
If you're looking to learn how to make money online for a side hustle, to save for travel, or completely fund a lifestyle of full-time travel, then today I'm going to share with you SIX ways on how to make money online by starting an Internet business so you can travel full-time and be location independent.
If you’re like me, I was at a crossroads in my life where I knew there was more to life than just working 60-80 hours a week at a job and feeling like something was missing in my life. That’s one of the reasons I sold everything I owned and bought an RV to travel more and create more stories and moments.
So I’m going to show you 6 ways on how to make money online and also share with you my real life story on how I make money online.
Also, I have a HUGE change and a surprise to share with you.
Two Types of Income
Okay so let’s get started and first discuss the two different types of income you can earn:
- Active income
- Passive Income
Active Income
Active income Is income generated where you complete a set of actions repeatedly over time in order to receive income or make a sale.
For example, selling products on Ebay is active income, because you must first find the product to sell, list it on Ebay, sell the product, get paid, then ship the product. In order to receive more income you must complete those actions again and repeat.
Another example of active income is consulting where you only earn money when you work with a client, which is generally an exchange of time for money; somewhat like a typical job.
Passive Income
Passive Income is income that you complete an action, essentially once, and then it can earn residual income in the future many times over without any action on your part.
For example: writing a blog post, publishing the post, and monetizing it with advertising. For as long as you have the blog post live, it can generate income for you. You might have to tweak that post in the future or you might decide to add some additional layers of marketing, but the post is still there generating income residually.
Now, it can take a while to build up passive income, and it’s not an overnight get-rich-quick-way of making money, but if you’re in it for the long haul, creating sources of passive income can be you’re gateway to making money online and funding your full-time traveling.
How to Make Money Online – 6 Methods
Active Income Methods on How to Make Money Online (and travel full-time)
#1 Selling on Ebay
This is great if you’re starting out and want to fund your travel lifestyle, but not yet traveling, unless you plan to tow a cargo trailer with your items. With Ebay you can find all kinds of products to sell and list on Ebay; however if you plan on traveling in an RV then you'll have to consider your storage needs for the products you're selling and if that's something you want to haul around with you. You'll have the extra cost of the storage whether that's taking away storage from your RV or towing a separate cargo trailer which will cost for the purchase of the trailer and hookups and also the additional gas you'll be spending for towing.
#2 Selling on Etsy
This is a great way to create your own handmade products and like Ebay, this is great if you’re starting out and trying to fund your travel lifestyle, but not yet traveling unless you plan to tow a cargo trailer with your items. How much storage space you'll need just really depends on the items you be making and selling.
#3 Selling on Amazon
You can sell on Amazon without products by sourcing products and having those products sent directly to Amazon and then Amazon handles the fulfillment for you. You can sell anything on Amazon from items laying around your house as “used” items, researching products that are in demand and sourcing those products for Amazon to fulfill for you, or writing an ebook. I'm sure there are a vast amount of other items to sell on Amazon, but this gives you some options as you start to think about how you travel and how much income you'll need each month.
#4 Consulting/Coaching
You can take what you are an expert in and find clients to teach or provide a service and BONUS – there's no storage needed since you'll most likely only need a cell phone and data connection.
Passive Income Methods on How to Make Money Online
Remember passive income is 1 Action = Residual Income. This is my favorite, because who doesn’t want to work once and keep getting paid continually?
#5 & #6 Website/Blogging
Think about what you’re passionate about or what kind of skill people ask you to teach them – or help them with continually. You can literally turn your knowledge into a business by teaching it to others.
#7 YouTube
YouTube is the same as a website in blogging when you think about a niche for content. Think about what you’re passionate about and what you like to teach and then build an audience by sharing your knowledge. There's also a small percentage of Creators on YouTube that are completely entertainment driven. If this is something you feel can benefit you and provide entertainment to others, then go for it!
People are always looking for solutions online? What solutions can you provide?
My own example is starting the Story Chasing website and YouTube channel. I was simply documenting my travels and love of this lifestyle when I started getting so many questions about RVing in general, what gear do I use, how do I film, how to I edit, how do I make money online, and more.
So I answered the call and am creating more videos and content to answer these questions, which is why I created Workshop Wednesdays on my YouTube channel where the focus is completely about answering viewer and reader questions in a video and teaching the methods I've learned.
How do You Actually Earn Passive Income Online?
Okay, so now that you know six areas on how you can make money online, how do you actually make passive income from website, blogs, and YouTube?
For websites and blogs you can earn an income through:
Amazon affiliate
So for example if you love a certain product and you blog about it or mention it, you can provide an affiliate link to that product on Amazon and get paid a small commission for the referral at no extra cost to the consumer.
Affiliate advertising
This works similar to Amazon affiliate program, but are more targeted products/services by companies like ShareaSale which has a plethora of different companies and categories to choose from depending on your niche. This would be for services or products that you also highly recommend to your viewers.
Ad revenue like Google Adsense or Media Vine
Targeted ads are placed on your website/blog or YouTube (except for Media Vine). YouTube uses Google Adsense exclusively at this time, and most likely for a very long time since Google owns YouTube. Ad revenue percentages are fairly small so this takes time to build up, but again if you’re committed and see this a viable way to make long-term income then this can be a great solution for you.
