How 10 Van Lifers Make Money on the Road

Wanting to live full-time on the road but not sure how you’ll make ends meet? While there are lots of different ways to make an income as a van lifer or nomadic traveler, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.

To make it a little less daunting, here are the stories of ten van lifers who are making money in different ways while living on the road. Some of them started their own business, while others found dream jobs working a remote position for a company.

While it hasn’t always been easy, these van lifers thought outside of the box when it came to making money. They found ways to combine their skills, experiences, and talents in ways that allow them to work from anywhere.

Let’s dive into their stories to learn some different possibilities for how van lifers can make money on the road!

1. Kate Zittergruen – Freelance Copywriter

If you love to write, one van life career path to consider is working as a freelance copywriter. You can write for online blogs (like this one), find copywriting positions on sites like Upwork, write articles for digital and print magazines, and even help companies with writing website copy or social media captions. 

One of the ways former van lifer Kate Zittergruen made money on the road was by working as a freelance copywriter (read more about her tips to get into copywriting in this interview). She did a combination of contract and freelance copywriting gigs, working a designated amount of hours each month for a few different van life/outdoor blogs and pitching a few publications monthly as a freelancer for extra income.

If writing comes naturally to you (and you enjoy it), copywriting is an excellent way to make money on the road. You have the freedom to work from anywhere, and as long as you meet your deadlines and work your designated hours, you typically have a flexible schedule to write whenever works best for you.

Want to learn how to become a travel writer? Check out this course by Lindy, my favorite travel writer!

2. Meghan Elisabeth – Artist, Silversmith, and Jewelry Maker

If you’re naturally creative and wondering how you might use your talents on the road as a van lifer, consider how you could sell your art on the road. Meghan decided to make nature her studio and started Meghan Elisabeth Art (MEA) out of her truck camper.

Being a nomadic artist requires a lot of planning, coordination, and persistence, but it is possible. Meghan finds it a fulfilling way to express her creativity in beautiful spaces, and much of her art is inspired by the scenery she encounters on her travels.

Meghan often creates jewelry outside using a custom table built into one of her truck camper’s side boxes. This allows her to be mobile and easily set up and tear down wherever the road takes her.

Curious to know more of her journey and tips for other artists? Read the full story here. 

3. Sierra Eberly – Small Business Owner

For many, being your own boss as a small business owner is a dream come true. You may need to work harder, work longer hours, and put a lot of time into your business upfront to get the ball rolling – but the freedom, flexibility, and sense of accomplishment make it all worth it.

Sierra Eberly knew when starting her own marketing business from her campervan that it wasn’t a “get rich quick” plan; rather, it was a way for her to pursue her passion of helping other small businesses (read more about her small business called Boondock Consulting and her advice for other small business owners here). Although she doesn’t have as much free time to explore due to the sacrifice and hours it takes to run a successful business, the trade-off of living her dream and being her own boss is worth it.

There are countless ideas for small businesses out there that you can start and operate from the comfort of your van. If you have a similar dream of starting your own small business, van life might just provide the perfect nudge (and epic office views) you need to get going.

4. Kaelan Young – Communications Manager

Although the first instinct for many van lifers is to start their own business or be their own boss, Kaelan is a great example of someone who landed a dream remote gig for a company as a Communications Manager. A former elementary teacher, Kaelan landed this remote position working for Viristar, a global outdoor consultancy.

She develops and implements strategies that elevate the brand and increase its visibility. Her day-to-day tasks include crafting communication strategies, managing media relations, overseeing content creation, coordinating internal communications, and monitoring the impact of their efforts to ensure effective engagement.

The best part? These tasks can be done from anywhere, allowing Kaelan and her partner the freedom to travel in their van wherever their hearts desire. Find out more about Kaelan’s story and advice here. 

5. Jenny Bullas – Campervan Sink Designer

Sometimes you might have a monetizable skill or talent without knowing it! Jenny didn’t set out to become a campervan sink designer when she started van life, but after posting about her homemade sink on social media and receiving countless praise from other van lifers, she realized she could start a business as a campervan sink designer.

Jenny is the founder and designer behind The Little Vanporium, and she specializes in designing colorful campervan sinks from the comfort of her DIY van. She also runs a workshop and online store and travels to van fests to showcase her sink designs to other van lifers. You can read more of her story and advice here.

Designing products for other van lifers could be an outlet for your creative and entrepreneurial skills while you live on the road. While you may not make buckets of money quickly at the start, Jenny found that putting in the time and effort led her to eventually make enough to live comfortably from her van and even travel abroad.

