davidfg (flickr)

At first glance travel writing seems like the perfect job. Travel around the world, write about it, and have someone else pay for it all. However, if you dig a little deeper you’ll likely find that travel writing isn’t as great as it may sound. Sure, the travel aspect is amazing, but the intense competition, arrogant editors, and unsteady/nonexistent paychecks are not.

Well, what if I told you there was a way you could travel anywhere in the world, and at least supplement your expenses by writing about anything you want. Your writing just has to be decent and about a moderately unique topic, and you are pretty much guaranteed to get paid. Want to hear more?

Associated Content and its implications for the budget traveler:

The opportunity I’m talking about is writing for Associated Content.com. If you are already a freelance writer you have probably already heard about Associated Content from other sources around the web. However, if you are just a simple budget traveler, looking for an easy and mobile way to make a little money on the road to supplement your travels, Associated Content is probably new to you.

Associated Content is a large informational website that purchases all of if it’s content from freelance writers. All you need to do is sign-up, fill out a simple profile, and you can start submitting content.

You can write about anything that you want, and minimum article length is only 400 words. Once you’ve written a 400+ word article about a topic that is of interest to you, you simply submit it to the Associated Content editors for review. Make sure you submit your article for “upfront payment review”–as this is the option that will pay you upfront for your article–and wait for your work to be reviewed and a payment to be offered.

In my research it seems the average payment offered by Associated Content is around $5 per article. A week ago I submitted two articles for upfront payment, just to try things out, and received about $4 for each.

Obviously $4-$5 per article isn’t very much. If you’re trying to make a name for yourself as a writer, Associated Content should probably only be used as a last resort (to put food on the table). It’s very unlikely you will make a name for yourself by writing for Associated Content.

However, if you are simply looking for a way to make some mobile income on the road, Associated Content is a pretty incredible opportunity, I wish I had heard about earlier. Once you get used to pumping out content, you’ll probably find that you can write a decent 400 word article in about 30 minutes (maybe less). Say you write 4 articles a day for a total of 1600 words and a total time commitment of about 2 hours. If you average $5 per article, your 4 daily articles will pay you around $20/day. Now if this was my job back in the States, I would be in trouble if I was only making $20/day. However, what if you are traveling through Southeast Asia–where you can live quite comfortably on $20-$30/day. Here, your 2 hours of work for Associated Content could pay for all or most of your daily travel expenses. This means the crunch on your savings will be far less, and you can extend your travels for much longer.

You also have the option of writing a lot more for Associated Content. Need an extra hundred bucks for a stay at a beautiful Thai beach resort. Just pump out an extra 20 articles and you’ve got it. Associated content has no maximum or minimum submission guidelines, so you are free to write for them as much or as little as you like.

As I said above the site seems pretty willing to pay for and publish any decent article. As I said, I have submitted two articles to the site, both of which were reviewed, accepted, and paid for (about $4 each) in a little over a week. The articles I wrote are really nothing special, they are short 400 word posts, that I basically put as little time into as possible. You can see my two articles through the following links:

• Ecuador:A Budget Traveler’s Paradise
• The Secret to a Cheap Vacation: Choosing the Right Destination

Associated Content also accepts audio, video, and photo submissions. Overall I think this site could be very helpful to the budget traveler, whether you use it to fund all of your travels, or just to make a few extra bucks on occasion–it’s definitely worth checking out: Associated Content.

Long-term work or volunteer work in developing countries is an opportunity most people overlook. Obviously, it’s probably not much of an option for folks who have already settled down and committed to a career path. However, for the rest of us, recent college grads or anyone contemplating a career change, it really is an underrated opportunity to pick-up some incredible work experience.

My Story:

As some of you have already come to know, I have been working with an Ecuadorian NGO for the past 2.5 years. Right out of the gate I was put in charge of a project that works with over 300 impoverished Ecuadorian families. I had a team of 30 foreign volunteers working for me, and inherited about a million problems that needed to be fixed. The long-term goal of the project was to transform it from a simple daycare service, to an organized and effective supplementary school program. Not to mention, I had to accomplish all of this in Spanish.

