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25 Great Jobs for People Who Love to Travel

Do you want to get paid to see the world? Here are 25 career options for travel lovers.

Table of Contents

Best jobs for travel lovers.

Working eight hours every day behind a computer screen isn’t for everyone. Some people love to travel and want to use that passion to make a living.

If you’re constantly planning your next vacation, consider finding a career that fits your lifestyle. Instead of spending all your PTO and hard-earned money traveling once or twice a year, you could get paid while seeing the world. Here are 25 potential career paths to consider.

Disclaimer: The following items provide ideas and inspiration for potential career paths . These are not open job listings, and Business News Daily is not hiring or recruiting for these positions. We advise conducting your own research before pursuing any of these occupations.

1. Athletic recruiter

Colleges and professional sports organizations employ athletic recruiters to travel to schools and sporting events across the country to scout new talent. Of course, you’ll need to know the game inside and out, and the specific skills an athlete would require for certain team positions. If you’re an avid sports fan, though, this part of the job could be easy for you.

Do you work well with children and know a second language ? If so, becoming an au pair might be a good option for you. Au pairs live with a host family in a foreign country and provide child care services, such as babysitting and schoolwork assistance.

You’ll receive a small salary on top of your room and board, but you also get to immerse yourself in another culture as an extended member of the family. 

3. Construction manager

Construction managers not only make good money, but they also get to travel. Sometimes, they relocate to different areas and stay for several months to oversee a project.

Even if you don’t have the qualifications to be a project manager, construction companies are worth checking out – many hire support staff to relocate too.

4. Consultant

Companies hire consultants from a variety of fields to fix problems. Because their knowledge is so specialized, a consultant’s client base is often spread over the country – or even around the world.

Additionally, maintaining a positive relationship with clients requires regular on-site visits, making it a perfect job for people who love travel.

5. Cruise line worker

Working on a cruise ship is a travel lover’s dream gig. You make a living seeing the world while receiving free food and accommodations.

Whether you’re a restaurant server, a shop clerk or a performer in the cruise’s entertainment lineup, there are opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to work on one of these floating resorts. 

6. Engineer

For many industries, jobs are going remote and engineering is following suit. Consequently, you can work from virtually anywhere with a computer science or engineering degree.

Travel the world developing software or flexing your technical graphic design skills . There are currently over 12,000 remote engineering jobs available through LinkedIn alone.

7. ESL teacher

English as a second language (ESL) teachers are in high demand both at home and abroad. When you take a job as an ESL teacher in a foreign country, you’ll get to help students understand your native language while immersing yourself in that country’s culture.

You’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree, ESL training and a special license to get hired. ESLteacherEDU.org offers a step-by-step guide to becoming an ESL teacher.

8. Event coordinator

Event coordinators might work on local events such as parties and weddings, but orchestrating large-scale events like festivals and trade shows could be the golden ticket for travel lovers.

In this position you would meet with potential vendors from across the country, then travel to the event location to oversee everything from setup to breakdown. A search for “trade show coordinator” on LinkedIn returns more than 20,000 jobs in various cities.

9. Flight attendant

It may be the most obvious travel-related job, but it’s also one of the most accessible. You don’t need a specialized degree to become a flight attendant, and most major airlines only require prior customer service experience and certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The hours are frequently erratic and the work isn’t always easy, but you’ll get a glimpse of hundreds of cities across the globe during this career. A bonus perk? Free or discounted flights for you and your family.

10. Foreign Service worker

If you want to combine your love of travel with your love of your country, a career as a Foreign Service officer or specialist could be the right gig for you. The best-known Foreign Service job is a U.S. diplomat, but there are plenty of other career tracks that allow you to meet and interact with foreign governments.

The U.S. Department of State has details about these jobs listed on its website . With more than 250 embassies around the world, there are plenty of travel opportunities.

11. International aid worker

If you want to travel for a living while making a real difference in people’s lives, consider working for an international aid organization like USAID .

While working for USAID, you can visit struggling countries and help residents recover from dire situations, such as natural disasters and famine. You’ll need a background in a related field – such as health, agriculture or education – and a strong interest in social work.

12. International tour guide

Imagine spending your days guiding fellow travel lovers through a bustling European metropolis, or perhaps a small village is more your style. Wherever you want to go, popular travel destinations always need friendly, knowledgeable guides to lead tourists through city sights and cultural excursions.

13. Massage therapist

If you want to visit popular tourist destinations, you should consider gaining skills in massage therapy. You can work for hotel chains, spas, cruise lines or become self-employed.

Licensed massage therapists are always welcomed to soothe and de-stress travelers and locals alike. Although you may start at rookie rates, you can consistently raise them as your clientele and skills grow. Plus, massage therapists generally have a flexible schedule to work full or part time.

The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) can help you find training programs, business tools and even discounts on supplies.

14. Peace Corps volunteer

As the title “volunteer” might indicate, you won’t exactly be making six figures working with the Peace Corps. But if you don’t mind living on a budget, you can become part of a worthwhile organization that lets you travel the world and make a difference in others’ lives at the same time.

Assignments typically last two years and involve advancing education, healthcare, and economic and agricultural development in a community abroad. The Peace Corps also provides housing and health benefits, not to mention an excellent resume talking point .

15. Photographer

If you’re skilled with a camera, consider becoming a travel photographer. While news organizations such as the Associated Press need staff photographers, you can also make a living by freelancing .

Travel photographers are needed at a variety of locations, including tourist attractions, local events and high-end resorts.

16. Retail buyer

For the fashionista with wanderlust, a career in retail purchasing might be the ultimate dream job. In addition to monitoring in-store inventory, retail buyers attend vendor meetings, trade shows and conferences across the country – or even the globe, depending on where the company sources its products. The employee in this position identifies industry and consumer trends, and decides what products the company should sell.

Of course, it’s not just clothing stores that hire purchasing agents; most large retail companies employ buyers to help them select and negotiate merchandise deals across various categories.

17. Scuba diving instructor

There is a whole other world beneath the ocean’s surface, and you can live it by traveling and teaching the essentials of diving.

Scuba instructors have the opportunity to see parts of the globe that are often hidden. A great way to get started is with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) , which offers training courses and diving guides.

18. Ski instructor

If you love snow sports and traveling, consider combining your passions to become a ski instructor. There are openings at ski resorts worldwide, including in the United States, France, Switzerland and Canada.

You can look for other seasonal work when the ski season ends; many places stay open throughout the warmer weather for outdoor activities and still need staff. 

19. Stagehand/roadie

Theater productions and musicians go on tour all the time – and they take busloads of roadies and stagehands with them. While theaters and venues may have their own stagehands, some still travel with each act.

You can begin your search for stagehand jobs on the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) website by finding your local union.

20. Translator

Are you fluent in multiple languages? If so, you could become a translator and travel the world, helping people communicate. Translators must speak at least two languages.

According to Day Translations, other useful expertise includes computer and business skills. While becoming a translator requires education, the job can offer the chance to visit many countries.

The countries with the most language service providers (LSPs) include the United States, Great Britain, France, China, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

21. Travel agent

Some people may think that the professional travel agent is a dead career in the age of Google searches and travel price comparison websites. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a slow growth rate in this occupation over the next decade, it’s still a rewarding job for anyone who loves to travel.

Travel agents often visit popular destinations to get firsthand experience of the resorts and restaurants they recommend to offer honest, helpful advice to clientele. Whether your clients are business or leisure travelers, they’ll thank you for your insider insight into local sights and activities.

Plus, travel agents can increase their income by starting a YouTube channel, writing a blog, and building relationships with travel products and related brands.

22. Traveling nurse

Traveling nurses move around the country from hospital to hospital, bouncing from one temporary position to the next. You’ll be sent to areas where nurses are needed most, and your housing, travel expenses and benefits are often covered .

As with any nursing position, you’ll need credentials from a nursing program to become a registered nurse.

23. Travel writer

It might not be the easiest way to make a living, but if you’ve got a knack for writing you can share your knowledge about popular travel destinations. Though full-time travel writing positions exist, most of the work you would get is freelance, as publications typically want individuals who can submit firsthand accounts of the location they’re writing about. You can search for and bid on freelance travel writing assignments on sites like Freelancer.com and Upwork .

You can also supplement your income by starting a YouTube channel or social media account like Instagram. Providing your travel-hungry fans with visuals can help you connect with your audience, and even build an email list to promote travel services or other products.

24. Truck driver

Long-haul trucking is an ideal job for those who prefer the open road to an office cubicle. Because of the extended time you’ll spend driving solo, it’s also a great career option for introverts.

You’ll need to obtain a commercial driver’s license to start working in this field, but once you have it, you’ll be able to see the country as you deliver shipments from one destination to the next.

25. Virtual assistant

As many companies move their business online and employ remote workers, virtual assistants are in high demand.

Becoming a virtual assistant is enticing because the job can offer a flexible schedule in various niche markets. Workers might even have multiple clients, which will increase spontaneity – and income – in their lives.

Did you know? Hiring a virtual assistant can decrease a company’s costs by 78%, because the position only requires the company to provide an hourly rate, not office space, equipment, or benefits. Plus, if you have work experience, you may not need a college degree to snag a VA career.

Virtual assistants can do an assortment of activities, including proofreading articles, providing content or social media strategy, and offering customer support. Some virtual assistants keep their clients organized by making appointments or travel arrangements, and even doing personal shopping.

Julie Thompson contributed to the writing and research in this article .

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The 20 Best Jobs for People who Love to Travel

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!

 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.

Wearing: Gucci loafers // Coffee and this City Tote

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. 

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! 

Like this? Now read:

The 26 Safest Cities for Female Solo Travelers

20 Ways to Save Money When you Travel

An Interview with Hello Emilie on how to make it as a Travel Photographer

Follow us on Instagram to see new adventures!

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.

Find me on: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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.

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Travel Jobs: The 60 Best Jobs for Travelers & How To Get Them (Secrets of a 10-Year Nomad)

Do you want to be a full-time traveler? Does the “real world” leave you running for the exit? Then it’s time to take a look at these travel jobs!

You can absolutely get travel jobs with no experience in travel and with only a little work history.

I myself was a modern nomad for around 10 years. I started getting seasonal travel jobs during college, with very little work experience. Along the way, I met people older and younger than me from all sorts of backgrounds. Most of us in this nomad circle find it very easy to find new travel jobs when we’re ready to move on to the next adventure.

You DON’T need to become a flight attendant, a traveling business executive, or even have a college degree to get exciting new travel jobs year after year. There’s no need to trap yourself in a stuffy, rigid career with a single company. Travel should come with the freedom to wander, and with these jobs, it does.

Here are 60 adventurous jobs for travelers of all ages and experience levels. You’ll also find examples and links to adventurous travel jobs you can apply for right now .

Keep in mind that all travel jobs on WanderJobs come with staff housing.

Part 1: Adventure Travel Jobs

1. international travel tour guide.

Lead tour groups on multi-city, multi-country cultural or adventure tours. Required Experience: High

As a travel tour guide, you may be traveling through quaint European cities to sample local wines and chocolates, attending cultural events, and meandering through bustling marketplaces. Or you may choose to lead a group of teens on an outdoor adventure tour, hiking the Himalayas, surfing in Hawai’i, and volunteering in Peru. With this travel job, you’ll have the same accommodations as the guests, which, for the more bougie tours, can mean some of the most luxurious accommodations of any job on this list. You may be put up in some stunning hotels. For some teen tour companies, you may be camping or staying in hostels. Your food will be the same as the guests, so it’s generally very good quality. While exciting, this is a very challenging role. There is little off time, as you’re living and traveling with the group you’re leading. Many tour groups put two guides in a group to break up the enormous work load. Though many companies offer multiple tours that go to many different destinations, it’s not always possible to choose where you get placed. Usually newer guides are given easier assignments, but many companies at least take your preferences into account.

How to Get a Travel Tour Guide Job:

These companies look for well-traveled applicants with high self-confidence and a very outgoing personality. You must be friendly, responsible, and highly organized. This is a job for people who are high-energy and have a good amount of work experience. You can browse Travel Tour Guide Jobs here.

2. Conservation Crew

Work to preserve trails with a small team in this manual-labor heavy outdoor job. Required Experience: Low

Trail teams usually consist of a handful of young people who are willing to put in a hard day’s work, face the elements, and survive off of peanut butter sandwiches. The locations are enviable; you could find yourself in a ponderosa forest in Flagstaff, the lush Pacific Northwest, or even in tropical American Samoa. It’s the sort of job where the challenge brings great rewards. A hard day’s work using your muscles, being immersed in nature, and bonding with your small team makes you feel proud, calm, and connected at the end of the day. Many trail crew positions require a few weeks on, a few weeks off, in a cycle of a few months. Some positions come with housing during your off time (you’ll be camping on the job), but sometimes you’ll need to find your own. Food is up to the team, and the goal tends to be survival calories and keeping pack weight down, not creating gourmet delicacies. Trail conservation positions are often volunteer-based, though not all are. The paid positions are usually for more supervisory roles after you’ve had some experience on a volunteer team. Volunteers may be paid in small stipends and small education grants.

How to Get a Conservation Crew Job:

The two best known sources of conservation crew positions in the US are the Student Conservation Association and the American Conservation Alliance . You won’t need much experience to get a volunteer position, but you’ll need some to be a paid team leader.

3. Travel Camp Leader

Guide youth and teens on multi-country cultural and outdoor adventure trips. Required Experience: High

Travel camps boast bucket-list worthy itineraries. As far as a travel job goes, it’s hard to beat one where you’re literally traveling from beautiful place to beautiful place. These companies usually sell expensive packages to the parents of school-aged kids, which means:

• You’ll be going to exiting places, some that would be hard to get to on your own
• There are many physical adventures, since the kids have the energy for them

A real itinerary from one company includes:

• Fly in to an island city in Guatemala
• Bike through a tropical rainforest environment to explore Mayan pyramids
• Roam ancient ceremonial caverns
• Enjoy a zipline tour
• Relax by the hotel pool
• Sample local chocolate

This is an adventure you can share with the kids. If they’re doing it, you can be sure you’ll be doing it too, as a participant and role model. But that also means there’s no time off. It’s a 24/7 job.

How to Get a Travel Camp Leader Job:

These companies are looking for a bit more leadership experience under your belt. They want employees who are well-traveled and culturally aware, and appreciate foreign language skills. You’ll also need to be a good communicator. The easiest way to find travel camp companies is to search google as if you’re a kid looking to sign up to attend one. Then find the employment page when you’re on the site. “International teen travel tours” is a good search term to start with. You’ll also find some travel camp tours on WanderJobs.

Care for children and preform light household duties while living abroad with a host family for a year. Required Experience: Low

This travel job is an old classic. To get the flavor of what it means to be an au pair, think of the movie The Sound of Music. While you are technically employed by the family, the idea is that in some sense, you are joining as part of the family and helping to raise the kids. In this US, Au pairs are paid with a stipend of a minimum of around $200/week. Au pairs seek employment in countries other than their own. One of the biggest benefits of this line of work is the cultural and language exchange between family and au pair.

You’ll go on vacations with your host family, meet their friends, attend recitals and barbecues and celebrate holidays. It all comes down to the match between au pair and family, which makes or breaks the experience.

I was very fortunate to grow up with au pairs from Norway. Each year, a new young woman came to care for me and my brothers, and most of them were very good matches. (A few left quickly.) Those who stayed are still, 20 and 30 years later, a loving part of our family. They visit us when they are in the states, we have stayed with them and their families in Norway, we exchanges letters and Christmas gifts and attend each other’s weddings.

