If you’d like to learn where you can find work as a nomad traveler, this list will give you 10 places to start! Some of the jobs are remote and perfect for the “digital nomad” while others include getting your hands dirty (and no, I’m not just talking about beet harvest jobs).
If you don’t already have a source of income or are interested in making money while you travel the US, here are some good links to start with. I’ll also give you my thoughts on each. Hopefully, this list will save you some time scouring the internet to find legitimate information. Some of the links will benefit people who want to work a conventional job in an interesting place and others are better for the digital nomad who can perform services online. These sources don’t necessarily fit MY lifestyle because I have existing ways to earn money while traveling. But if you don’t have this set up yet, the sources below might help.
Work for Nomads
1) COOL WORKS
Cool Works seems to be the most popular (and authentic) way to find jobs in interesting places. They have listings for State and National Parks and seem to specialize in seasonal work, all of which would be great for someone looking to stay in one place for a little while. You can also find very remote spots in the parks (um, no internet) if you need a place to be alone or get away from a tough situation.
2) UPWORK
Chances are good that if you have the skills to freelance on Upwork, you’ve already heard of them. But in case you haven’t…
Let’s say you are an engineer, or an accountant, or maybe a writer. If your skill is location-independent, you can hire out your freelancing services on Upwork. Boom, you’re a digital nomad! I’ve hired engineers to make Autocad drawings for me from Upwork. I also had my auto parts business website designed by a Serbian genius I hired through Upwork. It was a good experience, but I’ve never tried hiring myself out there. Of course, when you use a service like this, they keep a bit of your earnings and that is how THEY earn money.
3) USA JOBS
This is the portal to upload your resume and start searching for jobs in the US government. Working for the government sounds like hell to me, but then again, the national parks are part of the government, so…
God knows they have a lot of people “working” for them and there are jobs in every state. These do seem to be mostly “permanent” jobs, but I found a number of seasonal positions.
4) XANTERRA
Xanterra is the company that handles concessions at places like Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone, but they offer more than just food industry jobs. You can work as an interpretive guide or even an HVAC technician at the Grand Canyon. Short of joining the army, Xanterra seems to offer the best way to see the world, while earning a paycheck. Some of the work is seasonal, allowing you to change locations. They also seem to show a preference for people who are already in their system, so the first step is getting an application in with your resume. If you happen to pick Grand Canyon National Park, look for me in the bar…
https://www.xanterrajobs.com/xanterra-live/jobs
5) House or pet sitting
Now why would someone enjoying the vanlife want to stay in a house? It’s a great, low cost way to get a shower and enjoy some premium locations. By “premium”, I’m talking about places where the police pay close attention to overnight parkers. For example, the beach! Bonus points for this one if you like animals because lots of people need good pet sitters. Some of the jobs even pay! I have not tried this one personally, but I know someone who does it and really likes the experiences. The following site is an example of what you can find out there. Good references are a must, so if you are a convicted felon, maybe go back to that government jobs site 😉
https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/
6) DYNAMITE JOBS
Dynamite is a new player, but they focus heavily on working remotely and have, well, a “dynamite” interface! It’s easy to tell at a glance if the jobs are remote because they say “anywhere” right in the title. There are also filters on the left side of the page, which make it easy to narrow things down. At the time of this writing they had about 100 open positions, so not quite as many as the other sites. However, the descriptions of both the responsibilities and the companies are very detailed. I found a tech writing job and wrote some sales copy for them; an easy $200 for a couple of hours of work.
7) WE WORK REMOTELY
Are you a software engineer? Then you have my sympathy (ha!). We Work Remotely has a lot of listings for temporary jobs in the software industry, but it’s much more than that. If you have skills in Marketing, Customer Support, Design, Business Management, or Copywriting, then We Work Remotely is worth a closer look. Anyone listing a job has to pay $299 a month, so I’d expect these jobs to be authentic. This site also lists overseas employers, which can be a plus if you are venturing beyond North America. I plan to actually try this site, so watch for a future article on the subject.
8) FANCY HANDS
Why does the name of this remind me of Spongebob?
How would you like to be a virtual assistant to someone? If you have access to a fast internet connection (a big challenge when working from the road), Fancy Hands may be a good fit. Here’s how it works. Let’s say that I’m flying into town for an important business meeting. In fact, I’m so important that I can’t take the time to make my own dinner reservation or book a room. I can use Fancy Hands to put someone else on the task. Actually, that’s a bit of a snarky summary of what you can do with this service. It really excels when the user has a task that there is no app or easy solution for. I think this would be a fun job for the right person and could lead to a more permanent position. Check out their job description at:
9) FLEX JOBS
The “flex” in Flex Jobs comes from their targeting of professional jobs that have “flexible” hours or work locations. There are also a lot of temporary jobs and some seasonal work. There is a button for the most recently added jobs and the site looks like it is kept up to date. The downside is that there are listings that are a few months old and when I applied for some (as an experiment) the older listings were sometimes filled already. But, it’s definitely worth a look. Here’s a tip: even though the search box says “search jobs” you can put in a location and it will search the area. I tried searching “Santa Ana, CA” and it came up with 22 jobs, including one in adjacent Irvine, CA. Strangely it also lists “full-time telecommute” jobs, which you would think are location-independent. Anyway, you can find anything from management positions to camp counselor spots.
10) CRAIGSLIST
The nice thing about Craigslist is that you can search just about any metro area or region, which fits with the nomadic lifestyle. I found a bunch of campground jobs (some with free sites) after just a 10-minute search. There are a lot of other jobs on there and I’m not just talking about prostitution and drug dealing. It wouldn’t be my first stop, but Craigslist DOES have jobs if you don’t mind sorting through all the garbage. The categories are fairly useless, but with a little patience, you can find things. Just use the same caution you would use with ANY Craigslist transaction.
11) Campgrounds, Direct
This last one isn’t a website (but maybe it should be), it’s more of a strategy. At some campgrounds, you can exchange work for a free campsite. Or, you can offer to write a review for a discount. Unfortunately, I prefer to stay in a national forest if I’m not on free BLM land, so this doesn’t really apply to me. However, if you need full hookups, a conventional campground may fit your travel preference. If you want to work seasonally for a paycheck AND/OR a free campsite, try contacting campgrounds directly. Call them up, or go to the website. Here is an example of one place that I’ve stayed at which has cool facilities and seems to have happy employees. The pay isn’t great, but the location is awesome and they hire people from around the world. I’ve had some great conversations with the workers at:
Palmer Gulch KOA in the Black Hills
I hope these links get you started in finding the kind of work that “works” for you, but let me add one more thing…
Work Philosophy and Work Ethic
I’ve worked for myself for 23 years, sometimes completely on my own and sometimes working for another company at the same time. If you want to see how I make money on the road, you can check out the linked post and video. Along the way I’ve learned some useful bits of advice and here’s a big one:
If your income is not steady, work whenever you can!
Don’t wait until the money is critically low to find a source of income. Think of it as a battery that you need to keep topped up; one which “powers” your travel. In addition to my usual sources of travel income, I’ve also helped people with vehicle electrics and solar at some of the van gatherings and RTR (the Rubber Tramp Rendevous). My background in electronics comes in handy to help people with some of the technical aspects of van dwelling. Your background can serve you as well. Even if you don’t have a formal education, there are things you can do, that others can’t, or won’t. Brainstorm it and keep an open mind….just don’t do anything you’ll regret the next morning!
Oh, and if you really want to work in the sugar beet industry, here’s a link 😉
https://www.theunbeetableexperience.com/locations/
–Darren at Odyssey Camper
