It’s no secret that many people dream about circling the world, but it’s also no secret that most find themselves stuck with earning daily bread, hence they have little to no time to even think of travelling. But what about the best of both worlds? Why not work a job that in and of itself offers you a chance to travel around and earn money simultaneously? Lucky you, today we’ll be taking a look at some of the best jobs that enable you to make money and travel the world at the same time.
Want to live your dream? Then work for it!
Bear in mind that, many of what you’ll see today are jobs that are not exactly beginners-friendly, meaning there are a variety of requirements you have to meet (certifications, training, experience, etc) in order to work in those fields. Moreover, people tend to conveniently overlook what really happens behind the scenes. Every job involves dedication, diligence, sacrifice, and the ones you’ll be learning about are of no exception.
However, we’d like to remind you that, technically speaking, one's occupation is not necessarily the de facto that decides if they can travel or not, there are still ways to work around it. We’re just showing you some of the premiere options where travelling is heavily intertwined with the work. Therefore, do not be deterred if your current job isn’t among our list today. Keep working hard and eventually you'll achieve your goal.
With that out of the way, let’s get right into it.
14 Best Travel Jobs You Can Do to Earn Money While Having the Chance to Travel
1. Blogger/Vlogger
Being a blogger is a natural fit for travel-centric jobs, as going to different places and incorporating diversified features can boost the quality of your content as well as appealing to a wider audience. Furthermore, you will never run into a creative dead end, especially considering the content-creating nature of the job.
There’s a few types of blogging one can consider: food blogs, travel blogs, lifestyle blogs, beauty blogs, and so on and so forth. Essentially, you can blog about pretty much any and everything as long as you have a certain level of insights.
A great thing about being a blogger is, once you have gained enough traction and started to have some reputation, companies will be reaching out for you and offering sponsorship. These could be anything from tangible goodies to money support. Some may even be endorsem*nt deals. All of this will definitely make your journeys a lot more affordable and exciting.
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
However, there’s quite a few things that go into blogging. Depending on what kind of platform you’re focusing on (Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, Wordpress, etc), those could be anything from writing skills, storytelling skills, to editing skills, designing skills, etc. Another factor that usually flies under the radar is charisma. Being a lowkey content creator, one really needs to establish themselves with a kind of schtick so as to stand out in this lucrative and ever growing field. Oh, did we forget to remind you that the income can vary significantly? Of course, if you blow up, you can make mad bread and you can cover any kind of expense. That is, if you blow up.
2. Foreign Language Teacher
Not the first option that comes to mind, but definitely a viable one. English will be the first to come to mind, but any language will do as long as there is demand. There are a lot of teacher exchange programs nowadays, so there is no shortage of opportunity.
To become a teacher, you will need certain certifications depending on the language that you will be teaching. A college degree might even be required (might be a problem for the undergraduate). For example, in order to become an English teacher, you will probably need a TESOL or a TEFL qualification.
Photo by Bartosz Kwitkowski on Unsplash
Asia is usually the go-to destination of foreign language teachers due to the hard-grind education culture there. You can also work elsewhere, Europe for example, but typically it’s Asia where you can most easily get an offer.
A huge advantage of being a teacher is the reasonable working hours. Teachers are typically required to work anywhere from 20 to 30 hours weekly, so there will be time to spare for those gallivanting souls out there to explore not only the place you’re working in but also nearby areas. For example, if you’re working in Europe and have a EU visa, you could be travelling anywhere around Europe practically.
One matter of concern is the salary, as it will vary considerably depending on what, where, and to whom you will teach. Teaching languages such as English won’t pay as much because there will always be an abundant supply of volunteers, so do keep that in mind.
3. Tour guide
Tour guide is another popular choice particularly if you are proficient in foreign languages and love travelling.
Being a tour guide doesn’t require as much as some of the jobs above do, which is a huge plus, especially if you’re just starting out in your career. Another plus is the fact that most travel expenses, including accommodation, food, and various fees will be covered as part of the job expenses. Working as a tour guide is also a great chance to hone your language skills, leadership skills, and other related soft skills.
Photo by Bernie Almanzar on Unsplash
There are, however, several set-backs though. Tour guide is a kind of job that will turn stale after a period of time, as you may have to visit the same places time and time again. On top of that, while you are “travelling” indeed, you will have to cater to the tourists most of the time, so there wouldn’t be quite as much time on your hands for your own deeds.
You could also consider a few alternatives within the same industry. A trip planner, for instance. Virtually akin to a tour guide in terms of all the pros,but with much less cons. It doesn’t come easily though, as it requires a lot of experience in tourism as well as knowledge of related fields, but you don’t quite have to babysit the tourists at all and can freely enjoy the experience.
