If you’re anything like me, the idea of working a 9-5 forever isn’t the most appealing. Most jobs give you two weeks vacation (max), and you spend the rest of the year dreaming about exploring foreign places.
Luckily, we’re living in a generation where it’s easier than ever to travel and maintain a steady job!
Need some inspiration? Here are some of the best jobs that allow you to travel!
Qatar Airlines
Flight Attendant
Let’s face it; being a flight attendant is a pretty awesome job! You get to explore the world, learn about new cultures along the way, and score some major discounts on flights.
While it does take a lot of training and the hours are long, if you’re okay with constantly being on the road and have a passion for customer service, then it’s definitely a career worth looking into.
Cruise Ship Worker
Working on a cruise ship is one of the best ways to save money while traveling the world. During your contract, you won’t have to pay for your food or rent – that’s all taken care of for you!
Plus, you can choose from an array of positions. Whether you want to be a tour manager, entertainer, engineer, housekeeper, cook, or more – there’s a position to suit your strengths and interests.
Travel Agent
Travel agents were huge in the ‘80s, and then people began planning their own vacations. Well, now they’re making a comeback, and there’s a good amount of money to be made as a travel planner.
They put together vacations for people who don’t feel like dealing with the planning process themselves. They’ll help organize transportation, accommodation, activities, and anything else the client might need for their trip.
The best part? Field research. You’re expected to know your destinations and companies will usually send you to various countries around the world for free!
Work at a Hostel
Working at a hostel is one of the best ways to live in a new destination, have fun travel experiences, and make some extra money on the side, or exchange your skills for free accommodation. A lot of budget travelers opt for this option when traveling through Europe or to popular countries for backpackers, like Thailand or Cambodia.
The type of work you’re expected to do can range from being a receptionist to cleaning or managing bookings.
Bali
Yoga Instructor
While you do have to do train to become a yoga instructor, once you have your certification, you can work from anywhere in the world. Popular yoga destinations like Bali and India are always looking for instructors, and higher-end hotels often hire yoga teachers for their guests.
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Skydive Instructor
Are you an adrenaline junkie? Then go to skydiving school and become a certified instructor!
One of the best places to learn and get a job is in New Zealand. Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world, and it’s the perfect destination to land a gig as a skydiving instructor!
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China
Teach English
Is English your first language? Perfect! Then you’re already off to a great start. English teachers are sought after all over the world, both abroad and online.
For most jobs, a college degree is required as well as a TEFL certification (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Some of the most popular destinations for English teachers are China, Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea.
You can also teach from anywhere in the world by signing up with a service like TEFL Pros.
Au Pair
If you love children, an au pair might be the perfect job for you. As an au pair, you’ll stay with a family and look after their children in exchange for a monthly salary as well as free board and meals.
If you’ve always wanted to learn a new language, living in a non-English speaking country is an excellent way to immerse yourself.
You’ll find that it will be much easier to grow your vocabulary and perfect your reading and speaking abilities when you have to use the language in your everyday life.
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Tour Guide
Do you have a passion for the history of a particular city or country? Turn your interest into a job and start making money as a tour guide!
You can give free walking tours, work as a guide for tour operators, or take people on adventurous activities like kayaking or white river rafting. It will give you the opportunity to share what you love most about a place with other travelers!
Online Translator
If you know more than one language, use it to your advantage! You can start your own online translation business.
You can use your skills to translate documents, books, websites, product manuals, and more. Plus, you kick the cubicle and do your work from anywhere in the world!
Start a Freelancing Business
There are so many freelancing businesses that you can start. From writing, graphic design, marketing, photography, videography, or being a virtual assistant – there is a job for almost every interest.
The best part is that you don’t need a degree in the topic. With so many free and paid for resources available online, you can teach yourself everything you need to know and turn your passion into a successful business.
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Whistler, Canada
Ski Instructor
Thanks to alternating seasons in different hemispheres, you can get a job as a ski instructor all year round. Spend half of your year teaching skiing in Japan and the other half in Argentina!
Before you book your tickets and start job hunting, look into certification requirements for the different countries. This will give you a guideline on what courses you’ll need to take before you can start sending out your CV.
Yacht Week in the British Virgin Islands
Yacht Sailing Jobs
The yachting industry is one of the most interesting in the world, and it gives you a chance to travel the world while making a pretty penny. You can get a job as a deckhand or a stewardess in yachting hotspots like Cannes and Monaco.
While the hours can be demanding, almost all of your expenses are covered. So it’s a great way to save up some money that you can use for traveling once the season has wrapped up!
Scuba Diving Instructor
Turn your passion for diving into a job and live in some of the most beautiful places in the world. While it’s quite expensive getting your Dive Master qualification, the hefty price tag is worth it when you can call the coral reefs around Fiji and Seychelles your office.
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Travel Blogging
People often ask how I make money to travel the world. The short answer is that I turned my blog into a sustainable business.
While there are more travel bloggers than ever before, there is still room in the industry for you! I’ve put together an entire blogging course that I’ll be launching in the next month.
Interested in starting a travel blog? Check out my guide!
The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Successful Travel Blog
If you want to pursue travel blogging as a business or a full-time career, there are some key strategies that will help your website perform better and attract a larger audience faster.
READ MORE
Club Med G.O
Club Med (aka Club Mediterranee) is a French-based all-inclusive hotel chain which has resort villages in over 90 locations around the world. A Club Med employee is called a Gentil Organisateur (G.O) and can hold a number of positions.
There are opportunities in reception, kid’s club, bartending, serving, sail instructing, cooking, and more!
Professional Housesitter
Professional housesitters are typically hired to watch over a homeowner’s residence in exchange for free accommodation or payment, depending on the agreement. Responsibilities typically include feeding and taking care of pets, watering plants, and maintaining the cleanliness of the home.
It’s almost like a free Airbnb (with just a little bit more work)!
Ski Chalet Host
For those who don’t know what a “chalet” is, it’s a multi-level lodge found in ski resorts and towns. As a host, your job is to take care of cooking, cleaning, and service for the guests.
Bar Crawl Leader
A bar crawl is a packaged, flat rate nightlife tour where tourists will pay a set price to get free club admission and discounted drinks. As a bar crawl leader, your job is to show the party goers a good time!
Before the crawl begins, you will promote ticket sales and entertain guests with activities, and once the crawl begins,
you help gather up the troops as you go bar to bar!
Overall
These are just some of the jobs that you can do from anywhere in the world. If you’re like me and traveling is your passion, look into one of these jobs and see what best fits your interests.
Do you have a job that lets you travel? Let me know in the comments below!
I worked in a hostel in South Africa for about 3 years which gave me the opportunity to travel many African countries for free. Most of the time it was an exchange in order to recommend the places where I stayed to our guests. It was a great experience.
Great post! I’d love to add tour leader to this list. I worked for Topdeck Travel guiding road trips all around the USA and it’s slightly different than tour guiding. You actually get to be on a full length trip and usually meet with local tour guides in each destination. I write tons about it on my blog as well. But this is such an awesome list, thanks Kiersten! So helpful like always 🙂
Hey Emily! A tour leader would be an excellent one to add to this list – I’ll have to do an update. 😉 And that sounds like such an awesome experience.