f you’ve ever thought of quitting your job and traveling the world but are too afraid of being completely broke, we have good news. You can combine work and travel. Moreover, people of totally different professions, experience, age, and financial needs can find jobs that involve traveling.
You can choose employment that requires travel as part of your job duties or you can work remotely, traveling whenever you want. The latter type is becoming more popular. For instance, in the U.S., the amount of people who work remotely, at least in part, has grown by 400% since 2010. So your dream of having a successful career and enjoying your job while visiting different countries can come true.
Best Jobs That Pay You to Travel
The following list will provide you with the 15 interesting ideas for your traveling career. Moreover, you will find out what are the best paying travel jobs, learn some basic requirements, and get suggestions that will make your job search process easier.
1. Cruise Line Worker
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A cruise ship is like a floating town, providing jobs for different professions and various levels of experience, including waiters, stewards, accountants, managers, animators, etc. Depending on the position, the average income may range from $30,000 – $100,000 per year. Workers get free accommodation, meals, and insurance while making a living traveling the world. Search for a job on the best job search websites. For example, on Jooble you’ll find lots of job offers for bartenders who desire to work on a cruise liner.
We recommend that you check the online job board All Cruise Jobs and websites of cruise line companies, where you can find job listings and their requirements.
2. Flight Attendant
A flight attendant is one of the best jobs that include traveling but, at the same time, one of the most difficult. Be ready to have irregular working hours and stand for long periods. But there is a nice bonus. You get to travel around the world, making a career and earning an average of $76,000 per year. Some companies even offer free or discounted airline tickets for you and your family.
Flight attendant requirements vary by airline, but most of them choose candidates with previous experience in customer service roles. Knowledge of a foreign language and CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) training can be an additional advantage. To find flight attendant jobs, you can check airline websites or Flight Attendant Lobby.
This extra training doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time since most of it is available and easily accessible online. For example, you can take an online course of BLS(Basic Life Support) and learn all about administering CPR in no time. You can find more information on this at Advanced Medical Certification.
3. Foreign Service Representative
Foreign service officers work in diplomatic missions, embassies, and consulates around the world, representing their native country’s interests and earning from $30,000 to $100,000 annually. This is one of the most challenging but rewarding jobs that require travel. Foreign service representatives are appointed to new posts every few years. And you can never know for sure exactly where you may go.
To become a country representative, you will need at least a bachelor’s degree and previous experience to apply in your new position. Negotiation and leadership skills, as well as analytical abilities, will be an advantage. You will also need to take the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). For more details about careers representing America, check the U.S. Department of State website.
4. International Aid Worker
If you feel the need to help people and see the world, international aid organizations like Peace Corps, USAID, and Red Cross could be what you are looking for to get paid to travel. You can earn an average annual salary of $30,000-50,000 for an entry-level position.
Aid projects can last from two weeks to two years and involve people of varying backgrounds: doctors, nurses, construction engineers, teachers, managers, etc. In addition to your sector-specific skills, you may need to know a language other than English, have organizational and planning skills, and motivation. Show this by strengthening your resume with a convincing cover letter. You can check some of the best examples using getcoverletter.com online service.
5. Travel Manager
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Usually, travel agents go to FAM (familiarization) trips to visit popular places and check the resorts and restaurants they later recommend to customers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, tourism specialists, working with specific destinations or particular types of travelers, will become in-demand positions. So consider this option with an average annual salary of $54,500.
6. Au Pair
An au pair lives in a host family anywhere from France to New Zealand and provides childcare. The salary is approximately $700 per month but accommodation and meals will be free. Additionally, you will be completely immersed in the new culture as a member of the family.
If you are at least 17 years old, know English or the language of the host country, and you like working with children, consider a position as an au pair. Using websites like Au Pair World and InterChange you can find host families and start your career as a nanny.
7. Teacher
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If you have a profound knowledge of different subjects, you can share it in two ways – online or offline. As an online teacher, you can work from your home, from a cafe in Milan, or from the beach in Thailand. Your place of work can be located anywhere, as long as there is a stable Internet connection. Offline teachers usually travel to school locations.
