How Digital Nomads Can Make Money Online

6 minute read

Being a digital nomad means having the freedom to work from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a laptop and a decent Internet connection.

The digital nomad lifestyle has become more popular in recent years, and for good reason.

It allows for a flexible schedule, the ability to travel and explore new places, and the opportunity to earn a living while doing so.

In today's blog post, we'll explore how to make money online as a digital nomad and which business model you can start while traveling the world.

P.s.: In case you didn't know - our team is fully remote and scattered around the world! So we know what it takes to build and run a business online and deal with partners and team members from the other side of the globe.

Heights Platorm's founder - Bryan McAnulty - spent years working as a digital nomad and running a web design and web development agency, building software and traveling around the world from country to country!

From our experience, here are our favorite ways to make money online as digital nomads:

Sell Online Courses

One of the fastest-growing industries in the digital world is online education. Selling online courses also happens to be a great way to earn money online as a digital nomad, as you can do this from anywhere in the world, and it doesn't require you to follow a strict schedule.

Selling online courses means creating educational content on a specific topic and selling it online.

Usually, online courses include video lessons, assignments, a community space and other learning materials. By selling online courses, creators can share their knowledge with others and monetize their expertise.

You can create and sell online courses on any topic you're passionate about. Whether you're an expert in photography, writing, or programming, you can make money online by sharing your knowledge with others.

If you are a digital nomad, you could teach others how to follow in your footsteps and also become digital nomads, or you could sell online travel courses about the destination you visit!

When you sell online courses (or digital products, we will see them later), you're not exchanging your time for money.

This means that the time and resources you invest in creating a course will generate recurring earning opportunities in the future - otherwise known as leveraged income (most commonly known as passive income).

Heights Platform makes it easy to create engaging courses, so you can focus on what you do best – creating amazing content – and let the platform handle the rest.

Create a Membership Community

A membership site or online community is a great way to deliver content behind a paywall and generate recurring income. With this business model, customers pay a monthly fee to access your content or interact with the community.

Establishing an online community is an effective strategy to maintain engagement among members and decrease attrition rates.

Within a community platform, students can communicate with each other, connect with like-minded members, and learn collaboratively. When executed well, a membership community can significantly impact how students perceive your website.

You can choose to treat your membership as a private online community or incorporate a community section into your program, allowing members to engage with you and other members by sharing ideas, discussing content, and more.

Many online learning businesses offer a private membership community as an additional product (either free or paid). For instance, if you sell online courses, you can offer access to your exclusive community, enabling students to share and deliberate on what they have learned from your course.

Heights Platform makes it easy to sell access to your community or membership site or offer a community as an added complementary product in your online course.

Sell Digital Products

Another way to make money as a digital nomad entrepreneur is to sell digital products.

Technically online courses are digital products as well, as they are products sold online without a physical component.

Other digital product examples include e-books, worksheets, videos, software, templates, or any other type of digital file.

Creating digital products is a great way to monetize your skills and expertise, and once you've created a product, you can sell it over and over again without any additional effort.

Heights Platform makes it easy to start selling your products alongside your courses and community.

Open an Agency

Opening your own agency, such as a graphic design or marketing agency, means starting a business that provides a specific service to clients.

As the owner of the online agency, you would be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the business, including finding new clients, managing projects, and ensuring that the services provided meet the needs of the clients.

When starting an agency, you would need to consider various factors, such as your target market, pricing, and the services you would offer. For example, if you were starting a graphic design agency, you would need to determine what types of design services you would offer, such as branding, web design, or illustrations...

The key to a successful service agency is to provide high-quality services that meet the needs of your clients. This can be achieved by hiring skilled employees, staying up-to-date with industry trends, and providing exceptional customer service.

Platforms like Upwork and Freelancer make it easy to find clients and build a portfolio of work.

Start a Blog or YouTube Channel

Starting a blog or YouTube channel is another way to make money for digital nomads.

By creating content that attracts an audience, you can monetize your blog or channel through advertising, sponsorships, or affiliate marketing.

Please note that building an audience takes time and effort, but if you're passionate about a topic and can create engaging content, starting a blog or YouTube channel can be a great way to make money and step into the digital nomad world.

This is another great online business idea that works well with the lifestyle of digital nomads, thanks to its flexible work schedule and location-independent characteristic.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is directly linked to our previous point: create a blog or start a YouTube channel, since in order to be successful with affiliate marketing, you need a large and engaged online audience.

Affiliate marketing is when you promote other people's products and earn a commission on any sales that result from your promotion.

You can promote products through your blog, YouTube channel, or social media accounts.

Platforms like Amazon and Clickbank make it easy to find products to promote and earn a commission on any sales you generate.

Learn more about becoming an affiliate marketer: A Complete Guide on How to Launch an Affiliate Program to Promote Your Online Course

Become a Virtual Assistant

If you have administrative or organizational skills, you can become a virtual assistant and offer your services to clients around the world.

Virtual assistants handle tasks like email management, scheduling, and social media management.

Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr make it easy to find clients and build a portfolio of work.

While to become a virtual assistant, you only need a laptop and working internet access, some employers or clients might require you to be in their same time zone, making it a restrictive option for digital nomads.

On top of this, you might have to work for a set amount of hours every day, which can also be a drawback in the eyes of most digital nomads.

Build an Ecommerce Store

If you're interested in selling physical products, you can build an online store (e-commerce store) using platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce.

With an e-commerce store, you can sell products that you make yourself, or you can source products from suppliers and sell them for a profit.

Building an e-commerce store requires more upfront investment than selling digital products or online courses, but it can be a lucrative online business if done correctly.

On top of this, building an e-commerce store is not the easiest option for many digital nomads: even if your business is online, you will most likely have to receive the physical products you are selling to test the quality, take professional product pictures and so on... For this, you need to be in the same place for a relatively long period of time in order to receive the shipments.

Check out this article from our blog to learn more about the different types of online business models: The Benefits of Selling Online Courses vs Other Ways to Make Money Online

Conclusion

How to make money as a digital nomad and work remotely while traveling? All of the above!

Whether you choose to start your own business selling online courses with Heights Platform, selling digital products, building an e-commerce store, opening your own agency, becoming a content creator or affiliate marketer, or becoming a virtual assistant - there are opportunities available for anyone willing to put in the effort and start making money as a digital nomad.

Which of these digital nomad business ideas will you start?

With a laptop and an Internet connection, you can create a lifestyle that allows you to work from anywhere in the world and make a living while doing so.

Create Your Online Course Today

Post Topics: Build and Promote Your Course