These are the best jobs for people who love to travel. Do you love to travel but don’t own a money tree? I feel you. When I first travelled overseas I transformed myself into a money-saving machine.
No exaggeration, I was about as close as one could be to a human coin detector. I’d sift through the pockets of my parent’s jeans, search underneath the couch for loose change and celebrate small wins with a victory dance on the way to my piggy bank (I seriously had an actual piggy bank in the shape of a pig, too).
But over the years I grew tired of saving for an entire year, only to enjoy myself for a few weeks of the year abroad. So I started a travel blog in the hopes that one day in some distant world I could make a career out of travel writing. It happened just a few months later. But there are many other ways to make money while you travel. Here are 20 of the best jobs for people who love to travel:
The Best Jobs for people who love to travel
20. Teach English
It just so happens that English-speakers hold one of the most sought after skills in the world: speaking English. It may seem simple, but it’s one of your best traits. Teaching English in a foreign country is just as rewarding for you as it is for your students, and it will allow you to travel the world with ease. Jobs are in abundance, however, you may require a certification. Thankfully, that can be attained with ease in around a month!
So, how to obtain your certification to teach English?
A TEFL/TESOL certification is the primary qualification needed to teach English to students. Acquiring this certification will allow you to quickly land a job teaching English as a foreign language.
19. Become a Home Critic
Ever dreamt of staying in beautiful homes for a living? Well, now you can! Plum Guide has an impressive collection of some of the finest homes across America and Europe and they’re on the lookout for home critics. So if you could imagine yourself zipping around from location to location in stunning homes, this one is for you.
If you have an eye for detail and a love for all things design, then you can apply to become a home critic for the site. This is but one of a number of sites offering such jobs for people who love to travel, so be sure to do your research. Who wouldn’t want to travel the world and stay in style!?
18. Become a Tour Guide
If you’re outgoing and friendly, this is perhaps one of the best love your job’s in the world. Imagine living in a foreign country showing travellers who, like you love to travel, around your new home. S’long as you love to chat and are passionate about the new country or city in which you live, you’re bound to love the job of a tour guide.
17. Flight Attendant
This would have to be one of the most obvious jobs for people who love to travel, but its also one of the most attainable and enjoyable. Imagine jet setting around the world, staying a night or two in foreign cities, only to wake up and do it all again. You’ll have to love people but as far as qualifications go, most airlines will only expect prior experience in customer service and certification. Expect crazy hours and a crazy lifestyle, its not as easy as it looks or sounds, but totally perfect for travel lovers. What’s more, you’ll score heavily discounted flights for you and your family. Win-win!
16. WWOOF
If you’re an explorer who likes the idea of giving back, WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is perhaps your answer! WWOOF offers travellers a chance to travel in an ethical way that will also involve payment — we’d call that a win-win-win.
15. The Import and Export Business
Sound elusive? It kinda is. You could import and export anything in today’s society. With globalisation always on the up, everyone is looking for the ‘next thing’ to latch onto. You’ll have to be entrepreneurial and have a never give up attitude, but it’s a great excuse to travel for work if you can make it work! A great way I monetised my blog further was by creating and selling merchandise.
14. Work on a Cruise Ship
Jobs on cruises are in abundance, but they’re also highly sought after. If you do manage to land a gig, you’ll be delighted to learn its exactly as it sounds – you’ll make a living travelling the world! As if that doesn’t sound amazing enough, you’ll also receive free meals and accommodation.
13. Work as an Au Pair
If you love children, this is the perfect gig for you. It’s a bonus if you speak a second language or want to develop your skills in a second language. As an Au pair you’ll live with a host family in a foreign country, look after the children, and receive a small salary for your efforts. It’s a great way to experience life in a different country, however, your free time will be extremely limited.
12. Teach Yoga or Pilates
If you’re passionate and talented at a niche skill like yoga or pilates, you’ll find work anywhere in the world. Earlier this year I became qualified in both pilates and barre teaching, which will allow me to work around the world teaching both forms of fitness. This is also a great way to stay fit while you travel, as you’ll be able to continue your practice as well as getting paid.