However, there are some very bad stories of women coming from other countries and feeling completely trapped with families who verbally abuse them and make them work well beyond the hours indicated in their contracts. While there is usually a possibility of being placed with a different family if this happens, be very cautious and listen to your gut if a red flag comes up.

How to Get an Au Pair Job:

You’ll need to be able to demonstrate that you’re a good, reliable, and kind person who is good with children. Since au pairs are usually in their late teens, not much previous work experience is expected. Au pairs tend to be young women. Young men have a tough time being placed, as host families aren’t always comfortable leaving their kids with a man they’ve just met.

However, this is rapidly changing with the childcare crisis brought on by the Covid pandemic. Many families are now considering hiring young men for the first time, and it’s possible the perspective shift will be long-lasting. As of summer 2020, host families in the US are desperate for childcare, and au pairs are getting interview requests from up to fifty families, according to the 7/26/20 New York Times article, Au Pairs Get the Upper Hand. It seems likely that families will be willing to consider even domestic au pairs and forgo the benefit of an international cultural exchange.

There are many au pair matching sites where you can find a host family and make sure you feel comfortable with them before making a commitment.

5. Gap Year Program Leader

Lead older students on multi-country, adventure, and volunteering trips geared toward education and personal growth. Required Experience: High

Working as a gap year leader offers a slightly different experience than working as a travel tour leader. The people you’ll be leading are usually high school or college-aged youth who are actively looking to expand themselves as people and gain an education before heading off for their next year of college.

Many of the itineraries will resemble the highly adventurous itineraries of other travel camps. In addition, there may be more formal educational lectures, time for reflection and journaling, or preparing personal mission statements.

How to Get a Gap Year Leader Job:

You’ll need plenty of travel and leadership experience and at least a college degree.

Just like finding a travel camp company, the simplest plan is to search google as if you’re looking to attend a gap year program. Then find the employment page when you’re on the site.

6. SCUBA Instructor/Guide

Help tourists have safe, fun SCUBA diving adventures in warm tropical waters. Required Experience: High

Unlike other travel jobs on this list, SCUBA is more of a career commitment. It requires certification and experience in a very specific niche, so you need to have interest in committing to SCUBA long-term to make it worthwhile.

Those who I’ve met who are SCUBA instructors make it part of their personality. They love it, and it’s easy to understand why. Dive instructors usually live on islands and in tropical locations, where relaxed and laid-back attitudes are the norm. You get to spend time in the ocean, seeing beautiful reefs and sharks and fish, and tour groups max out at just a few people to keep it manageable. You’ll have to care for a lot of equipment, do regular checks, and be comfortable guiding tourists through potentially dangerous situations. An outgoing personality is much less important than generally good communication skills.

How to Get a SCUBA Job:

The most important thing you’ll need to do is become certified as a professional divemaster through PADI and log many hours SCUBA diving.

SCUBA instructors should be extremely responsible, organized, and safety-oriented people. SCUBA jobs can be a bit more challenging to find. Often job boards for SCUBA slowly turn into advertisements for certification courses. For now, you can try DiveJobs .

7. Zip Line Guide

Lead guests through a zip line course and tell them about the area. Required Experience: Medium

Zip line guides work in pairs to take small groups of tourists through areas of natural beauty in a thrilling way. Being a zip line guide (as I know from short personal experience) is physically challenging and mentally draining. But it can be a lot of fun. The guests are usually in a good mood and excited to be doing something from their bucket list. A good zip line company will provide a lot of safety training- weeks- which makes for great team bonding among coworkers. Zip lines are generally built in beautiful places, which means you’ll be working outdoors in a nature or even wilderness setting. Leading a group of guests means you’ll need to make a safety presentation, get them in harnesses, and hook and unhook them from the zip lines. Often you’ll be giving a general informational tour while up on the course. This means you’ll be doing some public speaking, but it’s an amount that even a shy person can get used to. Tips for zip line guides can be pretty darn good.

How to Get a Zipline Guide Job:

Search zip line guide jobs on WanderJobs or on any major job board.

8. Small Vessel/River Cruise Staff

Live and work aboard a smaller and more luxurious cruise vessel catering to older and wealthier guests. Required Experience: High

Sometimes the allure of being aboard a boat and exploring different ports is too strong to ignore. Luckily, working aboard a massive cruise liner is not the only option. River cruises are smaller and more intimate, and offer guests a higher level of service. For this reason, the job competition is a bit tougher. Small cruise itineraries include off-the-beaten-path locations, such as:

• The Puget Sound
• Small, less-trafficked tropical islands
• European river tours
• Custom itineraries
• & lots more

In addition, charter cruises often have a more environmentally or culturally-friendly slant. They may be opportunities for guests to participate in hands-on education, and “excursions” off the ship are significantly more thrilling and less touristy. To get an idea, National Geographic has a few passenger ships, and offers a breathtaking Journey to Antarctica cruise with a $16,000 price tag. You’ll still be in close quarters with your coworkers pretty much constantly, but all in all, staff life on a small cruise is less of a party atmosphere than on a cruise liner.

How to Get a Small Vessel/Charter Cruise Job:

A google search is best. Again, do the search as if you’re looking to pay to be a guest on the cruise. Once you find a company you like, look for its employment page. You will need to be well traveled and have excellent customer service skills to get one of these jobs.

9. Scenic River Float Guide

Safely row guests through currents on guided river raft tours.

Required Experience: High

As a scenic river tour guide, you’ll steer a raft full of tourists down a large, slower-moving river, while giving them a guided tour along the way. It’s a highly physically and mentally demanding job. It takes an all-around strong and confident person to excel as a river guide. Unlike whitewater, the current is fairly calm. Tourists come for the scenery and a relaxing adventure rather than an extreme thrill. Imagine floating down the Snake River famously photographed by Ansel Adams, while watching for eddies and dangers and pointing out eagles and beavers along the forested shoreline. There is still a high amount of danger inherent in scenic river guiding. Rafts have been overturned by logs, rocks, and surprising currents. If a raft is overturns, things can become chaotic and unsafe, sometimes to the point of fatality. There is an art to mastering the river, and because of this, river rafting is a commitment and more of a career choice than some other jobs on this list. A good company will provide a huge amount of safety training, and will likely also require applicants to be trained and certified before even applying for a job. If you can handle the responsibility, working as a river guide can be a very rewarding experience. There may also be opportunities for crossover into whitewater rafting jobs. It’s an excellent job for outdoor enthusiasts.

How to Get a Scenic Float Guide Job:

I haven’t yet found any reliable source of leads for this type of job. Try searching google for any combination of “scenic river float guide jobs” and “river rafting jobs”.

10. Kayak Guide

Lead a caravan of kayaks through calm and beautiful waters. Required Experience: Low

Kayak guides lead tourists on lake tours or coastal ocean tours, weaving out of narrow, magical tree-lined inlets. It’s one of the simpler ways to get out on the water for work. You’ll need enough people skills to kindly introduce yourself and teach kayaking safety basics, but it’s an easy choice for introverts. Once you’re out on the water, it’s just a game of follow the leader and making sure nobody falls behind. You will need strength and stamina for paddling, but that will build over time.

You’ll usually be leading people of many different ages, and often families, on a single tour. Kayak guides are needed in many different types of environments. From small lodges on cold Alaskan waters and while migration routes, to Mediterranean environments with rocky, scrubby shorelines, you’ll be able to seek out a location that fits your preferences. There are even night kayak tours in bioluminescent bays. Each stroke of the paddle through the water causes bacteria to glow an etherial blue. It’s quite beautiful and relaxing.

How to Get a Kayak Guide Job:

Find Kayak Guide jobs on WanderJobs .

11. Ski/Snowboard Instructor 

Help vacationers (often groups of kids) improve their skiing and snowboarding skills. Required Experience: Medium

Ski instructing is one of the best known seasonal jobs for young people. There are abundant positions available every ski season across the globe, so if you want a ski job and you know how to ski (and are decent at interviewing), you will probably be hired.

The culture on mountains and among seasonal ski employees is very specific. This, in my opinion, is the most important thing to consider before accepting a ski job, even more important than your love of the sport. You’ll be around lots of young people who like to party, to “work hard, play hard,” who aren’t yet settled in life and want to “go big or go home.” Duuuuuddddeeee!

This is a job absolutely best left to extroverts, and ideally young extroverts. You’ll of course also need to be fit and comfortable with lots of public speaking.

Ski and snowboard instructor jobs come with mountain passes so you can spend as much of your free time on the slopes as you want. This, of course, is one of the main reasons people commit to a season on a mountain. If there’s fresh snow, it’s yours to shred, and there will be lots of coworkers around to join you.

There is a hierarchy of ski jobs, and if you stay in the game for a while you can move from a bunny slope youth group instructor to giving private adult lessons, or even work your way to a ski patrol position.

Not all mountains offer housing for their ski instructors, but many do. Those that don’t may at least have resources to help you find your own housing before you arrive.

How to Get a Ski Instructor Job:

While it’s possible to get certified as a ski instructor before applying for your job, I don’t recommend this. Your home mountain will train you, and if they require further certifications for teaching at higher levels, you can earn those after you start working. I wouldn’t pay to be certified before actually starting work.

Find ski and snowboard jobs on WanderJobs or any major job board.

12. High Ropes/Aerial Course Guide

Teach tourists to safely navigate ropes courses, preform safety checks, and be present to help if needed. Required Experience: Low

Aerial high ropes courses can be found near many wilderness lodges, as they’re often a draw for they same type of outdoorsy tourist. They’re also found near cruise ship ports, which brings a whole ‘nother type of guest. So while you’ll have a beautiful view and access to fun recreational activities, the job itself is genuinely pretty dull.

Aside from a thorough daily safety check of the course and all gear, there isn’t all that much to the job. You’ll spend a lot of time staring up at guests as they go through the course, walkie-talkie in hand, making sure nothing dangerous happens. Occasionally you’ll have to shout up encouraging tips from the ground, or “rescue” someone from an obstacle they can’t solve.

High ropes guides often cross over into rock wall and zip line territory.

It’s an easy, low-responsibility job for a first time seasonal worker. The title “guide” is a bit of an exaggeration; it may feel like more of a babysitter position.

It’s a good job for young people.

How to Get a High Ropes Guide Job:

Search for jobs here on WanderJobs or on any major job board.

13. Horse Wrangler

Care for and train horses and lead guided horseback tours.

Horse wrangling requires early mornings, long hours, and intense physical labor. Most available jobs are on ranches in the western US. 

If you have experience with horses, love being outside, and don’t mind getting dirty, then this could be an exciting job. In addition to herding animals, wranglers are responsible for feeding, saddling, grooming, and training the horses, leading trail rides, and cleaning the stalls. 

Horse wrangling requires working around the clock and is best for people without many commitments. Your responsibilities will depend a lot on your prior experience, training, and seniority. As a beginner, you probably won’t be doing much wrangling – you can expect to start out shoveling manure and grooming the horses. 

There are various horse wrangler jobs available on public land as well as privately owned ranches. Each ranch has its own set of rules, requirements, and exclusions that you’ll want to review carefully before deciding where to apply.

Once hired, you’ll likely attend wrangler school for four to six weeks. You will learn essential skills, including trail riding and horseshoeing, and cover topics such as horse behavior and anatomy. 

Ranches cultivate a close community where employees are treated like family. Personal life and work often blend together. While permanent positions include paid time off, many of the seasonal ranch jobs require you to work straight through the season with no weekends or vacation days. 

Due to the remote location, there are few activities available off of the ranch. Workers typically spend the little downtime they have exploring the countryside or relaxing by a campfire.  

Most ranches provide employees with family-style meals and dormitory lodging. Depending on your attitude going into the job, horse wrangling could be one of the most rewarding or most miserable experiences of your life. If you’re willing to trade sleep and time off for riding horses and watching the sunrise over the mountains, then you’ll likely find a lot of personal growth and fulfillment in working on a ranch. 

How to Get a Wrangler Job:

Browse through ranches on WanderJobs and check individual company websites to see if they are currently hiring for wrangler staff. The competition is high, so it’s worth reaching out to companies to establish a relationship even if there are no positions open.

14. Backcountry Guide

Lead overnight backpacking trips into the wilderness.

If you love the mountains and are always seeking out wilderness adventures, becoming a backcountry guide could be a good employment option. In addition to guiding groups safely in remote areas, guides are responsible for coaching clients through physically and mentally demanding situations, teaching them the technical skills needed to navigate tough terrain, and managing risk. 

To land a job as a backcountry guide, you’ll need advanced certifications in wilderness safety and first aid, a backcountry food handlers permit, and proven expertise in disciplines like rock climbing, backpacking, hiking, ice climbing, mountaineering, and ski touring. The position entails a large amount of responsibility – backcountry guides must have sound decision-making in risky situations, excellent interpersonal skills, and passion for adventure. 

As a beginner, it’s best to join a local alpinist club and explore training options with a mountain guide association. Depending on your location and what field you’re hoping to work in, you may need a certification from the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA), one of the industry’s most recognized and respected organizations. 

Getting the necessary certifications can be a long process, but if you’re prepared for the rigors required, you will join a close international community of intrepid explorers. Backcountry guiding affords ample opportunity to travel to some of the world’s most amazing wilderness areas. When you’re not camping in the backcountry, you’ll likely have free housing at a mountain hut or remote resort. 

How to Get a Backcountry Guide Job:

Browse Backdoorjobs for available backcountry guiding positions.

15. Fruit Picking Abroad

Harvest, sort, & pack fruit on farms with other travelers in Australia.

Required Experience: Low

Picking fruit is a physically demanding job that requires early mornings and long hours in the sun. You’ll likely have aches and pains – particularly at the beginning – from the repetitive motions and hard labor. 

Fruit picking jobs exist in any agricultural area, but different regions have varying levels of open positions based on the availability of migrant labor. The most interesting opportunities for young people are located in Australia, where it’s possible to extend your visa by a year in exchange for three months of fruit picking, and in New Zealand.

While most jobs are seasonal, fruit-picking work is available in Australia year-round. Positions down under typically attract students and backpackers, so you’ll likely work with an eclectic group of travelers from around the world. 

There are no particular skills or previous experience required to get a job picking fruit. As long as you are willing to work hard and show up on time each day, you shouldn’t have a problem holding onto your job throughout the season. 

Many farms offer workers accommodation for free or at a reduced price. The type and quality of housing vary substantially from one farm to the next. You could be placed in a crowded caravan with six other people, or get a small bungalow all to yourself. 

How to Get a Fruit Picking Job:

On the Australian Work Travel Visa, you can work and play your way through the country and apply for many different jobs. Fruit picking seems to be one of the lower hanging fruits- pun intended. The job search and application process is a little more messy and requires more spontaneity and flexibility. Here is a handy guide .

16. Yacht Crew

Work for an individual employer or traveling family aboard a private yacht or sailing vessel.

Required Experience: Medium

While yachting is associated with luxury, working on a private yacht is rarely glamorous. The experience is highly dependent on the owners of the yacht, the captain, and the guests on each voyage. Some clients are relaxed and down to earth, while others can be demanding and even rude. 

In general, being part of a yacht crew is tiring work with long hours – on a typical day, you should plan to wake up before dawn and work well past sunset. Responsibilities include cleaning the yacht, assisting with food and beverage service, and fulfilling clients’ various requests. 

