Back in the days before the Internet (how did we ever survive then?), you either traveled or you ran your business. It didn’t work to do both: if you wanted to run your business and travel, you had to hire someone to look after it while you were away. (It still happens: one of my favorite Greek restaurants closes down for a month each year while the owners travel).
But now, we can run our businesses on the road. All we need is a trusty phone line and a laptop. In this list, we’ve given you some businesses that are “at- home” businesses related to travel.
1. Travel agency. This is the only business in our list that actually requires you to spend more of your time at home. True, you won’t get to travel at much, but you may be able to do some traveling and you could get plenty of ideas about where you want to go (and maybe some discounts from vacation providers intent on wooing you).
2. Tour organizer. If you like to travel and are passionate about traveling for free, organizing a tour could be the right business for you. If you don’t want to go to far or you just want to get your feet wet, try organizing a tour of seniors to a nearby casino or to a series of historical sites. Once you develop some experience, why not put together packages and accompany your target niche to your favorite travel destination and give them the tour you’ve always wanted to take yourself.
3. Freelance travel writer. Good freelance writers can earn a good living and as a travel writer, there’s a good chance that a large portion of your travels will be tax deductible. So who do you write for? There are many magazines that will pay to hear about far-distant places. The National Geographic, for example, has a series of magazines (including their famous National Geographic, but also National Geographic Traveler) and they pay very well.
4.Importer/Exporter. The name sounds pretty unwieldy, actually. All you’ll be doing is finding products abroad that has some appeal at home. As you travel, just pick up things you like, and then buy two more of the same item. Pack them all in a big suitcase and when you get home, throw a party to show slides of your trip. Lay out the products on a table and there is a good chance people will pay you for them (don’t forget to mark them up a little!). If this is successful, do it on a slightly bigger scale, setting up a table at a flea market, or giving a talk at your local library. This kind of importing/exporting is much easier and grows naturally on its own; it’s not as scary as buying a freight container of products and fighting with customs to get it shipped.
5.International Business Consultant. This is a particularly good opportunity for the older traveler who has some experience in the business world, and a few connections. Advertise your services abroad in magazines like The Economist and specialize in helping foreign companies do business with Americans. This kind of business may not always take you to tropical beaches, but you’ll get to see different parts of the world on someone else’s dime (… or peso, or yen, or euro, or…)
