Travel costs have gone up alot in the past year. (Flights that we paid $1200 for last year are coming it at $2700 this year!) There’s all kinds of reasons for this (most of them depressing), but talking about the reasons that travel costs more now than it used to won’t help anything. I’m not ready to give up family travel, so finding ways to fund it is what I’m gonna have to do.
To make our travel plans a reality we need to save money and put it into our travel fund… but it also doesn’t hurt to make extra money.
In fact, if we can really dial in our making extra money skills, it can be easier than saving, in my opinion. With Facebook as an easy opportunity to communicate with your community, it’s easier than ever to sell things or start a business / service locally.
You can make posts on your own wall or post publicly on Marketplace. Of course in some situations it’s also worthwhile advertising locally with posters, in the newspapers etc. Always ask yourself “where is my buyer / client and how do I reach them?”
If you’re looking for inspiration for ways to make extra money to add to your travel fund, here’s 20 ideas to consider that don’t require a diplomas or too much up front investment:
Baby Sit.
It was good enough for you when you were 15, it’s good enough now. It’s especially great if you have kids at home because it’s basically like being paid for a play date, which just occupies your own kids. Get a criminal record check and ask your local day cares if you can put up posters.
Pet Sit.
Honestly, I would rather watch someone else’s dog than their kid. I prefer the situation where you go to the pet’s house and check on it once daily over the situation where the pet is at my house – but you could advertise for whatever you want to do. (Guess who needs pet sitting… people who go on vacations!) Ask your local vet or pet store if you can put up posters.
House Sit.
Not going to make a ton of money if you’re just doing it for a friend, but if you set it up as a service, this can be very lucrative. Most insurance companies require that a home is checked on every few days – meaning someone needs to be actively going to and going inside of the home. Ideal when you can find snowbird clients who are gone for a few months at a time, but not bad if you can get 4-6 short term clients every month either. Ask your local travel agency if you can put up posters.
Sell Your Things.
Have a yard sale, or make use of Facebook Marketplace. Most of us have stuff kicking around we haven’t used in ages. It’s especially easy to sell kids things that they’re outgrowing – clothes that are in good shape, bikes that are too small, and collections of things they’ve aged out of. (One of the best times to sell things is right before Christmas… I should know, because I tend to love to buy my kids Christmas gifts on Facebook Marketplace lol.)
Sell Things You Make.
You have to be careful with this because you don’t want your income stream to become an expensive hobby. You have to do your research and find a market for your projects. Go to local craft fairs and talk to the vendors – find out what sells and what doesn’t.
Sell Your Vacation Photos.
This might be the easiest thing on this list… because you’re here and I am in the market for destination photos. (If you live in the destination, that’s even better!) You can read about opportunities to sell your photos to us here.
Sell Recipes / Photos of the Food You Cook.
Another personal experience item – not for this site, but for another site I have, I buy recipes and photos of home cooked food. As Ai changes the landscape of the internet, there will be more and more demand for real people created content. You can help provide that content.
Freelance Write.
Some would argue that you need to have training for this, but I disagree. I can do 2000 words in an hour or so, and my writing has made me plenty over the years. Not only that, I’ve hired loads of freelance writers (not for this site) and never once asked anyone for a diploma. I just want to see their writing. Be ready to defend that you are not using Ai to write.
Flip Thrift Store, Flea Market or Yard Sale Items.
I always used to think this sounded like a wild pipe dream, but my sister recently picked up a gold bracelet at a yard sale for $2… and it appraised at $500. (Guess what she’s using the extra money for?) I know people who have made their entire living flipping. It’s a skill, but one that doesn’t require a diploma to get started, and one worth building.
Clean Houses.
One house per week, $100 per cleaning, straight into a vacation fund, that’s $5000 in 50 weeks. You can get a decent vacation for $5000. If you can do 2 houses per week, you can get where you are going in half the time.
Offer Meal Prep Services.
Spend one Saturday or Sunday afternoon to prep food for the week; there are PLENTY of busy people who would take you up on this esp. if you market it with a healthy angle, a kid friendly angle etc. Don’t be generic!
Decorate Cakes and Cupcakes.
This one can take some practice, but the basic cost of set up is minimal. A few good youtube tutorials will give you all kinds of tricks and ideas to become a pro cake decorator. Specialize in birthday cakes or wedding cakes to REALLY make the big bucks.
Offer Auto Detailing.
Clean cars and clean them good – and you’ll have repeat clients and referrals in no time. This is really a great option if you have little kids at home and need something where the work comes to you.
Offer Solar Panel Cleaning.
This is a growing side hustle as solar becomes more popular, and people discover that their solar panels need cleaning. It’s a better option in sunny areas, of course.
Offer Moving / Packing Help.
Moving and packing is a daunting job for most people even if they’ve done it three times before. If you’re organized and strong enough to carry boxes, you can make great extra money running a moving service.
Provide a Laundry Service (Wash / Dry / Fold).
Once on a three week trip to Mexico we priced out what it would cost to have the hotel do our laundry (because two kids under 5 really do go through clothes and we always travel light). Suffice it to say; it would have been cheaper to fly home and get new clothes. We paid a waiter at the hotel $20 to take a backpack of our things home and wash them… and I think this would be a useful service in any tourist destination. All you need is a washer / dryer and some laundry soap to get set up.
Rent Out Baby Gear
I hate to admit this, but twice in destinations where we stayed for extended time we had to buy a stroller just to leave behind when we left. We’d have gladly paid someone half the cost of the stroller to rent it for the time we were there… but we didn’t know that was an option.
Sell Something You Love and Use Yourself.
Yes, I am talking about MLM or direct sales types of things… but we all know that one person who makes a fortune selling Avon or Tupperware. The reason they do well with those things is because they genuinely love and use the things. That’s the catch. You can’t sell something you don’t believe everyone should have. So choose wisely.
Provide Customer Service / Phone Support.
If you’re at home all day and can answer the phone, there are lots of companies that train in house for customer service agents.
Take Evening / Weekend Shifts as a Server.
I hesitate to put this on here, but only because I did it for a decade and wouldn’t ever want to do it again… but I’d also be lying if I said the money wasn’t good. If you’re at all personable, picking up 2-3 restaurant shifts in a week (especially at the weekend) will pay for a vacation in just a few months.
If you choose just one of these ideas to make extra money for travel, and combine it with a few great strategies to save money for travel, your next trip will be closer than you think. (It really doesn’t hurt to learn how to travel on a budget either – it’s much easier to make an extra $5000 dollars than it is to make an extra $10,000!)