Overall, it has been a lot of work, but the experience I have gained proves itself invaluable every single day. No sane company or organization would have ever entrusted me with 1% of the responsibility I have been given in Ecuador. I have certainly made mistakes along the way, but overall I have learned more in these two short years than I did over 16 years of formal schooling.

Endless Opportunities:

My experience here in Ecuador is not at all uncommon. There are literally thousands of jobs available with grassroots development agencies all over the developing world. The majority of these agencies are under-funded and work under harsh environments. The pay is minimal to non-existent. But if you have a year or two (or more) you would be willing to devote, the work experience you will gain is incomparable to any entry-level position available in a developed country.

The opportunities themselves are also extremely varied. You can find positions in everything from social/educational work, to health related fields, to agriculture, to business and technology. If you’re in search of solid practical work experience, and a way to really beef up your resume and make a small difference at the same time, I highly recommend considering long-term development work abroad.

Seoul, South Korea: Stuck in Customs (Flickr)

Last week I wrote a post on the weakened state of the US Dollar, and made a list of international destinations where the dollar is still relatively strong.

In general, however, the dollar just isn’t worth as much as it used to be across the globe. While this makes spending dollars more costly internationally, it’s important not to forget the flip side of the equation. It also makes dollars easier to earn internationally.

1996 South Korea:

Take teaching English in South Korea for example. The first half of the 1990’s are often considered the “Golden Age” for teaching English in Asia (ESL). Asian tiger economies like South Korea were emerging as global contenders, the general population (like today) was very interested in learning English, and they had money to burn. Recent graduates from the US, Canada, UK, and Australia routinely made their way to countries like South Korea to teach English for a couple of years, and were rewarded with an international work experience and significant savings from solid wages and a low cost of living. Unfortunately, however, the party did not last and in the Fall of 1997, the Asian economies crashed.

Even after the crash there was still significant demand for ESL teachers in Asia, the problem was that Asian currencies were weakened considerably, making the previously solid wages much less valuable when converted back into USD, Pounds, Euros, etc.

2007 South Korea:

Ten years later, the global economic map has again changed. Most Asian currencies and economies are still struggling through a period of economic stagnation. However, many have regained considerable ground, and have done so as the US Dollar has steadily weakened.

This means that the relative strength of some Asian currencies (including South Korea’s Won) when compared to the US Dollar, now closely resemble the “Golden Age” of the early 1990’s. Coupled with the fact that ESL salaries have risen as Asian currencies weakened, means that for US Dollar holders/users, teaching English in some Asian countries is again becoming quite lucrative.

Let’s say the average ESL instructor’s salary in South Korea from 1996-2002 was 1.8 million won/month (a high estimate) and from 2003-2007 is 2.0 million won/month (a low estimate). This would mean that from 1996-2002 the monthly salary in USD decreased by 36%! It would also mean that from 2003-2007, the average monthly salary in USD has increased by 27%.

Obviously I’m not considering factors such as inflation and increased cost of living, but a 27% increase in 5 years is very significant, and something to pay attention to. In general, I don’t believe that the conditions are as favorable as they were in the 1990’s, but it’s getting close.

The Bad News:

Unfortunately the increased earning potential for ESL instructors in Asia is largely dependent on the the weakened US Dollar. This means that if your local currency is NOT the US Dollar, but rather the Pound, Euro, Australian Dollar, or even the Canadian Dollar, you will not see significant wage increases after conversion.

The other piece of bad news is that not all Asian currencies have strengthened relative to the US Dollar. While you can now find increased earnings after conversion in South Korea, Thailand, China, Malaysia, and the Philippines, you will find that post-conversion earnings have stayed roughly the same in many other Asian countries such as Japan, Vietnam, Laos, and Indonesia.

