How To Fund Your Life of Outdoor Adventure
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Disclaimer Post Script: This will be full of cheesy free stock images. I apologize in advance.
When Tom Waits sang I Don’t Want to Grow Up, he probably wasn’t talking about being a dirtbag. But for all of us who seek fun in the great outdoors, thoughts of settling down can feel unwanted.
Whether we are passionate about rock climbing, thru-hiking, skiing, or what have you, the idea of college, marriage, kids, and mortgages will just put a damper on your life. Right now, you just want to live cheaply and freely, without any baggage that comes with modern living. I know, because I’ve been there.
But hey, outdoor gear is pricey, and you need to find a way to feed and house yourself. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a trust fund, securing cash is tricky. Thankfully, there are numerous side hustles and methods to help you get paid, all the while living out your dirtbag fantasies of traveling, exploring, and adventuring.
The following list is not exhaustive-there are always ways to find money, and people more clever than I can probably think of more inventive methods. I have tried out half of these, with varying degrees of success.
Try some out, because this list of Dirtbag Side Hustles may help you to live the life of outdoor adventure that you’ve always dreamed about.
1. Work in a National Park
If you can spare a season or two, working in a National Park is a great way to make some money, all the while indulging your outdoor hobbies to your hearts content.
National Parks are the crown of America’s public lands. They are beautiful, and full of adventure for any dirtbag. Visitors flock from all over to see deserts, mountains, and wildlife. As National Park visitation grows by the year, so does the need for dirtbag friendly jobs to support this fast growing part of the economy.
National Park Jobs come in two flavors-public, and private. On the public side, the National Park Service employs many people in many capacities. Transportation, Law Enforcement, and more are all roles filled by the government. Naturally, these jobs are highly sought after, and competition among applicants is fierce.
The private side comprises many commercial and customer service positions. Nearly every National Park contracts out these roles to the private industry, who are put in charge of concessions-mostly hotels and food service. These types of jobs are in constant need of fresh bodies, and present an easy way to land a job in a National Park.
Yosemite Dirtbag
Over the course of Summer, 2019, I worked in Yosemite National Park. I was a housekeeper, working at the Yosemite Valley Lodge. The work could be described as being less than glamorous, but it allowed me to climb, hike, and explore the beauty of Yosemite National Park, all the while saving a good bit of cash.
Not only was I able to climb many, many classic Yosemite Valley, and Tuolumne moderate routes, but I wrote hiked, mapped, and wrote a whole series of articles about hiking and climbing in Yosemite.
Most park jobs will provide affordable, very spartan employee housing. Yosemite provided an employee wellness center, complete with WiFi, and a Yoga Studio. Some parks have an employee cafeteria, while others require that you purchase food from park restaurants and stores.
Coolworks is a good place to find National Park jobs. I found my Yosemite housekeeping gig by googling ‘Yosemite jobs’. If you are looking for Yosemite Jobs, save yourself a query, and follow this link.
2. Sell Your Blood Plasma
“…the International Communist Conspiracy to Sap and Impurify our Precious Bodily Fluids”
-Base Commander Jack D. Ripper, Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Flowing through your veins is your blood. It’s that red stuff that seeps from your body when you wreck on your mountain bike, or tear up your hands in awkward jams. It fulfills many roles, the most important of which is to provide nourishment to your cells.
Blood is vital to living, but it is exceedingly valuable for medical research, if you catch my drift. Some vampires, uh I mean, scientists are willing to shell out cold hard cash for the red stuff.
More specifically, they want to get at the clear liquid portion of your blood known as Blood Plasma.
Blood plasma makes up more than half of your blood volume, and contains all sorts of proteins, electrolytes (disclaimer: Gatorade is not blood) and things. It is used by hospitals to treat trauma patients, and by researchers to craft new medicines.
By law, U.S. citizens aren’t technically allowed to sell their own blood. Fortunately for the cash strapped, a loophole exists where patients can be compensated for their time spent donating. Compensation can be fairly generous, with cash payouts often exceeding $50 for a single donation.
In a Plasma Donation Center, medical professionals hook you up to a machine, which proceeds to suck your blood. Instead of taking it all, the machine separates the plasma from the blood. What remains is pumped back into your veins, ensuring that you are not left feeling entirely drained.
The entire process takes about 1-2 hours, and donors are often paid with debit card that gets refilled with funds after every donation.
To find plasma donation centers near you, simply google it, or check out this website.
3. Teach English Online
Hey Native, unaccented English Speakers from the United States and Canada! Would you like to work wherever, and whenever you want? With the magic of high speed internet, millions of Chinese families need you to help them learn english!
By using your impeccable grasp of the english language, you can get paid to teach foreign kids (usually Chinese) how to talk like you!
