Van life jobs allow adventurous women to explore the world without trading in the lifestyle of their dreams.
In the 20th century, women no longer have to restrict themselves to stationary jobs that keep them chained to work desks and cubicles.
Remote work makes it possible for nomadic women who are passionate about traveling to have it all. A high earning career, healthy work-life balance, and, most importantly, flexibility.
It’s time to debunk the myth that adventurous women have to choose between motherhood, lower wages, and solitude in order to live a fulfilling, softer life.
You can find a community wherever you travel and take the kiddos and your partner with you to explore the world during the off-seasons. There are plenty of lucrative van life jobs that women have transitioned into careers.
One thing nomadic women have in common is their ability to take risks. They never sacrifice their dreams of exploring the world for a paycheck.
Many of them have grown their income to a sizable amount that far exceeds what they would earn trading in their time at a 9-to-5 job.
Van life jobs can be rewarding mentally and financially as well. Remote work provides a flexible lifestyle and much more time to focus on building and managing small businesses and brands that yield a high income overtime.
Digital nomads have more control over their time and can easily prevent work from impeding on their relationships, social life, and the ability to lead healthier lifestyles.
Kiss the 80-hour work weeks, unpaid overtime, and long commutes permanently goodbye. There are much better options out there for you to live the life you desire without compromise.
Van life jobs allow you to be over-employed with higher earning potential rather than getting stuck in dead-end jobs that are only willing to dish out two percent raise.
Imagine how it would feel to leave the rat-race and job hopping behind. The myth that you can’t do what you love while earning a substantial income got busted a long time ago.
If more women stepped out on faith and took the risk, the percentage of digital nomads would increase significantly.
Then again, van life isn’t for the faint of heart.
It’s a preferred lifestyle that requires resilience, hard work, sacrifice, and dedication.
For those who have yet to take the leap, but are interested in learning how to slow down and discover ways of funding a remote lifestyle, this post is for you.
What is van life?
Some of you may already know what van life is and the benefits and challenges that come along with it.
But for those who have recently stumbled across this popular trend, I’ll explain exactly what it is.
Van life is a lifestyle choice where individuals opt to live and travel in a converted van, RV, or similar vehicle to various places across the country.
It’s a less conventional lifestyle that promises more freedom, adventure, and simplicity.
Van lifers enjoy the flexibility of traveling domestically and globally without restrictions to a fixed location, familial responsibilities, or traditional housing arrangements.
You’ll usually find people in van life traveling solo, with partners, or small groups for community and safety reasons.
The uptick in van life popularity stems from the reduction in the cost of living. With fewer expenses such as a mortgage, rent payment, and utility bills, many people in van life appreciate the significantly lower cost of living.
Van life is parallel to a minimalist lifestyle. People trade in their love of possessions for a once in a lifetime of experiences.
The limited space also requires van lifers to practice minimalism more often than not, which leads to a simpler way of living.
As with any growing trend, van life has its own set of significant drawbacks.
Limited access to bare necessities such as drinking water, restrooms, showers, regular car maintenance, and safe areas can be a significant drawback of van life.
The daily act of cleaning, cooking, and finding legal places to park can be challenging as well.
Financial insecurity and homelessness often stigmatize van lifers, which can put a strain on their social life.
And while you eliminate the bulk of your expenses, you gain new ones like the cost of fuel, vehicle maintenance, and camping site fees.
Despite it all, van lifers have developed their own culture. They openly share their lives on social media and build powerful communities across the globe for additional support, advice, and inspiration
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Where do van lifers get money?
Van dwellers are often associated with homelessness and financial ruin, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, most people in van life do it for fun, not out of necessity.
Believe it or not, van life is a luxury for people with expendable income.
They may not partake in the lifestyle year-round, but it’s a seasonal hobby for adventurers at heart.
People with families or demanding careers may not commit to life on the road full-time, so they do so with discretionary funds on a part-time basis.
