Making Money While Travelling

October 31st, 2010 by admin No comments »

If your travelling on a budget, lets say backpacking around the world, the idea would have crossed your mind… I wonder if I can make a little money while I’m travelling, so I can travel for longer? With the internet in every corner of the world now it’s becoming easier and easier… Depending on how much work you want or how deeply you want to integrate into a foreign country there plenty of options. A great place to start is in Travel writing. It’s free to do and while your backpacking around you will most definitely form your own observations and opinions, why not share them with other travellers and make a little money along the way. If this idea is music to your ears then here’s a few options I’ve found:

Writing for Travel Websites: This can an easy way to make a little cash, sharpen your writing skills and get deeper into the countries you travel through. Sites like Matador and Boots n All will pay somewhere between $25 -$50 for articles, that’s not a lot but look at it this way – if your already in a country then why not think of an angle and write a story about it, what’s to loose? Plus it will almost certainly get you off of the tourist trail and into the heart of that place.

Keep a Travel Blog or Website: This way is a little more involved than the last but it can pay off if your prepared for a little hard work. Starting your own Blog couldn’t be easier and there is a wealth of great resources available on the internet that can help. This approach require more Admin and you will need to be a writer, a marketer, deal with advertising and website design… But I’ll say it again, the rewards can be big. I know Travel Bloggers that earn in excess of $2000 a month doing just this and I keep my own Blog about Backpacking around the world on a budget

Learn to teach English: Again a wealth of resources are available about this but your best bet is to get accredited with someone like TEFL – the best placements often go to TEFL certificated people. This is more of a long term option but it will give you the chance to really get under the skin of a community and as time goes by you’ll only get better at it. It would be a great way to pay for yourself while you backpack around the world and make a difference to the people you meet.

Use Your Own Skills: this is something many people often overlook, they leave home not expecting their current set of skills to apply… Not true! Take hairdressing for example, many western travellers won’t want to tackle the language barrier with a local hair stylist and instead let it hang low… But there is plenty of money to be made at busy guest houses a keen backpacker on a budget…

This is my no means comprehensive but it’s a starting block that needs to be considered by any backpacker or traveler on a budget. Team these ides with saving money like using CouchSurfing.com and Skype and you will see your budget stretch much further than you ever expected.

 

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How to Fit Travel and Expense Into Your Business Budget

October 30th, 2010 by admin No comments »

Business travel is a necessary expense for most people. When you think of travel and expense for business, you probably think of flying off to another state, being put up in a hotel and attending a conference or two. But business travel can also include just heading to the next town over to meet with a client. All of these things cost money and you need to know how to deal with travel expense reports, expense tracking, and budgeting for these needs.

First you need to put aside a reasonable estimate each year from your business’ budget. If it’s local travel that you are really worried about, it’ll be easier to do this. You’ll want to include gas prices, car rental (unless your company has its own car) and parking costs. You’ll also want to have an idea of how many times a year these trips are made. Do you drive weekly to meet with a certain client, or is it a more varied month by month basis?

When it comes to long distance travel, business expenses can be anything from a couple hundred to thousands of dollars. It depends on where flights are to, the kind of hotels your employee is staying in, any additional transportation costs from the hotel to wherever they need to be, and other small costs like a seat for a convention.

Expense management software is an easy way to keep track of these trips. You can put in all the information of the trip and have it calculate the costs for you, as well as keep track of any extra spending that the employee may have done. Your entire year’s expenses can be recorded so that when it comes to filing taxes or just dealing with overall budget, you have every single trip on file ready to be accessed.

If you are unsure of whether you can afford a trip ahead of time, plug it into expense management software long before you book. You’ll get an idea of the costs and whether or not it’s a feasible investment. The most important thing is that you never book without knowing you have the funds to back it up. Don’t pull from other business finances if you don’t have to. You have to weigh what is more important to your company.

When it comes to business travel and expense, it can be daunting. But if you keep on top of figures and set aside a good amount of money, you won’t be in the red at the end of the year.

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Toiletry Bags For Traveling

October 29th, 2010 by admin No comments »

Toiletry bags solve one of the biggest hassles that travelers often face with wasted liquids. While going though security at the airport all carry on luggage is checked for the safety of those on the airplane. Many travelers typically carry basic products in these bags including toothpaste, water, hair gel and mouth wash. These are things that people use on a daily basis and they want to avoid having to repurchase these items once they land at their destination. However, these items are often removed from their luggage and discarded because they are not the correct size or amount allowed on board of an airplane. This translates into money that has been wasted and the traveler will need to repurchase these products at a later time.

Toiletry bags help to avoid this problem by providing a place to put all of these items so that they are not scattered. These bags make it easy for all of these products to be organized in one place and this helps to keep luggage clean. Without a bag the items would be free to get lost in luggage or spin on expensive clothing or important documents. These bags can be used to keep everything in one organized place and this will keep the rest of the luggage safe. Additionally, many available bags come with bottles that are the correct size according to TSA standards.

That will allow you to save money by bringing these important liquids from home instead of purchasing it when you arrive at the destination. This will also allow you to carry water with you in the event that you get thirsty during a flight and you will not need to purchase a drink. Many toiletry bags also feature a shoulder strap and this is useful because it makes the bag very easy to carry. Clipping the strap onto your wheeled luggage will make it very easy to travel through the airport without the trouble of worrying about multiple bags. Toiletry bags also come in different sizes and larger ones offer a lot of utility for several compartments. These can be used to carry things such as shampoo, lotion, mouthwash or shaving cream. These are benefits that any traveler would love to have.

 

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