Recent years have seen the rise of the Digital Nomad; those lucky few self-employed thrill-seekers who travel the world with a laptop in their backpack, and think that working 9-5 is for suckers.

I’m sure you’ve heard all about them and you’re probably wishing you could do likewise. Being able to go where you please, when you please, and call nobody boss is a fantastic lifestyle in theory, but how does it work in practice?

We’ve looked at many different ways to earn money while you travel, including blogging, freelancing, and other ideas for jobs you can pick up on the road, though today we’re going to focus on setting up a business, and specifically, how you can build a thriving online travel marketplace.

Why Set Up an Online Marketplace?

Blogging and freelancing can bring in the cash, but then who wants to live in paradise if all you do is work indoors on a laptop all day?

Blogging can be very time consuming and freelancing can be very stressful. Not only do you need to stay connected to ensure your work is completed on time, you also have to spend a lot of time managing your clients, not to mention making sure you get paid in a timely fashion.

For this reason, one of the best business models is putting the effort into a niche site, or online travel marketplace, where you can target affiliate marketing and third party sales.

After putting in hard work at the beginning and building your brand, once you start to gain momentum with your business you can set it and forget it, and enjoy your travels out in the fresh air! As the marketplace owner you earn a set fee for every order your sellers receive.

How to Set up a Travel Marketplace

First things first, you’re going to need to decide what you’re going to sell. Will you build a marketplace for accommodation, car rentals, tickets and events, tour bookings? Perhaps you’re thinking about a platform dedicated to photography tours and workshops.

After you’ve decided on your niche, you’ll need travel marketplace software like Travelshift to set everything up.

Recommended Travel Marketplace Software

Currently, Travelshift is the only marketplace software solution catering to the travel industry. It’s effortlessly easy to use, and offers great marketplace features which include unparalleled flexibility, and full control over your own products, sales and services. You receive a customisable store front inside your marketplace, and it is optimised for testimonials and reviews too.

The software also includes a built-in blogging platform that allows you to manage a native community of writers to populate your site with relevant, shareable articles. This all adds up to a vibrant, creative marketplace where sellers will struggle to do anything but succeed.

After you have your platform up and running, you can use Travelshift to recruit brands and start selling! Building a local marketplace or focusing on specific experiences worldwide with unique product lines is a brilliant way to make money while traveling the world.

INSPIRED? PIN THIS TO YOUR TRAVEL PINTEREST BOARDS ↓

We’ve looked at many different ways to earn money while you travel, including blogging, freelancing, and other ideas for jobs you can pick up on the road, though today we’re going to focus on setting up a business, and specifically, how you can build a thriving online travel marketplace.

We’ve looked at many different ways to earn money while you travel, including blogging, freelancing, and other ideas for jobs you can pick up on the road, though today we’re going to focus on setting up a business, and specifically, how you can build a thriving online travel marketplace.

Megan is an Australian Journalist who has been travelling and blogging since 2007, with the main aim of inspiring others to embark on their own worldwide adventure. Her husband Mike is an American travel photographer, and together they have made the world their home.

Committed to bringing you the best in adventure travel from all around the globe, there is no mountain too high, and no fete too extreme! They haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on their list.

Follow their journey on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.