The best part about this gig? You don’t need to be a certified teacher. Previous teaching experience will help you land the job, though. With fast internet, and a webcam, you can be teaching english in no time at all.
The worst part? Most of these services require that you hold a Bachelor’s degree. Unless you’ve already paid a lot of money to spend 4 years in undergraduate school, then you might not be qualified. But hey! If you have a diploma, then you can make up to $25 an hour, depending on certifications and experience.
Like ridesharing, or food delivery, you can make your own hours, although those are highly dependent on the time difference between North America, and East Asia.
It seems that the most popular online service is VIPKid. Other english teaching services exist, each varying in terms of pay rates, and required credentials. It may be worth your time to do some research to find the best service for you.
4. Flipping
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.
-Ancient Proverb, maybe.
Back in college, Flipping was one of my favorite methods to make some extra cash. It involves buying consumer goods, and selling them for a higher price. Typically these were used items that could be found in thrift stores, garage sales, or in local classified ads.
Flipping comes with a slight learning curve. Beginning Flippers first need to find out where they can source used goods. I had the most luck at garage sales, where it was easy to haggle to get better deals. Facebook groups, craigslist, and thrift stores are other places to find items.
Next, you need to learn what sells, and where to sell it. Some trial and error went into this process. I would buy random items, post them up on eBay, and sit and watch. At first, I lost some money but I soon worked out what would I could peddle for profit.
eBay became my preferred marketplace, as it is one of the widest reaching platforms available. Depending on the item, and your area, platforms such as Mercari, Poshmark, and Offerup can also connect you with potential buyers.
Hint: Try Nerf Guns, Vintage Video Games, rare appliances, and outdoor apparel. I would caution against flipping climbing gear, as you could find yourself in some legal hot water should any safety equipment cause injury.
5. Rent Out Your Adventure Vehicle on Outdoorsy
The dirtbag dream is to live out of your vehicle, right? To live on the open road, going wherever the wind takes you. You, your partner, and your dog are barely getting by in a van that costs as much as the average rust belt 2 bedroom house, Instagram influencing your way through the National Park system. True freedom.
Every so often, though, you want to settle down. Maybe rent an apartment in a cozy mountain ‘burg. Suddenly, your adventure-mobile is sitting all alone, unused and forgotten. More importantly, it’s taking up valuable space that might better be used to house a new fleet of mountain bikes, or kayaks, or bike kayaks (kaybacks?).
Instead of letting your van/RV/overlander go to waste, why not rent it out on Outdoorsy? Outdoorsy is a service that connects RV-owners with RV renters, allowing folks to make some extra cash by renting out their adventure-mobile. It’s like Airbnb, but for Sprinter Vans.
Motorhomes, Trailers, Camper Vans, and more are all fair game. Renters can earn hundreds per night, and your precious van (upon which I’m sure you’ve bestowed a name, because you’re clever) is insured up to $1 million with Outdoorsy’s insurance coverage.
Renting your whip out on Outdoorsy can help you to make extra cash, pay off student loans, or even help you pay off the cost of the vehicle, all with peace of mind that your investment is in good hands.
6. Freelance
Dirtbags are a creative, intelligent bunch, and in the age of smartphones and fast internet, turning your skills into a side income is easy. If you have an entrepreneurial, ambitious side, then freelancing could be the ticket to living your outdoor dream lifestyle.
Freelancing is becoming increasingly common. It is becoming so common, that many believe that in the future, the majority of U.S. workers will become freelancers.
What this implies about the future of the economy, however foreboding, is not the focus of this blog. Instead, with a few in-demand skills, and the right tools, it is possible work entirely remotely, from anywhere on the road. Coding, writing, photography, and social media management can all be lucrative freelance side hustles. Often times, all you need is a laptop, and coffee shop WiFi.
Getting started with freelancing can be tough. Once the ball is rolling, then it becomes easier to find gigs. Good places to start are Upwork and Fiverr. You can also market your skills using social media, or with online advertisements.
7. Get Crafty
She’s Crafty, She’s Just My Type
-Beastie Boys
I can name like, probably 1 or 2 rock climbers what would go nuts over a custom crocheted chalk bag. Or maybe some finger paints or something. Whatever. My point being that if you’ve got raw materials, a little know-how, and an Etsy account, then you can make and sell stuff to help fuel your dirtbag lifestyle.
Can you paint a colorful picture on the front of a Trucker Hat? Can you burn some John Muir Quotes into the side of a bird house? Because if you can do those things, then you can sell them on the internet, and make some good cash.
I don’t have a crafty bone in my body, but Buddha knows how I’ve enjoyed the fruits of others labored. I own a custom, handmade chalk bag that I’ve used for years.
You can sell your wares locally, or on the internet. Etsy may be one of the largest online marketplaces for crafts, where many people make good money. Many alternatives to Etsy also exist.
