How I Earned Income While Traveling Full-Time in February

Welcome to the February business report. Each month I share how I earned money online while traveling full-time and what I worked on. This update summarizes February’s progress, lessons, and plans.

If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you might wonder why I publish monthly business reports.

This began as my “extra income report,” focused on money from side jobs. At first I included every income source except my day job. I left my position as a financial analyst in October 2013, and these monthly reports have since evolved to cover the many ways my business generates income.

Some readers have asked why I publicly share what I work on each month. While opinions vary, I enjoy publishing these reports for three main reasons:

Before I discovered blogging and side hustles, I didn’t realize how powerful extra income could be. I likely would never have tried side hustling if others hadn’t openly published their income reports. I publish my monthly reports to show the possibilities and to motivate others to improve their finances by earning more.
Publishing monthly business reports helps me reflect, learn from mistakes, and spot areas that need improvement. These reports are a tool for tracking progress and staying accountable.
I want to show that making extra income legitimately from home is possible. There are many real ways to earn money online, and sharing my experience helps demystify the process.

I say this often because it’s true: being my own boss as a full-time blogger has changed my life. I look forward to each day and genuinely enjoy waking up every morning.

These reports are meant to show that you don’t have to hate your job or life. You can make changes that free up time for the things you enjoy, whether that’s spending time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies, or traveling more.

Quick reminder on last month’s announcement

Earlier I announced a shift in these updates: they are now “Business Reports” rather than purely income-focused posts. If you missed it, see the post titled “How I Made Over $1,500,000 In 2018 – Is This The End Of Income Reports?”

After years of publishing exact monthly numbers, I decided to stop including the raw figures. Instead, I’ll share how the business is doing, goals, insights, and progress. The content and transparency remain similar, but the specific dollar amounts will no longer be published monthly.

If you want historical numbers, I have published income reports for several years and archived them for reference.

I don’t expect this change to significantly alter the value of these updates. I will continue answering reader questions, discussing projects, and sharing lessons learned. The format may evolve while I experiment with this new direction. If you have suggestions for topics or structure, please leave a comment.

How was business income in February 2019?

I’m no longer publishing exact monthly numbers, but I included a pie chart so you can still see income sources. The primary income streams for the business are:

Affiliate marketing – the largest share of income.
Sponsored partnerships.
Courses, including the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course and Making Sense of Sponsored Posts.
Display advertising, managed through partners like AdThrive (Mediavine is another popular option).

For those wondering whether removing numbers affected traffic or audience engagement: after a couple of months it appears not to have had a negative impact. Traffic and email growth remained steady, and most readers understood the change.

Overall, February 2019 was a strong month for Making Sense of Cents. The business continues to grow, and I’m excited about the ideas I have for the year. I’m grateful for how the blog supports the lifestyle I want to lead.

Below are a few notable past income reports and milestones, included for context and to show the blog’s progression over the years.

$672 extra in May (2012)
$6,523 in January extra income (2013)
$11,927 in October income — I finally left my job (2013)
$12,640 in January income (2014)
$23,758 in February income (2015)
How I made $300,000 online in 2015
How I made $979,321 in 2016
How I made $1,536,732 in 2017
How I made over $1,500,000 in 2018

If you’re interested in starting a blog, I created a tutorial that explains how to start a WordPress blog affordably. Going self-hosted was a turning point for my blog and is essential if you plan to monetize and appear professional.

Exploring via dinghy (our small boat) in February.

Blog and life updates

February was a fun month of travel and exploration. We sailed from Bimini to Grand Bahama to the Berry Islands and enjoyed the freedom of life on the water. We’ll continue exploring the Bahamas for several months—there are over 700 islands, so plenty to discover.

I had taken a lot of time off since leaving St. Pete, Florida. I worked ahead to allow for travel, but by late February I needed to catch up as a backlog formed and the blog required full-time attention again.

Many readers have asked how I manage to work while traveling. Internet in the Bahamas has surprised me: our new provider, MyIslandWifi, has provided reliable, unlimited connectivity for around $75 a month, which has made remote work practical and enjoyable while sailing.