Traveling on a budget is great, but no matter how frugal you are with your money, eventually it runs out. That’s why short term work on the road is a great way to pick up a little cash to further extend your travels, and is a lot easier than we are often led to believe.

The type of work I am talking about here is basic, hourly wage labor, in fields such as teaching English, or work in the tourism industry (tour operators, restaurants, bars, hostels, etc.) It’s NOT an opportunity to make or save a lot of money, but it IS an opportunity to supplement your travel bankroll and spend some more time on the road before the money runs out and you have to go home.

The following tips apply to travelers looking for short term work anywhere in the world, with or without a valid work permit or visa.

A Note on Working “Illegally” Abroad

Now before I get into the tips on how to find short term work abroad, I need to discuss the nature of this work. Unless your government has reciprocal work swap agreements in the country you are seeking short term employment (Canada’s SWAP Program, EU work exchange policies), working abroad “legally” will mean obtaining a work permit or work visa for your host country. Work visas generally require your prospective employer sponsor you for the visa, which for short term wage work is close to impossible. Basically, what I’m saying here is that in most countries you will have to simply ignore the legal requirements, and find someone willing to pay you “under the table”. This may sound scary or risky, but in reality is very common practice among long-term travelers, and something that rarely becomes a “legal” issue.

1. Know where to look: Your comparative advantage as a foreign employee is that you speak English and you’re a tourist. Use these skills and qualities to your advantage. Teaching English is a quality, well-paying job almost anywhere on the planet. So, if you are interesting in doing that for a couple of months, hit the English schools looking for positions or even post flyers around town advertising your services privately. As a tourist you also have an advantage in the fact that you know what other travelers want and how to relate to them. This can be very valuable to any business that targets foreign tourists as their clientele (tour operators, touristy restaurants, bars, hostels). A lifetime traveling friend always says, “Wherever there are tourists, there are jobs for tourists”, and it really is true.

2. Hit the pavement: The most important ingredient to finding a job abroad is consistent, unfaltering persistence. Get ready to hit the pavement from sun-up to sun-down, have doors shut in your face, and hear a hell of a lot more “no’s” than you do “yes’s”. It’s really a numbers game, the more businesses and people you approach, the more likely one of them will hire you. Just maintain a positive attitude, be professional (dress professionally, and be ready for an interview and hire “on the spot”), and eventually you WILL find something.

3. Network: Abroad, just like at home, who you know if often much more important than what you know. When you aren’t out job-hunting, spend your time in local restaurants and bars trying to meet other locals or foreigner who are in the “industry”. Ask them where they work, if they know anyone who is hiring, tell them your situation and you’ll likely find a lot of people willing to help you out. It is a lot harder for a prospective employer to turn down a “friend of friend”, than someone they have never met and have no allegiance to. I have found a number of great jobs teaching English, just through casual conversations at the bar.

4. Learn the language: While it is possible to find work abroad only speaking a few words of the local language (mainly teaching English in Asia), you’ll find the job-hunting process much more manageable if you can at least communicate in the local language. You don’t need to be fluent, but you do need to know how to get by. If your language abilities are still shaky, take a week or two of intensive language classes (well worth the investment). Above all, do not be timid or afraid to use the language abilities you do have. A beginner’s knowledge can take you a long way, but only if you are bold enough to use it.

5. Take what you can get: As I said above, 99% of the work you find abroad will be relatively unglamorous, and for lower wages than you may be accustomed to back home. Just accept it for what it is, an opportunity to make a few bucks to continue your travels, a chance to get more involved in everyday local life, and a time to make some new friends. Approach the prospect of work abroad with a good attitude and you’ll be rewarded, otherwise don’t waste your time.

I realize this is a broad topic, and may generate a number of questions, so please feel free to leave any questions or thoughts in comments section below.

Further Reading

• Brave New Traveler’s The Secret to Looking for Work Abroad