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I'm looking to investigate one aspect of the "real world" implications of teleportation as a super power, much like I did with this question.

In this case, I'm trying to figure out the best method(s) for a Teleporter (aka someone who can teleport) to make money. I'm looking for options to go from rags to riches in a standard 1st world nation. At the start the Teleporter is living paycheck-to-paycheck and wants to retire in 2-10 years, living off of investments after that. Obviously this needs to start with options that don't cost anything for a broke Teleporter, but the character is happy to reinvest money from initial ventures into new ones if doing so opens up more profitable options.

We're talking about a standard "good guy" here, so illegal/immoral methods of monetary gain are not allowed. However, since I suspect it is waaaay too easy for a Teleporter to break international laws I want to allow some leeway. As a result I would accept any answers that require breaking laws as long as:

1. Doing so will not get them in trouble in their home country


2. The action isn't the kind that will "mar" the person's reputation (potentially ruining chances at fully legitimate business ventures) if splashed across news outlets in their home country

As for the mechanics of the teleportation:

1. The Teleporter can instantly teleport to anywhere they have previously visited, with ~1 minute of cool-down time


2. They can bring or send anyone/any object they touch, with a mass limit of roughly twice their own weight (i.e. they can teleport and bring someone else, or teleport two people somewhere else).


3. The teleportation is "smart" and works like normal movie teleportation. Specifically, velocity adjusts to match the local reference frame at your destination, whether that is on the ground, in a vehicle, etc...

Final note: many businesses fail due to the difficulty in getting their product in front of people, even when it is desirable. For the sake of simplicity though let's assume that the Teleporter is able to effectively use their ability to advertise to a broad audience (imagine teleporting into the middle of the live broadcast of the Superbowl, for instance). Therefore assume that the Teleporter can get himself in front of the desired audience, and just focus on what ventures are most likely to be profitable.

Space elevator.

The cost of sending astronauts and basic materials like water, food and oxygen to the ISS are enormous. The risks associated with firing a tube of metal filled to the brim with volatile chemicals into space are enormous, too. Immagine how much NASA and other space agencies would pay a person that could transport people and material to the ISS without any risk involved.

All they have to do is give him a 1-day tourist ticket to the ISS (he wouldn't be the first person ever receiving one) and pay him a nice sum to teleport supply crates and astronauts back and forth.

Since transport costs are so high, most modules for scientific experiments are within the size and weight limit of his teleportation power anyway.

Bodyguard / Chauffeur

The ultra rich could pay upto $70 million for a private jet. How much would they pay for a bodyguard / chauffeur who can get them to their destination instantaneously and in the event of an kidnapping, get them out safely.

It would the ultimate status symbol over their rich mates. "What, you fly a private jet? How passé. I prefer teleporting. My time is far too valuable."

You'd earn $20m a year minimum and quite possibly a lot lot more.

It would also be worth more not letting people know what you can do but approach your selected employer directly and state your price. No ultra rich businessman would turn you down or even bargain you down just in case you leave. Once you show what you can do, they'll throw money at you.

Waste Disposal.

There are drums of highly radioactive waste that would be better off on the moon. The radiation is sealed in but we need to safeguard this stuff for millions of years. I'm assuming we have a way to get him to the moon because we've done this before.

Presidential Ferry.

The President's (and other billionaires') time is valuable and people want him dead. Moving him instantly from one country's guarded compound to another saves both time and eliminates the risk of attack in transit.

Supers' Emergency Transport

Not only is the President's time valuable, but so are other supers (this assumes there are other supers). Superman has a great movement ability but there are tons of others who would be really useful at point X to deal with some emergency but they lack a power which would move them there.

This assumes you have a few hundred "locations" all across the world so you can reasonably have one nearby.

Drugs and/or other vitally needed stuff in hot spots

Not illegal drugs. In the real world getting vaccinations and the like to various places which desperately need them is absurdly difficult because you need to refrigerate them and part of the "desperately need them" often means "transportation is very hard".

These types of situations often last for months so it's not hard to think he could set up a teleport spot.

Military

Not "you going into combat". The army would love to pay for instantaneous evac of injured troops to great medical locations and instantaneous re-enforcement of troops and materials at bases.

Every base in the world could in theory have exactly whatever they need when they need it. This assumes you can do multiple transports but two people per port per minute means 120 people per hour.

Edit: Inter Solar System Travel / Colony Creation

This assumes he can memorize a "vehicle" as a location if it's large enough. You have an unmanned spacecraft which also has life support if it's turned on. He memorizes it, it's sent to Mars, he ports himself and the crew there, instant colony.

This skips needing heavy radiation shielding and other life support for the trip itself which will take years. This also skips the long trip for things the colony needs.

This person is the ultimate Uber driver.

If you can bring people along for the ride, then what you have at your fingertips is the Concorde of taxi services. You wouldn't even need a special app - just use the Uber App and turn up in front of people. You're going to learn a lot about the city this way, meaning that this is one of those roles where experience does actually get your teleporter some added value because over time they visit more and more places. This means that your 'delivery' points will become more and more precise the more you do the work - you simply walk with the person to the final destination, after teleporting to the closest known spot, doing your Uber funds and rep transfer along the way.

Not only that, but you can actually get people to places that cars can't go - parks, high rise apartments, hotel lobbies, etc. And, it's instant. You really can't beat that kind of advantage in the taxi business.

In the long term, you become the equivalent of a private jet, just without the drinks cabinet. You can visit new cities and find 'landing' points for long distance hires, and you charge more because of the speed of delivery. But, you can also move more people per day than a standard driver, so you make more fares. And, you don't have fuel, traffic accidents and jams, and other 'roadblocks' (no pun intended) to your career as a people mover.

You could of course also act as a safe-hand courier, providing a lower risk hand to hand delivery because you can't be ambushed in transit.

Bottom line is that be it people or parcels, you can get your cargo where it needs to go faster and more safely than conventional transport options and that will make you a fortune working for the right clients.