Funding your Travels by Freelancing Abroad - My Experience

There are loads of blogs out there about working as a freelancer whilst you travel the world, but I haven't seen one yet which goes too deeply into the actual logistics of it - how much you need to earn, how many hours you need to work, etc. So I'm writing my own!



Whilst I know this blog is focused on UpWork, I still think this will be useful - and as basically all of my income at the moment is from UpWork hopefully it is still relevant as well!

Freelancing is an up-and-down way to make money. Some weeks are more lucrative than others - at the moment my schedule is packed for the next week, but it'll fund my travels, probably for the next month or so. It's not all glamorous - I'll be eating cheaply and working a lot.

I dipped into freelance for a while about a year before I set off, so I had a decent portfolio of blogs which I could use as an example of my writing style. I'd recommend that anyone who wants to freelance from abroad do the same. Even with a good portfolio, the first month of my freelance writing was focused entirely on picking up clients and getting good reviews - I didn't have any when I set off.

Now thought, things are underway - I have enough regular work that I could probably stay out here in South East Asia indefinitely if I needed to. I was lucky enough to pick up a client early on (a travel company) who pay me $60 per blog - which is $48, but has now risen to $54 inclusive of UpWork fees as I have earned over $500 dollars from this client. The blogs take between 3-4 hours, and I do six per month.

It means I can expect to earn over $300 per month from that particular client on a regular basis, which goes quite a long way here in Vietnam. I can find a bed in a hostel for $5 dollars a night (which equates to about $150 per month) - overnight coaches to different cities are probably about $20, cheap beer is $1 and I can eat comfortably for $10 per day.

Like I said, I was lucky to score that client so early on, and I've spent quite a bit of time writing well-crafted proposals to clients who I never heard back from. At the moment I'd say I have five regular clients which are keeping me afloat - between them I can expect quick jobs for less money, regular jobs for a decent wage and a gig every week which is $20 an hour for 4/5 hours (relatively good money).

If you're a gap year legend like myself, I'd say that once you've shelled out for flights to South East Asia, you should be good to survive on $30 per day - a conservative estimate. If you can find yourself in a position where you are earning $200 upwards per week you should be laughing, and it's definitely achievable.

Anything over this and you can start finding the balance between work and play. With enough contracts on the go, you can divide your days between flat out working and exploring. My travel company client goes on holiday soon and wants ten blogs this week, which realistically means I'll be doing very little else aside working, but will have $500 towards my scuba diving classes in Indonesia.

So the message is this: logistically, it can be done!

Let me bullet point some tips, as I'm conscious that this is rambling on a bit:

  • Always prioritize long term work. A $40 per week gig is worth a lot to you in South East Asia as it can pay your accommodation every week.
  • Be prepared to live cheaply. If you're leaving to go travelling knowing that you can work x hours per week and make enough to enjoy a life of luxury the rest of the time.. well, I'm jealous.
  • Network. UpWork isn't the only platform to take advantage of. I've been sharing posts on LinkedIn and have found paid work on there as well - admittedly some of it from my LinkedIn colleagues.
  • Prepare before you go away. If you have a portfolio already you'll save a lot of stress. If you have one or two clients as well you'll have a serious advantage!
  • Don't get disheartened by spending a few days in coffee shops working flat-out. It's been worth it for me.
  • Find somewhere nice to work! You'll be more motivated to get stuff done if you can scope out a sweet bar where beer is a dollar and you can see the sea.
Any other tips I've missed, or experiences to share? Let me know!

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