Always wanted to travel extensively, but did not the financial resources to do so?  Here are some ways to earn your keep while traveling. Well, these suggestions might not be able to sponsor your whole trips but at least, if you are willing put in the effort, they are definitely worth a consideration.

1) Volunteering

Visiting a country isn’t all about catching the popular tourist sights. Sometimes, it is through mingling with the locals that you gain greater travel satisfaction. Volunteering is an activity that kills two birds with one stone. There are many overseas volunteering organisations that are able to provide free food and lodgings, say for exchange of your time to do some teaching at the local orphanage.  Not interested in teaching? No problem, you can also participate in the Willing Workers On Organic Farm (WWOOF) programme. As a WWOOFer, all you need are some green fingers to help out in organic farms as a volunter worker. I WWOOFed in South Korea and did interesting farm work in exchange for free meals and lodgings. After after working hours, I was invited to join the family activites. In short, WWOOFing allowed me to see much of the South Korean lifestyle without spending a single cent. Great deal eh?

2) Busking

What is your talent? Can you paint or play the flute? Street performing or basking is a way to earn some money while traveling. I know a bagpiper who was able to pay his months long trip in Europe purely by performing on the streets. But do take note that in some places, basking is illegal. The last time I heard from my bagpiper friend, he was chased off the streets in Osaka.

3) Travel Photography & Writing

If you can take excellent photos, you can approach potential customers such as hotels, publishers, in-flight magazines, tourism boards to buy your photos.

For a more passive approach, you can list your photos on websites that sell stock photos.  Here are a few of the stock photos websites:

• iStockphoto
• Thinkstock
• Shuttlestock
• Veer
• ClusterShot

Travel writing is a related option.  We have all seen travel blogs with advertisements.   For the beginners, you would usually create a Google Adsense account and post their advertisements on your blog.  Money is only earned when somebody clicks on the ads.  If you blog becomes popular, you might be approached by advertisers who want to buy ad space for an amount across a period of time.  Some advertisers might even pay you to write on a certain subject such as a review on their hotel or travel product.

There are also frequent travel photography and writing contests.

If you had browsed through this site a little, you would know that I am neither a good photographer nor a good writer.  But I still get a couple of cheques from advertisments and contests.