If you love the sea and are ready for the service industry’s demands, working on a yacht crew can be a great way to sail for free while also earning some income. Crew positions are available on private yachts worldwide. As long as you have exceptional customer service and at least some knowledge of boats, you have a good chance of being hired. 

Crew cabins tend to be cramped and lack the luxurious feel of the rest of the yacht. Since you’ll spend a lot of time with the other staff members in close quarters, the group’s personality can make or break your experience. 

How to Get a Yacht Crew Job:

One of the best known yacht job boards is Find a Crew . Since you’ll be talking to individuals rather than incorporated companies, the process can be a little sketchier. Use your judgement.

17. Bicycle Trip Leader

Lead guided travel tour trips through picturesque cities and adventurous locations.

Traveling by bike is an amazing way to see the world. If you enjoy cycling and love working with people, then guiding bike tours could be an exciting and enriching experience. 

Becoming a cycling trip leader requires a high level of physical fitness, positivity, and dependability. Tours range from single-day trips to month-long adventures and are available in stunning locations worldwide. 

As a guide, you’re responsible for guests’ safety and are on call 24/7. You should be prepared for long hours and ready to handle medical emergencies like illness or bike accidents. You’ll also need to know how to service bicycles since guests on the tours are likely to experience issues such as flat tires and broken chains along the way. 

In addition to ensuring everyone’s safety, guides are responsible for immersing guests in the local culture and customs. You’ll need to be very familiar with the area and have excellent navigation skills in case you need to make any unexpected detours due to weather conditions or guest preferences. 

Bike guides tend to be a fun, extroverted group with lots of opportunities to socialize and explore the local area when you’re not working. 

When you’re on a trip, you’ll receive free accommodation in the same hotels the guests are staying (although it’s usually in a lower quality room). Not all companies cover accommodation costs when you’re not with clients, so you’ll want to consider this when applying to these travel jobs. 

How to Get a Bicycle Trip Leader Job:

Search Google as if you’re looking to pay to attend an international bicycle tour. When you find a company you like, search for its employment page.

18. Whitewater Raft Guide

Safely guide guests through physically challenging white water rapids. Required Experience: High

If you are passionate about adventure, love the water, and handle risk and unpredictability with grace, then whitewater raft guiding could be a good option. Raft guides depend on one another to safely make it out of the rapids each day, which fosters a type of trust and bond that can be hard to find in other jobs. In general, you can expect to work with a fun group of people who spend their free time enjoying the outdoors and drinking around a campfire.  The travel job is best for young extroverts who love working with people and are ready for long hours and physically demanding work. Positive energy is critical – guides must keep the stoke high even when their extremities are numb, and the guests are miserable. 

Becoming a raft guide takes hard work. There is a steep learning curve, with intensive training and various certifications required or recommended.

The first step is to attend a 7-10 day guide school with a rafting company, followed by another 2-6 weeks of unpaid training once hired. The training is intense and seeks to weed out those who can’t handle the physical and mental demands of whitewater raft guiding. 

Many guides also complete courses in or become certified as:

• advanced wilderness first aid
• wilderness first responders
• swift water rescue certifications
• CPR & first aid

While not all of these are required, the more certifications and experience you have, the more you can expect to earn.  NOLS is a well-known outdoor adventure certification school. On the other side of this rigorous process, there is a close-knit international community of guides with many opportunities to travel. Keep in mind that requirements may vary across borders and from state to state within the US. 

Many rafting companies offer basic housing, often in the form of guide camps near the river. Amenities are sparse, with guides living out of tents, their cars, or old RVs. Raft guiding is not a lucrative travel job – even with the free housing, it’s unlikely that you’ll come out of your first season with more than a few hundred dollars saved. 

How to Get a White Water Guide Job:

Search for white water jobs on WanderJobs and Backdoorjobs .

19. Wilderness Therapist

Help youth overcome mental health issues with nature and counseling. Required Experience: High

Wilderness therapy combines nature and counseling to help at-risk youth cope with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, ADHD, technology addiction, and other mental health issues. 

It’s helpful to have outdoor experience and a background in social work or psychology. But if you enjoy nature and working with youth and are willing to work hard, it’s possible to overcome a lack of experience. 

Wilderness therapy is gaining popularity worldwide, but many programs remain concentrated in the US, the UK, and New Zealand and run seasonally. You’ll be with students 24-7, teaching a variety of outdoor and survival skills that can be transferred into everyday situations.

Students will need help coping with new physical and mental challenges and mentorship as they seek self-improvement. The job certainly has its difficulties, but it is also incredibly rewarding. You can have a profound impact on others’ lives and experience significant personal growth.

People who choose to work as wilderness therapists find supportive communities and build lasting friendships with their colleagues. 

The structure of wilderness therapy programs varies by company. Sometimes students spend a week in the classroom with a licensed clinician, then a week in the wilderness with a guide. Sometimes the two are combined and require guides to have more extensive clinical training.

Many programs follow a rotating schedule with one or two weeks on, and the next one or two weeks off. When you’re working, you’ll be camping in the backcountry with your group. Not all companies cover accommodation during your time off. 

How to Get a Wilderness Therapist Job:

Backdoorjobs has lots of wilderness therapy jobs to browse.

Part 2: Hospitality Travel Jobs

20. cruise ship jobs.

Work in a customer service role or behind-the-scenes aboard a mighty international cruise liner. Required Experience: Medium

Cruise ship jobs seem to hold the allure of adventure. While they do allow you to see new places, the adventures tend to be a bit more surface-level, hedonistic, and rife with difficulties than other options. There are so many jobs available on cruise ships to match different experience levels and interests. They truly are like floating cities, and will need staff to help with cooking, cleaning, entertaining, sailing, styling hair, serving, retail, maintaining the ship, childcare, and much, much more.

The benefits of working on a cruise ship are:

• visiting a handful of new countries in a short period of time
• making new friends from around the world
• saving a good amount of money you earn

But the downsides are substantial. These include:

• an extremely long workweek and little free time
• a social life heavily dependent on drinking at the staff cantina
• little time off the ship
• lack of internet/cell coverage
• tiny, shared living quarters
• apathetic management

It must be said that cruise liners and their guests very actively harm the “tourist towns” in which they dock and make life in these places significantly more depressing for locals.

Despite all this, some people LOVE working on a cruise ship. In fact, my friend Marissa shared an in-depth experience of her time working aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship on my Once Upon a Wander podcast .

Some people though, including a few I met who worked on Carnival ships, found cruise ship life stressful and unpleasant. Do some research and make sure it feels right to before applying to work on a cruise ship. Or just take my recommendation and stay away altogether. There are so many better options.

How to Get a Cruise Ship Job:

It’s important to research the companies you are interested in applying to. Not all cruise jobs are equal. Some are more… notorious than others. It’s probably best if introverts steer clear of cruise ship jobs, as you will get little alone time. However, the jobs themselves are so varied that you may still find something that suits you if you don’t want to interact directly with guests. The required experience level varies greatly by job, with the easiest jobs to get generally being in the housekeeping department. It can end up being many months after you’re hired before you’re actually placed on a ship. You can browse Cruise Ship Jobs here or on any major job site, including Indeed .

21. Lift Operator (Liftie)

Safely operate ski lifts and check guest passes during the winter season. Required Experience: Low

A liftie job is the easiest entry point to working on the ski slopes. A common choice for younger people, operating the ski lifts requires a lot more standing around and a lot less responsibility than the more coveted positions of ski/snowboard instructors or ski patrol. It is expected that ski resort employees working on the mountain will receive a free season lift pass, which is one of the biggest draws. Some, but not all, mountain resorts will provide employee housing and/or meals. The culture of a ski job is not for everyone. If skiing or snowboarding every day brings you a genuine thrill, and you enjoy bonding with others over beers and drinking, it’s probably a good fit. But if hearing “gonna go shred some sick gnar” or “get that fresh pow, man” on the regular isn’t your cup of tea, maybe look elsewhere.

How to Get a Liftie Job:

Look for lift operator positions anywhere you’d find ski instructor jobs. You can start here .

22. Housekeeping

Clean guest rooms & common areas and fold laundry. Required Experience: Low

Housekeeping is one of the easiest entry points into the travel job arena, period. Just about any company you’ll find on WanderJobs needs housekeepers. Lodges, resorts, retreat centers, ranches… they all need to be cleaned. It’s one of the largest employee departments in tourism. Because of the ease of entry, housekeepers usually make up the youngest department in seasonal travel companies. Many of them are teenagers and early 20s. The work itself is surprisingly physical and it helps to be in good shape. It’s a good choice for someone who doesn’t want to interact with the customers.

Usually you’ll be put into pairs or small teams to clean guest rooms, so you’ll be able to chat with your partner or listen to music. It’s genuinely a lot of fun.

When you’re cleaning alone it’s nice to just listen to a podcast or enjoy the peace and quiet. I consider it to be kind of relaxing and even meditative.

How to Get a Housekeeping Job:

Housekeeping is the #1 easiest travel job to be hired for. After getting your foot in the door at your preferred company, it’s easier to get a new position (or become a housekeeping supervisor) the next season.

There are many housekeeping positions on WanderJobs .

23. Wilderness Lodge Staff

Hospitality positions in wilderness locations include everything from housekeeping to kitchen crews. Required Experience: Low

Wilderness lodges come in all sorts of locations and sizes. I’ve worked for a wilderness lodge with a staff size of 160, and another with a staff size of 4.

Both experiences offered an incredibly peaceful slice of life, where you could step outside your door and be right in nature. You’ll be able experience real quiet; nothing but the rustling leaves and soothing waves on the lake. Wilderness lodges seem to attract a good type of person, and also a wide variety. I’ve met a lot of artists, thinkers, and adventurers in these places. There are SO many types of travel jobs to chose from at a lodge that it’s likely you’ll be able to find something that suits you.

Jobs often include:

• Housekeeping
• Front desk & customer service
• Activities staff
• Office staff
• & many more

Larger lodges may offer three hot meals per day in addition to housing. Lodges in National Parks, designated as official National Park concessioners, often have Employee Dining Rooms (EDRs) with fresh, tasty food for staff. Hanging out with friends is a wonderful experience when you’re so close to nature. Expect lots of stargazing, camp fires, porch parties and hiking. Listen to my Once Upon a Wander podcast interview with coworker Nita . She describes what working at a wilderness lodge in the Grand Teton National Park meant to her.

Read my review of life at a wilderness lodge in Minnesota .

How to Get a Wilderness Lodge Job:

For google searches, it’s helpful to search wilderness lodge + location + staff housing. For example, “wilderness lodge Alaska staff housing.” Many wilderness lodges are so far from the nearest town that they need to offer staff housing or they wouldn’t have staff. Find Wilderness Lodge Jobs on WanderJobs .

24. Front Desk/Reception

Check in guests, make sales, answer the phone, and preform other customer service duties. Required Experience: Medium

Front desk positions are a good choice for people who want to live and work in beautiful places but who don’t necessarily consider themselves “outdoorsy” or don’t want the adventure to come from the job itself. These positions are usually a bit cushier, and as with any office job, there’s more opportunity to sit down, have a slow cup of coffee, and be in a climate-controlled environment. Each day will have a rush and a lull, but you do have to be prepared to deal with many customers wanting attention at once. The downtime tends to balance it out, though. In one of my front desk positions, I was on the night shift in a gorgeous wilderness lodge. Most guests had already hunkered down for the night by the time I clocked in, so I liked to sit in the office, stare off at the lake, or read a nice book. In another of my front desk positions, this one at a zip line, the day was much more fast-paced. I had to stand outside in the sun and check in hundreds of guests each day. Both positions required learning a somewhat confusing point-of-sale system and knowing how to answer detailed questions about the business, but there were never any huge challenges.

How to Get a Front Desk Job:

Look for any job on WanderJobs marked as resort, hotel, hostel, lodge, or retreat center. Any place that operates as a place for guests to spend the night will need front desk staff.

25. Activities Leader

Keep guests entertained and engaged. Required Experience: Medium

This is a travel job for people who truly love meeting and engaging with new people. An activities leader should be friendly, warm, and outgoing. She should not be afraid of looking silly or acting like a goof to make others happy. Ideally, making others happy should be a driving force for her own happiness. Companies that hire activity leaders do so for many reasons. Each company will have a very different schedule of events. Some sample activities include:

• guest picnics and bonfires
• guided nature walks
• art classes
• tournaments
• & much more

You’ll need a lot of mental stamina to be successful in this position. Public speaking skills are important.

How to Get an Activities Leader Job:

Find activities lead jobs with room and board on WanderJobs by searching for companies with at any resort, retreat, ranch, or hotel. Summer camps and year-round camps (like YMCAs) are also a great place to find Activity positions if you’re interested in working with youth.

26. Retreat Center Staff

Work and live on a campus geared toward the peaceful spiritual growth of its guests and employees.

Working at a retreat center is an experience unlike any other I’ve had. When you consider what a person really, truly needs to be happy and fulfilled in life, you have to admit that living in a strong community with other people and being in nature are very near the top. Retreat centers give you these.

Both retreat centers where I’ve worked and lived were places for people of many different backgrounds, ages, and nationalities to come together and live a more natural way of life. Beautiful facilities in nature and fresh healthy meals fostered a calm, creative way of life.

Part of the draw of a retreat center is the location. They tend to be more remote: in the mountains, tucked in a forested valley, by a cliff on the sea. I’ve found nothing yet to match the feeling of peace and connection I’ve found at these places.

Retreat and conference centers require employees in many different areas: kitchen, housekeeping, front desk and customer service, spa, events, management, etc. It’s just like a resort, but specifically for people who want to rest and restore, or learn, or create.

Groups of guests come to learn yoga, martial arts, meditation, art, writing, communication, dance, etc. Many retreat centers allow employees to participate in many of the events on campus, so it’s usually a fun environment.

It’s easy to make friends at retreat center jobs. You’ll find lots of kind, open-minded liberals and people trying to better themselves or take a break from the rat race.

Some retreat centers (like those listed on WanderJobs) offer paid positions, but many more are work-exchange/volunteer only. Some will actually charge the volunteers a monthly fee for room and board, and while this may sound ridiculous, it can lead to some of the best experiences of your life. Still, no need to pay when you can just find a travel job that pays you.

How to Get a Retreat Center Job:

Search for retreat center jobs on WanderJobs.

You can also browse Find the Divine and Retreat Finder , but as these aren’t job sites, you have to click on individual retreat center web sites to see if they do have employment or volunteer positions available.

27. Lifeguard

Because you’re responsible for everyone’s safety at the pool or on the beach, being a lifeguard requires constant vigilance and an ability to handle medical emergencies. 

From rescuing children who are panicking to dealing with drunk adults, you must be prepared to handle a wide range of dangerous situations in the water. You must be a physically fit and strong swimmer, have a lifeguard certification, and complete CPR and first aid training.

Lifeguards may also teach swimming or water aerobics classes and clean and maintain the swimming area. 

Expect a party culture with a lot of socializing. After work, there are often friendly competitions between lifeguards, such as swimming, paddle boarding, and boat races. 

Lifeguarding culture remains somewhat male-dominated. Women working as lifeguards often report feeling like they need to prove themselves and say men are given more responsibility and promoted faster.

You’ll also need to be able to deal with boredom. Lifeguards can’t read or look at their phones while working and need to find alternative ways to entertain themselves when the pool or beach is deserted. 

Many classic lakeside sleep-away camps recruit lifeguards to keep the swimming campers safe.

