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Travel hacking

Want to make money while travelling? Start a travel blog!

December 4, 2016 by David James Leave a Comment

Digital nomad - Make money while travelling around the world.

You might be at a stage where you know you want to travel, but you have no idea how you can make an income. You might not even have anything that particularly interests you at this stage. That is fine. Alot of people have been in your position.

So the first thing that I would recommend you doing is starting a travel blog. Ideally, you will be able to develop your travel blog to the point where it earns you an income residually. However, if it isn’t the case, I want you to use your  travel blog to learn and develop skills that will allow you to earn an income by applying the skills that you will learn from doing a travel blog.

In this post, I will share the steps that you should take to develop your travel blog.

Before you do anything…

Promise yourself that you will commit to the development of your lifestyle and that you will figure out how to get it to work for you. There will be times when you will succeed and other times when you will fail. The thing to remember is that you will continue to build an income portfolio that will allow you to earn more than what you need to fulfil your travel dreams.

Start a hosted WordPress site.

This shouldn’t cost you more than $50USD  for the year, but it will pay-off for itself in the long-run. You will need to invest in a web host solution that provides a 1-click WordPress install. You can click here to start the process.

An alternative option is to use Hostgator. You can click on this link to get a 30% discount.

Once you have setup your account, you will need to select a web theme design, name and configure the website.

Note: By having your own site, you will develop the following skills.

  • WordPress CMS management skills
  • Content management skills
  • Domain configuration
  • Web hosting configuration
  • Plugin management
  • Onsite SEO
  • Content creation

How can you start making an income from your travel blog?

To succeed with making an income, you will need to find an audience that you can monetise.

Here are some ways you can make an income from your travel blog.

Advertising networks.

The easiest way to start making an income is by signing up to advertising networks who will display ads on your website. You will need to upload a code to your site to display the ads. Once this is done, you should receive an income credit for every time the ad is shown. The fee is usually credited as a cost per thousand impressions (Otherwise known as CPMs). You can also get paid with Pay per click ads.

You can start earning an income on your website by partnering with the following advertising networks.

Adsense

https://www.google.com/adsense/ 

Owned by Google. They allow you to publish ads in the form of display, text and video that blend into your website’s content.

Propeller Ads

https://propellerads.com/

You can use Propeller ads to monetise your website. They work in a similar way to Adsense, however they tend to pay on a CPM basis (Cost per thousand impressions), which means you can get everytime someone visits and browses through your website.

Media.net

http://www.media.net/

Owned by Yahoo, it works in a similar way to Adsense. However, the display ads only come in a few colours. When I first started to use it, it would earn a little bit of money, but over time, it hasn’t earned anything. You can try it to see if you will have more success with it. The thing I didn’t like about it was how much it impacted the visual experience of the website.

Sovrn

I used this in the past and even though I have heard about other publishers having success with this ad network, I personally wasn’t a fan because it would never serve the ads. You can try it out and if some ads get served, then you will start to earn an income. But if not, then it will become a real problem.

Affiliate

Affiliate marketing is another easy way to start monetising your audience. Everytime you make a recommendation for a product or service, you can get paid. If you do this for high-ticket items, you can earn a fair amount of income every month.

Below are a few of the affiliate networks that you can sign-up to.

Amazon Partners

The referral rate starts at 4%, but will increase up to 10% when you make more referral sales.

Affiliate Window

One of the ‘big 3’ affiliate companies, you can implement start promoting products and getting a referral free for leads and sales.

Commission Junction

Commission Junction is the biggest affiliate and they work with major brands. Working with them can be lucrative over the long-run, however it can be challenging to get accepted in their programs.

Clickbank

Another one of the big 3 affiliates, there are several affiliate products that pay high commissions, however many of the products are unknown. You will need to do your research to learn more about what they offer.

ShareAsale

Many people have had success with ShareAsale’s affiliate program. They have their own, where you will earn a commission for referring people as leads to their site. But they have several businesses whose products you can promote. It can be an easy way to start generating an online income.

Click here to join the affiliate program now.

Sell your own products

You can create and sell your products online. If you have enough visitors to your site, you can sell products such as your own merchandise or an information course. This is actually a scalable way for you to increase your income and even earn an income residually over the long-term.

Sell your own services.

One of the quickest ways to earn an income is by selling any skills that you can provide. This could be anything. You could start writing, you could manage a website, you could provide voiceovers. It is really up to you. But whatever you decide to sell, make sure that you can do it really well.

You can find jobs for freelancers, digital nomads or remote working opportunities here.  

Sponsored blog posts.

This is a big income earner, however there is a catch. There are several businesses (especially SEO companies) that are willing to pay a fee in exchange for getting a post published with a link going back to their client’s website. Many travel bloggers can earn hundreds or thousands of dollars each month with this practice.

BUT, there is a catch.

The reason that this is being done is to manipulate Google’s search engine results. The backlash is that it could affect your website in the future. You should read Google’s Terms of Service to see what they advise when it comes to sponsored posts.

Sell advertising on your website.