6. Koi Reid – Mobile Loctician

To get started in this career path, Koi completed an apprenticeship with a loctician. Now working as a mobile loctician for the past four years, Koi goes to people’s houses or meets them in a neutral location to do their hair. Although he didn’t see themself doing locs full-time, he “realized that doing something I enjoy is more important to me than making money in a way that is more socially acceptable,” Koi said.

He specializes in the crochet method, which means he can work with clients who normally wouldn’t be able to get quality dreadlocks in a traditional hair salon. One way Koi has found success as a mobile loctician is by learning how to work with lots of hair types. He knows how to work with any hair texture from straight to curly, and he can work with those who may experience balding or other hair struggles without damaging their hair.

As someone who identifies as black, queer, and disabled, Koi is eager to share their story to show the diversity of full-time travelers out there and inspire others who might not fit the typical van life “mold.” You can read more about them in this feature here.

7. Emily Burton – Etsy Seller

Instead of trying to start a small business from scratch, Emily got creative and thought how she could combine her creative talents with a well-known platform called Etsy to make a remote income on the road. She set up a shop called The Paper Giraffe and has become a top 1% seller on Etsy with nearly 12,000 sales.

Emily designs and sells invitations, banners, wall art, and signs for consumers to purchase, download, and print from home. This makes for an excellent mobile business since there is no inventory or shipping required!

Once the design is created, it is essentially passive income for Emily. Some of her printables, however, are customizable – in those cases, she has to fill those orders manually.

As a lover of design, this work is a dream come true for Emily; however, it took a lot of time, effort, and patience to get to this point. It’s a convenient piece of her family’s overall income that allows them to live comfortable on the road.

If you want to learn more about creating digital products for Etsy, check out this free workshop on selling printables on Etsy.

8. Claire Fleming – Real Estate Investor

Imagine receiving paychecks each month to fund your van life travels without needing to respond to countless emails, work a set amount of hours, or accomplish tasks for your boss. As a real estate investor, you can invest in residential properties, commercial properties, or undeveloped land and automatically make money each month – without the added time, effort, or stress of most jobs!

Claire Fleming took time to learn, research, and invest in residential properties while working another full-time job before starting her van life journey (read more about her tips for starting real estate investment here). She makes around $3,000 from her properties each month and says, “I receive a monthly paycheck that I don’t have to invest any of my own time to earn – which is my favorite thing! It’s complete freedom without much of the stress.”

If you’d rather spend your van life days out exploring instead of cooped up in your van working a remote job on a laptop, then consider diving into the world of real estate investing. It may be just the hack you need to see the world in your van and have time during your weeks to actually enjoy it!

9. Kate Zittergruen – Social Media Content Creator

Interested in building a social media presence and monetizing your accounts? Van life lends itself well to making money through content creation because many people are curious about the lifestyle to grow a following, and brands like to work with creators who can get outside and showcase their products in epic scenery.

In addition to copywriting, former van lifer Kate Zittergruen decided to start monetizing her Instagram account to make money on the road as a social media content creator (you can check out her Instagram and read more about her journey and advice here). She built up a following on her IG and makes an income through affiliate links, sponsored posts with brands, and creating UGC (user-generated content) for brands to post to their profiles.

If Instagram isn’t your jam, many van lifers have also found success as social media content creators on TikTok or YouTube. Although it takes time to gain traction on whichever platform you choose, content creation is a great way to make some side income in the beginning of your van life journey – and if you create UGC for brands, you don’t even need to have a large following since they’re posting your content to their pages. 

If you are consistent in pitching brands, fostering a community through your account, and improving the quality of your content, you may even be able to make enough for social media content creation to become your sole full-time job down the line!

10. Kristin Hanes – The Wayward Home Blogger

Kristin Hanes, the publisher of this blog, makes her living through this site. Making money blogging does take time, energy and determination to succeed, but is the perfect income for life on the road.

Blogs make money through ads, affiliate marketing (when someone clicks on a recommended product, Kristin gets a small commission), sponsorships and digital products.

Click here to download 10 profitable blogging niche ideas to get you started blogging!

Next Steps

Now that you’ve read the stories of ten different van lifers who make money on the road, hopefully, you can start to envision how this could become a reality for yourself.

Think about your current interests, skills, and experiences. How could you combine these in a way to make a remote income? 

Remember that it’s also okay to start out with a remote position that you may not be the most passionate about as you first get started. With time, you can explore new opportunities, develop new skills, or build your own business on the side.

With some patience and effort, the dream of doing a job you love from anywhere you want to go is certainly achievable!