How to Get a Lifeguard Job:

Overnight summer camps are one of the best places to find lifeguarding positions with housing. You can usually earn a lifeguarding certificate at your local YMCA or swimming pool.

28. Restaurant Host

Greet guests, take some orders, and help keep the floor running smoothly.

Restaurants worldwide are social, fast-paced environments where the atmosphere can change quickly. The culture you’ll find depends on what kind of restaurant you work in and where it’s located. 

Restaurant staff in the US tend to be on the younger side, but many countries have hosts, waiters, and chefs of differing ages. Some restaurants have strict rules and dress codes, while others are more casual and allow for greater self-expression.

It’s possible to get a travel job as a restaurant host with minimal experience, but positions with the best perks (and housing) will be awarded to those with previous training in hospitality. You also may benefit from speaking a foreign language or two.

Restaurant hosts are responsible for a guest’s first impression and must have excellent customer service skills. In addition to showing guests to their table, answering the phone, and taking reservations, you help clear tables and assist the waiters as needed. 

The restaurant industry certainly isn’t for everyone. Before taking a position as a host, you should prepare for long and unusual hours with many spent standing up. You’ll need to maintain composure in an ever-changing, high-stress environment. If that sounds exciting, working as a restaurant host could be a fun and worthwhile experience. 

How to Get a Restaurant Host Job:

Search WanderJobs for lodges, hotel jobs, restaurants, and resorts. Most places with overnight accommodations for guests have a restaurant.

29. Spa Attendant

Help youth overcome mental health issues with nature and counseling.

Spa attendants are responsible for fostering an environment that helps others relax. Working alongside massage therapists and aestheticians, attendants support clients in seeking out self-care and making healthy changes in their lives. 

There are no specific requirements to become a spa attendant. Still, it works in your favor if you have prior customer service experience, have worked in the hospitality or wellness industry, or have cosmetology certifications. As long as you are organized and professional and have excellent interpersonal skills, it’s possible to get a travel job as a spa attendant. 

If hired, your duties will include assisting customers, selling treatment packages, cleaning the facilities, and helping aestheticians and therapists prepare for clients. You’ll also be responsible for administrative tasks like scheduling appointments and managing inventory. 

Spas and wellness centers worldwide tend to have a team-oriented environment that attracts young, health-conscious employees. Working in this type of setting can be incredibly calming and enjoyable. 

Like all jobs, working in a spa is stressful at times. Customer service roles are known for being mentally and emotionally draining, and you’ll need to spend many hours a day on your feet. Depending on the spa’s operating hours, you may have long shifts and be required to work nights, holidays, and weekends. 

You’re most likely to find housing included at spas in large or remote resorts and on cruise ships. If you work at a spa in one of these settings, you can expect to meet interesting people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world. Resorts often have perks like free access to facilities and fun events. Through these activities and those you discover on your own in your free time, you’ll get to know other employees within the wellness center and throughout the entire resort or ship. 

How to Get a Spa Attendant Job:

After searching for resort, hotel, and lodge jobs with housing, find out which of those have spas. Or try a keyword search on WanderJobs for “spa”.

30. YMCA Camp Counselor/Leader

YMCA camps offer a range of counselor and leadership jobs with different requirements. You can find anything from junior counselor positions geared towards high schoolers to activity specialist roles intended for those with professional teaching experience. 

Depending on your skill set, there may be an opportunity to specialize in areas like sports, swimming, or arts and crafts. 

Working at a YMCA camp tends to be a seasonal job. While some camps offer year-round programs, most operate primarily in the summer when kids are out of school. 

A majority of YMCA camps are located in the US and Canada, so if you’re looking for a travel job overseas, this may not be the right fit. Even without traveling abroad, you’ll have the opportunity to meet people from around the world, since YMCA camps attract a diverse bunch of international campers and counselors. Camp communities offer fantastic opportunities to make lasting friendships, but they can be a bit cliquey. 

To get a job as a YMCA camp counselor, you must have excellent leadership and enjoy working with children. If hired, you’ll likely need to undergo additional training focusing on communication skills, conflict resolution, leadership, child safety, first aid, and CPR. 

Working for a summer or two as a YMCA counselor can be a very enriching experience. However, you must remain positive, energetic, and bubbly even when you’re covered in mosquito bites and haven’t had dry socks in two weeks. As a result, camp counselors often report feeling drained by the end of the summer. 

Typically staff members spend the summer living in cabins with the campers. Different camps have varying levels of sophistication in their accommodations for counselors. Depending on your level of comfort with camping, you’ll want to consider a particular camp’s facilities before applying.  

How to Get a YMCA Leader Job:

Search major job boards (like Indeed) for “YMCA camp residential”.

31. Hostel Jobs

Preform various guest service duties in a highly social traveler environment.

Hostels are abundant worldwide and are among the classic places people turn when looking for a travel job that includes housing. There is a lot of flexibility depending on your desired environment. You can find hostels in urban centers, around national parks, and next to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches.

With opportunities to work at reception, as a housekeeper, in the kitchen, and more, it’s easy to find work in this sector. 

Working at a hostel rarely requires any specific prior experience and is a great way to gain some additional skills, such as bartending, event planning, or waiting tables. One thing you do need is a love of meeting new people. 

Hostels are very social spaces with little privacy, so if you’re an introvert looking for peace and quiet, a hostel job is probably not for you. The culture is perfect for extroverts who thrive in new situations, as the vibe of a hostel is constantly changing with the fluctuation of guests and employees. If you take a travel job at a hostel, you’ll join an eclectic group of people who were attracted by the opportunity to live abroad for free. 

In addition to interesting coworkers, you’ll also get to know guests from far corners of the globe. At any given hostel, you’re likely to find a diverse collection of individuals, including artists, digital nomads, backpackers, and other free spirits. In general, the crowd tends to be young and will be up for partying any day of the week. 

Since hostel employees live and work in the same space, work-life and downtime can be hard to separate. Many hostels operate on a work exchange basis, but some will pay you a small wage in addition to providing free or reduced-price housing. Regardless of which option you end up with, you’ll probably share a room with at least one other staff member. 

How to Get a Hostel Job:

Search the major job boards. Not all hostel jobs come with housing- especially those in cities- but if not, it’s worth it to contact the manager to see if they would be able to work something out with you.

Many hostel workers do unpaid work-exchanges. There are many of these types of experiences on Workaway.info .

32. Retail & Gift Shop Staff

Stock and sell trinkets and snacks to tourists.

Retail jobs are your standard shop experience. You’ll spend much of your time standing in one spot (behind the register) and checking people out.

There are lulls and rushes, but the work isn’t known to be exciting. It’s extremely repetitive.

On the bright side, you’ll probably get to know a small number of coworkers well, and there can be some good people watching.

How to Get a Retail/Gift Shop Job:

Many national park concessioners (#34 travel job on this list) hire retail staff specifically for their shops. At other companies, retail is often a job integrated with positions like front desk and check-in.

33. Marina Attendant

Help customers with boats, pump gas, do basic maintenance checks.

This is one of the many travel jobs on the list that I’ve done personally- that’s me in the picture! Marina work is a cool gig. One of the best things about working at a marina is the view. Few workplaces are more beautiful than the shores around a lake or ocean, and it’s exciting to be able to watch storms rolling in from the distance.

The position requires being on your feet most of the time and interacting with many people on a daily basis. Marinas can get very busy, and when they do, it can feel a bit stressful. People who rent boats at marinas or own boats generally have a good amount of money, and sometimes the sorts of attitudes can come with that. You’ll have to be able to field customer questions while making sure you do everything in a very safe way. Some marinas are more relaxed than others. Personally I would recommend finding one that only serves as a place for people to keep their own private boats rather then renting out boats to customers. There’s a good amount of time to chat with your coworkers and appreciate the view. If your marina does rent out boats, it will be your job to teach the customers to use them. For people with their own boats, you’ll be expected to ferry them out to their buoys. There’s no question that driving boats around all day is a lot of fun. The customer rushes are mitigated by periods of downtime, especially in the early mornings, when you’ll have the whole beautiful, quiet lake to yourself as the sun comes up. I used to love playing music on my phone and drinking coffee in the marina office at twilight, looking out at the mountains and lake. At this point you’ll have to prepare for the day, maybe do some paperwork, and check on the boats and dock.

Whatever your skill level is with boats (mine was near zero when I was hired), it isn’t that challenging to learn to drive them well enough to dock them and tow them safely and skillfully.

How to Get a Marina Job:

Search WanderJobs for marina positions , or browse TripAdvisor for wilderness lodges on your lake of choice.

34. National Park Concessioner Staff

Perform customer service & hospitality duties while living with other travelers in a national park.

Many private companies help provide additional services to visitors within each national park, including lodging, tours, and retail. In the US, National Park Service concessioners employ more than 25,000 people during peak seasons at places like restaurants, hotels, concession stands, and gift shops. 

Because concessioners are hired by private companies rather than the federal government, many say the hiring process is more straightforward and flexible than getting a job as a park ranger. Since many rangers start out working concessions, this is a great way to get your foot in the door and open up additional opportunities with the National Park Service. 

While the concessioner jobs are often indoors, you’ll get to spend the season living in one of the nation’s most beautiful places. Many employees at national parks are outdoor-minded folks who love adventure. You’ll be able to spend your days off exploring the park and surrounding area with coworkers and will likely have the chance to try some fun outdoor activities like rafting, rock climbing, or snorkeling. 

Not all concessioner staff positions include housing, but it’s not uncommon to receive subsidized room and board. Don’t expect anything luxurious – most park employees live in basic dormitory-style lodging or RVs. But it’s a wonderful way to live in a community of people with similar interests, and employees in these places often feel like families.

How to Get a National Park Concessioner Job:

The two major National Park concessioners are Xanterra and Delware North, and searching the sites of those two companies will provide most of the travel job opportunities. However …

Those are huge companies and are infamous, like Vail Resorts, for treating their employees like numbers and not like people. In traveler circles, it’s called Xanterrible.

It’s harder to find the smaller companies because most websites are in disguise, and it’s not till you reach the employment page that you’re redirected to the automated Xanterra or DN database. But smaller companies exist!

The official National Park list of Authorized Concessioners can be found on their website .

35. Overnight Summer Camp Counselor

Lead groups of kids through traditional summer camp activities.

Working as an overnight camp counselor is a great summer travel job for young extroverts who love working with kids. You can choose from a wide selection of camps throughout the US and Canada, as well as some international ones. 

Options range from classic YMCA-style summer camps to specialty programs focusing on music, theater, or sports. General overnight camps expect employees to enjoy working with youth and have a positive attitude, while specialty camps require additional expertise in that particular field. 

Each camp has a different vibe and traditions, so you’ll want to do some research and select one that is a good fit. No matter which location you choose, you’ll find a unique environment with countless learning experiences. Camp culture fosters life-long friendships among both campers and counselors. Kids carry summer camp memories well into adulthood, so it can be very fulfilling to be a part of campers’ life-changing experiences. 

Although working as a camp counselor is fun and rewarding, it doesn’t come without challenges. The job rarely includes any alone time, which can be tough even for the most extroverted individuals. Counselors stay in the same cabins as campers, and supervising a group of children 24 hours a day is exhausting by the end of the summer. 

How to Get a Camp Counselor Job:

There are many sites dedicated to camp listings, including Camp Resource and Camp Channel . But since there are so many hundreds of camps not listed on these sites, it’s easier just to pick the area you want to go and do a google search for overnight camps in that location.

Drive guests, haul gear, act as a tour guide.

There are possibilities to work as a tour group driver on trips ranging from classic sightseeing tours to multisport adventures worldwide. Some tour companies employ drivers for the entire season, while others hire them as external contractors for a week or two at a time. 

To get one of these jobs, you’ll need a valid commercial driver’s license in the countries visited, excellent customer service skills, and a proven commitment to passenger safety. The vehicle’s size may vary from group to group, but you should be comfortable maneuvering large vehicles with a trailer full of equipment in tow. 

While most of the job is spent sitting, you will also get some exercise through the frequent loading and unloading of luggage and gear, such as bikes and kayaks. The position includes a lot of downtime when the guests are out sightseeing or staying in the same spot for a few days. You’ll therefore have the chance to explore many different places along the route. However, if you’re hired as an external contractor, the job could be a bit lonely. 

In addition to wages, drivers typically receive free lodging in a hotel for the tour duration. Sometimes they’ll stay in the same location as guests, while others they’ll be placed in a different hotel nearby. 

How to Get a Driver Job:

Whitewater rafting and other gear-based outdoor companies sometimes have dedicated drivers to haul the gear from one place to another, and to meet the guests once they go down river.

For coach-bus tour driver jobs, the best way to find a company is to search google as if you’re trying to pay to join a tour as a guest. “Coach bus tours national parks” or “europe coach bus tours” would be good searches, for example.

Contiki is an example of a coach bus tour company in Europe, though they only hire people with European passports.

37. Hotel & Resort Jobs

Work in guest services, desk jobs, or support positions at hotels & resorts.

Hotels and resorts offer tons of different employment opportunities all over the globe. There are openings for bartenders, chefs, waiters, restaurant hosts, housekeepers, concierges, event coordinators, entertainers, fitness instructors, massage therapists, lifeguards, and more. 

In addition to living in a desirable destination, you’ll receive perks like free or discounted access to the resort’s facilities. One of the other benefits is meeting interesting guests and working with people from around the world. Since many hotel and resort employees are far from “home,” coworkers can become like family.  

Most upscale hotels and resorts include housing for employees, especially those located in remote areas. The accommodation itself is rarely luxurious – no matter how fancy the resort, you’ll probably live in shared housing with 4-5 other people. 

Working at a hotel or resort offers flexible hours; however, shifts can be long with few breaks and little downtime, and the pay is not always sufficient for the hours required. Like other hospitality industry jobs, employees at hotels and resorts regularly report feeling drained by the end of the tourist season. 

But for many, the ability to wake up with a swim at a world-renowned beach or hit the slopes after your shift at a famous ski resort makes the long hours worth it. 

How to Get a Hotel/Resort Job:

WanderJobs lists lodge & resort jobs and hostel & inn jobs . If you’re searching in google, choose more remote or even island destinations, as they are more likely to offer staff housing.

38. Workamping Campground Host

Register campers, keep campgrounds safe and clean.

Workamping is an option for couples or individuals who love to camp and are looking for ways to do so cheaply. It’s a position often filled by seniors and people.

You’ll need your own RV to live in.

Campground host positions are available at privately owned parks as well as state and national parks in the US and Canada. While uncommon, it is possible to find workamping openings in other parts of the world, especially in Europe, Central America, and the Caribbean. 

Working as a host involves various duties around the campground, such as cleaning, maintenance, landscaping, registering campers, answering visitors’ questions, reporting any rule violations to management, and working in the campground shop. In exchange for your work, you’ll receive a free RV campsite complete with water and electricity hookups. 

Hosting contracts usually extend for 3-6 months. The requirements, hours, and expected time commitment will depend on the campground. Regardless of your schedule, you should plan to work throughout the peak season and on weekends and holidays. 

Workamping has numerous benefits, including spending time in beautiful natural areas for free and meeting folks who also love the outdoors. But there are downsides as well. You’ll likely have to deal with unruly campers and take care of less desirable tasks like picking up trash.  

It’s also my belief- from research, and from talking to people when I attended the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous in 2020 as a speaker- that workamping can get pretty exploitive. It seems that many employers treat their employees badly, overwork them, underpay them, and do not honor contracts in ways that seem illegal. I’m not sure why this particular travel job was so popular with the retired population, but it was. I personally would avoid it at all costs.

