If you’ve been dreaming of writing a book while on the beach in the Carribean, or maybe coding that new iOS app from the comforts of your bungalow in the wilderness somewhere, it might seem like it could only be a dream. The reality is, in today’s global economy and with the help of the internet and technology, many people are now working in traveling jobs doing what they love. No longer must you be stuck in the confines of a cubicle, or in a job which you do not have a passion for. There are many people who are working doing what they not only love, but are good at, and utilize technology to allow them to travel and live a life free of an office. If you have ever thought of spending your life traveling but the reality of every-day life and work have kept you away from it, read on and find out what are the best jobs that allow you to travel the world.
Ways to Incorporate Traveling Into Your Life
- You can opt for a job that involves constant traveling to various destinations (a pilot, a cruise ship worker …)
- It can be a job that requires you to relocate for a longer period of time to another place (an au pair, an ESL teacher…)
- You can choose a type of job where you can work for a while and then travel for a while (seasonal jobs in construction, teachers, oil workers…)
- Jobs you do online basically allow you to work from anywhere, so you are free to travel as long as you do your job and earn enough money to support it
Things to Consider For Jobs That Allow You to Travel
Before making any decisions, like always, it is necessary for you to study all the aspects of this life-changing decision to work and explore the world. While “not all who wander are lost”, some of them just might be and make a mess of their lives if they don’t consider the following issues properly. It’s not simply trying to find a job that allows you to travel, but making sure you are ready that job that requires travel.
Are you ready to stay away from home?
Getting a job that allows you to travel means leaving your comfort zone which is where life begins, they say. While you can learn it the hard way, the better option is to carefully think about all the aspects of leaving home or frequently changing the location of your home while doing your job. When you are sure that nostalgia, moving, new neighbors and changing the well-known environment won’t knock you down when you need it the least then you have a good starting point to make a traveling job worthwhile. Jobs that allow you to travel definitely require you to be somewhat active, passionate and free of prejudice but with a little open-mindedness, you can become that person in no time.
How much can you earn?
There is no shortcut to making lots of money traveling. As in every other, any traveling job you want to do well in demands a lot of knowledge, hard work, training, and some sacrifice. If you fulfill all these conditions there is a good chance that you can earn a fair income. If you skip this part, you still might earn a living but it probably won’t be a jaw-dropping career. Learning how to make a budget can help you maximize your money while on a traveling job.
Sometimes the best reward of working while traveling is only to have the means to travel or, when it comes to volunjotary work, the work rewards itself.
The earnings, of course, depend on the type of job you do and the quality of it but here are a few examples so you can get the picture: anything from $1,000 to $10,000 a month for a travel tour guide, from $2,000 to $3,000 per month for English teachers abroad (sometimes with accommodation included), up to $1 per word for a travel writer, from $1,000 to $6,000 a month for a graphic designer or up to $20,000 per month for a blogger.
Benefits of Traveling Jobs
Besides the obvious – earning money and seeing new destinations, there are quite a few perks of this kind of lifestyle you wouldn’t think of at first.
- Appreciating other cultures (and languages!). Not learning about them from books or internet but actually getting to know them and ultimately understanding and accepting them. Meeting new people and lifestyles is so important for the human experience. It teaches you about differences and enriches your mind and heart while speaking another language can also benefit your career.
- You learn about tolerance and humility- one of the most liberating things is to realize you are not the center of the universe, you are just a little piece of this world and in a way, it can be very comforting.
- You may come to understand you are capable of a lot more than you ever thought. Working while traveling teaches you a lot of new skills enabling you to learn continuously.
Negatives of Traveling Jobs
- If you choose to take a jobs where you need to travel a lot and not just change your location and settle somewhere new, it is likely that you will get to understand the term Internal clock. Frequent changing of time zones messes up your sleep patterns leaving you irritable and can affect your immune system and even fertility.
- Also, when you travel a lot it is quite easy to disrupt your eating routine and end up indulging in fast food treats. Another food-related problem might be a cuisine completely opposite of what you are used to. Be careful and take care of your digestive system.
- Make sure you understand the cultural basics and manners of your new hosts so you don’t find yourself in embarrassing or unpleasant situations.
- Another obstacle can be obtaining a visa or some other documents in order to get in or stay in the place you choose. Check if you need medical documentation for some disease prevention as some countries require it. You can find the most reliable database of what you may need here.
The 10 Top Jobs That Allow You To Travel the World
We’ve compiled a list of the jobs we consider to be the best if you are looking for a job that allows you to travel.