ESL (English as a second language) teachers are one of the most popular and high-demand positions with an average monthly salary from $2,000 to $5,000. To get this job, you might need a bachelor’s degree and some teaching experience. You may also be required to have a TESOL (Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages) or CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) certificate.
8. Translation/Interpreter
If you speak at least two languages fluently, you can work as an interpreter or translator. They are both needed in political, business, technical, and social spheres. Online platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or ProZ provide many job opportunities for freelance translators. Thus, you are not dependent on your location and can travel around the world. As an interpreter, you can sign contracts with different organizations to perform interpretation during meetings, conferences, and negotiations with partners in foreign countries.
Requirements may include a linguistic diploma, translation qualifications, and knowledge of the fields in which you are planning to work. The average annual income is around $50,000.
9. Content Writer
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As a writer, you can create content for different purposes. These can be texts for ads, instructions, magazine articles, or even novels. Travel blogging can be a perfect example of jobs for people who like to travel. You can explore different places and share useful tips in your blog, on social networks, or in travel journals, advertising hotels, restaurants, goods, and services to readers.
Writers can work for a company or become a freelancer. In both cases, they can earn approximately $40,000 per year working from any location with a computer, a creative fantasy, a way with words.
10. IT Specialist
Freelance programming, engineering, and design industries provide many jobs that allow you to travel with decent money. You choose the country to locate your “office” and select which projects to take. You control your income, making on average from $1,000 to $6,000 per month.
But such jobs also require self-discipline and specific IT knowledge, such as programming languages, design software, etc. To get a remote IT job, our advice is to check online freelance platforms like Toptal, Turing, Upwork, Flex Jobs, and WeWorkRemotely.
11. Traveling Photographer/Videographer
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As a traveling photographer/videographer you can take high-quality photos and videos of beaches, parks, mountains, animals, hotels, and restaurants and sell them to magazines, TV channels, websites, and advertising agencies. Moreover, you can use stock websites like Shutterstock, Fotolia, Dreamstime, and Motions Element, where you can sell your works while traveling to new and exciting locations. The annual salary of photographers and videographers can range from $42,000 to $90,000.
12. Consultant
The job of a consultant requires both local and international trips. Depending on your expertise and experience, you can deal with different projects from company reorganization and investments to providing legal advice or assisting in the development of tech start-ups. One of the main requirements is to have specific knowledge of a particular sphere. Depending on the sphere, consultants make, on average, $70,000 per year.
13. Hostel/Hotel Front-Desk Manager
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Another option for travelers is to work as a front-desk manager in hotels and hostels around the world. The more luxurious the hotel is, the higher requirements you will face. But if you are just starting your career, we suggest you consider working in hostels. Some of them may need you to have previous customer service experience, but mostly they require at least a high school diploma and excellent communication skills.
The median annual salary will not be very high, approximately $25,000, but you can usually get free accommodations while working. Websites like Hostel Jobs and Work Away are some of the best ways to start your search for hostel jobs.
14. Restaurant Worker
Waiters, bartenders, professional chefs, and even restaurant managers can work and travel, earning an average of $21,500 annually. Even if you don’t have hospitality experience, waitressing can take you around the world. A love of communicating with people, the ability to work for long hours, and a good memory to take long orders is all you need. Bartenders may need a certificate, but it’s not obligatory. As long as you can make a Long Island Iced Tea, Negroni, Margarita, etc., you will be welcomed in bars from Singapore to Australia. The chef and restaurant manager jobs might require some qualifications and previous experience to get hired. Still, if you see your future in this industry, you can make your way up from the lower-level positions.
One of the ways to find restaurant jobs that let you travel the world is to check the international section of job sites such as Indeed or by visiting specialized websites like Caterer Global or Go Abroad.
15. Ski/Surf/Scuba/Yoga Instructor
Those who love sports can find jobs in resorts and hotels in different parts of the world, from Argentina to Japan, and earn from $33,000 to $42,000 annually. Most employers may require certifications that prove your expertise to be sure that you can train their guests. We recommend that you get certified in the country in which you want to work.
Wrap Up
We’ve mentioned only the most popular jobs on our list. But the labor market offers many options to combine work and travel for both narrowly focused specialists and enthusiasts without work experience. If you want to travel while working to be your lifestyle, don’t let the borders stop you.