Many, but not all, workamping jobs include a salary. Volunteer positions typically require about 20 hours of work a week, while those that come with additional wages involve around 40 hours a week. So they say; in practice, overworking seems to be common.

How to Get a Campground Host Job:

Most Workampers I spoke to at RTR found their jobs through Workamper News .

Part 3: Career Travel Jobs

39. english teacher abroad.

Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to students at a high school abroad. Required Experience: Medium

A native English speaker with a good command of the language can become an English teacher abroad far more easily than becoming a teacher within the US. The certification process for a TEFL certificate is relatively quick, cheap, and easy. I myself earned the 100-hour online certificate and a 50-hour younger learner certificate in about half the suggested time.

That said, for some reason actually finding a travel job as an English teacher (as of 2020) requires sifting through an absolutely baffling quagmire of scams and misinformation. Does this school want to hire me or is this a company trying to sell me a course? Why won’t the man who I just paid to get my results after taking my certification test respond to any of my emails? Why do I have to go to the country and look for a job after I get there? Theses questions and more plagued me and my ex, and I’m sure many others. Eventually, after moving to Japan to get a travel job teaching English, failing to do so, moving back to the US, and getting scammed, my ex managed to find a job teaching in a good school in Japan and is going on his second year-long contract. I’ve known many people who have taught English abroad (I volunteered with some permanent teachers in Thailand), but as far as “how to get a job teaching english abroad” goes, you’re rather on your own.

How to Get a TEFL Job:

First, become TEFL certified. Most companies require a minimum 120-hour certification and a bachelors degree, though there are companies that do not require a degree.

There are many companies that offer certification, with a median price of about $300 for 120 hours. The cheapest I’ve found is Global TEFL , which was $90/120 hours at the time I wrote this article. Then, do tons and tons of research to find current job openings for English teachers. You may find jobs in China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and other locations.

There are also TONS of online opportunities if you’re looking to continue to travel while you teach. Here’s a quick guide by Goats on the Road.

40. Maintenance 

Repair, build, and haul things as needed. Required Experience: Medium

Most any company, especially those that include guest lodging, requires skilled maintenance staff. In the on season, you’ll be doing general repairs and will often have access to a truck or golf cart, and a workshop or shed. You may find yourself painting, chopping wood, and responding to guests’ request for lightbulb changes in addition to more skilled labor. The maintenance team tends to be one of the smaller operations of a seasonal company and the teams are given more power and freedom to make their own decisions and schedules. It’s often a good gig for introverted types. Sometimes in the off-season, a more remote wilderness lodge will shut down but will still require a skeleton crew consisting of a maintenance worker or two. It’s an unusual way to experience a quiet winter of solitude.

How to Get a Maintenance Job:

Even when maintenance is not listed as an open position on the employment section of a company’s website, it may be worth it to email the company and ask them if they could use some more help.

Maintenance is one of the travel job categories in which it pays to become an expert in your field. An experienced, highly skilled maintenance worker will always be valuable. Find live-in maintenance travel jobs at any resort, retreat, ranch, or hotel listed on WanderJobs.

41. Chefs & Cooks

Prepare and cook meals for guests and staff.

Every kitchen requires a team of cooks of different experience levels and with different amounts of responsibility in order to run properly. A chef at a seasonal company (I’ve worked with many) absolutely doesn’t require a culinary degree, but does require a high level of confidence and skill.

However, head chefs and sous chefs often handle a stressful level of responsibility. Even if your skill is high, you may prefer to be a line cook or even a prep cook (my favorite), where it’s easier to zone out into your task or chat with the other cooks through the workday.

The jobs, from least to most responsibility are:

• Prep Cook (chopping, grating, juicing, repetitive tasks)
• Line Cook (cooking a few specific things, preparing salads)
• Sous Chef (cooking, menu prep, covering in the chef’s absence)
• Chef (ordering ingredients, cooking, menu prep, managing the kitchen)

There are two massively different types of kitchens: made to order, and buffets.

Made-to-order kitchens (which are by far the most common) are almost always more fast paced. This brings an extra level of stress, and sometimes the notoriously angry and narcissistic head chef who thinks he’s god’s gift to man. (I met one of these types at a restaurant in a seasonal travel job I left very quickly). Most places with seasonal jobs will only have this type of kitchen.

Buffet-style kitchens are usually found in two environments: retreat centers and staff dining rooms. Retreat centers usually have constantly changing menus of fresh, healthy, delicious foods.

Staff dining rooms (known as Employee Dining Rooms or EDRs at national park concessioners) vary by location. The food is generally good but not great, and it feels nice to help feed your coworkers.

Working in mess hall or a retreat center environment is much lower-pressure, and in my opinion, much more enjoyable than cooking in a ritzy made-to-order restaurant.

How to Get a Cook Job:

Most any resort, lodge, hotel, retreat center, summer camp, or hostel on WanderJobs will require cooks.

While it isn’t especially hard to start off as a prep cook, there are plenty of places to volunteer as a cook to get more experience before applying for a job. Retreat centers often need volunteer cooks, as do many families on the Workaway site.

42. Antarctica Research Station Staff

Help keep the remote research station running to support scientific discovery.

Getting a travel job in Antarctica is very competitive and requires a particular skill set. Apart from the scientists, research stations have various support staff such as:

• electricians
• firefighters
• boat handlers
• and more… 

Many employment contracts are limited to the summer (around November to February). Others extend through the winter (around March to October). There is a high cost associated with transporting staff to and from the bases, so preference is given to those willing to commit to longer contracts. Even in the summer, be prepared to cope with extreme and unpredictable weather. 

The culture differs from one research station to the next. Most communities have a small-town feel to them. There are movie theaters, bars, and coffee shops that host various events, such as pub quizzes, open mic nights, and karaoke. 

While each research station is stocked with medical supplies and has at least one on-site physician, advanced medical care for life-threatening conditions is often days away. Before heading to Antarctica, research station staff must pass a comprehensive medical exam, including blood tests, chest x-rays, and an EKG. Those hoping to stay throughout the winter must undergo additional medical and psychological tests to ensure they are fit to withstand the physical and mental challenges associated with isolation, frigid temperatures, and 24 hours of darkness for months on end. 

If alone time and privacy are important to you, this travel job is probably not the right fit. Despite being isolated, research station employees rarely get any time to themselves. The stations vary in size, but on average, you can expect around 40-50 staff during the summer and 10-20 in the winter. 

Accommodation, while free, is rustic and crowded – most workers reside in cramped tents or bunks on a ship, and getting off the base for some privacy is not an option. Except for those employed in transportation, support staff seldom travel away from their research stations. 

Before applying for a this travel job, I highly recommend reading the book South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby. Though fictional, it gives an incredibly realistic view into seasonal life in Antarctica.

How to Get an Antarctica Job:

The best place to start looking for a job is with your country’s Antarctica Program . There are around 70 different research stations run by programs from about 30 countries.

43. National Park Ranger (entry level seasonal)

Help educate guests and keep the park safe and clean.

One of the perks of working as a national park ranger is spending time in some of the world’s most stunning natural areas. This travel job is best for those who love nature, are passionate about conservation, and enjoy working with others. You must be willing to work outdoors in any kind of conditions, including extreme temperatures and stormy weather. 

Since park rangers are employees of the federal government, they tend to work a maximum of 40 hours a week. However, rangers must be prepared to work holidays and weekends when parks experience an influx of visitors. 

The culture among national park rangers depends on the geographic location of that particular park. In remote areas, there is a significant overlap in work life and social life, while parks located near towns or cities offer a better work-life balance and more non-park-related activities. Park communities typically resemble isolated small towns where everyone knows each other. 

The path to becoming a park ranger is a competitive one, with many people finding their way in the door through volunteer positions or internships. You’re more likely to be hired if you have a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, natural resources, geology, forestry, history, law enforcement, or a similar field. 

In most parks, seasonal workers are hired only for the summer. These contracts last from 4-6 months and do not include benefits afforded to permanent employees, such as health insurance and retirement contributions. 

Entry-level rangers typically start out collecting fees from visitors at park entrances or maintaining hiking trails. Over time, it’s possible to work your way up to a more desirable position, such as leading tours, researching wildlife, or working in the backcountry. 

Some parks provide free housing, while others deduct rent from your paycheck based on the cost of living in the surrounding area. Accommodation in the parks varies significantly and can range from newer apartments to run-down trailers. Seasonal employees are provided fully furnished rooms and can expect to have at least one roommate or housemate. 

How to Get a National Park Ranger Job:

Find park jobs with the National Park Service or the US Forest Service . If it seems like those official sites don’t have many listings, there may be more posted on a major job board like indeed.

44. Massage Therapist

Relax and help heal clients through bodywork.

Massage therapy is a job that requires a lot of endurance. It isn’t easy to use your muscles in that way for long periods of time.

Part of the fun is that there are so many different types of massage to choose from. When you take the first step to become certified, spend time to figure out what type of massage is most interesting to you and works best with your own body.

You need to be very good at first impressions and making someone feel comfortable as soon as they meet you. You need to look tidy and clean.

Massage therapy is an incredibly personal job. You’ll usually be in a room alone with another person for an hour or more, and in many forms of massage, the other person won’t be wearing clothes. Some clients won’t talk at all, and others will reveal all their traumas. You’re genuinely a therapist and should treat the role and the client with respect. When you have repeat customers, you’ll come to care about them and their well being.

A massage therapist will walk a way with a lot of money, and that is usually one of the biggest draws. It’s one of the few certifications left that doesn’t require a college degree but that can still provide a great payoff. Most clients will tip you as well.

How to Get a Massage Therapist Job:

First, of course, you’ll need to become a licensed massage therapist. The requirements for this vary by state so it can be a little tricky and will require some research and planning.

Massage travel jobs with housing are harder to find than most other travel jobs on this list. Most massage therapists are local, but companies with housing are sometimes hiring.

A roundabout technique to find massage travel jobs with housing is to look for spa jobs with housing (at resorts, lodges, retreat centers, etc), and then apply for any other job at the place. Once you are there and management knows you, it can be easier to suggest offering your services to the spa on the side. (This is how the massage therapist in the photo got much of his work at a retreat center).

Another workaround that many massage therapists I know personally have used is to do off-the-books massages for the staff while they work a different day job. When they are licensed in one state but not another (bureaucratic insurance nonsense!) it’s easier to just have friends pay you in cash. My friends have earned an impressive amount of extra income this way.

45. Accountant

Keep the books.

Nearly every organization requires some accounting work. Many companies hire full-time, in-house accountants, while others outsource the work to freelancers, consultancies, or accounting firms. 

The job requires excellent attention to detail and superior analytical, math, and computer skills. As an accountant, you’ll take care of various finance-related tasks, such as recording transactions, advising on financial decisions, and ensuring compliance with local laws. Those entering the field should expect some stressful situations and prepare to work overtime during tax season. 

The universal business need for bookkeeping services allows accountants a lot of flexibility in choosing where they want to work. Accountant positions are most likely to include housing at places mentioned in this post, including retreat centers, hotels and resorts, and national parks.

Minimum requirements to become an accountant in the US vary by state. If you want to do accounting or bookkeeping work abroad, you may need to obtain additional certifications and become familiar with the local tax laws and financial policies. 

This kind of work can be tedious and repetitive, but also very fulfilling for the right person. Accountants can contribute immense value to businesses and play a crucial role in an organization’s success. If you are financially savvy and like working with numbers, you will likely find the work rewarding. 

How to Get an Accountant Job:

These jobs aren’t always listed, so you may have to go through the companies on sites like WanderJobs one by one and contact them to ask if they are looking for an accountant.

These travel jobs are harder to get and there may be a lot of internal promotion, so a better bet might be to work your way up in a company after you prove yourself in a different position.

46. Lighthouse Keeper

Maintain the light and the property.

Lighthouse keepers historically played a crucial role in helping ships navigate safely to shore, but their place in modern society has dwindled. Today, lighthouses in many parts of the world are fully automated.

Those that still have keepers are usually managed by national parks or non-profits seeking to preserve these historic structures and their associated traditions. 

Current lighthouse keeper jobs are perfect for history buffs who love the sea or for those seeking solitude and an uncommon career opportunity. While available positions are scarce, they are possible to find in coastal areas worldwide. 

Keepers are responsible for tasks like cleaning and maintaining the lighthouse grounds, managing the gift shop, and providing information to visitors. Since many lighthouses are historical landmarks, they are popular field trip destinations for schoolchildren and unique venues for small weddings, reunions, or birthday parties. Prospective keepers should expect to assist with these types of events when necessary. 

Some lighthouses offer keepers free RV camping sites, a sleeping area inside the lighthouse, or private cottages on the grounds. Most lighthouse attendant roles are for volunteers only, but some do pay. One historic lighthouse in San Francisco, for example, offered a couple $130,000 a year, provided they continued running it as a bed and breakfast. 

I recommend the memoir Light Years by Caroline Woodward as a beautiful way to learn what it really means to live as a lighthouse keeper.

How to Get a Lightkeeper Job:

There very few manned lighthouses left; most are automated. Finding a job will take a lot of research into the light stations of various countries. Google search is the way to go.

From a modern day lighthouse keeper (in British Columbia) on Reddit : “the application is super hard to find actually so it does not get a lot of applicants. Also the process is insane as it is a government job. My application took over 4 months…”

47. Farmer/ Gardener

Plant, harvest, weed, build structures, and care for plants.

There are a variety of farming and gardening travel jobs available around the world at places like organic farms and retreat and conference centers. These settings usually offer a fun environment with young coworkers and an ability to connect with nature. 

Many eco-retreat centers have gardens that provide the ingredients for healthy meals. By working as a gardener, you’ll contribute to the center’s ability to provide sustainable, locally sourced food and experience the feeling of accomplishment that comes with eating food you grew yourself. 

Any farming or gardening role requires manual labor outdoors, so you should be ready to work hard and spend your days tending to the fields, orchards, or gardens. You’ll learn how to grow different fruits and vegetables and enjoy the perk of freshly picked, in-season produce. It’s an incredibly satisfying travel job, working with your hands and tending to the land. You’ll be tired and fulfilled at the end of a day.

Many of these positions are available for volunteers only, but finding a paid farming or gardening job is possible. The housing included tends to be dormitory-style and will likely involve one or more roommates. If you’re lucky, you may get a cabin or bungalow to yourself. To get a better paid position you may have to stick with one company long enough to take over when manager leaves.

How to Get a Farm/Garden Job:

Find farm and garden travel jobs on BackdoorJobs , or as unpaid positions through WWOOF . Also read #15 on this list to learn about fruit picking in Australia.

48. Human Resources

Hire staff, coordinate housing, activities and payroll, and deal with staff issues.

From mountain lodges to adventure tour operators, nearly every type of workplace on this list requires Human Resources staff. As a result, there are plenty of HR opportunities at interesting locales around the world. 

The type and quality of housing included with HR travel jobs (if any) and your responsibilities will depend on your workplace. Smaller businesses most often employ HR generalists who do a little bit of everything. Larger companies, on the other hand, may require employees to specialize in particular areas, such as onboarding and training, payroll and benefits, or employee relations. 

HR positions are focused on helping others and create many opportunities to build lasting relationships with coworkers. Since HR workers organize staff events and activities and oversee recruitment and hiring processes, they have a lot of power to shape the company culture. This ability to foster a positive work environment is one of the things many HR employees say they like most about their jobs.

