The Singer and the Side Hustle

They say this is the age of the gig economy. Many people drive for Uber or Lyft in their spare time, while others sell lipstick and skin care products. None of this felt right for me. I toyed around with the idea of becoming a health coach, which is a relatively new field, but training for that is pretty expensive. I became friends with a travel agent on a 15-day cruise almost a year ago, and the idea of becoming a travel agent sparked a real interest in me. If I had unlimited funds and didn’t have a cat, I think I could easily travel half of the year. I LOVE home, but traveling is so important to me.

Why would I need a side hustle? Well, even as a full time college professor, I taught extra lessons, took singing gigs, and rented out part of my home on Airbnb. It wasn’t totally out of need that I did this. Extra work kept me busy doing things I enjoy, and it allowed a cushion for my income so that I could travel. This is my last semester teaching at Piedmont College, and I have a good amount of work lined up to keep me busy teaching. However, there is time in the morning or between lessons when I could make money to supplement my income. I started to bug my travel agent friend from the cruise a bit more, and all of a sudden, I was signed up to join her agency, Cherished Memories Travel Co, LLC!

Fortunately, there is no overhead required to start, so I can try it out for a while and see if it works for me. I need clients, though! Most people travel at least once a year, but many people don’t understand why a person would use a travel agent these days. I didn’t either until I started saving a lot of money by using a travel agent. You might get a preferred rate, but it seems more common that you pay the same and get extra perks that you would not get on your own. For example, with a cruise, you often get to choose 1 or 2 perks from a list of 4 or 5, such as shore excursions, free drinks, specialty dining, or free wifi. By booking through an agent, you might get 2 perks instead of 1. This can be a value of several hundred dollars. In a hotel, you might get an upgraded room or other perks.

I am writing this for shameless self promotion but also in the spirit that it might inspire someone to take the leap into a side hustle, whether it is to have extra spending money or fill a gap where extra income is needed.

More information on my travel page. Please like my Facebook page, follow me in Instagram (or click the icons below), or contact me at 404-507-6880 or [email protected]. I would be honored to help you book a dream vacation!