8. Guiding
Guiding, whether it be backpacking, river, rock climbing, or whatever else, can easily be one of the most fun, rewarding, and sometimes lucrative ways in which to make a living outdoors.
Most outfits require their employees to have a WFR (wilderness First Responder) Certification. A WFR is considered to be the industry standard among emergency medicine certs. Better yet, get yourself in a NOLS WEMT. A WEMT class combines an EMT-B certification with a WFR, making you doubly employable.
Guiding jobs can be found all over the U.S., but they are concentrated around mountain towns. River Guiding is big business in my old hangout of Flagstaff, where several river outfitters call home.
I found, during my brief tenure as an all purpose outdoor guide, that guiding is a great way to get paid to pursue your passions. Outdoor Guides are expected to not only be knowledge and professional, but also friendly and personable. It also helps to sometimes be able to sacrifice some personal comfort for the good of the trip, e.g. loaning out your sleeping pad to a client that lacks one.
If you feel that you personify some of these qualities, then guiding may be a good choice for you.
9. Become a Rideshare Driver
Like giving rides to strangers? Don’t mind scooping puke out of your back seat? Turn these quirks into cash by becoming a rideshare driver.
Driving for Lyft was one of the many gigs that I maintained in college. When I didn’t have a regular part time job, Lyft driving was enough to pay the bills (and sometimes more). Driving for Lyft was enjoyable, as it allowed me to make my own hours, and I was able to meet many interesting people.
Lyft, Uber, and others have some minimum eligibility requirements for drivers. These vary by service, but here is a list of Lyft’s driver eligibility requirements. These aren’t too steep, but if you meet them, then I recommend giving Lyft a try.
Rideshare driving isn’t the best gig for everyone, though. Depending on where you live, you may need to work long into the early morning hours. Your life will revolve around last call, when all the inebriated party goers leave the bars. “Burning the Midnight Oil” is what ultimately led me to quit ridesharing, as I found it difficult to balance studying, with the long hours.
It will also put a lot of wear on your car, and will burn a ton of gas. Since you are a contractor, and not an employee, you will also need to keep track of mileage, time, and earnings for use come tax season.
Also, I’m kidding about the puke. That has never happened to me. Keeping barf bags in your car is a good idea for just such a contingency, however.
Help Me Out! Sign up for Lyft using the Referral Code TIMOTHY46615, and Lyft will pay me a bonus once you complete 105 rides within your first 30 days of Driving.
10. Food Delivery-Postmates and Others
Along with rideshare driving, one of the fastest growing sectors of the so called Gig Economy is food delivery. Like ridesharing, many services enable you to turn your vehicle and work ethic into cash. Essentially, you become a freelance food delivery driver.
I’ve seen many of these services pop up all over the country. Some are nationwide, while some are only available in select regions. Postmates seems to be the largest service. Back in Flagstaff, GoPuff was available to deliver food, drinks, and other “supplies”.
Like Lyft driving, food delivery requires that you meet and interact with strangers. You can make your own hours, which is ideal when you’re trying to spend all of your free time outdoors. Saving up for a trip abroad? Need to replace broken gear? Just work harder whenever you want to. The only boss breathing down your neck, is you.
11.Sell Your Hair
Here is one of the cardinal laws of dirtbagging: there is a positive correlation between length of one’s hair, and level of stoke.
Take a look around any mountain town, and you’ll see what I mean. Chances are good that you are already growing out your hair. What you may not realize is that your hair is basically a gold mine. In a pinch, you can trade it in for a tidy sum of cash.
I grew out my locks for nearly three years before finally deciding to cut them off. I grew tired of having to deal with them. The wind would blow it into my face, and sometimes stray hairs would get caught in a rappel device. I had enough of this tomfoolery, and finally resigned myself to having short, easily manageable hair.
When I finally did decide to lose the locks, I opted to sell them. Many hair stylists and wig makers will pay decent bucks for your hair. Some colors and textures sell for more than others. You can fetch higher prices for possessing the coveted virgin hair-meaning that you have never bleached, dyed, or otherwise chemically altered your hair. Hair is sold by the inch-the longer, the more valuable. I made sure that my head was nice and shaggy before listing it online.
Most mops can catch a few hundred bucks. When I sold mine, I put most of it towards building a trad climbing rack, and the rest went to grocery money.
Numerous sites exist where hair buyers can be connected to hair sellers. I found a buyer on Hair Sell On. Other marketplaces are Buy and Sell Hair, and Just Sell My Hair.
Related: Ready to graduate from the dirtbag lifestyle, but you’re looking for a work life balance that keeps you outdoors? Then check out our list of the Best Degrees for Outdoor Lovers. We’ll help you find a career that fits your lifestyle!
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