Working in HR is a fun and fulfilling job, but it involves juggling many different responsibilities at once and can be stressful. If you want to work in HR, you’ll need excellent conflict resolution and problem-solving skills, as well as lots of patience. HR people continually have to address things that aren’t running smoothly within the company and may have to resolve disputes that arise between coworkers.

How to Get an Human Resources Job:

HR is a career-ladder decision, so you’ll need to prove experience before moving into the role. Often you’ll eyeball the role from inside a company before applying internally for the position when it eventually opens up.

Search one of the major job boards and get very specific with your keywords. Obviously include “human resources”, but also cycle through the types of places that would have housing included, like wilderness lodges and wilderness resorts, tour companies, cruises, and national park concessioners.

49. Managers & Supervisors 

Lead a department, create schedules, coordinate inventory, communicate with other departments.

Many of the travel jobs on this list have at least one related managerial or supervisor role. From managing a restaurant or housekeeping staff in a resort to supervising a group of rangers in a national park, there are numerous manager and supervisor positions available worldwide that include free housing. 

Becoming a manager requires extensive experience in your chosen industry and a proven track record of success. You’ll also need superior communication, excellent interpersonal skills, sound leadership, and an ability to resolve conflict effectively. Depending on your workplace, you may also need good customer service skills and patience for dealing with disgruntled clients who are always asking to speak with the manager. 

While you’ll still have the chance to meet and work with interesting people, it’s hard to become friends with coworkers when you’re the boss. Being a manager holds significant responsibility and can be more stressful than other travel jobs. You’ll need to make difficult decisions that are in the organization’s best interest even if they are unpopular among employees. 

The job also has its advantages – managers and supervisors often receive nicer accommodation than regular staff and are more likely to get private rooms or entire apartments. As a result, these roles are better than others for people with families or partners traveling or working alongside them. 

How to Get a Manager/Supervisor Job:

Becoming a supervisor or manager can range from extremely easy (such as moving up from a housekeeper to a housekeeping supervisor position within a single season) to very difficult (becoming a kitchen manager at bustling tropical resort).

Basically, if you want a supervisor job, stick with any company for a little bit longer than the other seasonal staff and you can pretty easily get one.

Many companies on WanderJobs will advertise manager and supervisor positions, but it’s also worth finding companies you like and emailing directly to ask if they have open positions. Some are only posted internally to current staff, but if you’re qualified, go for it.

50. Youth Educator

Teach youth about the outdoors, ecology, and natural sciences.

If you’re passionate about the outdoors, teaching others about the natural world can be a gratifying travel job. Outdoor education centers across the US and Canada hire educators to teach youth about wilderness survival, ecology, conservation, geology, and more. Educators may also be involved in activities like local conservation efforts or trail maintenance. 

Each center will have different requirements for employment. Generally, it’s preferable if you have a bachelor’s degree, a background in environmental science or a related field, knowledge of the outdoors, and some experience with teaching. Because outdoor education centers are popular field trip destinations for schoolchildren, you must enjoy working with kids. Some youth educator travel jobs are open to applicants of all ages, while others give priority to recent college graduates. 

Outdoor education centers typically attract adventurous, eco-conscious individuals. If that sounds like you, then you can expect to work with a fun group of like-minded people. Educators often get the weekends off, allowing them to explore local trails or relax in nature with coworkers. 

Many of these travel jobs are full-time, residential positions and include dormitory-style housing onsite. Contracts are mostly seasonal, but it is possible to find year-round roles, especially in warmer climates. 

How to Get a Youth Educator Job:

There are some youth education positions on WanderJobs , and more on BackdoorJobs .

51. Travel Nurse

Work in clinical settings in smaller towns around the US.

Travel nurses are registered nurses (RNs) who fill vacancies at various US healthcare facilities, including clinics and hospitals. Becoming a travel nurse offers a unique opportunity to work in any US state or even the Virgin Islands while also fulfilling an essential need in the healthcare industry.

Typically, travel nurses work for independent staffing agencies that assign them to open positions for a short-term contract. You’ll be able to tell the agency what kind of environment you’re looking for, and they will find you an assignment that matches your skills and preferences.

Contracts usually last around 13 weeks but can be longer or shorter depending on the facility. RNs who are enjoying their existing assignments may be able to renew the contract and stay longer in that role. 

Responsibilities of a travel nursing job are essentially the same as a typical RN position. To become a travel nurse, you’ll need a nursing degree from either a two or four-year university, successful completion of the NCLEX-RN exam, and at least one year of experience working as a nurse. 

Getting a job as a travel nurse offers many perks, including free housing, competitive compensation, and the ability to work in diverse clinical settings. Traveling positions tend to pay entry-level nurses a higher salary than permanent roles, making these jobs particularly appealing for younger people.

How to Get a Travel Nurse Job:

In the Covid age, there is now more than ever a need for travel nurses. There are many good job placement companies that will come up in a simple google search, like Nomad .

Of course, you’ll already need to be a registered nurse. This is a genuine career choice with high pay, long hours, and benefits.

Part 4: Travel Jobs for Digital Nomads

52. online freelancer.

Seek out clients and meet their needs remotely through individual contract jobs.

Online freelance opportunities are abundant for a wide range of professionals with varying levels of expertise. Some of the jobs are short-term projects, like designing a logo or writing a blog post, while others become long-term partnerships. 

Freelancers are much in need in the areas of:

• graphic design
• content writing
• ui/ux design
• virtual assistance
• translation

Working as an online freelancer requires a great deal of independence, self-motivation, and organization. If you like working with others and are looking for a fun group of coworkers, then freelancing is probably not the best fit. 

Many freelancers find that the benefits outweigh the lack of social life at work. Online freelancing has many advantages, including flexible hours, location independence, and control over your own schedule.

Jobs are available at every level – whether you’re a beginner in your field or an expert, you’re sure to find something that interests you. However, competition for freelance jobs is intense .

With more and more people ditching their nine-to-fives in favor of a flexible and nomadic lifestyle, the pool of freelancers looking for online work continues to grow. This competition can be especially frustrating for new freelancers trying to break into the industry.

Because of the location freedom that freelance work offers, it’s possible to find very affordable housing if you’re flexible about where you live. It’s a solid career option for digital nomads.

How to Get a Freelance Job:

The easiest way for most people to begin freelancing is to start with Upwork , where you can bid on the thousands of jobs posted. In order to get your first job (and therefore your first positive review), you’ll need to underbid everybody else and write a personalized cover letter. Even then, you’ll get a lot of rejections. If you have a friend on the site, it’s easier to get them to hire you for a quick gig and review.

Once you start gaining reviews, you can charge more money and get repeat clients. When those clients trust you (which they should if you consistently do a good job) you can start talking and getting paid outside of Upwork so they don’t take a cut of the profit.

Freelancing is essentially creating a small business for yourself. Ultimately the best thing to do is tell everybody you know what your skill is and that you are looking for clients, and build yourself up through word of mouth within your actual, real-life circle of friends, family, and community.

53. Teach English Online

Teach English as a second language to children or adults in other countries.

Teaching English online is a popular job among young travelers. As long as you have a reliable internet connection, you can essentially work from anywhere. 

There are loads of companies hiring online English teachers, each of which has its own requirements, preferred teaching style, and expected time commitment. Some companies are looking for previous teaching experience, while others only require employees to be native English speakers. 

Like most online jobs, teaching English remotely is best for self-starters who prefer working independently. To get a teaching job, you’ll probably need a certification such as Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Both of these are relatively easy and inexpensive to obtain online. 

Most beginners start with part-time teaching jobs until they gain enough experience to compete for a full-time role. Many teachers say the job is best as a supplement to other work, so it could be combined with another job on this list that does include lodging. 

One of the most interesting aspects of this job is talking with people from diverse places and learning about other cultures. However, if you and your students live in different time zones, you may have to work strange hours. 

While teaching English can be a gratifying job, doing so online can get lonely after a while – especially if you’re a solo traveler. 

How to Get a Teach English Online Job:

Teaching English online requires the same preparation as finding a TEFL job aboard (#39 on this list). Most, but not all, companies will ask applicants to have a bachelor’s degree.

Begin by becoming TEFL certified with a minimum 120-hour course. Online courses run for about $300/120 hours. At the time of writing, Global TEFL is $90/120.

There are many companies hiring online TEFL teachers. Again, here’s a quick guide by Goats on the Road.

54. Telecommuter

Work a regular desk job from home.

COVID-19 has drastically reshaped the work landscape, and more companies are allowing telecommuting than ever before.

Unless your profession necessitates in-person work, you’ll likely be able to find a remote job posting in your industry. Whether you’re looking for a full-time role or a part-time position, there are all sorts of opportunities available now for telecommuters.

Since remote jobs are long-term contracts with a single company, they typically offer more stability than freelance work while providing some of the same flexibility.

In addition to saving money and time on commuting, remote work allows employees to have more freedom over their schedule and location. Telecommuting means you can live anywhere you’d like (as long as the time zone is compatible with your hours) and find a place that suits your budget. 

Like all jobs, remote work also has its downsides. Off-site employees miss out on the benefits of working at the office, such as free breakfast and socializing with coworkers. For some, working from home makes it difficult to unplug and can also be isolating.

Telecommuting jobs are therefore best for those who enjoy being alone or who already have a supportive community outside of work. 

How to Get a Telecommuter Job:

There are tons of job boards for people who want traditional careers but who also want to work from home. Flexjobs is just one of many. You can also search traditional large job boards.

55. Online Tutor

Help students with coursework in specific subject areas.

The need for online tutoring is on the rise – demand increased significantly this year since the pandemic has shuttered many schools’ doors around the world. 

Online tutoring offers a lot of flexibility and customization based on your preferences. It can be a full-time job or a side gig, and you can work for yourself or for a company that hires online tutors. 

As a tutor, you’ll provide one-on-one support for students in your chosen areas of expertise. You can select a particular subject, such as math or English, or focus on helping students prepare for standardized tests like the SAT. 

There are no specific requirements to become an online tutor, but you’ll need demonstrated excellence in your chosen field and good communication skills. If you’re hoping to get a job with a tutoring company, it helps if you have previous tutoring or teaching experience. 

Similar to other online jobs, working as a tutor can be lonely if you don’t have a supportive in-person community. But you’ll have the freedom to live and work from anywhere you choose. 

How to Get an Online Tutor Job:

The Balance Careers has a quick introductory guide to online tutoring.

Part 5: Work-Exchange & Volunteering Travel Jobs

56. housesitting.

Act as caretaker for people’s homes, pets, and plants while they are away.

With a vast selection of homes and environments to choose from, housesitting offers something for every taste. Whether you’re looking for a small cabin in the woods or a luxury villa on the coast, you’ll probably be able to find it on various housesitting sites. 

In addition to taking care of the house, you may also care for homeowners’ pets. You’ll often encounter dogs and cats, but there are also options to housesit on a small farm or at homes with animals like horses, chickens, or even llamas.  

There are many online resources for anyone looking to get started housesitting, as well as a supportive global community. While taking care of someone’s home, you will feel more like a local than a tourist. The homeowners may introduce you to the neighbors and share their favorite restaurants and hangouts, which will quickly immerse you in the local culture and community. 

Housesitting is best for those with other sources of income. While it is possible to find positions that pay, most housesitting jobs offer free accommodation instead of a wage. As a result, it’s a good option for digital nomads, remote workers, slow travelers, retirees, and professionals on sabbatical. Housesitting is also an excellent choice for individuals who are considering moving abroad and want to see if a particular place is a good fit. 

How to Get a Housesitting gig:

There are so many housesitting websites. A google search will bring up those that are most current. Try Trusted House Sitters to start.

Work-trade on organic farms around the world.

WWOOFing, short for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, is one of the most popular ways to volunteer abroad. In exchange for room and board, WWOOFers typically work 4-6 hours a day on different farms, including vineyards, dairy farms, and apiaries. Duties include assisting with daily tasks such as caring for animals, weeding, picking vegetables, or making cheese. 

The workload, requirements, and overall experience vary significantly from one host to the next. All of the positions require manual labor, so you should be prepared to work hard outdoors regardless of where you end up. While no specific experience is needed, it helps if you have some background in agriculture or farming. Most countries require WWOOFers to be 18 years or older, but there are some exceptions.

The amount of time you work on each farm is up to you and your host. Generally, volunteers work for about 2-3 weeks, but in some cases will stay as long as 6 months. Positions are available in more than 50 countries and attract a diverse group of people. As a WWOOFer, you’ll meet volunteers from around the world, gain practical farming skills, and learn about sustainable agriculture in varied environments.

As a whole, WWOOFing is a unique way to travel cheaply, enjoy nature, live sustainably, and experience the local rural culture. 

How to Get a WWOOF gig:

Sign up for WWOOF (link is to the USA site), which costs around $40/year for a single account or $65 for a double.

Then create a profile and search and contact hosts.

58. Workaway

Work-exchange ~20 hrs/week with locals around the world in exchange for room & board.

I’m not being hyperbolic when I say Workaway may be the ultimate way to see the world.

These unpaid work-exchanges go like this: you give about 20 hours of your week to help your host with some job you’ve agreed on, and in exchange you receive free room and board for the duration of your stay.

That’s the basic principle. The real benefit beyond not paying for a hostel or eating out is the cultural exchange and the absolutely incredible opportunities for adventure. I’m not quite sure how to capture the allure of what Workaway has to offer without just giving you a sample of the available experiences:

• Join a family on a sailboat in an around-the-world trip and cook the meals
• Help build a treehouse on a honeybee farm in Japan
• Teach computer skills and build a playground for a forest school in Vietnam
• Rehabilitate puppies at an animal rescue shelter in St Lucia
• Guide guests at an ecolodge in Madagascar

There are opportunities for any sort of work you can think of, from child care, guest service, and language exchange to art, carpentry, gardening, and computer skills.

It’s so much better than a vacation because you’re living right with the locals and can learn about a new culture, and make a new “family” in each place you go. Nothing else can match that, and the feeling of having a way to contribute to your new community right from the get go. You could set up an entire round-the-world trip through workaway and only ever pay for transportation logistics.

How to Get a Workaway Gig:

Sign up for an account on Workaway .info . It costs about $45 per year but the quantity of amazing opportunities is almost unbelievable. You can browse the hosts without paying but won’t be able to contact them.

You’ll need to set up your profile, choose hosts, and reach out to them to set up each individual work exchange. Make sure your hosts have very positive reviews so that you stay safe in a new place. You can also link accounts with a buddy if you’ll be traveling with a friend or partner. Each of you will be required to have your own account.

59. Yoga, Meditation, & Spirituality

Lead classes and workshops in mind, body, and spiritual arts.

Yoga, meditation, and spirituality centers worldwide hire volunteers to teach classes and guide guests on their spiritual journeys. Although many positions are unpaid, they offer the chance to spend time in a very tranquil setting and help others on their paths to self-realization. 

These studios and retreat centers are usually located in scenic and peaceful locations, making this an excellent choice for anyone looking to relax in nature. The time commitment will depend on your contract. You’ll rarely work more than 30 hours a week, leaving plenty of time to explore the area. You could even combine this kind of position with an online job that pays. 

Getting a job as a teacher generally requires a background or certification in yoga instruction, meditation, or spiritual teachings. Some studios and centers also hire general volunteers who help with cooking and serving food, cleaning, grocery shopping, and gardening. 

