal Brand (*a long-term strategy)
Everyone's an influencer.
Whatever content you make online and whatever audience size you have (or don’t have), we all have a personal brand online. In the future, everyone may just be their own small business.
So that’s where I’m focusing my long-term attention.
The “trick” is in learning how to monetize it…you…how to monetize yourself. It’s a long-term strategy for sure, but if you focus on having fun, staying authentic and being consistent, then you’ll win.
I think the best first move is to just start creating content to build authority and an engaged audience online.
Because a personal brand can’t be copied or replaced. It’s all you — and nobody does that quite like you.
After you build an audience, some ways you can make money remotely include:
Working with brands
Affiliate marketing
Ad revenue
Selling your own products and merch
Sponsorships
Selling your services or coaching
Recommended: Personal Branding for Creatives
5 More Online Jobs for Travelers
There are countless remote job opportunities for travelers online.
So here are a few more options (although, I haven’t tried these myself – yet!).
1. Sell Stuff Online
Ecommerce is a gigantic industry. By 2026, nearly a quarter of all retail sales are expected to take place online (according to reports from Forbes).
This doesn’t feel terribly groundbreaking. I think we all know the popularity and ubiquity of online shopping.
So why not tap into this opportunity?
Selling stuff online can be a great remote job for travelers. For example, you could:
Start an ecommerce or dropshipping store
Sell digital products on marketplaces like Etsy or Creative Market
Flip stuff – even websites – online
Sell original art and prints
Sell on Amazon
Write and sell ebooks
These are just a few examples — the options are quite endless.
So if you’re keen to learn more, this blog post from Shopify walks you through the basic steps to get started.
2. Virtual Assistant
If you don’t mind administrative work, you could try becoming a virtual assistant (VA).
I’m not too experienced with this type of work, but it does seem to be a popular remote position (since every other list out there mentions it).
While clerical jobs aren’t my personal cup of matcha, some people don’t mind it. And hey, if it gets you travel freedom, then I say go for it!
You can learn more about becoming a VA here.
3. Tech Gigs
If you’re tech-savvy and have expertise in computers and software, you’ll have a serious leg up for finding good remote jobs while traveling.
In fact, the demand for tech-related talent is one of the biggest observations I’ve made in online job trends over the past couple of years. And I’m definitely not alone in noticing that trend.
So if you’ve got some tech chops, you may be in luck.
Here are just a few examples of remote tech jobs you could do while traveling:
Cloud architect
Software developer
IT support specialist
AI development
UX designer
Data scientist
4. Consulting + Coaching
If you have expertise that people need, you could start a consulting or coaching business.
Coaching has been having a moment the past few years, but it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
So this may be a solid opportunity for remote work while traveling.
To start, you could create content about your expertise to establish authority and generate leads. Then, you can just conduct your business entirely online (or do local meetups depending on where you’re traveling).
Here are a few consulting and coaching business ideas for inspiration:
Health and fitness
Nutrition
Business
Finance
Content creation and branding
Cooking
Before you jump in, also be sure to check what certifications or qualifications you may need since some industries (like finance or health and wellness) may require them.
5. Start A Remote Business
Starting a business isn’t easy and requires various skills, patience and hard work. But it can be an awesome (and rewarding) way to work while traveling.
Here are some remote business ideas:
Travel photographer or filmmaker
Online yoga studio
Dropshipping ecommerce site
Digital marketing agency
Language school
Helping small businesses integrate their systems with AI
If you’re not sure what to do, I’d start with either selling what you have expertise in or what you’re interested in.
You could start by creating lots of free content to gain audience insights, establish authority and test your ideas with the market. You’ll get clarity and fine-tune your business plan this way. You could make an MVP (minimum viable product) to test your idea first.
And of course, don’t be discouraged when ideas flop or things don’t go as planned.
It’s a journey, after all.
Recommended: How to Start A Creative Business
Later ✌️
For a lot of us, being able to work remotely while traveling is the dream life.
Luckily, it’s absolutely possible!
My favorite remote jobs for travelers (and the things that I’m actually doing) are teaching English online, freelancing, AI model training and building out a personal brand (as a long-term strategy).
Ultimately though, it depends on your experience, goals, preferences and lifestyle.
Whatever the case, there are plenty of opportunities online. So just stay patient and don’t get discouraged if it’s taking you longer than expected.
You’ll get there.
Want More? Okay. Here’s More.
