Updated: July 7, 2026
Can you make money on vacation without falling into “passive income” schemes?
We made over $5,000 while we were on a two-week family trip.
That sounds a little like an infomercial, but it is true.
While our family was on a two-week road trip through Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and the Badlands, we also had a few assets working for us back home. Our camper van was rented out, and our family home had Airbnb guests.
By the time we came back, the income we earned had more than covered the cost of the trip.
Our vacation cost about $4,700 all in. That included food, souvenirs, repairs, tours, boat rides, and the extra things that come up when you travel with a family.
During that same time, we brought in over $5,700.
So, in a very real way, the trip paid for itself.
But this episode is not a “get rich while doing nothing” conversation. We do not worship at the altar of passive income. This is a conversation about stewardship, prudence, creativity, and using what you already have in a way that can bless your family and serve others.
Passive Income Is Not Actually Passive
People love to talk about passive income as if it means money just shows up while you sit around doing whatever you want.
That is rarely how it works.
Renting out an RV, camper van, home, car, tool, or party setup still takes work. You have to prepare the item, clean it, repair it, list it, answer questions, handle bookings, and deal with the unexpected.
In our case, renting out our home meant getting the house ready for guests. Renting out the camper van meant keeping it road-ready, communicating with renters, and handling the practical details that come with RV life.
So no, it was not passive in the sense of “no work.”
However, some of the work was front-loaded. We did the preparation before we left, and then the income came in while we were on the road.
That can be a helpful distinction.
A side income stream may not be effortless, but it can still create more flexibility for your family.
Why We Diversify Our Income
As entrepreneurs, we have learned that it is wise not to rely on only one income stream.
Ecclesiastes 11:2 says, “Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.”
That does not mean every family needs seven businesses or eight side hustles. Still, the principle matters.
Diversifying income can add stability. If one income stream slows down, another one may help carry the load. If an unexpected expense comes up, extra income can soften the hit. If your family wants to travel, save, pay down debt, or create more margin, a side income stream can help.
For us, renting out assets has been one way to do that.
It is not the only way. It is simply one tool.
What We Rented Out
On this trip, we rented out two main things: our camper van and our family home.
Our class C RV came with us on the trip, so that one was not earning money while we were gone. In fact, it needed repairs on the road. That was frustrating, but it also reminded us why we had to keep it in good shape for the upcoming rentals already on the calendar.
Meanwhile, our camper van went out on a rental, and our house had two Airbnb stays.
The camper van brought in about half of the total income from one rental. The house brought in the other half through two bookings.
That is one reason RV rentals can be appealing. They can be simpler to turn over than a whole house because there is less space to clean and prepare. At the same time, RVs break more often, lose value quickly, and require regular maintenance.
A house can have a larger market and rent year-round, but it can also be harder to prepare, especially when you have a growing family living in it.
Both options can work. Both also have trade-offs.
Why We Are Pausing Airbnb
Over the years, renting out our home on Airbnb has been good for our family. We have made over $47,000 by renting it out while we were already gone.
That income helped offset the cost of homeownership.
However, we have reached a point where it has become too stressful for our current season.
With five children, a home gets lived in. Things break. Walls get dinged. Doorknobs go through drywall. Toys multiply. Preparing the house for guests has started to require more time, energy, and emotional bandwidth than we want to give it right now.
So, at least for now, we are choosing to stop renting out our home.
That decision is part of stewardship too.
A side income stream may be good for a season and no longer worth it in another. Prudence means asking whether the money is still worth the cost to your time, peace, family life, and sanity.
Sometimes the answer changes.
What Could You Rent Out?
You do not need an RV or a second home to think creatively about this.
Start by asking: What do we already own that someone else might want to use?
That could be a car, a camper, a pop-up trailer, a 3D printer, a Cricut machine, tools, ladders, baby gear, photography equipment, party supplies, or themed birthday decorations.
The best ideas often solve a real problem for someone else.
Maybe another family wants to go camping without buying all the gear. Maybe a mom wants a themed birthday party without driving to five stores. Maybe someone needs a tool for one weekend but does not want to buy it.
If you can make someone’s life easier and earn money at the same time, that can become a win-win.
Start small. You do not need an idea that makes $3,000 right away. Maybe the first goal is $30. Then $300. Over time, experience compounds.
That is how these things grow.
Ask Catholic Questions Before You Begin
Before you start renting something out or buying an asset to create income, ask a few questions.
First, is this morally sound?
A Catholic family should not make money by offering something harmful, exploitative, or disordered. That part should be clear.
Next, does this serve the common good?
When we rent out an RV, another family can take a road trip, visit national parks, and make memories without buying an RV themselves. When someone rents a home for a family reunion or wedding weekend, the home serves a real purpose.
That matters.
Making money is not bad. But when income also helps someone else in a good and honest way, the work takes on a deeper meaning.
Then, ask the prudential question: Does this require more from our family than it gives back?
Do not only measure the return in dollars. Look at the time, stress, repairs, cleaning, communication, risk, and family disruption.
Some ideas look profitable on paper but cost too much in peace.
Debt, Assets, and Prudence
This conversation also brings up a bigger financial principle: how we use debt.
Most consumer debt puts expenses on a card and then charges interest on things that go down in value. Groceries, gas, vacations, gadgets, and impulse purchases do not usually create income. They simply cost more over time when interest gets added.
That is why we generally teach people how to get out of that kind of debt.
If a family chooses to use debt, the more prudent case is usually when the debt helps purchase an asset that can hold value or generate income. Even then, it needs careful discernment.
You have to consider interest, repairs, maintenance, risk, insurance, time, taxes, and whether the income actually offsets the cost.
Do not assume every “income-producing asset” is a good idea.
Run the numbers. Pray. Talk it through. Look honestly at your season of life.
Prudence matters.
Stewardship, Not a Golden Calf
Passive income can become its own kind of idol.
Online, it is easy to find people who talk as if having a regular job makes you foolish, or as if the goal of life is to make as much money as possible while doing as little work as possible.
That is not a Catholic vision of money.
Work has dignity. Providing for your family has dignity. Using your gifts has dignity. Making money can be good, but money is never the highest good.
The goal is not to escape being human.
The goal is to steward what God has entrusted to you.
That may include creating extra income. It may include renting out something you own. It may include building a business, paying off debt, saving for a family trip, or creating more margin in your budget.
But it should always serve your vocation, not compete with it.
Start With What You Have
If your family needs more margin, you may not need a huge new business idea.
You may need to look at what is already in front of you.
What do you own? What do you know how to do? What do people already ask to borrow from you? What could serve someone else and bring in a little income?
Maybe the first step is small.
That is fine.
Small income streams can grow. They can help pay for a meal out, a weekend trip, a savings goal, or an unexpected bill. Over time, they can also become part of a larger financial plan.
Just remember to keep the order right.
Your family does not exist to serve a side hustle. The side hustle should serve your family.
Need Help Resetting Your Budget?
Before you start making bigger money decisions, it helps to have a budget that actually works.
That is why we created the Catholic Budget Reset.
It includes our Budgeting Super Sheet and a video workshop where we help you build a real budget as you go. You are not just watching us talk about budgeting. You are sitting down, doing the work, and leaving with a budget made.
If your budget needs a reset, go to www.walletwin.com/reset/