11. Bartending
Let’s get back to basics – one of the most popular jobs for travellers is pretty easy to come by. So long as you have the working visas required, you are almost guaranteed to find a job in a bar somewhere. Leaving home with previous experience will, of course, help but is by no means necessary!
10. Become a Surf or Ski instructor
Another popular choice for travellers is to take a seasonal job as a surf or ski instructor. Popular destinations include Canada or the French Alps for those who love winter, but if you’re up for a warmer climate why not consider teaching surf lessons!? There are plenty of jobs available, a great resource to start at would be seasonworkers.com.
9. Become a Yachtie
Yachties are paid a generous sum of money to work crazy long hours and with crazy demands, but it does indeed sound like an unreal lifestyle to live! So, what exactly will you need to become a yachtie and what does the job entail?
You’ll have two main professions to choose from in the superyacht industry: you can become a yacht stewardess or a deckhand. The former will land you a spot working on the interior of the boat, while the latter will entail jobs on the exterior of the boat. For a great insight into life on board a superyacht, check out the reality tv series Below Deck.
8. Work for an International Hotel Chain
Often people forget that working abroad can start working at home. If you can land a job in an international hotel chain, there are oodles of opportunities to transfer to other hotels within the company and work while you travel.
7. Busking
Back to basics again – if you’ve got a talent you can make a living out of just about anything, anywhere. Can you hold a tune? Or have a party trick that is likely to entertain the masses? Busking is one of the simplest ways to make money, though the income can be unpredictable and sometimes dismal.
6. Website Design
We live in a pretty exciting digital era – anyone and everyone can make a living online. One of the areas with oodles of potential and scope for employment is website design. Its as easy as learning to code, being creative, and putting yourself out there! This is an exciting time to start up a small business and offer your skills online – don’t be afraid to give it a shot!
5. Become a Travel Agent
If you love travel so much that you can see yourself booking holidays for others, this job is the right one for you! It’s an added bonus that you’ll be invited on famil trips where you’ll travel for free, as well as receiving heavy discounts for your own holidays. To find out how to become a travel agent, visit the link.
4. Become a Bollywood Film Star
Sounds crazy, huh? It’s surprisingly common to star as a Westerner in a Bollywood film! According to sources, you merely make your way to India, get spotted, and say yes to star in a Bollywood film!
3. Photograph & Film Travel
If you’re talented in the creative department and want to stay on the road full time, a great idea is to pick up a camera, train yourself, perfect your craft, and sell your images/videos online. While it will require an initial small investment, the potential to make this your full-time career is for most too good an opportunity to pass up!
2. Write About Travel
A personal fave (as a full-time travel blogger) and let me say this straight off the bat – more attainable than you might think!!! I get tonnes of emails about where to start as a travel blogger and the best piece of advice I can give is to just start! We all have to start somewhere. When I first began travel blogging I knew I wanted to make it my full-time career, but I had no idea how. So I just started writing, editing, adjusting my approach, and over time improving the way I write, what I write about, and how I connect with my readers around the world. Someone once told me that it was worth more, in the long run, to work for free at something you love until you get paid to do it, rather than to do something until you love it. Those words stuck with me and after a few months writing for free, I was starting to make (small amounts) of money from travel blogging. Over time I have been fortunate enough to make this my full-time career!
Join the travel blogging master class.
1. Freelance (anything)
But why stop there at travel writing, photography and videography… you can pretty much freelance anything and travel as a result! In the digital age, we live in it is becoming increasingly common to start up a small company, freelance, and live abroad on the road. Many small companies travel full time and work from coffee shops – its some kind of small revolution going on out there!
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Brooke Saward founded World of Wanderlust as a place to share inspiration from her travels and to inspire others to see our world. She now divides her time between adventures abroad and adventures in the kitchen, with a particular weakness for French pastries.
Hey, I loved reading your blog. This is very informative and useful for people like me who loves to travel. My husband also loves to travel and sometimes it gets difficult for us to travel together due to our jobs and responsibilities. Working together as a couple can be challenging, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up on travel. Working abroad and traveling together has long been an important part of any long-term relationship. There are plenty of jobs in the travel industry that allow you to work and travel simultaneously.