If you get enough visitors to your site, you can start to sell ads. Some people earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars every month simply by selling ad space units on their website.

These aren’t the only ways you can make an income through your website, but it should point you in the right direction and hopefully, you will start to make your first dollars to sustain your digital nomad journey and create a ticket for endless travel.

If you have seen some other creative ways for people to start earning an income with their travel blog, then leave a comment in the section below.

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links, but the opinions and recommendations are my own. 

Filed Under: Digital Nomads, Travel hacking Tagged With: earn money while travelling, get paid to travel, how to get paid to travel, how to make money while traveling, how to make money while travelling, how to travel the world and make money, jobs that allow you to travel, make money traveling, make money travelling, make money while traveling, travel and make money, travel blog

Should you consider being a digital nomad in Ubud, Bali?

November 15, 2016 by David James 1 Comment

Digital Nomad Ubud Bali

We stayed in Ubud for 30 days as a digital nomad and it was an interesting experience. If you are the kind of person that wants to take in the warmth and sunshine, while living in a tranquil place surrounded by numerous rice fields; then living as a digital nomad in Ubud is probably the lifestyle for you.

In this post, I will give you some insights into the digital nomad lifestyle that can help you decide whether or not you should base yourself in Ubud as a digital nomad.

I financed this stay by getting freelance writing gigs. I share how I did it exactly in my digital nomad ebook.

How is the Wi-Fi connection in Ubud?

It varies from place to place, but you want to find a location that has good connectivity and that provides a fast internet connection. Most places will offer internet connectivity of 2-10 mbps. This is ok for doing basic things like browsing web pages and sending emails, but you will have trouble watching videos and doing Skype calls. It’s not the connection that I would recommend for digital nomads.

The bare minimum that I would go for is 20 mbps, although 30-50 mbps is preferred. The only place that I went to in Ubud that had this internet connection speed was ‘Ubud Fitness Centre’. I am sure there are other places like co-working spaces that provide quick internet speeds, but this one was the best one that I experienced while I was in Ubud and it makes a tremendous difference to your productivity.

It is cheap to have a fun and productive lifestyle in Ubud as a digital nomad?

The average salary of a person in Ubud is $180 USD per month. So the cost of living is very low compared to western countries. For digital nomads, they can take advantage of the low living cost to enjoy a lifestyle where they can eat out, drink and have errands such as clothes washing done by locals. This will free up your time to focus on being productive on your digital nomad venture, while still being able to enjoy the fun things in life.

What can you expect with the daily cost of living?

    • Local meals can cost approximately $2 USD or less a meal. Assuming that you will eat at least 3 times a day, you will spend about $6 USD a day on food.
    • Accommodation starts from $5 USD a day for hostels and around $20 USD a day for private accommodation. If you are planning to stay in Bali for more than 30 days, then I’d recommend taking advantage of long-stay deals that can save you up to 30%. You can click here to search on AirBnb.You can also see a list of cheap accommodations from Agoda here. Or you can search for accommodation using the box below.


  • Washing is charged per item, so the final figure will depend on how many items you decide to wash. You can budget for $10 USD/ week or less for washing.
  • Transportation depends on where you live and if you will rent a bicycle, scooter or motor vehicle.

A more thorough list can be seen on Never Ending Voyage’s article ‘Cost of living in Ubud, Bali.’

Is it better to work from home, in a co-working space or in a cafe?

I think this will be down to your personal preference, but I personally preferred to work in a quiet space within the home. For me, working in a cafe or an open coworking space exposed me to more distractions. I’d recommend learning what your ideal space is and then organising your lifestyle around it so you can be as productive as possible.

Is there a big digital nomad community in Ubud?

It isn’t as big as say the community in Chiang Mai, but there are several nomads that are based their working on their ventures and enjoying the Balinese lifestyle. You will typically come across them in the local cafes, bars and gym in central Ubud.

How is it like getting around in Ubud?

If you are based in central Ubud, you can easily get around by walking or cycling, although the most common method is hiring a scooter. The prices for renting a scooter daily, weekly or monthly varies among the local shop merchants. But filling up a tank of petrol will never cost more than $5 USD. There isn’t any formal taxi or Uber service, although you can hire private transfers.

It isn’t recommended to travel in a car due to the high amount of traffic on the roads. If you choose to travel by car, expect to arrive at your final destination in twice the time.

Safety questions about Ubud.

Will your belongings be safe in Ubud?

The area that we stayed in was about a 30-minute drive from central Ubud on the scooter. Because we were so secluded, it felt quite safe for us to stay there and we didn’t have any issues when we left our things in the villa that we were staying in. You should always err on the side of caution, but when it came to the safety and security of our belongings, it was quite good during our stay.

Driving safety.

You do have to be more aware when you are driving as a foreigner in Ubud. The street lighting doesn’t illuminate as well as in most western countries and it can be difficult to navigate in the dark. Beware of random potholes in the road.

Secondly, there are reports about police corruption. Even though we never experienced this, it isn’t uncommon for foreigners to be stopped on their scooter and then be asked to provide a bribe to the officer. Do your best to abide by the local rules.

