Sharing is caring! That’s what we are taught from a young age. Sharing is good, sharing is great, share what you have and make the most out of it (even though you want it to be yours).
Now days the Sharing Economy is the term of the hour, it seems that we can all quit our jobs and make a living by sharing what we have — sharetopia!
Are you ready to share? Start by clearing out a room in your house (or even a couch, like this $15 a night stay in NYC). If you are lucky enough to have an amazing house in a touristy site, you can easily rent out your dream house for thousands of $$ (it’s easier if you happen to own a nice chateau in the Loire Valley, that goes for $4500 a night, do you?)
Besides AirBnB there are plenty of other sites that provide a similar service, each of them with their benefits, here is a comparison of different sites .
Now that we got a few bucks from the house, what about your wheels? Why not rent them out? Or even better, drive some people around for a bit of extra cash.
Everybody has heard of Uber and Lyft, and besides the legal issues that are currently arising around the world (in some countries it’s illegal to drive for pay without proper license and training), it’s not a bad way to make an income. You get to meet new people (ever heard of a non chatty taxi driver?), see the world (alright, the neighborhood) and enjoy some fresh air (conditioning). Contemplating which service is better? read what this driver has to say for a bit of an enlightenment.
Don’t like driving, but still want to make good use of your car when you are not using it? How about renting it out to total strangers?
Check out this woman that made over $12,000 by letting go of her precious 4 wheels on relayrides. However beware, this new industry is not flawless or fee of problems, as this unfortunate story tells.
It’s quite clear that renting out things of great value such as your car & home, can come with a price. Not everyone wants to let strangers stay in their bed, or drive people around. There is also a huge legal question that has yet been answered, pertaining both to liability if something goes wrong and the basic legality of these type of business transactions in regard to licensing (can anyone just open a hotel anywhere they want?)
Do you live in a touristy area? Lucky to have a view of the Eiffel from your window? Take advantage of your local knowledge and join the travel industry. A whole realm of possibilities opens up.
You can become a local guide with vayable, invite people into your home to cook them a meal with eatwith or simply help people with planning their trip on Voyjer. Each of them offering a different level of commitment and interaction with travelers, just pick the one that’s right for you.
There are other options for working from home and being part of a community. You can rent your service as a personal assistant on one of the freelance sites. Just run a quick search on elance to see what is being offered. If you have the skills for the job, could be a great “work at home” gig.
Talking about gig’s, fiverr is probably the busiest gig market out there (they claim to have coined the phrase). Today they allow many gig’s to go way beyond the original $5 intent (plus they just added an annoying handling fee, boo fiverr!), allowing many sellers to make some real money (yeah! 20 bucks!)
So, are you ready to launch a new career in the new brave world of online market places?