Your own products
Creating your own products, especially digital products, is another great resource for making money online. This can be in the form of ebooks, online courses, selling your photography, and more.
Sponsors
As you become an influencer in your niche, you become more valuable to sponsors who see you as a resource to help promote their products and services. My own personal philosophy though is only work with companies who’s products and services you really love and therefore feel might be also valuable to your viewers and readers.
So as you can see there are many ways to make money online and to fund your travel whether it be active or passive income. It’s just deciding what best fits your lifestyle and then determine what solutions you can provide to your audience.
THE BIG CHANGE
Ok – so for the big surprise and change!
I haven taken a HUGE LEAP and quit my six-figure a year job to focus on my own business and travel full-time. After traveling for a year and still working so many hours in my job, I knew that the only way to get my own company off the ground was to leave that job so I could focus my time fully on my own endeavors. I also realized during this last year that my focus on life had changed so much and I was seeking even more freedom in my life and to live on my own terms.
I get so much joy out of this creative process with making YouTube videos, blogging, and teaching. It's truly fulfilling.
I’ll be honest though – I was scared and nervous to quit!
It was a huge step.
I’ll be living off of my savings until my business can replace that income so it's no wonder I was so nervous.
What if I fail?
I could completely fail at this OR I can absolutely succeed.
Remember my phrase, “On the other side of fear is your greatest success?” That’s what enabled me to take the leap, to live without regrets. If I fail, well I just get another job, but at least I’ve tried.
So I feel like the best way to show you how to make money online is to be the example and the story myself.
I’m going to take you all on a little ride with me each month. I’m going to be completely vulnerable and share with you how much money I make online and specifically what areas of income.
Why would I do that?
I'm a pretty private person when it comes to talking about my money, but this is why I'm sharing it with you:
- I can see for myself the growth and where I should make changes.
- It’s a huge motivator for me when you all are watching.
- You all can see along the way what I’m doing and how you can do this too.
The first income report is published for July 2018.
I hope you've gotten some value out of this post on how to make money online whether you are traveling or not. Share with me your thoughts below in the comment section. Do you have additional questions? Are you looking to make money online and travel?

Video/Audio/Gear Used
Panasonic Lumix G85 Camera – For most still images and vlogging
Sony Action Cam FDRX3000 – For dash cam and walking/talking video
Joby Gorillapod – Used for holding the cameras as a tripod or mounting to just about anything to capture a shot.
Xenvo Iphone Wide Angle (and Macro) Lens – Clips onto your iPhone did give you a wide angle view of your surroundings.
Ulanzi Metal Smart Phone Cold Shoe Mount – Attaches to a selfie stick, but allows you angle the camera and it has a mount for an external microphone.
Verizon Data Plan – Best nationwide coverage as of this post while traveling.
McNeely
Monday 2nd of May 2022
Miss Amber, I have learned so much from you. Sorry to say I'm still purging, but making progress. Get sidetracked by taking a sick stray to the vet to put her down. Turned out she wasn't as sick as I thought PLUS she was pregnant. Whoa! I couldn't turn her out of course. So now I have 7 cats. The babies are about 5 weeks old now. As soon as they're weaned they will go to forever homes. It'll be hard to let them go but, Focus, Focus, Focus. I loved the way you have started formatting now. I love the daily updates & especially since they're focused to us supporters & not the entire internet. Stay wonderful, funny & vibrant. Here for the long ride. Desperately seeking short skoolie. About 4-5 windows. Happy Trails & Tails 💥
Amber Baldwin
Monday 2nd of May 2022
Oh my goodness! 7 cats! You're a saint. lol You're so welcome and I'm thankful you took in those babies and are seeing it through to their forever homes. I so appreciate your support and hope you find that dream skoolie soon.
Ginger Buchanan
Tuesday 4th of February 2020
You are an angel! I couldn't sleep tonight, so I got up and decided to look up the first thing that came to mind. Tag...you're it! I found you searching youtube for "low cost rv living" and was in tears before I knew what hit me. I've thought about it plenty, gone to Dick's Sporting Goods and walked through every single camper they had on the floor. I was in heaven and can't stop thinking about it. I dream of traveling and plein air painting for the rest of my life. How to monetize that? No idea. But I'm willing to learn. I couldn't be in a better or worse position to begin the journey right now. I guess God sent me here, as I have been praying about my current predicament. I really resonate with you and your story. Well, anyways, I'm going to dive in to your website and take in all that I can over the next few days. I just want to say thank you for being so transparent and helpful. You are a blessing. I'm following.
Tim
Wednesday 8th of August 2018
Forgot, what video editing software do you use?
Amber
Wednesday 8th of August 2018
Tim I use FCPX.
Tim
Wednesday 8th of August 2018
Stay close to the ocean for at least a week, it is getting HOT.
Amber
Wednesday 8th of August 2018
No joke Tim!! Inland is hot and the smoke is drifting from all the fires.