Taking a vacation can obviously be costly, even if you are headed out with paid vacation time. Between flights, hotels and activities, not to mention eating…vacations can add up, and quickly. Thanks to the recent expansion of the “sharing economy,” there are now ways to make some money all while lounging on the beach, or hitting the pavements in a new city. If you are willing to put in a little time and effort during your time off, it’s possible to make some good money, maybe even enough to pay for the trip itself.

Air travel isn’t the same as it was two decades ago. With so many travelers flying each day, including business travelers willing to pay for upgraded seats, the amount of open seats at the front of the airplanes has diminished drastically. Getting an upgrade when traveling is not an easy feat, but there are a few ways to possibly help your cause that potentially could work. If you don’t try, you’ll never know, and the worst that can happen is you end up in your same seat that you already paid for – so really, there’s no hurt in trying.