4. Interpreter/Translator
If you are a language enthusiast, and you’re training to become an interpreter, then travelling is just the profession’s byproduct. A distinction has to be made here. Many people mistake a translator for an interpreter, and while it is true that both of these professions are like brothers from the same mothers, the training, the skillsets are worlds apart. In a nutshell, a translator translates documents, whereas an interpreter translates speeches live. It’s this very crucial difference that allows interpreters to travel the world.
Virtually wherever there is a language barrier, there’s a need for interpreters. Furthermore, the more quirky and niche your specialization is, the more chances you have to travel to different places to do your job.
Interpreting is a very difficult profession to get into, even for multilinguals who are proficient in multiple languages. Most interpreters have to be exposed to the languages they’re working with to build up their lexical resources alone, and years of training to learn all the required skills to even start working. Even then, they have to spend a considerable amount of time to learn the ins and outs, to build a reputation for themselves, and to expand the network of connections. But once you get there, the journey never ends.
5. Au Pair
Babysitting? How can sitting with babies be of any relevance to travelling? While it’s not the most palpable option, it’s definitely worth considering. So what is au pair actually? Is it just babysitting? Well yes, but actually no.
Au pair is basically a babysitter, but they usually help with the housework as well, depending on what the owner needs. Au pair jobs exist pretty anywhere on the planet, so if you dote on both children and travelling, it’s a great match for you. It typically requires you to work all weekdays, as it is when the parents are busy and you have to take care of the children. That means you will have the entire weekend to wander around.
Another great thing about being an au pair is that usually you wouldn’t have to pay for your food and accommodation, and sometimes the family may even cover flight tickets for you! However, since the job is intrinsically exacting, many will face some difficulties.
6. Flight Attendant
Get paid to travel, literally! All jokes aside, this is a great job with good pay for those who like to travel.
Flight attendant is not a fresher-friendly type of job, so to speak. Every attendant must go through a four-week, or up to six-month, training period in which they have to learn the ropes. It’s quite an intricate job, as it’s the safety of the passengers we’re talking about. You should also consider the fact that the job does require physical traits like heights and appearance. What’s more, you may have to be of service during long flights; jumping between time zones wouldn’t be easy to handle for many as well.
That being said, if you can make it through all the arduous training, the job comes with a great deal of benefits. First of all, the pay is nice. Second, all of the travelling expenses (which may be worrisome to many) are all covered.
Third, there will usually be layovers during long-hour international flights, so you still have time to explore the places where the layover will be. Some companies will even offer perks to the next of kins of their employees, so you could travel with your family with some cost reduced.
7. Cabin Crew/ Cruise Ship Worker
“Ship attendant”? Why not? Flights need a crew to support the passengers, so do the boats. If you like the briny sea air and the feeling of wind breezing through your hair, you will most likely fall in love with this job.
Unlike working on a plane, working on ships, especially the more luxurious one, varies tremendously in terms of possibilities. You can work as part of the staff crew (waiter, housekeeper, cook, chef, etc), as part of the entertainment crew (musician, entertainer, MC, etc), or, if you are qualified and well-versed, even as part of the event organisers/ managers of the entire ships. The possibilities are endless.
Sometimes, these ships may even go on multi-country journeys, so you can expect some layover and, just like we’ve mentioned above, that’s a great chance to explore the countries that you’re stopping over. The pay is nice too, and the food and accommodation will be covered as well.
However, keep in mind that, the ships where all of those fancy services are available are most definitely the place for the well-heeled, so it wouldn’t be easy just to get on board. And once you do, serving them properly is an entirely different story. That’s not to mention the amount of training and experience once must accumulate long before working these jobs. Working with rich people will never be a comfortable time.
8. Volunteer Work/ NGO Work
Probably the most beginner-friendly of them all, volunteer work can range from teaching, animal rescue, retirement houses’ caretaker, fundraising, etc. If you love voluntary work, this one's for you.
Photo by Jojo Yuen on Unsplash
This work is a bit different from the others we’ve mentioned today, as it’s voluntary, the pay won’t be anything outstanding. Furthermore, volunteer work is usually labour-intensive and arduous, so you will have to put in a lot of heart so as to perform up to par.
That said, volunteer work isn’t all glum. It’s always available, and most often in exotic destinations, so your wanderlust will be satisfied. In addition, volunteer work offers rich cultural experiences unmatched by most other jobs,so if you’re a student or an undergraduate who’s looking to broaden your horizon, to improve your resume, or just to learn more about people to enrich your soul, this might just be the best choice.
