Unfortunately there's no getting away from the fact that we all need money even when living the van life, there are still things we just can't do without like food, fuel, toiletries, medication etc .
If you are looking to quit your full time job to be able to travel as much as possible then there are a few different ways you can earn some extra cash:
#1 YouTube
YouTube is the first way of making an income whilst living the van life that most people think of, however whilst you can generate a good income from YouTube it does take a long time to get established, to get the amount of subscribers needed to make all the hard work worthwhile but if you stick to it, you can make a good living from it.
YouTube isn't always an option though for a lot of people as they simply don't want to share their life with the rest of the world, they are not confident in front of the camera or don't want to spend the money on a decent camera, laptop etc that is required.
#2 Etsy
Etsy is a great way to earn that much needed extra income whilst living the van life, especially if you enjoy creating things.
You can sell pretty much anything you can make on Etsy, from candles to jewellery and everything in between.
The good thing about selling handmade items on Etsy is that it allows you to fill your day with crafting, to keep yourself busy which is great as you will get a real sense of achievement and the end of the day.
Another plus is the fact you can do this anywhere at anytime, it doesn't matter if its throwing it down with rain outside and your stuck inside your campervan all day, on the other hand if its a boiling hot day you can find somewhere nice and shady to park up and sit outside and work at your own pace.
So if you enjoy crafting we can highly recommend joining Etsy, cheap, fun and rewarding.
#3 eBay
Another obvious way of making money whilst living the van life is eBay, sell those unwanted items, or what a lot of people do is they will pop into charity shops, £1 shops and supermarket's and head straight for the discounted section grab some bargains and pop them on eBay for a quick profit.
Although eBay is a great way to make some extra money don't forget that there are fees and postage to take into consideration.
#4 Photography
If you are a budding photographer and have a half decent camera the option is there for you to be able to sell your photos online.
This is a great option if you really enjoy it but it is a very competitive sector with a huge amount of competition so you really will have to use your imagination and come up with something unique.
#5 Surveys
Surveys have been a very popular source of income for many years now, although individually you don't get a very large amount of money for each survey if you join up to as many programs as possible and complete as many surveys as possible you'll be surprised at just how much money you could have at the end of the month.
#6 Affiliate Marketing
Probably one of the most common and effective ways of producing a regular income whilst living the van life is to become an affiliate.
The options for this are virtually endless, most websites that sell products online will offer you the chance to become an affiliate of theirs, what this means is they will supply you with a link that you simply copy and paste into your website/Facebook/twitter/blog etc etc and when someone clicks on your link they are taken to the product for sale, if they buy the product then you are given a commission, a percentage of the item price.
Without a doubt the most popular affiliate program to join is the Amazon affiliate program as you can buy virtually anything on Amazon and its a company that has trust around the globe.
Another good thing about being an affiliate is you do not have to worry about holding stock and arranging delivery of the items as this is all taken care of by the company you are affiliated with.
#7 Freelancing
This is a great opportunity where you can offer your services with many options including:
Logo Design
Translation
Illustration
Website Creation
Voice over
Content Writing
And there are trusted websites you can join and offer your services on including:
Fiverr.com
freelancer.com
upwork.com
#8 Blogging
If you enjoy writing then creating a blog would be an excellent choice for you, you can blog about anything but you'll find it a lot more beneficial if its about something you are passionate about, a hobby or your daily life.
You may be wondering how you can make money from writing a blog but its really easy, just insert affiliate links in for products that are related to the blog, for instance if you are writing about a camera you can insert an Amazon affiliate link to the camera that readers can click on to purchase and earn you a commission.
One of the most popular and FREE blogging platforms to use is WordPress, its packed full of features and there are thousands of "how to" videos on YouTube.
#9 Continuing your current job
If you are in the fortunate position of being able to continue your current job whilst living the van life then this would be perfect!
if you work online and your boss would allow you to "work from home" then all you really have to worry about is a secure, reliable internet connection.
As long as you don't do anything too demanding your 4g/5g would normally be enough but if you do require a more stable connection there are always choices like the local McDonald`s or Coffee shop etc.
#10 Good old fashioned hard graft
Yes that's right, actual physical work!
There are plenty of options available when it comes to "working" for your money, ask in any local pubs, cafes and restaurant's if they need any help for the day, you may end up washing plates but hey beggar's can`t be choosers.
Fruit/Vegetable picking is a great way to make some extra cash, its may be more of a seasonable job but there are plenty of fruit and vegetable farms across the UK that would be more than happy to hire you.
Well we hope you found this a little helpful and its given you a few ideas on how you can live van life in the UK and still earn enough money for those essentials and the odd treat.