Volunteering is a great way to connect with and learn from other yoga and meditation practitioners and offers enormous potential for personal growth. Most people will share a room with at least one other volunteer, but some positions offer teachers private rooms in exchange for their services. 

How to Get a Yoga, Meditation, or Spirituality Gig:

The Workaway website is a good way to find work-exchanges in the spiritual and movement arts. Paid positions with housing are much rarer and require clever online searching, though some can occasionally be found on Yoga Trade .

60. Fire Lookout

Watch for smoke and wildfires from a lookout station.

If you love the wilderness, are physically fit, and don’t mind being isolated, then working as a fire lookout could be a unique and rewarding travel job that also has a positive environmental impact.

A fire lookout is just what the name suggests: keeping a close eye on the forest for signs of smoke and fire, from a lookout perch in the wilderness. Catching a fire early is important in preventing wildfires before they become dangerous.

The US used to have more than 10,000 people working as fire lookouts, but that number has declined due to advancements in technology. There are only around 300 fire towers in the US today that are still manned, so getting one of these travel jobs is likely to be challenging. However, as wildfires become more frequent and widespread in the US and many other parts of the world, demand for fire lookouts is expected to grow in the coming years. 

The job requires excellent communication, attention to detail, and critical thinking skills. Many employers prefer at least an associate’s degree, with some requiring more advanced education. Prospective lookouts are more likely to be hired if they have experience in forestry or have worked as field technicians. 

Fire lookouts typically work for government organizations, such as the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service. Many of the positions are reserved for volunteers only and include lodging and a small stipend. 

How to Get a Fire Lookout Job:

Many of the few remaining fire lookout jobs are volunteer based. Most are in the US, Canada, and Australia. You’ll need to apply well in advance of fire season. The jobs are challenging to find.

Here are some tips from a professional fire lookout on Reddit .

My Top Travel Job Search Tips :

• Search for travel jobs by location on a map
• Use a location keyword in your own google searches, plus jobs with employee housing, ie “alaska resort jobs with employee housing”
• Use these sites to find hundreds of travel jobs, volunteer positions, and free ways to stay
• When in doubt, search google as if you’re a traveling tourist and not a travel job seeker. Find a company you like and then look for its employment page.
• If none of the jobs you are finding include housing, look in more remote locations. Search for wilderness lodges, islands (not only tropical!), retreat centers, jungles, mountains, and the like.

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The 8 Best Jobs for People Who Love To Travel

Alene Laney

Alene Laney is a freelance writer covering real estate, personal finance, and travel. She lives in the Southwest with her husband, four boys, and German Shepherd.

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If you want travel to be a bigger part of your life, why not find a job that allows you to do it more? There are a lot more opportunities to travel for work than ever before. Some jobs offer paid housing, free flights, hotels, and more. Here are some great jobs for people who love to travel. You’ll learn what it takes, how much it will pay, and what kind of travel benefits to expect. 

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers are listed as some of the highest-paying jobs in the United States, with a median salary of $160,790 per year. Pilots are operators of airplanes, helicopters, and other aircraft. Jobs for pilots are expected to grow more than 5 percent in the next ten years. 

• Requirements: Commercial pilots need to have a high school diploma (or equivalent) and have earned a pilot’s license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Above the requirements for commercial pilots, airline pilots typically need a bachelor’s degree and the FAA-issued Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate.
• Pay: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, airline pilots earn a median salary of $160,790 per year. The median salary for commercial pilots was $93,300. 
• Travel benefits: Pilots often have overnight layovers due to flight time limitations that require rest for pilots. For leisure travel, pilots can be given a number of free flights every year, depending on the airline they’re employed by. In addition, flying standby for 90% off (or even for free) is a perk offered to many pilots. 

Flight Crew

If you’re not interested in the amount of education it takes to become a pilot, you may want to consider becoming a member of the crew. Flight attendants provide routine services and respond to emergencies as members of a flight crew. Growth for this occupation is expected to exceed 17 percent over the next 10 years. 

• Requirements: Only a high school diploma (or equivalent) is required to apply to become a flight crew member. Flight attendants receive on-the-job training from their employer and must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
• Pay: The median annual salary for flight crew members is $59,050. 
• Travel benefits: When flight crew members are traveling for work (e.g., an international flight), the hotel is paid for by the airline. As with pilots, most airlines offer a combination of free and discounted flights for the employees of their organization. 

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Foreign Services Worker

A foreign service worker represents the United States around the world for the U.S. Department of State. Also known as diplomats, foreign service workers can be stationed in 270 embassies, consulates, or other diplomatic missions in the The Americas, Africa, Europe and Eurasia, East Asia and Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia. Assignments typically last three years and provide unique, challenging opportunities to experience communities throughout the world. 

• Requirements. There is an extensive, competitive selection process for foreign services workers, which begins with a test called the FSOT (Foreign Services Officer Test). There are five career tracks to choose from, ranging from consular officers to public diplomacy officers. 
• Pay. Foreign Service employees are paid based on the Foreign Service pay scale, which ranges from $30,414 to $172,500 based on grades and steps. Overseas foreign service agents who have a bachelor degree and no experience, would be placed on a grade and step earning $57,649. 
• Travel Benefits. Foreign service officers live in government-paid housing, which makes the salary look even more attractive. Moving expenses to the country you’ll live in are paid for and international school tuition is covered if you have children.  

If you’d rather cruise the water than the skies, you may want to look into crewing a yacht. It may be hard to break into, but the compensation can be lucrative. 

• Requirements: Some jobs, such as a yacht stewardess, look for experience in hospitality. Other requirements include STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) basic training, and the ENG1 certificate (medical fitness for working at sea). 
• Pay: A deckhand or beginning stewardess can make $2,500 per month, while a captain can make as much as $20,000 per month on a large, luxury yacht. A chef can make between $4,000 and $11,000 per month, and a chief engineer can make between $3,500 and $13,000 per month.  
• Travel Benefits: Exotic locations and free housing (albeit in tight quarters).

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English Teacher

If you want to teach English in another country, there are a lot of jobs around the world that you can look for. Opportunities range from private companies hiring English tutors to government jobs with housing provided.

• Requirements: A bachelor’s degree is required for most jobs. Some jobs like a teaching certification or another certificate, like a TEFL or TESOL, to go with it. 
• Pay: While there is a wide range (including many opportunities where you’ll need to pay to go), you can earn around $2,000 per month teaching in South Korea. Keep in mind your housing is paid for, so this salary is on top of that.
• Travel Benefits: One country that stands out for its generous benefits is South Korea, which offers flights to and from the country as well as paid housing. 

Consultants are experts in their field who provide advice and recommendations to businesses. Because the expertise of the consultant is valued, companies will pay for the consultant’s travel.  

• Requirements: Expertise in your field
• Pay: The pay varies widely, but expect it to be very lucrative for a short-term contract.
• Travel Benefits: Companies seeking expert advice pay for the consultant’s travel, often in business class. Hotels, meal allowances, and other perks may also be provided to the consultant.

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Sales Representative, Sales Manager

Large contracts are best handled by someone the company trusts to close the sale, so if you’re professional and great at sales, you’re likely to be flown around to meet clients. 

• Requirements: Sales managers typically have a bachelor’s degree, though this is not always a requirement. 
• Pay: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an annual salary of $132,290 for sales managers. 
• Travel Benefits: Travel is paid for by the business you work for, sometimes in business class. You’ll get to meet clients from all over, so whether you’re flying across the states or hopping across the pond, there’s always a great people component to this job. 

Scientists 

Scientists study the world around us, and often, a particular study will require time spent near subjects in their natural environments. Biologists, astronomers, atmospheric scientists, archaeologists, hydrologists, and other scientists may have some unique opportunities for travel. 

• Requirements: Most scientists have extensive education. Many hold a master’s degree or higher, though there are some exceptions to this. 
• Pay: Wildlife biologists earn a median income of $66,350; physicists and astronomers earn a median annual income of $128,950; and geoscientists earn around $93,580.
• Travel Benefits: Travel can be funded by research grants, fellowships, and sponsorships. 

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Home » Work and Travel » 35 BEST Travel Jobs to Make Money While Travelling

35 BEST Travel Jobs to Make Money While Travelling

Do you wish you could travel more but don’t have enough money?

Then this guide is for you! It will tell you all about the types of epic travel jobs that you can do. Ultimately, this post will help you find work and travel the world… FOREVER.

There are a surprising number of jobs that involve travelling, a few canny ways to make money travelling abroad, and even some jobs where you actually get paid to travel… (The best kind!)

From freelancing to affiliate marketing, travel blogging, tending the bar at a hip hostel–there are seriously all kinds of awesome – and some terrible – travel jobs you can get to make ends meet and prolong your travels.

The life of a working traveller is varied and complex: there are countless tools in your arsenal! In today’s post, I’m giving you the lowdown on some of the best travel jobs for backpackers, expats, and aspiring digital nomads. And realistically, for nearly all of them, you don’t need no tertiary education.

Ditch your desk, amigos: the world is waiting and the only thing you need to SUCCEED is  grit.

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• Making Money Travelling the World:Types of Travel Work

The 35 Best Travel Jobs in 2024

Did you find your dream travel job, making money travelling the world: types of travel work.

There are lots of different types of travel jobs out there, and they can roughly be broken down into three categories. Let’s take a look at them before we delve into the jobs themselves…

There are some jobs that will pay you to travel the world. This might sound very glamorous at first, but you have to bear in mind you may not get as much of a chance to actually explore as you will be working. These could be travel jobs or potentially even travel careers , but they still generally require the level of input from you that any regular ol’ boring job would.

Jobs that require travel and pay well, such as being an airline pilot or foreign service travel jobs, will offer you a chance to save up mega-cashola and to hopefully see parts of the world during your downtime. But to be honest (and in my opinion) these travel careers don’t have the same kind of freedom as being a digital nomad.

Personally, I’m a big believer in making money through a digital nomad job as these jobs allow you to work from literally anywhere in the world, on your own schedule, and often as your own boss.

It takes time to set up a career as a digital nomad career… But it’s easy to get started now and to begin your journey!

All you need is a laptop plus a few other of the digital nomad essentials , and idea of WHAT you want to do, and a place in the world that you’re content to get some work done from. Well, that and playlist that gets you in the zone!

Beccoming a digital nomad changes how you travel , so for backpackers that want to retain their backpacker-roots, you need a job for backpacker. These travel jobs are job-jobs.

They could be wicked jobs, they could be shitkicker jobs. They could, potentially, also progress into careers, but they wouldn’t be travel careers. You’d just be an expat with a regular ol’ job.

Many of the best travelling jobs for backpackers are super casual affairs – seasonal work or temporary labour gigs. I’ve found paying work on goat farms, behind bars, in hostels, on construction sites, on beaches, and in many other places whilst backpacking around the world. It’s usually very easy to find some casual work as a backpacker.

All you need is a good smile, good work ethic, and maybe the willingess to be paid under the table for less than minimum wage! (Oops, did I say that? You do you.) 😉

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Let’s look at how to work and travel like a BOSS (or self-employed hustler). Ideas range from online trading to teaching yoga to consulting. Don’t Work Another Day ; we have something for every CV!

1. Make Money Blogging

Starting a blog is one of the best travel jobs out there. You can travel whenever you want and make money out of your adventures to keep you going! However, blogging is not easy and it’s not one of those jobs to make money quickly.

Blogging offers a great introduction to many different digital nomad careers. You’ll learn more about SEO, copywriting, web design, social media management, marketing and PR… the list goes on! All you need to get started is a decent laptop for travel blogging and loads of patience!

If you want to get a taste of blogging before launching your own, you can look into becoming a virtual assistant or if writing is more your thing becoming a freelance service provider , like Sofie Couwenbergh is also a viable option. Working for a blogger is the best way to learn the tricks of the trade!

Full disclosure: The travel blogging industry is competitive, cutthroat, and, honestly, oversaturated. DO expect a long road to the top.

How Much Can You Earn?

• From $0 – $50,000 per month!

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Having a job is one thing, but being able to sit down and get some work in is a whole other story. Luckily there are amazing coworking spaces all over the globe. But what if you could combine working and a place to live? Say no more…

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A unique coworking and co-living hostel for those that want to travel the world while working from their laptops. Make use of the massive open-air coworking spaces and sip on delicious coffee. If you need a quick screen break, just take a refreshing dip in the infinity pool or grab a drink at the bar. Need more work inspiration?

Staying at a digital nomad-friendly hostel is a really smart way to get more done whilst still enjoying the social life of travelling… Mingle, share ideas, brainstorm, make connections and find your tribe at Tribal Bali!

2. Teach English Abroad

For backpackers looking to settle somewhere for a year or more to save up some serious cash, teaching English abroad is one of the best jobs for nomads.

These days, you can teach English in most countries in the world while seeing all the goods they got to offer at the same time! This is probably one of the best travel careers out there: there’s a low barrier to entry and most native speakers can get a travel job teaching English.

Being a native speaker gives you an obvious advantage, but it’s also possible for non-native speakers to get work teaching English too.  You don’t even really need a degree to teach English in many countries, however, nabbing a TEFL certificate through an online course first will help you hit the ground running. (And hopefully will mean you won’t be a crap teacher too ?)

It’s a small investment that will help you score more gigs AND better-paying gigs in the long run. Plus, think of the children! Won’t somebody think of the children!?!?

• $1500 – $3000 depending on the country.

3. Teach English Online

Thanks to the power of the internet, the world of teaching English online has opened doors to English speakers everywhere! You can work from anywhere! (Provided you have a solid internet connection.)

What’s the best part? Depending on the company you work for, you can choose your own schedule and commitment level. Whatever works for you!

Teaching English online is fast becoming one of the best ways for backpackers to make money online without a doubt. Online teaching platforms connect prospective teachers with keen students. Set your pricing, choose your hours, and market yourself to potential clients.

The money isn’t impressive, particularly in the early days, but this is a job that you can grow and literally do anywhere. Nothing beats a location independent gig!

• About $1500 per month.

4. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is when you ship products to customers, usually in Europe or the USA, from somewhere cheap (usually China). Essentially, you manage the online storefront while a third party handles the logistics of storing and shipping products. Why stay in Boston ?

Now, dropshipping CAN be profitable. It can also be a major headache: you have been warned.

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is very simple. It means that you recommend a product or service to your audience, and if someone on your website uses or buys that product or service, you get a commission!

Affiliate marketing is basically being a middle man and is one of the most popular, proven, and sustainable ways to create income online.

If you are interested in online jobs travellers can easily utilise, learning effective affiliate marketing strategies is the holy grail. Passive income is fucking POWERFUL.

• Oodles but you need the traffic to earn it. But then, it all flows in passively. 😉

6. Crytocurrency and Day Trading

The exciting world of cryptocurrency investment has come a long way. You can HODL, stake, mine, generate interest (yup – totally a thing now!), and, of course, trade.

Day trading is a really exciting – but very nerve-wracking – way to make money while travelling. I have no experience trading stocks, but a lot of people I know have been trading cryptocurrency for a while now and have seen rather delectables return on their investments (with some losses along the way).

If you have money that you can afford to lose (seriously, this shit carries risk), then day trading is one of the most exciting travel jobs out there right now.

• The sky’s the limit!

7. Volunteering

Okiedoke – volunteering! Now, clearly, volunteering ISN’T a travel job, however, it’s functionally the same. You work (hard), you greatly reduce your travel costs, plus you’ll have some life-changing experiences while you’re at it. So it fits the bill!