Below are other business and blog updates from February:

I’m just over a month ahead on blog posts; my goal is to be 2–3 months ahead to reduce stress and create space for travel and life.
Monthly traffic was roughly 500,000 page views.
I’m developing a series of practical financial tutorials for readers—topics like opening bank accounts, finding online banks, and building investment accounts. If there are specific topics you’d like covered, let me know.
The Making Sense of Cents Facebook community group continues to grow and now has over 14,000 members, offering peer support across finance, blogging, travel, and business topics.
I released a free “How To Start A Blog” email course; over 50,000 people have already signed up. Based on its success, I also launched the free “Master Your Money” email course with practical lessons and worksheets.
Free resources include guides such as “10 Easy Tips To Increase Your Affiliate Income” and “8 Easy Tips To Make Money From Sponsored Posts On Your Blog.”

Popular new posts last month:

How I’ve Made Over $1,000,000 From My First Course Without a Big Launch
12 Free Resources To Grow Your Blog Fast
Living Your Best Life Starts With No More Excuses
Want To Make An Extra $100 A Month? Learn How To Become A Mystery Shopper
Want To Be A Full-Time Traveler? 13 Ways To Make It Happen
The Very Honest Truth About Going Full Time With My Side Hustle
Save More At The Store By Avoiding These Common Sales Techniques
Work, Live, and Travel Where You Want
9 Ways To Successfully Balance School And Work
How Our Family of 5 Went from House Poor to Debt Free in 3 Years

Featured question: If blogging is so great, why doesn’t everyone do it?

I answer one reader question each month. A common theme I hear is: “If blogging is so easy and lucrative, why don’t more people do it?”

Blogging is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s real work. Not every new blog succeeds—many bloggers quit after a few months. For me, it took about six months to earn my first $100; today my income is much larger because I persisted and kept learning.

Success requires consistent effort, time, and often a passion for the niche or for what blogging enables you to do—whether that’s travel, family time, or a creative outlet. Recognizing that blogging is hard puts you ahead of many people who assume it’s an effortless path to wealth.

When I started, I felt lost and had to learn many things the hard way. Those early challenges are common, and persistence plus continuous learning is what leads to progress.

Past featured questions

Is it too late to start a blog?
How much does it cost to start a blog?
How do I increase my affiliate income?
Do I need millions of page views to make money blogging?
How do you build websites up to sell them?
Do only celebrities make money from websites?
How much money can a person make blogging?
Where does blog income come from?
Is there room for new bloggers to make money?
How can a blogger increase their page views?
Should my blog be self-hosted?
What blogging tools or resources do you recommend?
What should you do when a blog post goes viral?
What is affiliate marketing?
What did I learn from launching my course?
How to handle blogger burnout?
How can blogging conferences help?
Why does a blogger need an email list?
Where do you get your blog photos?
What are easy affiliate programs for new bloggers?
What blogging ebooks and courses do you recommend?
Did I start my blog to make money?
How do you plan and manage new blog posts?
How should someone choose a blog name?
How can a blogger make more money around the holidays?
How do you manage accounting and taxes for your business?
What are common blogging mistakes?
What should I blog about?
How can I learn to use social media for my blog?
How to handle a blogging slump?
What’s the best topic to write about to make money blogging?
How to build relationships and network as a blogger?
How to come up with ideas for new posts?
What are the top things I’ve learned recently?
Can a new blogger start with sponsored posts?
Did I ever expect to earn this level of income?

Plans for the blog and business

Having clear goals helps keep the business on track. Current priorities include:

Get at least three months ahead on blog posts. Being well ahead reduces stress and allows time for travel and life.
Work less than 30 hours per week. I’m mostly under this target, but some weeks require long hours. I’m aiming for better work–life balance.
Be more present. My main 2019 goal is to enjoy life more and focus on being present while traveling and sailing. I love running the blog, but I want this year to have more balance toward life beyond work.
Have fun. It’s an intangible goal, but one I’m prioritizing for 2019.

Affiliate marketing results

Affiliate income in February was average. Most of my time was spent preparing for a big annual affiliate launch in March, which is typically my best month for affiliate revenue. Affiliate income generally rises from March through June as readers focus on financial goals in the new year.

Areas I’m working on to improve affiliate results include:

Learning and applying SEO techniques after being inspired by a guest post that highlighted a successful SEO template.
Exploring Facebook ads to amplify affiliate promotions.
Building a high-quality funnel to nurture readers and maintain engagement during travel or times with less reliable wifi.
Planning affiliate promotions for the first half of the year to stay organized.
Working to grow traffic, which has plateaued recently.
Analyzing popular affiliate content to improve conversion and discover new products that fit my audience.

I’m grateful for affiliate income, which supports a flexible, travel-friendly lifestyle even when I spend less time on daily business tasks.