You don't need to cut corners in your daily life to fund your next cruise! Here are 5 tried-and-true side hustles I personally use to cover travel expenses. All of these can be done on your schedule, whether you have a full day or just an hour to spare. None of these will replace your day job, but if you spend a few hours each week doing one of these side hustles, you'll definitely see a difference in the size of your travel budget!
Instacart
Instacart is one of my favorite side hustles! As an Instacart shopper, you'll get paid to shop for and deliver groceries. Here's how it works: Whenever you want to earn some extra money, all you need to do is open the app and wait for shopping batches to be offered to you. "Batch" is Instacart's term for shopping trip. Most batches are just one customer's order, but sometimes a batch will include orders for 2 or 3 customers. Some batches will be shopped and then left at the store in a designated area for the customer to pick up, and other batches will need to be delivered. For each batch, you'll be shown the store name, store address, total payment, number of items, and miles between the store and the customer's delivery address. When you see a batch you would like to shop, all you need to do is accept the batch and then drive to the store. The app will guide you through the shopping, check out, and delivery. Two hours later, you can cash out directly to your debit card!
DoorDash
DoorDash works similarly to Instacart, but in addition to groceries, you'll also be delivering restaurant orders. You will need to schedule your shifts ahead of time, but you can always cancel or quit early if you change your mind. Here's how Door Dash works: Whenever you log into your shift, Door Dash will begin sending your offers. Each offer will show the pay estimate, restaurant name and address, and miles to the customer's delivery address. You can decide whether the offer is worth your time and then either accept or decline each offer. Accept the higher-paying offers and reject the lower offers to maximize your earnings! DoorDash offers several options to cash out your earnings, including instant cashouts and weekly direct deposits.
Prolific
Most survey sites are pretty scammy, but this one is legit.
Prolific is an excellent site for participating in academic and research studies. Here's how it works: After you create an account, you can log onto Prolific's website to see what surveys are available. Each survey shows the payment, approximate time commitment, and hourly pay rate. The average hourly rate seems to be around $11/hr but it does vary. After you take a survey, the payment will be added to your payment account and when you reach $6, you can cash out instantly to Paypal. My husband and I both use Prolific daily. Since surveys tend to only take 1-5 minutes, it's easy do several throughout the day, earning up to $25/day with very little time commitment.
Prolific is an excellent site for participating in academic and research studies. Here's how it works: After you create an account, you can log onto Prolific's website to see what surveys are available. Each survey shows the payment, approximate time commitment, and hourly pay rate. The average hourly rate seems to be around $11/hr but it does vary. After you take a survey, the payment will be added to your payment account and when you reach $6, you can cash out instantly to Paypal. My husband and I both use Prolific daily. Since surveys tend to only take 1-5 minutes, it's easy do several throughout the day, earning up to $25/day with very little time commitment.
UserTesting
UserTesting.com connects researchers to real-life consumers (you) and you can earn money by testing websites and apps. You’ll complete tasks while sharing your feedback aloud, often in a screen-recorded session. Most tests take 10–20 minutes and pay between $10 and $60, depending on complexity. All you need is a computer or smartphone, internet access, and a quiet space. For each website you test, you'll be paid exactly 14 days later to your Paypal account.
Userbrain
Userbrain is very similar to UserTesting, except the payment is only $5 per test and the payment is available to you 7 days after you do the test. Also, the payment isn't sent to you automatically. When you have $10 accumulated (2 tests), you can request a cash out.