Flight attendant
While it might seem like a fancy and glamorous occupation, it is so much more than that. There are so many benefits to the job but dealing with difficult people, irregular hours and serious competition are issues people don’t think about a lot. In order to be able to be a flight attendant you don’t need a specialized degree but you do need to train hard and work hard (but a lot of the time party hard, too). If you are interested in traveling while working as a flight attendant study this carefully.
ESL teacher
Learning English has become a top priority in non-English speaking countries. They always lack quality teachers. So, if you are willing to share your knowledge of your native language, you can travel to one of many countries that are on the lookout for people like you (mostly Asian and South American countries). Keep in mind that for most of these positions it will not be enough for you just to speak the language fluently but also to possess a college degree and/or TEFL qualification (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)
Cruise ship worker
This is a great way to see some nice places and feel like a real old-school traveler. You can work as a chef, a waiter, tour manager, entertainer, engineer or anything you can imagine a big cruiser might need. You save a lot on food and board (and even insurance) as it is all covered. Cruise line jobs and similar websites offer you plenty of information and employment openings.
Travel tour guide
Becoming a travel tour guide really allows you to have a lifestyle with little routine. You get to see the most beautiful places in the world and be a part of other people making their dreams come true. On the other hand, you can easily lose your nerves from hearing some of the weirdest questions you’ve ever heard. You can get a job as a tour guide on one location or on longer tours with multiple destinations. Remember most tour guides are freelancers so before you start, think about health insurance and other perks of a ‘regular’ job.
Travel blogger/travel writer
In this world of social media, sharing your travel stories has become pretty easy and common and people make a lot of money doing it! The ones who hit it big time work very hard. As easy as it may seem at first, to be successful at writing about your travels you need to be a great writer and understand (social) media or other areas where you will place your writings (newspapers, magazines, websites, etc). If you want a good start you can read some advice about starting a career in travel writing.
Au pair
People are always on the lookout for professional babysitters. An au pair includes you living with your employers, taking care of their children while teaching them a new language and even doing some chores. In return you get paid, you get room and board, a chance to learn another language and experience a new culture. Usually, you shouldn’t be younger than 18 or older than 30. You probably won’t get rich doing this job but what you will get is new experiences and perspective. You can see more here.
Online freelancing
Probably the fastest growing of all the jobs we mentioned here. The easiest path is to sign up to one of many freelance websites where you bid on jobs. Programmers can develop new apps or create websites, designers and architects find new projects and copywriters search for new topics and employers. This type of career gives you a lot of freedom to do it whenever you can so you are free to do it while traveling but it requires a lot of self-control and self-motivation. See where you can sign up to start freelancing.
Travel Photographer
To become a travel photographer you need a lot of experience, you need to be a great photographer, and you should definitely know how to place your photos. The more you work, the better you’ll get at it and then you should be able to land some pretty good jobs in this field. Read more about what National Geographic has to say about travel photography.
Sports
Sports became a serious business a while ago but it seems things are really heating up recently. As the world is becoming smaller, professional recruiters travel most of the year searching for the next superstar, coaches change clubs in a blink, and sportsmen live for the show and are basically traveling non-stop. If you are into sports, there is definitely a good chance you can satisfy your wanderlust while keeping your job. If you are trained for a seasonal job like surfing or ski instructor, you can change your location every season.
Digital nomads
A brand new (thus so popular) term for people who use telecommunication technologies to earn money while leading a nomadic way of life. Wherever they are all they need is a wireless internet connection. Digital nomads can be rich entrepreneurs in search of new experiences but also refugees, or young people in search of financial support. Various events are organized for them, mostly in Thailand or Bali. If you are into this, find useful information here.
Jobs That Allow You to Travel Best Suited for Millenials
Growing up with the world no bigger than their cell phone screen millennials see traveling as a basic part of adult life. They value their work-life balance, stress-free environment and a lot of travel opportunities. Most common and most suitable jobs for this generation range from modern jobs like web and software developer or a computer system analyst to more classical ones like translator/interpreter and massage therapist. Read more about the jobs for millennials on U.S.News
The World is Yours
Traveling enriches your mind and soul and work gives you the necessary means to live it. So if you don’t want to sacrifice your dreams for work schedule we advise you to give it a go with a job you love. You will learn about the world and yourself as well. Just remember, if you plan on quitting your job to pick up a new job traveling, quit your existing job the smart way! If you’re still in college and looking for work, we’ve also got a guide for the top jobs for college students.
