Making money on the road

[Jammercraft]

Hello Skoolie nuts!
I have just started to scratch the surface of the skoolie world and was wondering if you full-timers have some good advice for making money while on the road?
My girlfriend and I are looking to buy a school bus this spring/summer and convert to a full time mobile home. We have a few ideas for ways to make money while we are on the road:
-teach yoga/wellness workshops (she is a certified yoga teacher)
-hold sustainability workshops - teach communities how to be more self-sustaining thru small projects (customized to area of the country)
-teach basic carpentry skills - i.e. replacing doors/windows etc (I'm an experienced wood turner, woodworker & carpenter)
-odd jobs/workamping (if all else fails)

I would love to hear from you! How are you guys making it by? How long do you stay parked in one area before moving on to the next?

We figured we would travel for a few days or week at a time, then park for 3-6 months and enjoy an area before moving on.

 

[HolyBus]

I think you will find everyone is different in that regard. Most are keeping the details close to their chest rather than share and lose a share. There are lots of diverse backgrounds involved. Some are techs, woodworkers, metal workers, odd jobbers, retirees, etc. What they do on the road to make ends meet however is as secret as how much they make and it should be. I have no plans to share my info with the internet world and those I don't know. Sorry but somethings are better left unsaid. Nothing illegal but I don't post my bank info and passwords on the net either. Just safe practice.

 

[nat_ster]

No secrets here, I'm not that selfish.

Most the tools and skills needed to convert a bus can be used to make money. The first year I was in business for my self I installed over 20 toilets.

I continued doing small renovations, slowly moving into larger ones as I got more tools.

Then I found a farm that needed a ton of work on their buildings. I have been here for over 3 years and will have work here for at least two more. Best part is the farmer has land to park my bus and shed. My bus is being build slowly as I have time.

To insure I dont run the budget out at the farm, I also outsource other renovations in winter, and landscaping in summer.

Long story short, gain as many tools and skills as you can. Become useful somewhere, and it will insure you have a place to park, and money in your pocket.

In the past I have done everything from computer programming to security on drill rigs in foreign country's.

Nat

 

[Jammercraft]

Thanks Nat! People always need something fixed, and ALWAYS need a toilet! Thankfully I have gained skills that I'm sure will be transferable when I'm on the road and I have a fair amount of tools. I just can't wait to quit my office job and get on the road...but I need a bus first!

 

[ElizaHasAPlan]

I've been working at home for a couple of years now, but I don't have the bus, and I'm not on the road yet. At least I know I'll still be making a living if I want to travel full time.

What I do is Chat/Email based Customer Service and Transcription jobs. All I need is an internet connection, and I can work from anywhere. Including McDonald's

Here are a couple of links for you to check out the opportunities. You'll want to take your time, and read the info. There's a lot of it:

Real Ways to Earn — Work from home and make money online. Only legit jobs listed! - This is a good blog for learning about working from home. The writer also researches many businesses you can get in to for yourself.

Work Place Like Home - This is a good forum, but you have to sign up to read it.

Both places post job leads, and share as much info as they can get on the jobs available. Things like hours, pay, benefits, etc.

Good luck!

 

[Jammercraft]

Thanks Eliza, I will definitely check these out!

 

[ElizaHasAPlan]

OH! Forgot about this one too: Wrap It: Make Extra Money by Using Your Car As a Driving Billboard - The Krazy Coupon Lady

There was another article more recently about this somewhere, but I can't find it. It also included companies that'll pay for your gas instead of paying cash.

Easy money!

 

[jazty]

I do Web and general IT work to keep things going. Usually I'll get retainer contracts of a certain monetary amount that are active until the money is all used up. I like it. Work just pops up out of nowhere, then I usually have a couple weeks worth of break time before more work appears. I supplement the good, well paying contract work with cheaper, small-business websites when things are slow in the summer. This has proven to be a very portable means of employment. Although, it's EXTREMELY hard to get any computer work done when the sun is shining, or when there are new things to explore. That's the biggest problem.
In fact, I just came inside the bus to get paid work done, but I'm sure it won't be long before I find myself back outside chopping firewood It's just too damned pleasant in that big, wide, out-of-doors...

