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June 22, 2020

Best Gig Economy Websites for Earning Extra Income

If you’ve been receiving our emails for a while now, you already know that we’re huge fans of the concept, “It’s not what you earn, it’s what you save.”

But if you’ve already cut your expenses down to the bare minimum and you still need extra income to make ends meet or to put real dollars away for travel or other savings, taking up a side gig can be a great way to pile up extra money.

And in recent years with the advent of more and more gig economy websites, there’s no better time than the present to do just that.

With this in mind, we’re sharing our favorite websites for earning a little (or a lot) of extra cash.

  1. Upwork connects business owners with professionals in a wide range of industries. Web and mobile developers, designers, writers, admin support, customer service, marketing and accounting are their main categories, but there are numerous others. Freelancers set up one profile that best defines them, and they can search and apply for any number of projects or positions.

  2. Fiverr is another amazing resource for those looking to dip their toe into the gig economy space. Fiverr claims to be the largest network of freelancers globally, and the site offers freelance jobs both in the creative and traditional business space.

  3. FlexJobs offers a curated list of work from home jobs that are both full-time and part-time, and users can search for jobs that are 100% remote. Jobs listed on this platform tend to be more robust, career positions and less one-off projects as offered through some of the other gig economy sites. This might be a great option for someone looking for a full-time career change along with added stability. As the jobs are pre-screened and scam-free, job-seekers must pay a monthly or annual fee to use the site in entirety. You can, however, browse job options for free.

  4. Freelancer.com users can search for fixed or hourly projects in a diverse range of job opportunities. On this platform, employers and businesses post jobs that you, the freelancer, then bid on. The winning bid wins the job.

  5. TaskRabbit allows job seekers to search and apply for tasks in their skillset, and the options are pretty much everything under the sun. Fix a toilet, move a couch or deliver office supplies, and you’ll be on your way to earning and saving extra money.

  6. Behance is geared toward creatives such as photographers, graphic designers, artists and illustrators. Organized by specialty, creators can upload online portfolios to showcase to potential clients. You can also search and apply for work directly.

  7. Gigster is a great option for those looking for jobs in IT, especially software development. If you’re knowledgable in this area, this is a great way to get into some seriously lucrative work.

  8. Guru is akin to Upwork and some of the others in that it’s free to join, post a profile and search for jobs. But we like how their job categories breakdown into subcategories for easy job searching. This makes it incredibly time-saving to search for jobs that best match your skillset.

  9. Thumbtack is a great resource for job-seekers looking for more local and often hands-on job opportunities. These are perfect for carpenters, haulers, handy men/women, but there are also many options for creatives such as photographers and website designers among the many offerings.
 

Puglia, Italy at sunset. Travel photos from destinations we want to visit helps motivate us to save. Find the places you want to travel to and start a bookmark folder on your desktop.

Photo by Andrew Mayovskyy - stock.adobe.com
 

10. Takelessons is a great place to connect with those wanting to learn from whatever amazing skills you possess. The site boasts $50m in earnings from teachers and connects learners with teachers either in person or online… or both! Popular topics of expertise include language instruction, music lessons and art instruction.

11. Wyzant connects online tutors with learners for private one-on-one lessons. With over 75,000 qualified instructors in its database, Wyzant claims to have the greatest number of tutors in the US. Still, they’re also one of the most utilized resources for those seeking tutoring, so if this skillset aligns with yours, it’s worth applying and exploring the options.

12. TranscribeMe! is an online transcription service providing ultra-accurate transcripts to clients around the world. One of the highest-rated transcription companies for both workers and clients, if you have solid typing skills and an excellent command of grammar, you can earn several hundred dollars of extra income monthly.

13. Rover matches pet sitters and walkers with clients locally. Users set their own schedules and prices and can offer any combination of services and pet preferences. Does walking a friendly Golden Retriever sound like a great way to earn extra income? Then this option might be a perfect weekend side gig for you to consider.

14. Etsy has long been a popular alternative to big brand stores to both discover and sell everything from art to hand-crafted furniture to vintage collectibles. If you’re an artist or creator looking to sell your work, Etsy can be a great way for you to connect with buyers all around the world.

15. Adobe Stock is a great stock agency option for photographers to sell their work, especially for those who produce video. Creators are paid a 33-35% commission based on the price of the content sold, and videos, generally speaking, seem to be priced higher than individual images at the moment.
 

Maybe this is you exploring Koh Lipe island in Thailand. One can dream, right?

Photo by stryjek - stock.adobe.com
 

We hope this email has sparked some new travel savings inspiration!

To explore recent email topics, visit our Motivate Mondays Archive.

Also, check out our recent travel piece on The Baldpate Inn. This historic Colorado inn houses the world’s largest key collection, which also curiously grew amid the Great Depression.

Interested in fun new ways to invest? Check out our favorite financial technology leader Acorns.

Stay safe and happy exploring,

Vincent and Elaine

Founders, Travels and Curiosities
 

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