Van lifers get money from a myriad of places. Whether it’s through family wealth, gifts, business ownership, or remote work, various income streams make funding a lifestyle on the road possible.
In the past, discomfort and safety concerns turned most people off from van life.
However, the economic downturn is forcing younger generations, like Millennials and Gen Z, to consider van life as a more affordable option to living.
Rather than being strapped down with debt from student loans, credit cards, and mortgages, they are opting out of the “American dream”, and pursuing greener pastures.
People deserve to choose a lifestyle that aligns with their desires. For the women who want to travel and still be able to meet their basic needs, van life offers just that.
Modern jobs are now created with van lifers and digital nomads in mind. Gig and shift work, international work from home jobs for those with specialized skills, and businesses allow you to work anywhere in the world.
The money sources for van lifers are vast and will differ on a case-by-case basis. However, the majority have secured a remote job or two.
How to start van life with no money?
- Save money from your current job
- Join Facebook groups to attend meetups with other prospective van lifers
- Sell or donate your belongings
- Research and plan
- Establish a timeline and budget
- Try stealth camping
- Rent an SUV or use your current vehicle
- Take your vehicle to a mechanic
- Plan your first trip
- Review overnight parking ordinances for each destination
- Practice daily chores
- Save to purchase a used camper or for a down payment on a simple-build van
- Get tinted windows
- Build a DIY bed and shower
- Hang blackout curtains
- Create a safety plan
- Elevate your bed for additional storage space
- Shop at discount grocery stores and eat out less
- Use free camp sites to find national forests and BLM sites (Campendium.com, The Dyrt, iOverlander, Park4night, etc).
- Get a Planet Fitness membership (access to showers, free water, and a gym)
- Visit local food banks, community organizations, and churches for free meals
- Share content on social media to secure travel sponsorships deals with brands for extra money
- Transition to remote work before pursuing van life full-time
- Find seasonal work or temp jobs for months at a time
- Save on gas by staying a minimum of 1-2 weeks at camp sites
- Find free places to stay overnight
- Live off savings
Do you have to pay bills if you live in a van?
So, you’re finally ready to transition from overpriced standard living to van life, are ya’?
Well, knowing how much money you’ll need to live comfortably with only van life jobs alone is a logical next step.
I’ve compiled a list of some common monthly van life expenses.
But your bills will probably differ based on your lifestyle and the type of van you own.
- Diesel fuel
- Food and drinks
- Laundry
- Phone plans
- Streaming service subscriptions
- Parking
- National park passes
- 5G Hotspot
- Gym memberships
- Storage unit
- Van maintenance and insurance
- Dump stations
- Utilities (Propane, etc)
While this list may appear exhaustive, expenses for van lifers are significantly less than your average working professional.
Van lifers pay an average of $1200 per month on bills. It’s even cheaper if you have additional people to split your monthly expenses with.
Imagine traveling full-time, paying much less, while saving money – talk about a bargain!
How can I make money and live in a van?
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10 Van Life Jobs For Nomadic Women
1.Travel Blogging
Blogging is one of the most popular options for nomads who are passionate about documenting their travels and sharing their experiences with the world.
They earn a significant amount of income from selling digital products, courses, brand partnerships, and sponsored content from the local businesses they travel to.
Travel bloggers also have the potential to make a huge profit off of affiliate marketing by sharing travel products with their email subscribers and audience online.
You don’t have to worry about seasonal jobs or looking for temp work anymore once your travel blog is off the ground.
2.Photography
Want to turn your photography hobby into an additional stream of income?
Dust that old camera off and create a niche photography business or offer in-person classes.
You can also take photos of all the places you’ve traveled to and share them with the world for a fee.
Stock photos, commissions, and photography services can be quite lucrative. As long as the price is right and the industry is in-demand, you’ll never have to worry about funding your van life dreams again.
3. Content Creation
Travel brand influencers make the big bucks. Even with a small following and a popular niche audience, you can have companies knocking down your door.
From hotel and restaurant reviews to travel packages and affiliate products, you’ll likely make a pretty penny.
