Travel Perks for the Freelancer

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.