 

[Jammercraft]

Jatzy - that seems like a good skill to have, especially on the road! I'm not sure I would be cut out for IT or web work, but I'm glad to hear people sharing what they are up to. My girlfriend is an amazing writer (though she doesn't believe me when I tell her that) and she would be an ideal candidate for freelance writing, which from what I've read, is a pretty good way to make money.
I have a feeling I will be relying heavily on my woodworking and general maintenance skills, but that certainly isn't a bad thing! I will just be glad to be doing something different every day!
Thanks for the reply

 

[Tango-SKO]

Part of my rationale for building the bus was to create new teaching opportunities. I teach cement sculpting and have been doing two classes a year for about 8 years now. Having the mobility to carry a few tools and set up shop just about anywhere should open up a number of new market areas. And with no motel bills to eat into profits...just fuel getting there, which I spend now anyway.

 

[Seroflorus]

I'm not a yoga instructor so I can speak freely and say she might do well with some downloadable video (very small fee) of her leading someone through poses appropriate for a small space like an RV or office (since she'd be practicing in there anyway!) and you might benefit from something similar in sustainability realm. Passive income, yay! do it once and rake in the dough (ha ha) in perpetuity.

If she goes for this idea, have her buy a domain and get a webpage hosted. use wordpress (or other that allows profiting) as the WYSIWYG program so she can affiliate some GAIA products on her page for even more dinero. blogspot is or was not affiliate friendly. Oh, and have her set up a paypal acct so she can put a 'support me' paypal link on her page (yours too!) Also a great place for her to put some written words...we'd love to benefit from reading her excellent prose!

And a youtube account (she already has one, right?) where she can publish some free stuff to build interest.

good luck and have fun.

for those of us running a website for profit take a look at this article if you want to increase your views (**NOT MY WEBSITE**):
http://www.diybudgetgirl.com/doubled-my-page-views-2-months/

 

[o1marc]

After checking out the many other items found at these government auctions I figure while I'm on the road I can hit up the various auctions, buy stuff for next to nothing and then flip it on Craigslist in the same town while I'm there a day or so. Make gas/living money while tripping around. If you don't sell it by the time you're ready to leave list it in the next town yoy plan on stopping in.

 

[jjhwick119]

Once I hit the road and head to new Mexico, I plan on flipping 1 bus to get some extra cash. May turn into more depending on how it goes. I found a running $1800 shorty last time I was out there and I see $$ when I think back about it now. That Was in November though right before I got interested in skoolies . Probably helped get me more interested after seeing how affordable they were, lol

 

[Whatthefak]

Alot of people would pay to have someone check out a bus in person to know what they are getting, I would

 

[Tigerman67]

I have a friend that is a certified Yoga instructor, she didn't want to rent a studio, but still wanted to do some teaching without having to work for one of the big yoga studios. So she looked around for someplace that would let her rent a large room for an hour or two a couple times a week.

She found the local metropolitan district (Water, sewer) had a large meeting room that normally didn't have anything set up in it when it wasn't being used. I think she was paying $20-$25 an hour to use the room.

I'd check local churches, and government offices, they sometimes will rent out meeting rooms for not too much money. Then you put out some ads on nextdoor or craigslist and get a few students.

I will tell you that my friend was originally doing it for donations, but she found that it was too variable and sometimes she would only get a few students and barely cover the room rent. I think she went to a fixed fee system, but would sell punch cards for like 12 for the price of 10 or something.

She had a day job working IT for good money, but she enjoyed teaching yoga, and some spare cash is always nice, but it wasn't going to replace her IT salary unless she owned a studio and had a huge client base.