As long as your content is creative, engaging, and you post consistently on various social media platforms, brands won’t waste any time reaching out and meeting your financial requirements.
Travel influencers won’t ever go out of style, there’s always a new destination to explore!
4. Freelancer
Pick a skill. Any skill.
Grow an audience or use platforms like Upwork, Toptal, or Fiverr to offer your services at a competitive hourly rate.
Marketing your skills will be a bit of a challenge at first, but once you have clientele, referrals will start rolling in.
Let your work and expertise speak for itself. What’s better than setting your own prices and your own schedule? Some high-earning freelance services include graphic design, web development, social media management, SEO, and copywriting.
5. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is one of the best ways to make money online if you have expert skills to offer.
It’s great for helping business owners sell their services and products online through ads on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Google.
Companies often outsource digital marketing, because it requires a specific set of skills that isn’t easy to learn.
If you went to college for digital marketing or have some real-world experience you can leverage, it’s worth a shot.
Companies pay top dollar for digital markets to drive up their social media engagement and sales.
6. Fiction Writer
The one thing AI can’t replace is a creative mind.
Most people still believe the age old myth that all writers are starving artists.
Thankfully, the opportunities to self-publish have expanded to include not only paperback books, but ebooks and audiobooks too.
There are six-figure authors who are publishing fiction stories full-time, while others earn thousands in royalties from a back catalog of books year-round.
You can use self-publishing platforms like Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, and Draft2Digital today!
7. House Hacking
For van lifers who own property, but plan to travel for an extensive period, you don’t have to sublet it to one person or put it up for sale.
With house hacking, you can maximize your earnings by renting out multiple rooms or living spaces in your home to tenants who can earn you a significant amount of money.
If you don’t mind being a landlord or working with property managers, it could be a sweet deal.
For women who love to travel and don’t want to worry about where their next dollar is coming from, this may be a great option for you.
8. Video Editor
Videos and streaming have taken over the world-wide web in the past decade.
People would much rather consume video content over audio and text.
With TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, and Instagram apps occupying everyone’s attention, the demand for video editors has grown to an all-time high.
You no longer need a background in film or to secure a role at a fancy marketing firm to earn money from your videography skills on these platforms.
People are cashing in every month editing Youtube videos alone. Don’t miss out on this opportunity van lifers, you can edit and make money on the go!
9. Affiliate Marketing
I know, I know. Affiliate marketing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It requires a large following, enterprise skills, intensive research for valuable, high-ticket items, and more importantly, time.
But, if you’re one of the van lifers who loves making a sale and influencing others, getting commissions from affiliate products may be your jam.
Commissions typically range from less than 1% to 20% or more, depending on the products you select and the company agreement.
Some affiliates earn even higher commissions from simply promoting valuable course leads and business tools that their target audience can use.
Affiliate marketing doesn’t have to contribute to the overconsumption crisis by placing an Amazon affiliate link on every platform you can think of.
It’s rewarding when you’re honest with your audience, and only promote products and companies that you believe in.
10. Virtual Assistant
People don’t become virtual assistants overnight. In fact, many stumble into this profession unintentionally from one-off projects and word of mouth.
Small business owners are now opting out of hiring full-time staff and choosing project based virtual assistants instead.
Virtual assistants earn a liveable wage by doing all the tasks company owners and entrepreneurs don’t want to do.
What’s even better is that you can plan your schedule around your travels, and earn a full-time living with van life jobs, too.
Hiring virtual assistants is a common practice for companies to handle administrative tasks, provide customer service, plan events, manage social media accounts, handle bookkeeping, and conduct email marketing.
There are many virtual jobs and career paths you can take in various industries, but these van life jobs are viable options for women who possess an entrepreneurial spirit.
You can travel the world, remain autonomous, and maintain full control over the career you pursue and the income you bring in.
Goal friends, you can certainly have it all!
I teach entrepreneurs how to simplify their life and business with less + own their time and maximize productivity towards their personal and monetary goals.
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