Is it easy to get an Indonesian visa to stay in Ubud?

It depends on your country of residence, but there are a few options that I have listed below for getting a visa that will allow you to stay in the country.

Visa on arrival (30 Days – Non-extendable)

This visa is free, but cannot be extended beyond your 30-day stay. You should have an exit ticket that proves your onward travel.

Visa on arrival (30 days – Extendable by 30 days)

This visa costs $35 USD initially and can be extended for an additional 60 days, thus allowing you to stay in Indonesia for up to 2 months. You can arrive without an exit ticket (although airlines prefer that you have proof of your onward travel). You will receive the visa and you will need to extend it before the end of your 30-day visa. You have two options.

  1. Do the visa extension yourself. (Slightly cheaper, but much more inconvenient)

You can go to the immigration office to get your visa extended. The closest office to Ubud is Denpasar, which is about a 40-minute journey depending on traffic. You can save the address and location using the Google Map provided below.

DENPASAR

DI PANJAITAN KOMP MANDALA RENON DENPASAR 80235

Telepon: (0361) 227828, 231149

Fax: (0361) 244340

You will also need to go to the office 3 times.

2. Extend your visa by using a visa agent.

We used Komang is a visa agent that operates out of Bali Buddha in Ubud. She has several recommendations and endorsements online. She is easy to trust, professional and has your best interests at heart.

Her fee is 600,000 IDR, however she will take care of the paperwork and the processing of your visa. She will advise you to go down to the immigration office in Denpasar where they will take your photo and fingerprint for the visa extension. (You should expect to wait a few hours at the immigration office for this to be processed)

After this is complete, she will advise you when you can pick up your passport from her. She also takes payment after the visa is processed.

The biggest benefit to using a visa agent is less hassle and fewer trips into Denpasar to get the visa process. I’d recommend going down this route and spending the extra money rather than trying to process the visa yourself.

I read a few horror stories about people that enlisted the services of dodgy visa agents, so I recommend using Komang’s trusted services.

Get a 60-day visa before entering Indonesia.

I actually recommend people to get the visa this way to avoid any hassle while you are in Indonesia.  

If you aren’t in your home country, you can also get a 60-day visa in one of the neighbouring countries like Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand.

Apply for a Social-Cultural visa.

I was fortunate to meet a couple who had stayed in Indonesia on and off for 4 years with a social-cultural visa. Initially, you can get up to 60 days stay for free. Afterwards, the visa can be extended monthly for up to 6 months.

This visa can be used for participating in sports and cultural activities or visiting friends or family. You cannot be employed or partake in employment while in Indonesia. In order to receive this visa, you need to be sponsored by an Indonesian citizen.

To successfully get this visa, your Indonesian sponsor must supply a sponsorship letter, a photocopy of the sponsor’s identity card, a copy of the sponsor’s family register and a copy of the sponsor’s bank account statements.

The applicant will need to provide 2 passport photos and a copy of their passport.

Other things to be aware of before applying for a visa.

The validity of your passport must have a minimum of 6 months from the entry date into Indonesia.

The first day that you arrive in Indonesia counts as a day and you must leave by the last day of your visa (either the 30th or 60th day, depending on the type of visa you have.) If you overstay your visa, you will incur a fine which is calculated at a daily rate. An excess of 60 days stay could also result in a hefty fine or a jail sentence.

Can you get by just by using English in Ubud?

Balinese and Indonesian are the main languages on the island, but English is widely spoken in Ubud, which makes it convenient for getting around and getting things done.

Before you go, make sure that you take out a travel insurance policy that will completely cover you.

If you have a return ticket to your home country, then you should be able to get a travel insurance policy that will cover you. However, if you purchase a one-way ticket, most insurers will refuse to give you a policy.

World Nomads is the best insurer for providing a global insurance policy for digital nomads. You still need to read the fine print and check to see what will and won’t be covered, but I’ve found it to be the best solution for digital nomads. You can use the quote box below to generate a travel insurance quote. 

 

Getting flights to Bali. 

I use Skyscanner to book one-way flights. I tend to find that it is the best option, although there are other deals from other flight partners such as Virgin Australia and Air Asia that come through from time to time. I would personally recommend using Skyscanner as a starting point to compare flight options and then expand your search from there.

Click here to start researching flight options to Bali. 

So now that you’ve reached the end of the post, do you think Ubud is the place for you? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading!

*Note – This post contains affiliate links. The experiences and recommendations are my own. 

Filed Under: Bali, Digital Nomad Life, Indonesia, Travel hacking, Ubud Tagged With: bali cost of living, bali freelancers, cost of living bali, digital nomad desitinations, digital nomad ubud, life of a nomad, living in bali, living in bali for a month, living in ubud, moving to bali, nomad bali, nomad cafe, nomad living, nomad ubud, nomad ubud bali, nomad wifi, nomads in ubud, ubud nomad, ubud nomads, ubud travel blog, work in bali, work in ubud, work online ubud, working nomad

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