Camping guides
How to make money while road tripping
)
There are so many different ways you can make money while you travel. Whether you’re hoping to extend your trip to make the most of your time and see as much as possible, or simply want to fill your pockets to help fund your holiday, it’s about choosing the right option for your skills and set up. Below, we explain how to make money while road tripping by listing some of the most tried-and-tested, van-life-friendly methods!
How to make money while road tripping: 7 ways to earn while you roam
1. Rent your place out while you’re gone
This has to be one of the easiest ways to earn yourself some cash while you’re on the road - and it makes sense. Since you’re not living there while you’re off travelling the sites, why not let someone else enjoy your place.
There are a number of sites where you can list your property, including:
Vrbo: you can set your price, dates, rules and more, before putting your home in front of a global network of travellers to find the perfect match.
Furnished Rentals: they offer a full management service, including management of bookings, clearing and linen and more.
Airbnb: a favourite around the world, Airbnb allows you to become a host to use your place to make some extra income.
Remember to plan ahead for this, so you can book in someone nice and early and hopefully cover the whole time you are away.
You might want to be around to hand over the keys and say hi, or you can organise something with your neighbour. You might even organise multiple people to stay, one after the other, depending how long your trip is.
2. Babysit
If you’re willing to spend some time with little ones, then babysitting is a great way to make money while road tripping.
Parents are always in need of a babysitter on the road - after all, who doesn’t want a night away from the kids while they’re off on holidays? And generally you don’t need any degrees to get the job. Just be good with kids!
You can reach out to people you meet at the campsite, perhaps even preparing some business cards ahead of time to add a degree of professionalism. Or you can use an agency in the area, such as:
Dream Nanny
It’s definitely something you want to plan before your trip, as you may need to get a Police Check and some references together.
3. Freelance
Got some writing skills up your sleeve? Perhaps you’re a designer? Or maybe you’re good with numbers? There are so many jobs you can do on the road, once you hone in on your skills. If there’s one positive to come out of Covid, it’s that it’s now much easier to work remotely.
Think about what you’re good at, then head online to find some work. There are a few sites to help you along:
Upwork: this third-party platform connects you with companies around the world. Whether you’re a writer, accountant, VA, engineer, IT expert or in marketing, there is a broad range of job categories posted each day for you to submit your proposal to!
Freelancer: from data entry to web search, photoshop, technical writing, CSS and more, there are plenty of jobs to choose from.
Unicorn Factory: create your own profile and connect with businesses looking to hire.
To take some of the stress out, it can help to start looking before your trip, so you have plenty to get on with while you’re away. It’s the perfect way to help with that road trip budget for New Zealand.
4. Sell your photos
If there’s one thing to be said about New Zealand, it’s that the natural landscape is absolutely stunning. So if you’re still wondering how to make money while road tripping, just take a look at your surroundings! Why not take advantage of your views and sell some of the amazing photos you take on your travels? It’s a win, win!
Of course, it helps to have a background in photography, to make sure you know just what you’re doing as you click on the camera. You can find plenty of information online to help you learn more about this.
Once you nail that shot, it’s time to sell it! There are plenty of sites for you to use, including Shutterstock, Photo New Zealand and Etsy. Just take note, most of these take a commission, but it’s very worth it.
5. Surveys and market research
Got a little down time at your campsite each night? All you need is access to the internet and you can sit on your phone and earn money while you relax. Easy!
It’s not going to bring in the big bucks, but it also doesn’t take much time or effort and is a great way to supplement your income while travelling. All you need to do is find a campervan, settle in at your destination and get to work!
Here are some sites to get you started:
6. Rent your car
What will your car be doing while you’re enjoying the adventure of a lifetime?
It’s no doubt sitting on the street or in the garage, eagerly awaiting your return. Instead, why not earn some money from it!
Peer to Peer car rental (also known as P2P car rental NZ) is all about private people renting out their private vehicles to other private people. It’s completely free to rent your car, insurance is included and you get to choose who rents your car.
7. Sell souvenirs and crafts online
If you have some time on your trip, why not put it to creative use and sell your goods online. While your partner is driving, you can spend your time knitting blankets, sewing clothes, or making something else useful you can sell online.
It will keep you nice and busy while you’re on the road, or even when you have a bit of downtime at the campsite during your travels. Here are some sites you can sell on:
Etsy
eBay
This is another job you want to plan for in advance, just in case you need to bring materials with you on the road trip. It also helps to set yourself up on your selling platform, ready to go.
Hire a van for your New Zealand road trip
Now that you know how to make money while road tripping, it’s time to sort out your adventure! Whether you’re taking on a New Zealand North to South Island road trip, a comprehensive North Island road trip itinerary or one of our many South Island road trip ideas, you can set off with a surefire way to bring in the pennies.
Need a campervan for your travels? Sort out van hire on the North Island or van hire on the South Island with Camplify. If you’re wondering how much to hire a campervan, we’ve got plenty of options for every budget. And no matter your costs, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to finding different ways of making money on your road trip.
Why Camplify?
We are proud to be New Zealand’s fastest-growing private caravan, campervan and motorhome sharing community. When you hire a van through our platform, it comes with lots of advantages:
Comprehensive hire insurance
Nationwide AA roadside assistance
24/7 customer support
All members are verified
By hiring with Camplify, you are also helping local families who share their van on our platform and supporting many local companies across New Zealand in addition to ours. So we are very grateful to you.
Sign up if you want to join our beloved community of van life lovers and receive our most recent news and offers.