How to Make Money While Living Shuttle Bus Life
This is always one of the biggest questions from people who want to go full-time. How do I afford to travel as much as I want? A lot of people are really intimidated by this facet of nomadic living, but after five years of doing this myself I’ve learned a few things about staying financially stable.
A few quick notes first: I’d recommend having a good sized savings fund built up before you hit the road for the unexpected repairs that will undoubtedly happen. Second, there’s more ways to make money on the road than just what I’m about to dive into, but these options are what actually feel the most attainable to me as a person who’s actually living the lifestyle (how I make money myself is included below as well).
Also keep in mind that one of the perks of this lifestyle is the low overhead. Without rent or utilities or other house-bound expenses, living in a bus is typically cheaper than living in a house or apartment, which allows you to live comfortably on a smaller budget.
Remote Job
If there’s a single silver lining to the pandemic, it’s the fact that so many employers are now embracing full time remote work for their employees. There really hasn’t been a better time in history to look for a remote job in quite literally almost any field. Websites like Flexjobs are specifically tailored to remote jobs, but you can also search by a location of “remote” on Indeed, which has perhaps the most options.
If you do plan to work, keep in mind you’ll need reliable internet in your bus (more on that coming soon), and you’ll need to stay primarily in places that have some kind of cell signal. That said, this is how I make the majority of my own income while we travel and we have no problem finding service even while camping way off grid. I’ve been working part-time in a digital marketing field for the same agency since 2017.
Pro tip: if you’re in an office position already, don’t be afraid to ask if you can go remote. The worst they can say is no, and maintaining an existing job is far easier than finding a new one.
Online Business
It can take quite a bit of legwork to get an online business off the ground, which is why I’d recommend starting something up before you start traveling if at all possible. That said, a lucrative online business can be hugely helpful in offsetting expenses on the road.
Often the biggest reason people don’t do this is they have no idea what business to start. As it turns out - you can just buy someone else’s online business that they’re selling and take over as owner/operator. I did this in 2020 with my small business and it’s been a large portion of my income ever since.
Websites like Flippa and Exchange Marketplace are great resources to browse available businesses for sale (I found mine on Flippa). Do your due diligence before making a purchase though - make sure what you’re getting into is compatible with traveling and something you’re capable of running. Most importantly, make sure it’s legitimate - plenty of people try to sell fake online business for a quick buck. If it sounds too good to be true, it is!
Thrifting Clothes
One branch of online business that I’ve seen work well for several people is visiting thrift stores and purchasing clothes for resale online. You’ll need to have a good eye and plenty of knowledge regarding which brands to spend your money on - and traveling to more affluent areas to search can help with this. But there’s not a lot of overhead with this kind of business, and with platforms like Poshmark and Vinted you can essentially get started for free right away.
In the clothing space this typically works best for women’s products, but if you have extra storage room you could expand this into other areas like home goods or kitchen wares. Often times these other products might need cleaning or repairing - doing this is called flipping - but can result in good profit margins if done with skill. These things can be sold on eBay, Facebook marketplace, etc.
Disclaimer: I tried this for a while and didn’t love it. But I know several people who did this for years. Like anything else, it’s very much a personal preference as to what kind of side gig you want to run with.
Freelancing
This falls somewhere in between a full time job and an online business in difficulty. It’ll take some work to build up to something sustainable, but it s a great option for those looking for something flexible.
My preferred platform for quite literally any kind of freelance work is Fiverr. I use it in conjunction with my online business and make a reasonable portion of my sales through that channel. I’ve also done social media and copywriting freelance work through this site as well - but there’s thousands of different avenues you can take. Everything from photo editing to voiceovers to logo design to life coaching can be sold on Fiverr.
Seasonal and Campground Work
If you’re not the digital nomad type and might be more interested in staying in one place for a few weeks or months before moving again, working seasonally can be a great option.
Look into Workapmer and Vagajobs to find this kind of work. These websites specifically list jobs that are tailored to travelers. Lots of Workamping jobs are at established campgrounds and often include free accommodations while you’re employed by way of a campsite with hookups. These positions are often things like maintenance, grounds keeping, front desk work, or being a camp host.
Travel Nursing
If you’re in healthcare or would like to be, this is one of the best options out there. From what I understand, travel nurses can essentially decide when they want to work, and they’ll be assigned to a facility in need of additional staff at that time. The pay is great and the flexibility that comes with it cannot be overstated.
I’m not (nor will I ever be) a nurse, but I know people who have done this for years and years, blending a very well paying job with as much travel as you can handle. This website has more great information about this kind of work.
Content Creation
It’s no secret that plenty of travelers make their money creating content - but it’s not easy. YouTube videos are typically most content creator’s bread and butter, as once you reach certain metrics it’s very easy to opt into YouTube’s monetization program and begin getting paid for your videos.
However, don’t think just sticking a camera in your hand is going to lead to stable income. On YouTube, you can expect to make $3-$5 per every thousand views. To make $1k in ad revenue, it’s estimated to take 500,000 views. So make sure your content is well-produced, interesting, and stands out if you’re going to go this route in search of income.
Do Another Build
Did your bus turn out beautifully? Do people ask you to make one for them or if they can buy yours? This is something a lot of talented builders do to sustain their traveling lifestyle. Building out another vehicle for sale will of course take quite a bit of time, effort, and work, but if you’re doing quality work, the resulting payday can often allow you to take quite a bit of time off after. This of course is one of the most logistics-heavy options for funding your shuttle bus travel dreams - but done right, can be one of the most lucrative as well.
Be A Working Musician
If you happen to be a musician (like Greg and I are), you can book gigs as you travel. Greg and I did this for three years, and it’s the reason we got into nomadic living in the first place. We toured to over thirty states, and though we’ve decided to slow down a bit, we’re hoping to get back to gigging on the road next year. While we did plenty of original shows, the gigs that pay the best are cover shows in tourist towns and restaurants.
I could write an entire other blog on how to be a working musician while living out of a vehicle, but that’s not what this post is for (Indie on the Move has a lot of great resources on this if you want to learn more). This was never my sole source of income, but there is quite a bit of cash to be made playing crowd-pleasing covers in dive bars across the country.
And A Whole Lot More
This is really only scratching the surface of ways to fund your travels. While on the road I’ve met everything from photographers to graphic designers to website builders to transcription workers and everything in between. There is no shortage of work that can be done from a vehicle, it’s all about figuring out what works best for you and your lifestyle. Often times it requires resourcefulness and creativity, but being able to travel with the security blanket of a solid financial situation will set you up for happiness on the road for as long as you want to be out there!