Getting Paid to Travel: Your 101 Guide
Ever dreamt of getting paid to travel the world? That dream could become reality. If you love content creation and want to get paid to travel, check out these 15 tips.
Ever dreamt of getting paid to travel the world? That dream could become reality. If you love content creation and want to get paid to travel, check out these 15 tips.
My name is Christian LeBlanc, and six years ago, I decided to quit my nine-to-five accountant job to pursue my dream of traveling the world and building my business. With no skills as a creator, I booked my one-way ticket to Thailand. Through six years of trial and error, I grew my Lost LeBlanc brand to over 4 million followers. I also created a second seven-figure business, my creator academy known as Lost Creator Academy. Today, I will share fifteen tips on how you can do the same and get paid to travel.
1. Niche down
You don’t need millions of followers to make a great living from being a creator. Sometimes it’s better to focus on a smaller audience by, for example, speaking in your native language. Being a bigger fish in a smaller pond may give you the best chance to stand out from your competition, and certain niches will allow you to be incredibly profitable even with a smaller audience.
2. Let’s talk about gear
It’s more important than ever to avoid leaning on high-quality cameras and lenses, and ask yourself what story or concept you’re leaning into. If you’re doing short-form like TikTok or Instagram, just use your phone; and if you’re doing long-form like YouTube, upgrade your setup with a good microphone. The barrier to entry has never been so low!
3. Become a master in content
Study the oldest videos of some of your favorite content creators, then watch their newest videos. By doing so, you can learn a lot about the steps they took to take their content to the next level, then apply this knowledge to your own content. Besides the technical aspect, make sure you stay creative. When you have content that makes people feel, they are far more likely to come back and watch more videos. And don’t forget to surround yourself with other creators that can inspire and support you along the way.
4. You must retrain your mind
You may think your life is too dull to start sharing your journey, but if you’re waiting to create the perfect content, you’re missing the point. The point is to get started today and be relatable, be vulnerable, and be honest. I challenge you to film yourself cooking that meal or going on that hike and post it. 2022 is the time when people want raw and real content, so start sharing it with them!
5. You need to stand out
The first thing you need is a good media kit that shows businesses who you are and what you do. But when sending out collaboration requests, you need to stand out from your competition. If you’ve worked with businesses and brands before, make sure to put this in your media kit. If you’ve had a collaboration that went particularly well, don’t be afraid to ask that business to film a testimonial for you to use while reaching out to new businesses and brands.
6. Get yourself a monetizable skill
Make sure you have a service you can do for somebody else to earn some money while
traveling and building your dream business. There are tons of different jobs that allow people to work as long as they have an internet connection. For me, that was photography and videography, but this can also be online teaching, web design, or many other options. Doing this will make sure you can keep doing what you love while building financial stability.
7. Diversify your revenue streams
It’s very important not to put all of your eggs in one basket, but to diversify your revenue streams. Here are some great examples:
- Build a monetizable skill (see tip 6).
- Ad revenue on social media. For every view on my videos, I get 55% of the revenue earned on my YouTube channel. This makes up10% of my income.
- Sponsorships. On the LostLeBlanc front, this is by far my primary income source. However, don’t be afraid to say no to sponsorships if they don’t match your brand!
- Affiliates. I’ve earned well into six figures by sharing one of my favorite services, which is Epidemic Sound! Amazon is a great way to start using affiliates as well.
8. Start collecting an email list
When it comes to sales and marketing, a follower or subscriber virtually means nothing. What really matters is how many people you are actually able to connect with and reach. With an email list, you know you will reach the majority of your audience. It is, without a doubt, the best way to reach your core audience. This is very important for sharing information or even promoting your own product, which brings me to my next tip.
9. Build that product
When you understand who your audience is and what they need, you can create a product that will sell. Often, your core audience will be the first people to help you understand what that product should be. And as long as you do it well and create a product that benefits your audience, this will be the most rewarding income source of all.
Although e-products aren’t a fit for all businesses, if you have the opportunity to create one, they are definitely worth trying.
For the better part of a year, I spent my days without sunlight, solely focusing on creating the Lost Creator Academy. I didn’t have time to create beautiful content for my LostLeBlanc YouTube channel, and I lost out on sponsorships, views, ad revenue, and thus money. But in the end, it was the best investment I could have made, and LCA is now my main income source.
10. Keep up with the social media trends
New features often get preferential treatment on the algorithm. Take Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts; some creators have grown millions by jumping on a new feature as soon as it comes out. So, whenever a new feature launches, definitely make time to try it.
11. Keep your costs low… sometimes!
When it comes to personal spending, such as the bed that you’re sleeping on and the coffee you’re drinking, these are the places to cut down your costs. These costs will not have a future value to you. But there are places you should spend money when it comes to investing in your business. Invest in assets that will make your business stronger, and things that will free up your time, which brings me to my next tip.
12. Understanding the value of your time
Your time is extremely valuable, and that’s why it’s so important to ask yourself what the lower valued parts of your business are, and if they can be easily passed on to someone else. This frees up more time for you to focus on the higher valuable aspects of your business.
13. Learn how to delegate
Once you get to a higher level in your business, you need to figure out your ROI (Return Of Investment) opportunities. If you’re too caught up in the small things – things that can easily be done by someone else – you’re not using your time in the best way possible. Once you figure out what activities can be done by someone else, start learning how to pass it on to them.
14. Write down your worst- and best-case scenarios
Take a piece of paper and on the left side, write down the worst-case scenario. For me, that was losing finances, alienating family, and opening myself up to judgment. On the right side, write down the best-case scenario. The pro that made it all make sense, the reason I was doing this, was because it allowed me to become the greatest version of myself.
15. Just do it!
This journey is long and hard, but nobody other than you can build your dream life. So don’t wait for the perfect moment – go find it yourself.
If you want to learn even more about monetizing your business as a digital nomad and get paid to travel, watch my full video here.
My name is Christian, and I’m a 28-year-old from Canada living in Bali. Six years ago, I quit my nine-to-five job and bought a one-way ticket to see the world and six years later, I have built two seven-figure businesses that allow me to travel the world with my friends and loved ones. You can do it too!
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