64 Ways Location-Independent People Earn a Living

Have you ever wondered how you could earn a living that would allow you to live and work anywhere in the world? Many people already living that dream shared the details of how they make a living in the recent Location Independent and Digital Nomad Survey.

64 of their answers are below. The results might surprise you if you thought location-independent people were all bloggers or online business owners.

The truth is that these people earn a living in many different ways. Sure, there are plenty of freelancer writers, consultants and web developers, but there are also professional musicians, lobbyists and land developers on the list.

Check out these 64 real ways people earn a location-independent living:

1. Database consulting for MySQL
2. Sales (other people’s products)
3. Public affairs and public relations working in digital engagement
4. Updating blogs and ghostwriting
5. Through coaching and Consulting Firms LLC, by helping expats and diplomats cope with homesickness and culture shock, staying focused on their goals and overcoming the emotional and motivational challenges of expat life.
6. As a music composer and sound designer along with running an audio production company
7. Website design and audio engineering
8. Through a business that produces ready-made newsletters, sold online to people cross North America
9. Graphic design for a Fortune 500 company
10. As a freelance writer, involving blogging, copywriting, ghost writing and article and e-book writing
11. Affiliate marketing
12. Software development, end user support, training, documentation, database management, project management, technical marketing & strategy and producing travel content
13. As a self-employed webmaster, blogger and travel writer
14. Communications strategy consulting and content development
15. Running a yacht charter company
16. Professional poker player
17. Freelance script writer and script doctor
18. Online community manager, community consultant and entrepreneur
19. Translation and related language services
20. Instructional designer and consultant for large businesses
21. Reporting, copywriting, and marketing consultation
22. Project Manager for an electronic medical records software company
23. Geographical information analysis for research institutions
24. Consulting services for organizational development
25. Selling information products and coaching
26. IT project management and regulatory compliance
27. Web development
28. Senior consultant for a large data services/hardware company
29. Customer service manager for online software company
30. Website design and management with 2 major contracts
31. Sales (conducting phone sales with Skype to contacts in the US)
32. Market research
33. Writing for other people, recording conferences and audio programs and selling “stuff” online
34. Web developer
35. IT systems design and software implementation
36. Creating websites to sell online niche products
37. Freelance translation of technical documents
38. Working as a full-time employee at home for a major IT company
39. Through three websites and some freelance design work
40. Building blogs and websites for small companies and social media consulting
41. International airline/aviation consultant and lobbyist
42. Land development and consulting
43. Affiliate marketing manager and digital marketing consulting
44. Through recurring income from web hosting and support contracts
45. Adjunct professor specializing in online learning (teaching and designing online courses)
46. Consulting, training, and coaching in the fields of new ways of working and information worker performance
47. Professional musician
48. Public relations for creative (advertising, marketing, PR, design) firms
49. Working for a publisher (writing, illustration, photography)
50. College instructor
51. Health and wellness coaching
52. Running a web application with a monthly subscription model
53. Consulting in software development
54. Selling an extension to a popular content management system
55. Working for Matador Network and Where There Be Dragons
56. Arts consulting
57. Business advisor
58. Manage operations of online business
59. Senior IT consultant
60. Marketing coach and copywriter
61. Trading forex (foreign exchange)
62. Owning an internet business
63. Selling online eBooks
64. Running a technology sales website

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. For specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.