The term “digital nomad” has become so synonymous with van life that it can feel like the only way to make a nomadic life possible is by finding a remote job. But that simply isn’t the case!
While jobs like digital marketing, graphic design, virtual assistance and building freelance websites are a good way to make money on the road, there are plenty of in-person jobs available for van lifers, and lots of people out there are making their living doing non-remote work.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best non-remote jobs available to van lifers who don’t want to become content creators or have a strong online presence.
Table of Contents
Seasonal/Tourist Jobs
Lots of places that you will want to travel to on your van life journey are tourist locations. Places like national parks, beach towns, resort areas and even big cities cater to tourists, and they need workers to fill tourist roles during peak seasons.
Beyond tourist jobs, there is plenty of other temporary or seasonal work available, in both remote locations and busy urban centers, at all times of the year. Outbound Living showcases lots of great opportunities for seasonal work.
Workamping
Workamping is the term used for people who live full-time at a campground during the busy season and act as the campground host. You may be provided lodging, or you will be given a spot to park or set up your tent.
Campground hosting duties can involve collecting fees, basic maintenance and cleaning of the facilities, helping campers find their way, being able to answer basic questions about the surrounding area, and chopping and selling firewood.
Ski Resorts
For van lifers looking to work during winter months, ski resorts provide some of the best van life jobs available. If you’re an avid skier, positions for instructors are open and pay well, and give you a chance to get out on the slopes every day!
You don’t have to be a ski bunny to take advantage of ski resort jobs. Most resorts have restaurant, spa, retail, hotel, transportation, and administrative roles that need to be filled too.
Holiday Retail
If you plan to spend the holidays in an urban center, consider picking up some temporary work in retail. Shops get busy around the holidays, and are always looking for extra help leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The best part about these jobs is that they require no formal qualifications, very little experience, and can be performed by anyone. If you’ve spent all summer living life remotely and enjoying your van life adventure in the great outdoors, winter can be a nice time to switch up the scenery and head to a city center where there are more amenities.
Farming
Nomad campers are often welcome on farms, especially during harvest or planting months. There are even websites available like WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) to help you find work on farms all around the globe.
Farm support opportunities for nomads typically involve a lot of manual labor, so you need to be in good physical shape to take advantage of this role.
Handyperson Services
If you’re reasonably handy, apps like TaskRabbit and websites like Craigslist can be great ways to find work in a pinch in a new location. In fact, many jobs listed on Taskrabbit don’t even require an expert handyperson. There are delivery roles, odd jobs, babysitting gigs, pet sitting, house sitting…the list goes on!
Taskrabbit and other apps like it (Thumbtack, Handy, Nextdoor, etc.) are a better bet than Craigslist because the people who post jobs must go through a background check and be thoroughly vetted (as must anyone picking up work on these apps.) Craigslist can certainly work for picking up odd jobs (as can Facebook Marketplace and other social media sites) but be careful about how and where you meet people.
Events and Festivals
Similar to seasonal work, events and festivals offer great opportunities for temporary van life jobs. In fact, some van lifers plan their van life experiences around events! Summer is usually the busiest time for things like music festivals, film festivals, and other large events, but many towns have smaller events like beer festivals, pet adoptions, etc.
The best part about these events is they are usually annual or even bi-annual, so if you pick up work one year and do a good job, there’s a strong chance you’ll be hired again the following year. It’s certainly not unheard of for nomad campers to make working festivals their van life career.
Check out @trekswithbeks on Instagram for information on temporary, seasonal, and event work for van life.
Warehouse Work
Warehouse jobs are often seasonal, and warehouses tend to have a fairly high employee turnover rate. Big companies like Amazon and Walmart are always looking for new people to work in their warehouses.
Be aware that warehouse work can be grueling and underpaid, and that there are complaints about the conditions that companies like Amazon maintain for their workers (this is partly why they have such high turnover.)
We don’t recommend warehouse work as highly as some of the other positions on this list, but it is certainly an option if nothing else pans out.
Supporting Your Nomadic Life
While online jobs that provide passive income and leverage photography skills sound like fun in theory, the reality of these remote positions is that they aren’t for everyone. They require a reliable internet connection, a strong online presence, and experience in remote businesses. Some van lifers simply don’t have the means to acquire those things.
Besides, part of the fun of van life is getting out in the world! Meeting people, being outdoors, getting involved in a community, and making friends. It’s much easier to do that working in a restaurant at a ski lodge than it is sitting in your van behind a computer screen.
If you’re ready to take the plunge into van life, take some time to research the wealth of non-remote work options available. You may be surprised by what you turn up!
