When deciding to buy a sailboat and cruise around the world one of the primary factors is money. Some can afford to do it off their savings while others need to find ways to make money along the way. If you're thinking about sailing the world or want to try digital nomad life, here's 14 practical ways you could make money.
This is a topic I've done quite a bit of research on and have experience in as our adventures are all self funded. We aren't trust fund babies (although it would be nice!) and didn't win lotto, instead our cruising kitty is the result of hard and ongoing work, and careful financial decisions,
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1. Online freelance work
Depending on your skills and what you did prior to boat life there may be opportunities for you to make money online by working as a freelancer. Freelancers work for different companies at different times and often set their own hours and schedules.
There are a huge range of freelance opportunities available online, with everything from blog writing and marketing to accounting, financial planning, legal services and virtual assistants. To figure out what you could do, we've created a guide specifically about becoming a nomadic freelancer.
Some people gain their freelance clients directly through sites like LinkedIn while others go through websites that connect clients with freelancers and handle the payment side of things. Here's a few to get you started.
Occasionally you might even come across a job posting from one of your favourite sailing YouTube channels! We've seen them from SV Delos among others.
2. Proofreading documents
An offshoot of freelance work is providing proofreading services, which is easy enough to do while you sail. I've separated it out because there are a huge range of niche areas where proofreaders are wanted, some of which have specific sites dedicated to them. Here's a few examples of proofreading niches you may fit into.
Translations
University assignments and applications
Legal documents
Education and course material
Resumes and job applications
Visa applications
Grant applications
Technical documents
Business plans and presentations
Books
Web copy and marketing materials
3. Consulting
You may have life experiences or expertise that lends itself to consulting. Consultants offer specialist advice and services that are value adding for their clients.
Start by deciding your target market then look at ways to promote your skills online, such as building a website, developing a professional network, advertising your services and reaching out to potential clients. Once you have clients, you'll need a stable internet connection to work with them as it's highly likely that video calls will become part of your daily work. Starlink is a great option for this but if your boat is close to shore a Wi-Fi extender or 4G range booster might be enough.
These are some of the more in demand forms of consulting around.
IT consultanting
Marketing consultanting
Operations consultanting
Financial consultanting
HR consultanting
Compliance consultanting
Social media consultanting
Health and fitness consultanting
4. Remote work
With advances in technology remote work has become a possibility and for some moving aboard a boat means making money by doing the same job just from a floating office instead.
Depending on the employer working remotely can come with some restrictions, such as needing to be online during certain hours or only being able to work from company approved destinations. This can interrupt cruising life so it's important to find a remote position that works with the lifestyle.
5. Social media
Living on a boat is interesting and there are many who share that experience online to make money. One of the main avenues people choose is YouTube.
It's possible to make money off YouTube but it takes a considerable amount of time and effort. Branching out from a YouTube channel, there are multiple opportunities to generate revenue or gain financial benefits.
YouTube Adsense income
Membership platforms like Patreon and Creators Wheelhouse
Sponsorships and corporate deals
Product discounts
Channel merchandise
Tips jars
Keep in mind that your channel doesn't necessarily have to be about sailing, nor do you need to limit yourself to just one channel. If you're curious, you can see what cameras and software we use to film our YouTube videos.
6. Blogs
If you enjoy writing then creating a monetised blog from the comfort of your yacht may be of interest. When you set out you'll need to know your niche, choose a platform that works for you and develop a loyal audience by providing quality content. As you build the blog look for ways to integrate different revenue streams.
Advertisements
Affiliate marketing (E.g. Amazon affiliates)
Merchandise
Courses
Individual coaching
Consulting
Sponsored posts
A membership program
Here's a few examples of blogs that have been very profitable for the creators.
Finance Blog - Timothy Sykes
Blogging Advice - SmartBlogger
General Blog - Mashable
Organising Blog - Abby Organizes: Just a Girl and Her Blog
Cooking Blog - Show Me The Yummy
Blogging Advice - Ryan Robinson
Finance Blog - My Wife Quit Her Job
Cooking Blog - Pinch of Yum
Finance Blog - The Savvy Couple
Lifestyle Blog - A Beautiful Mess
Family Travel Blog - It's A Lovely Life
Again the blog doesn't necessarily have to be about sailing, just make sure it's something you're passionate about and spend some time learning about SEO.
7. Dropshipping
If you're business minded then you may be interested in opening an online store. Dropshipping makes it easier for you to do this from a boat.