9. Real Estate Worker
We caught you off guard, didn’t we? If you are an entrepreneur, or a businessperson, this could be a great field to start investing time and money in. This domain of business is particularly intricate, and there will be plenty of opportunities.
One of the ways that these jobs help your travelling is the research you have to put in for this extremely competitive and dangerous yet lucrative field.
Take determining the location of the estate you’ll be investing in. You may have to travel around to close-by areas to check out similar locations, or check out the area and its profit-making potential. The same principle will apply for any kind of estate. If you’re working on a huge project, maybe a stadium, a theater, or landmark that isn’t too common, chances are you may have to traverse the entire country, or even overseas for work.
This job, however, is definitely not a job for those who’re just starting out.
Business is a treacherous industry, and it’ll take a long time for one to reach a state where they would be working on big overseas projects. Additionally, considering the stressful nature of the job, you may not have been in a mood for enjoying the places you’ll be travelling to.
10. Travel Photographer
You are passionate about photographing beautiful landscapes and each image is refined with meticulous color correction techniques. Have you always wanted to share close life moments that you accidentally caught while travelling? Is every moment a special experience for you? Then this is the right job for you.
You can consider linking with freelance projects, magazines, newspapers, brands, books, or websites that specialize in booking airline tickets, booking apps because these places will need authentic images. real and quality to advertise and attract users. Similarly, you can upload image files to photo store apps like Pinterest, Vector Stock to attract customers' attention, as well as earn a little extra income from photo design if the clients want to get your premium design pictures. The salary for this position is quite competitive if you are skilled and a little reputable in the freelancer community will be much more prioritized.
11. Working Part-time at Hostels
You can cover the cost of living in your home while you are travelling by applying for part-time positions. Some motels and hotels offer tourists and allow them to become temporary employees to earn extra living expenses. Depending on the peak tourist time, they will need to recruit a lot of part-time employees with positions such as service staff, receptionist, electrical technician, or room cleaner.
Photo by Marcus Loke on Unsplash
Some hostels will pay a part of the salary and may give you free accommodation if you wish to stay short-term. This form is quite popular among backpacker hostels in Singapore. In-house guests may be employed as part-time employees and enjoy certain benefits. However, it is necessary to learn about this form because the governments of some countries will not have a regime to accept visitors to become part-time workers. Therefore, if you choose this, you are also betting on the kindness of the hostel owner and facing working undercover. The wage for this position will fluctuate from $5-10/per hour, based on where you travel to.
12. Digital Nomad Jobs
Digital nomad jobs are basically jobs that you can work online, so think of designing, coding, online teaching, online sales, etc, basically anything that doesn’t require face-to-face interaction counts. Some (versions) of the jobs we’ve discussed today could also fall into this group.
These jobs fit almost perfectly for people who love travelling, as it is location-independent, and as long as you have your working materials with you (and probably a decent internet connection), you’re good to go.
Do keep in mind though, online jobs don't always offer the best salary, so while working online allows for quite some leniency in your schedule, you must be mindful of your budget if you’re really interested in travelling.
13. Foreign Service Travel Job
A foreign service officer promotes peace, promotes wealth, and protects the people from your home country traveling abroad. The foreign service officer represents his or her home country's government and people in foreign nations and international organisations.
14. International Aid Worker
In these roles, you will travel to nations all around the world to help people in need amid wars, famines, and natural disasters. Many of these organisations provide a complete salary, housing, and student debt deferral, and the experience will look well on your CV.
Photo by Bartosz Kwitkowski on Unsplash
Working with foreign assistance organisations requires a background in health, social services, agriculture, and international relations. Before you go to some locations, you may need to undergo medical exams or receive specific vaccinations and immunisations.
Working while travelling - Are you ready?
Truth be told, if any of the above were anyhow less than daunting, pretty much anyone would have attempted already. Diligence and dedication are prerequisites of any occupations. It will take tons of time, effort, money, and sacrifice and even more than what meets the eyes. If you want to live your dream then be more than ready to commit.
Ultimately it boils down to the individual's financial prowess, i.e. it’s much less about what you do to earn a living but more so about how much you can earn. Some people lead a sedentary lifestyle, working a nine-to-five job, but can still make time for overseas vacation once or twice a year, while there are those who work abroad but barely have any time or resources to travel. So do keep in mind that, if it is seeing the world that you’re dreaming about, focus on whatever you’re doing, put in the effort, and it will pay off sooner or later.
So, are you gonna bust your ass digging deep or burst your own bubbles sitting still? The choice is yours.
