How do people make money abroad?

Most people frown on travelers using charities just to get free room and board.

That's why many charities don't provide it, rather they charge a fee. Many deserving local people would dearly love to get free room and board for work. There is no reason to think that magical white people who can travel have any special skills.

Have a look at Couchsurfing. Possibly WOOFing as well.

I do not understand why people factor in living on charity and living "as cheaply as possible" when talking about travelling. Being poor in a foreign country really sucks (yes I know this from experience).

Surely you must have some skills? Did you know you could apply for a WHV (Working Holiday Visa) for Singapore or Japan? Heaps of Aussies working in Bali and Lombok, surf schools, yoga teaching, dive instructors etc.

Here is my suggestion, I think you will find it sensible but boring:

If you don't need the money, then don't waste your time looking for work and then work for meager pay.

If you need the money, stay home for an extra month or two, earn good money there then enjoy your work-free trip.

Regardless of what you decide to do, have a great trip!

Forgot to answer the question: How do people make money abroad?

Most of us have regular jobs, not much different from what you probably did in Australia. Unfortunately then there is no travelling other than holidays and week ends.

Try workaway.info - it's a work exchange website. I think there's another one called workxchange as well.

One way to cut down on accommodation costs is to stay longer in one place. I do that in Indonesia, and I usually get a good discount for long-term stays.

Happy travels!

I have worked abroad doing a lot of different jobs. You could travel for awhile, then find a job abroad, then travel for awhile then find another travel job and so on and so on. I have met a lot of people who do this and make a reasonable living.

You can make good money from jobs that require travel, you just need to know where to look.

Good luck!

Most people frown on travelers using charities just to get free room and board.

That's why many charities don't provide it, rather they charge a fee. Many deserving local people would dearly love to get free room and board for work. There is no reason to think that magical white people who can travel have any special skills.

This is an excellent point. Unless you have important skills that are in short supply, e.g. nursing, and you truly want to engage in charity work, seeking out a charity for the purposes of gaining free room and board is unethical.

Like a previous poster before said, work really hard at home (weekends, lates, sell old gear) to make a good pot of money. When you start travelling if you choose to live in poverty thats fine, but you will quickly realise that being poor in the third world sucks (people model for those happy Oxfam posters)!
When I first started travelling they were "cheese sandwich" trips, travelling on the bread-line!
Too often I have seen travellers haggling like crazy with a local trying to reduce the price to nothing, even though the "top price" was very little.
Ok............ have you thought about the counties you are going to and what they make there? Can you sell local goods directly on Ebay, saving money for other Aussies ( you would haggle in this instance)? If you go to China this could be very effective, as most stuff is from there (but do your research)! Start your own website in advance of travel abroad, sell new stuff from the new country you visit. You only need NET access.
Take care and happy travelling...its a wonderful world out there!