Making a living whilst living a semi nomadic life style

I have a plan formulating in my head and on various bits of paper to buy a boat and live on it, travelling up and down the waterways of Britain. The stumbling block I keep coming up against in all these plans is how do I make a living whilst moving about?


You people out there have lived a whole bunch of varied lives and probably have loads of ideas on how to do this so I thought I'd ask.

I seriously want to do this and would be grateful for any sensible suggestions.

Thanks

internet business (continuation of...)

become a writer

or a photographer

freelance anything, and accept only contracts in places accessible by waterways... managment trainer? that's what my dad does...

or you can not mind people invading your boat and take them on barge trips (with supervision and a professional driver)

If you plan on travelling on your lonesome, you'll get sick to deaths of locks (at least up north), and you could accidently flood your narrowboat if you fail to keep it away from the surge of water filling the enclosed area up.

Well thank you Lemonkey for those words of inspiration. I'll bear that in mind.

Got any suggestions as to earning a living to go with the doom and gloom?

It's just the truth, locks a nuisance. You need a couple of people to operate them efficiently, some are heavy to shift...

... anyroad, earning a living; you coud offer trips for people in your narrowboat along canals and waterways of interest. Although, insurance might be high if you would plan on taking groups of school-children and whatnot - the compensation culture is still alive and well.

This is probably no help at all, but i have a friend from uni (from japan) she has live in mongolia for a few years, which has a mainly nomadic population. I can ask her for any tips. Shes also lived in america too.

But then britain is pretty damn different to mongolia

Maybe something that relies on the internet (net cafes are poping up everywhere now)? selling things on the net, similar to what you do already with poi stuff...hmm

Would you have to have a PO box for mail?

If I can find a residential mooring as a base to travel from I would have a mail address other than that I would use a relatives as an address or as a last resort a PO Box.

Here are my suggestions:

Make stuff to sell over the internet/Ebay - poi, things out of fimo/clay stuff, cookies/scones by post, arts and crafts things (which you could also sell from your boat
Be a writer - maybe a magazine would sponsor you to write a weekly column on living in a canal boat and travelling around the UK.
Working from home isn't too difficult - my bloke lives in Cornwall, but works for a company in Cambridge. It's just a case of finding someone who is happy for you to be a remote worker.
There are some jobs where being able to be in a different town every few days is actually a benefit, like sales - ie medical sales rep etc.
This link has other links relating to working from home
This one is particularily good if you're thinking of working from home

You've probably found it, but
this link about living aboard looks good.

It's a great idea, and there are loads of options. Go for it!

It's a moot point, Duggery.

I'm buying that boat.

Doc hun, that may well be the case, but I am one way or the other going to become a canal boat dweller. It might not be on the beautiful Leviathan but.........

Thanks for the links DrBoo

Only thing I can suggest is selling bits of everything on the side that you make yourself, jam, hoops, poi, (buy wholesale stuff to) clothes if you know how to sew and knit. If you can get a generator onbored the boat buy a wireless moden and a laptop and work as a website designer, Ive heard that pays well if you can get into it.

if you kept your home you could rent the boat then use it when you want

you could also might be able to use your boat as a shop

agencies

lots of office jobs can be done from home - you just need net

Linden the whole point is I don't want to keep my house. I want to sell up and become a boat dweller. I'd be more likely to only keep the house to rent it out than to buy a boat and rent that out.

skully

I sure wish I could make a living off my poi or busking and singing songs all day.

Alas, *heads off to study at uni for a few more hours.

Good luck! Let me come visit someday

yeah, but also you really could rent out your house... depends if you need it or not to buy the boat....

but if you were to sell your house, well you wouldn't be able to get everything in it on a tiny boat most probably, so you can sell all your furniture also, rake in a bit...

you could also play the lottery...

or busk on your boat... you can be a floating busker entertaining people on the towpaths out for the sunday strolls...

or you could get a mobile phone mast installed and carry signal to places where they don't have it...

or you could kidnap people off the towpaths and charge ransom for their return....

start a waterway postal service, although this may involve somekind of regularity...

become a website designer, and work from home...

or a proof reader....

private tutor of something... internet tutor even....

a canal trip holiday service for dogs with rich owners...

or for owners with rich dogs....

travelling seamstress...

do people's laundry (canal fresh clothes)....

don't earn money but build a minature permaculture garden on the barge so that you can live self sufficiently on fresh organic vegetables...

Look out, i may be back with more... but i can't guarantee they are all practical...

My sister has been living on and off a boat for 5 years now. she loves it. She had the advantage of working at a yacht club for 20 years and fidning her true love who happened to own a yacht.
They pull in and she has no trouble getting all sorts of work. She normally works for a few months at a place doing cleaning at motels or one time on a recyling line. That kept her in clothes as people threw out lots of new stuff. She usually finds that the first crapola job leads to better jobs pretty quickly as she is super effiecient and a good worker.
She often will buy a bike when getting there to get around on. As they are on the ocean its not worth having one on the boat while travelling as it rusts.

Their costs arent too bed but she has had to make a few lifestyle changes. Things like what they buy for the trips and washing as any waste has to be kept on the boat for months while they sail.

Go for it Skully! Damn fine idea.

Can you get a liscence(or whatever is needed) to teach skills in schools. Hoops and poi would be unreal. Hoops might be tricky to transport I guess though but poi might work. There is a fair bit of work in school here. What about sessions in retirement homes as well. make poi from stress balls so they are soft and dont bruise.


Whats the temping work like there. Can you ring ahead to agencies?

Go for it Skully!! Better still come do it in Australia and get jobs in the mining towns

I've met a guy on the Broads who lives by reading Tarot in all the pubs he comes across... boats are great

Yes, making contacts with schools, youtclubs etc. around the country is a good idea. You can travel round to these places and organise workshops.
Also, a floating cafe sounds cool if you get a boat that is big enough. You can have it while you're moored but people could also book in advance to go on trips which you can then charge them for. And combine it with a little onboard shop.
If you're willing to stay moored in a place for some longer time, you can get temporary jobs working in restaurants, pubs etc.

A friend of mine just rented out his house, bought a van and travels the country doing gigs. (He's a magician.)

Good luck,
I love living on my boat.

People pay surrogate mothers about £10,000 a time

ohh me and one of my best mates are planning to do something like this... we're gonna travel round the country staying for 3 or so months in each city we fancy going to and Im really looking forward to it.

we're gonna get jobs and stuff before we get there

1. Become very lucky.
2. Religously enter the lottery.

sorry Skulduggery.

I think web design courses can be pretty expensive.

A mate of my bloke does clubswinging and poi in nightclubs and gets paid for it. He travels about and does a night here, a couple of nights there- you get the picture. I guess he has an agent or something.
:

don't get a narrow boat! Get a converted fishing boat! They're bigger, and you can sail the high seas! Wooooooooooooo! Around the coast and farrrrrrrr away!