Freelancers don't have to be on assignment at exotic locations to enjoy travel perks. You may have to start small but if you can afford to go anywhere that others will find interesting, you can recoup at least a part of your travel costs by writing about the location, your adventures, or both. Add photos and you stand to earn even more.
Planned Vacations
Hopefully, you already have a vacation planned but if you don't, start saving for one right away. Look upon it as a challenge to see if you can get your entire vacation paid for, even if it's after the fact. Even if you just get away for the weekend, chances are someone else will find it as interesting or as fun as you do. If you're able to go somewhere exciting like Las Vegas, you can get enough material for months of blog posts or numerous articles, and dozens of photographs.
What if it has Already been Done?
Let's face it. Everything has "been done." What sells is when you're able to put a fresh slant on an old subject. Your firsthand experiences in Las Vegas are bound to be more interesting and cover more ground than stale articles that are written using Internet research. Just think how many hotels and casinos you can cover with just one trip. Also, because you're there, you'll be able to offer inside information that won't be repeated in countless existing articles. What's more, since you're there, you'll be able to report on anything new.
If you're able to attend a top-notch performance, you'll be able to report on that also. Capture everything you can while you are there: sights, sounds, smells, photographs, and descriptive writings that you can refer back to later. Note new construction and pay attention to what is going on so you'll be the first one to review a new place. Then sit back and collect the revenue that will finance your next trip.
Can't get to Vegas?
Don't worry if you can't see Vegas in your future anytime soon. Go somewhere and review something that you've seen firsthand. If you have a video camera, that's even better. Add a video to your blog or submit a series of short videos to one of those sites that let you earn revenue when others watch your videos. Freelancers learn to capitalize on their personal experiences and weave those experiences into work they later earn money for.
Be a Spectator Everywhere You Go
Learn to be a spectator everywhere you go. You might be surprised what you can find to write about in your own city or town that others will find interesting or useful. Being able to recount or describe something from experience will make your work unique; while it's ok to use stock photos to illustrate your freelance writing, no one else will have the photos you take yourself and no one else will have the exact same experience you do. Consider dedicating one area of your freelance career to travel if that is something you are interested in doing and writing about. You may just earn enough from your first trip to pay for your next one. After that, duplicate your success and you'll find yourself on vacation as often as you like.
One of the greatest advantages to freelancing is that the freelancer has so much more control than if he or she worked for someone else. However, in order for this control to work effectively, individuals who freelance must exercise an enormous amount of self-discipline, which can be challenging to many. While most freelancers learn as they go, learning from the mistakes of others can prevent individuals from making common and costly mistakes.
Research Your Profession
Whether you are a freelance writer, photographer, or freelance in another capacity, you can find an enormous amount of information online that can help you in your career as a freelancer. You can also network with others who are doing the same kind of work you are and learn from each other. Remember, there is no boss to guide you and you can't slip over to the next cubicle to ask questions. Even if you think you are tops in your field, you can learn a lot about the business of freelancing online.
If this is your first time as an online freelancer, you may wonder how much to charge for certain products or services. By doing online research, you can get a good idea of what the going rates are and price your products or services accordingly. You can also learn about other products and services that you can use in your freelance career. Many freelancing opportunities have online communities that you may want to join, which can also help you to develop an online presence.
Keep Careful Records
You'll probably learn a lot about record keeping as you advance in your freelance career but do keep records right from the beginning. The time may come when you discover the perfect software program to aid in record keeping but it's important to have some sort of system in place right from the beginning. You'll want to keep records of all of your expenses as well as your income and you'll want to keep client records organized. This is another area you can learn a lot about online so if you don't already have a system in place, peruse the Internet to see how other freelancers tackle record keeping.
Under Promise and Over Deliver
Get ready for the competition because as a freelancer, you'll have plenty of it. Not only will you be expected to deliver a top-notch product or service but you'll be expected to do it better or faster or cheaper than anyone else does. You'll have deadlines that will cost you customers if you don't meet, you'll have fussy customers that will be difficult to please, and you'll constantly live in the shadow of hundreds of other freelancers that do the same thing you do just waiting to snap up your clients.
Don't even attempt the technological equivalent of the age-old "flat tire" excuse by telling your clients you lost your Internet connection and couldn't complete the assignment on time. They either won't believe you or won't care, and you'll lose clients that way. Sure, Internet connections go down but professionals plan for that and don't wait until the last minute to complete assignments. Deliver your best work on time every time and you will mark yourself as a professional.
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