With dropshipping you sell the products and the order fulfillment process is handled by a third party. Depending on the products you may be shipping them directly from the supplier to a customer, or have products stored at a warehouse run by the fulfillment company.
There are a lot of companies who support dropshipping so you'll need to find out which suits your needs best. Here's a few suggestions to get you started.
Sites like Shopify and Wix can help you create a storefront that the dropshipped products are sold through.
8. Stock market
Investing in the stock market and share trading is a way to make your savings work for you as you sail the world. It isn't something that should be entered into haphazardly, instead take the time to learn about the current state of the market and how to analyse the economy, global events and individual companies. It's also worth learning about trading concepts like dividends, short selling, day trading, charting, types of market trends and types of trades.
Usually a share trading account needs to be opened based on your tax residency and can be done through a bank or share trading platform. Make sure you check who owns the shares if the platform were to go broke and which stock exchanges you can access. As a minimum you'll want access to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Nasdaq and your currency's major exchange, for example, with the Australian Dollar that's the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).
9. Cash jobs
Some people find ways to offer services for cash while sailing. Thinking within yachting and boating, you could offer marine based services if you have skills in that area.
Mechanical servicing
Welding
Detailing
Canvas and upholstery work (Check out my Sailrite review)
Sewing repairs
General maintenance and repairs
Customer cabinetry
Gelcoat repairs
Painting and varnishing
Splicing (I use the Samson Selma Splicing Fids around Liger)
Outside of boating, there are other services you may be able to offer.
Hairdressing
Babysitting
Cleaning
Massage therapy
Fitness classes or coaching
Dog sitting
Boat sitting
Watersports lessons
Music lessons
10. Sell physical products
To get the money coming in you may decide you want to start a business from your boat selling physical products. It would have to be something you enjoy making and you'll need to be willing hustle to try and sell products, especially if you're only planning to sell within the local area. Here's some ideas that could be of interest to potential buyers.
Paintings
Spice mixes
Jewelry
Soft shackles
Custom clothing
Item printed or customised by a Cricut
Handmade flags
11. Sell digital products
Another way to make money while sailing is to sell digital products online. Your products could be created using skills developed in your previous work life, based on interesting life experiences or a new skill you've gained with the sole purpose of making money.
There are many different forms a digital product can take so here's some ideas to get you started.
EBooks
Online courses
Downloadable resources
Art
Music
Stock footage, music, sound effects & photos
Digital templates
If you take a look online there are a huge range of places you could sell your digital products. Here's a few suggestions I found after taking a quick look.
Ebook - Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
Ebook - Rakuten kobo
Online Courses - Udemy
Online Courses - Skill Share
Downloadable Products - Etsy
Downloadable Products - eBay
Educational Resources - TeachersPayTeachers
Stock Media - Epidemic Sound
Stock Media - Artlist
Stock Media - Shutterstock
Stock Media - Pond5
You could also sell things through your own site. This isn't too hard to do if you use an online store creator like Shopify, Wix, Square Online or Squarespace.
12. Charter
For some people, offering day sails, fishing adventures or multi-day charters is a way to make money using their yacht. This requires a lot of dedication as there are regulatory and insurance requirements to meet, as well as a willingness to open your boat to guests.
Depending on your circumstances you may want to use an agency to help advertise and organise your charters rather than needing to do it all yourself.
13. Teach English Online
Teaching English online or English tutoring is another way you can make money while travelling, especially if you have a British, American, Canadian or Australian accent. Usually it requires a TEFL certificate which you can do online, and some of the higher paying sites also ask for a teaching qualification. There are a few ways to find English teaching work.
Get hired by an online English teaching company
Find clients through freelance sites like UpWork
Join a tutoring or teaching site where clients select you
Offer 1:1 conversational practice for adults
14. Translation services
If you speak more than one language you may be able to work on the go for a translation service or proof read translations. Often the translators main task is to ensure the original meaning of the text hasn't been lost. Some sites accept native speakers while others want some form of qualification or certificate.
As well as general freelance sites like UpWork and Fiverr, you can join translation specific sites, some of which are human focused and some that pair AI with human reviews. Here's a few ideas to start you on your journey.
Summary
Making money while you sail has its challenges but is well worth it if a life at sea is what you want. Keep in mind that you should stay on top of your tax obligations and there may be visa implications for working in foreign countries. You know your situation best so make sure you're doing what's best for you and your circumstances.
If you have any other ideas please pop them down in the comments, I'd love to read them!
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