Can you make money from travelling?

Everyone plans to spend money when they travel. It’s part and parcel of the experience and many people use the excuse of being on holiday to splurge. What if you wanted to travel, but as frugally as possible? Is there a way to make money from travelling?

Missed Flights

Missed flights are one way in which customers could claim money back that they are owed. Websites such as Flightright are helping customers unlock pockets of money that they may be entitled to, and have paid out more than €300 million, winning almost 100% of court cases, and helping countless claims. The company work to help travellers with claims for missed flight compensation. Indeed, for instance, cancelled Ryanair flights could mean you are owed compensation, which could be as much as €600, depending on the length of the flight. The prices for the initial flights may be cheap, but that shouldn’t deter you from chasing after any money owed, especially if the cancelled flight inconvenienced you.

Those who travel often will have been likely subject to some kind of delay, and you can claim long after the actual delay, so look at your previous flights and consider whether there is any case you could make such a claim.

Travel Content

There are many sites and publications that accept pitches and commission writers for their travel experiences. If you have insight into a location that might be different from how it is usually covered, have a unique take, or have access to a location or event that most others might not, you could write about it. Lonely Planet, for example, pays handsomely for features with travel writing.

Not a writer but a photographer or video whizz? Stock image sites and video platforms can pay royalties for photos that are widely used. Alternatively, news outlets often accept photosets and videos for special events or newsworthy moments. Even pratfalls or mishaps can land you a few hundred from certain outlets who specialise in viral content to make people laugh. Indeed, video is fast being adopted into digital communications strategies.

Sell Souvenirs

Everyone goes on holiday and brings back magnets and knick-knacks for friends and family, but what if you could monetise this? Some people jet away with spare suitcases in order to fill them with wares from the country. Often, handcrafted items abroad sell for more money in the UK, especially at markets and with a focus on their provenance.

Antiques fairs and craft stalls offer the opportunity for people to showcase interesting finds from abroad. It may not make people a lot of money, but it could offset the cost of the trip if you were savvy enough about what items you brought back and where you sold them. Leather goods, wooden carvings, or jewellery could be priced well if brought back from abroad.

Making money from travelling might not seem intuitive, but there are plenty of ways that those who put their mind to it could actually claw back some of the cost of the trip. For some, a holiday is a necessary expense that allows them to enjoy themselves but for others, it is a unique money-making opportunity that takes advantage of being in a different environment. From ensuring you have money back from missed flights to selling content from your trip, to even souvenirs from your trip, there are plenty of ways of trying to make money from travel.