How to earn money while travelling from those in the know

Thousands of Australians are escaping. Escaping suburbia, that is. Yes, they are becoming grey nomads, buying caravans and making the “big break”. And not all of them are rich.

How can they afford to do so? By earning as they travel.

Obviously if you have an easily portable skill like being a hairdresser this is easy to do, but for the rest of us who have only “normal” skills it can take a bit of lateral thinking.

Here are just some of the ways our many baby boomer friends have cast off the shackles of suburbia and hit the road. You can also use some of these ideas to boost your income in retirement, even if you stay put.

Step one is to identify any skills you might have that can help you earn money. This includes hobbies.

What can you do that other people might want to tap into or you might be able to obtain paid work doing or do a contra (skills exchange) deal with someone else who is on the road?

Are you dab hand at making hand-crafted Christmas cards, for instance? Can you sew? Or are you a bit of an IT buff who has the knack of being able to solve computer issues that leave the rest of us scratching our heads? Did you ever work in a restaurant waiting on tables when you were putting yourself through uni? Do you have a heavy-rigid truck licence?

Many of us have these sorts of skills, beyond any official qualifications in our area of expertise while working.

Look through all the TAFE courses on offer and see if there are any easy-to-do courses that would enable you to build on your skills and obtain a qualification which would make you more attractive to employers. For instance, if you have cared for your elderly parents, think about obtaining a Cert III in Aged Care so you can pick up casual work wherever you go.

Familiarise yourself with the sort of jobs that are available to grey nomads well in advance, so you know what sort of skill sets are in demand.  There are plenty of websites out there that list them, including The Grey Nomad, which includes a section on help wanted. Don’t forget to include life skills on your CV, such as competent home cook etc.

Here are just some of the ads on Grey Nomad earlier today:

• Carpenter/handyman to do basic building work
• Couple wanted to caretake resort complex
• Cleaner and gardener wanted in exchange for free stay
• Single person or couple to work four hours a day in exchange for  luxury accommodation

Plan your trip around what is happening where, which includes the tourism season when businesses in certain areas will need more help and seasonal work such as grain or grape harvesting.

Don’t forget your physical attributes. If you would make a good Santa Claus – with our without padding – there’s usually plenty of work around in the lead up to Christmas. This will require you to have a Blue Card with a police clearance though; again something to think of well in advance.

Don’t forget avenues such a house sitting. They may not pay, but they let you save valuable money by staying somewhere for free.

The single most important message from my baby boomer friends is that adaptability is king and to be prepared to do anything within reason, from cleaning toilets to picking grapes.

Have you already made the big break, or is it something you dream of? Do you have any ideas for supplementing your income on the road in addition to the ideas listed above? Or are you using any of these ideas just to help make ends meet in retirement?