Now, while voluntourism has received some flak over the years (and the trade has only become stickier in the COVID-times ), volunteering still remains one of the most meaningful ways to travel. A free feed and bed is certainly a win, but it’s the experience and the knowledge that you’re actually making a difference is what makes it, honestly, one of the best travel jobs for backpackers.

You have a lot of good options for volunteering abroad:

• WWOOF – An organisation primarily concerned with connecting working travellers with volunteering gigs on organic farms and agricultural projects.
• Workaway (and its numerous alternatives ) – As well as agricultural projects, these guys tend to also connect you to volunteering gigs around the board. Hostel work, translation and copywriting, building skate ramps, building backyard dunnies: it’s a wide net.
• Worldpackers – Our personal fave platform for this bizz.

Worldpackers is a smashing organisation. They’ve got more of a community focus than many of the alternatives and they run a tight ship too!

We sent one of our tried and true broke backpackers on a volunteering mission to Vietnam and the results were stellar. So stellar, in fact, that we happily partnered with them to bring Broke Backpacker readers a discount on the signup fee!

Just enter the code BROKEBACKPACKER at the checkout when signing up or do the clicky-click below!

Worldpackers: connecting travellers with  meaningful travel experiences.

We’ve also got a review of Workaway you can peruse if Worldpackers doesn’t float your boat. They’re a bit more stuffy (a natural caveat for being the lead of the pack), but they have volunteering gigs coming out of the ears!

And as one brief little sidenote, it’s worth noting the skills you pick up volunteering can go a LONG way to aiding you in your career as a working traveller. The more you know, the more backpacker jobs open up to you.

8. Become A Freelance Travel Photographer

If you love taking pictures, why don’t you make the most of your skills and be paid for it? Breaking into freelance photography is no easy, feat but it’s totally possible if you have perseverance and work at honing your craft every day.

You can travel the world forever by snapping away… If you get really good at your craft, you can even land a job that pays you to travel as a professional photographer for either the media or, the dream, National Geographic.

• $0 – $5000
• BEST Cameras for Travellers
• GoPro Alternatives to Make You  Whoah
• Top Camera Bags – Buyer’s Guide!
• Essential Camera Accessories You NEED

9. Teach Yoga

Yoga continues to grow in popularity around the world, and yoga instructors are in high demand. While not the highest paying job for travellers, finding work as a yoga instructor is one of the more assured ways to work and travel.

Travellers love yoga and are keen on lessons just about anywhere in the world. Combine that with hostels, cafes, and community centres (among a million other venues) always being on the lookout

Getting a yoga certification CERTAINLY helps you stand out from the crowd but it necessarily isn’t needed. Talk to other guests at your hostel, or people around any beach, hippy, or traveller town and see what you can rustle up. Start off with a sesh at a world-class yoga retreat to learn a few Asanas and limber up first and the rest will be easy.

Alternatively, head over to Yoga Travel Jobs Directory and see if there are any worthwhile postings. The beauty of this one is that the informality allows you to find work on the road in most places without the added red tape.

• $5/hour or even less in developing nations. Bounce on over to the northern beaches of Sydney though, and activewear soccer mums eat that shit up for $50+ a pop!

10. Fitness Instructor

Similar to yoga, if you’re in shape and know how to break a sweat, you can get paid to help others do the same! I love finding creative ways to stay in shape while travelling and you’ll find plenty of other travellers who will share this interest.

See if your hostel wants to organise any activities or events which you can market by word of mouth or by putting a flyer up. Head to a park or the beach and BOOM! You’re a certified fitness instructor… sort of.

Certifications are for losers without glorious, rippling muscles.

11. Tour Director

Directors accompany a tour group for the entirety of the itinerary and basically make sure people are having a good time. If it’s a twenty-one-day culture tour through Central America, the tour director is there the entire time, leading the group, answering questions, communicating with the bus driver, and, most importantly, creating solutions when shit goes wrong.

This is one of the travel industry careers that require the most work, but if you think you possess the qualities, there are thousands of amazing adventure tour companies looking for new leaders worldwide.

This industry is very competitive, but once you get your foot in the door you’ll be offered work left and right. I’ve got some experience leading adventure tours myself and this is a solid choice of job that involves travelling… You just need to have endless amounts of energy.

These are maybe the best jobs for travel and adventure for those that seek the high life and the pay ain’t too shabby either!.

• $1000 – $3000

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12. Travel Tour Guide

As opposed to a tour director, a tour guide usually does shorter tours (think three-hour walking tours). Ideally, tour guides are experts in their niche, but sometimes just a bit more knowledge than the average Joe will suffice

If you have experience or certification, getting tour guide work will be easy. If you travelling in the EU , you can also find tour guide work within Europe relatively easy (free walking tours, etc.) without certification.

Otherwise, there are lots of people on the web tapping into their entrepreneurial spirit and starting their own tour jobs while on the road.

• $500 – $1500

13. Work on A Boat

Unfortunately, the days of being a pirate are kinda over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still work and live on a boat!

A traveller’s job on a boat is certainly easier to get with experience, but sometimes it’s as easy as just walking onto a dock and asking around. Teach yourself to tie knots first and you’ll be golden.

Want to significantly increase your chances of getting hired on a superyacht or boat? Consider taking a course at the Super Yacht School – an online training company that educates people on everything they need to know regarding how to land a job on a superyacht as a crew member.

Alternatively, become a cruise ship worker and live the party-working-travelling-life on the high seas. Drugs, booze, and nights of wanton hedonism – excellent!

• $1200 – $2500

14. Boat Delivery

More boats! This one is a bit difficult to get into as a newbie, but if you have some experience working on the high seas, boat delivery has some serious work and travel potential. Typically the pay won’t be very high (if at all) but you’ll get your experience up and get to sail the seven seas for free!

Getting into this travel career could lead to more lucrative gigs in the future too, so it’s worth considering if the goal is simply finding jobs that let you travel.

Head over to Crewseekers.net or cruisersforum.com for some killer job leads!

15. Making and Selling Jewellery

Screw travel jobs – be a travel entrepreneur! While you can make and sell anything, jewellery is certainly the backpacker artisans staple, and I’ve met lots of people who make and sell jewellery whilst travelling .

Some critics of budget backpacking might have a go at you for – ahem – “begpacking” , but to those critics I say… get a job, ya hippy! If you’re wheeling, dealing, and hustling on the road, you are the literal opposite of a begpacker. It’s fun too!

The materials can be cheap and light to carry, it’s an artsy and fun thing to do, and you can set up shop (busking-style) in most places in the world that are kind to street merchants (i.e. not Malaysia). Selling handmade jewellery on the street isn’t the path to becoming a billionaire, but if you can make a decent product, it’s a great way to bring in enough to cover a day of gallivanting.

It isn’t strictly one of the easiest travel jobs out there if you genuinely care about your craft. Sourcing ethical materials, making the jewellery, and haggling for a fair price can all be a real battle. But damn you’ll have some ten-outta-ten adventures along the way!

• $300 – $1000 per month

16. Importing Stuff to Sell

A personal favourite of mine, this is what I sometimes refer to as the ‘ stuff your backpack’ method. It’s an easy w ay to make some money back after quitting your job to travel .

When in exotic countries, you will find awesome trinkets and doodads that people back home will go crazy over! Think hippy stuff: chillums, trousers, jewellery, festival belts, etc. These items will be authentic and dirt cheap.

Then, when you are outside that country and back in the good ol’ inflationary West, you can sell the authentic handcrafted Indian peace pipe that you paid $.75 cents for in Mumbai for $15 at festivals or online! It’s a great way to make 1,000% or more on your investments.

To make the most money though, you’ll have to frequently hit the road and stuff your backpack (a big hiking backpack is good for this) as well as have a good eye for stuff to take back home. If you can somehow inject something about chakras into the marketing spiel you’ll give to sell it, it’s a winner.

• $500 – $2000 per month

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17. Busking

Another of the world’s oldest professions that now catches some flak from the world’s newest crybabies: busking. If you have a talent, you can flaunt it for some cash in the street AND – better yet – make a bunch of people smile too!

You doen’t have to be a wandering musician with a travel-sized guitar either; magic, acrobatics, juggling, flow, dance – anything that’s impressive enough to score a tip is worth the shot, and you can score some mean tips! (Believe it or not.)

If the artisti di strada chooses the right location and is talented (or smiley) enough, there’s a pretty good chance they are making some dough! Enough to cover a day’s cost at least… You just need to know how to busk !

Also, if you are a musician, you should look into giving lessons for work while travelling or even playing some low-key gigs at bars or hostels. It’s a good way to score a feed, and it’s certainly not a bad payoff for a few hours of jammin’!

The resident in-house dirtbag busker on The Broke Backpacker team had this to say:

“I’ve had $5/hour days, I’ve had $50/hour days; busking is large part luck, however, there is a hidden art and science to the craft.”

18. Scuba Diving Instructor

Get paid for adventure. Underwater adventures no less!

Becoming a certified scuba diver and instructor takes a bit of investment, but it can be one of the most fun ways to work and travel the world simultaneously. You need a handful of courses and certifications, as well as having logged in a certain amount of hours underwater yourself, and then the world is your… oyster. (Huehuehue.)

If you are already certified, get excited! If you aren’t, you can do it at home, or take advantage of many (significantly cheaper) programs that exist in countries like Thailand and the Philippines. Hands down this is one of the best ways to get paid to travel PLUS you can pick up paying work in lots of different countries around the world.

Plus, y’know, dive for a living. Not bad, ‘ey?

• $1000 – $4000 per month.

19. Surf Instructor

Similar to a scuba instructor but without all of the need for certifications. You just need to be a badass surfer! Surfing instructors can do well for themselves by travelling, surfing, meeting people who are interested and want to learn, and then offering their services.

Plus, let’s be real… you’ll get laid. A lot.

You won’t earn as much as a scuba instructor, but you’ll be getting paid to surf and travel at the same time which is probably the coolest thing ever! I’m a big fan of surfing and hoping to spend a year or two getting a hell of a lot better in the future. If you are looking for cool jobs you can do while travelling, this may be for you.

There are lots of resources for finding potential gigs. Surf Travel Jobs is an excellent starting point.

• $500 – $1500 per month.

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20. Buy A Place and Rent It

If you have been working for a while, you may have some savings. Rather than blowing it all on a couple of fast-paced years of travel, invest it into buying a property at home and renting it out whilst you travel (thus living off the rent money).

You can advertise your place on lots of different websites including Airbnb or one of the many excellent sites like Airbnb , and it can very easily turn into big bucks! Pretty soon, you’ll be making money while travelling; so much so that some of my friends don’t even stay at their own place when they return to their hometown.

• $600 – $2000 per month.

21. Housesitting

Sort of a work-exchange-meets-job, housesitting while travelling is HAWT right now. Typically you pet-sit for an extended amount of time, and in return, you are given free rein over an entire house. Housesitting gigs rarely pay, but you can’t really complain as their still jobs that allow you to travel near-indefinitely.

You’ll be getting free accommodation, a big ass kitchen, and the privacy of your own house! This is one of the best ways to travel!

As with all good things, it’s challenging to crack into, but once you gain experience and a resume, you’ll have your choice of gigs. As far as travel work goes, this one comes highly recommended – it barely counts as working!

• A free house!

22. Work as an Au Pair

Au-pairing is one of the oldest travel careers around and is still a great option to save some money and see the world. Personally, kids ain’t for me, but if you are bubbly, happy, smiley and don’t mind cleaning up the misdirected poopoos, then there are plenty of little ones who need a lovely person like you to help take care of them.

It doesn’t always pay… and if it does pay it’s not always much. But you can earn up to 5k a month if you’re happy to travel for work (which, you should be) to teach in some more far-flung lands.

You’ll get free lodging and food and likely some pocket change for the weekend if you’re volunteering in Europe. Being an au-pair is a pretty solid way to get paid to travel and live in a new country.

• $0 – $5000 per month.

23. Hostel Work

Hostel work is one of the best-kept not-so-secret-secrets of the budget backpacking trade . Once upon a time, it was hush-hush, but now not so much. So let me tell you – finding hostel gigs is SUPER simple and hostel work is one of the best travel jobs for backpackers.

Hostel work is one of the easiest travel jobs to get – just ask the hostels you are staying at if they are looking for any help. They will know exactly what this means. “Help” means manning the front desk graveyard shift, sweeping the floors, or most likely minding the bar, all in exchange for free accommodation.

If they are looking for any “help” , they miiight pay a bit of cash, but more likely, you’ll get a free bed and some food out of it. Hostels are one of the staples for travel work and are a phenomenal way to save money while travelling – not to mention free entry into the hostel life shenanigans is a pretty sweet dealer for a lone ranger looking for some buds.

…And bud. 😉

• Usually just a free stay. Maybe some weed money (or weed) if you’re lucky.

24. Bar Work

Similar to hostel work, bar jobs have kept the backpacker going since basically the dawn of time. Often the bar work will be in a hostel bar (mentioned above) but just as legit is finding work at standalone bars.

This is particularly true in seasonal European cities (but I’ve seen it in South America, Australia, Asia… basically everywhere). Alcoholics are everywhere and they need a charming face with a winning smile to pour their drinks dammit!

The best way to find a bar job is just to walk around and ask if the bars are looking for any help. Or, if you’re having a pint somewhere, strike up a conversation with the bartender and get the scoop. A simple inquisition can lead to a lot of opportunities.

Full disclosure though: the booze and babes of the graveyard shift are fun for a while, but a few too many staffies a few too many months later and you’ll find yourself stuck right in a classic backpacker trap. And hungover.

• $800 – $2000 per month

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25. Become a Party Promoter/Brand Ambassador

If you are a fun-loving party animal with some social media/writing/promoting skills, then you could be a candidate to score a job as a brand ambassador for a tour business specializing in party-based tours. I’ve met someone who did this for a period; while the money wasn’t always hella tight, the nights of debauchery sure were!

A good option to break into this field is Stoke Travel . Every year, Stoke Travel gives 100+ regular travellers the opportunity to work and travel by volunteering at events or doing internships in their Barcelona and Byron Bay Office.

That’s right. Three square meals per day and unlimited booze. You’re basically travelling for free !

For the right individual, this job promises to be helluva of a lot of fun. (Possibly, too much fun…? )

• Free drinks – $1200

26. Seasonal Jobs

This is a large category that encompasses many different travel jobs. Restaurants, construction, hotels, cruise ship jobs, ski resorts, mining, deep-sea Alaskan fishing gigs, the list goes on! While a lot of these jobs are covered elsewhere in this post, seasonal jobs are worth noting.

You can literally travel the world working, chasing the season (which by the way usually equates to amazingly beautiful weather) and making money when jobs are in demand and at their highest paying…

Depending on the industry, you can end up both in some pretty off the beaten path destinations as well as touristed ones. Or both! The ski resorts in the summer trekking season is usually a much more peaceful vibe once all the loquacious Aussies have packed up shop.

• $1000 – $5000 per month

27. Construction

You can find construction work basically anywhere in the world, however, the right destinations (eg. Australia and New Zealand) pay a mean wage. If you’re operating above board that is.

Otherwise, asking around for something more informal is usually the way to go. If you have construction experience, jump on those work exchange platforms for some cheap volunteering gigs .

Many hostels, farms, and everything in between will advertise their needs in hopes of finding a qualified working traveller. You’ll get food, lodging, and (depending on the project) a bit of money as well. It’ll get you networked too – word of mouth carries!

If you have experience as a plumber or electrician, you can make bank and even land a job where you are paid to travel to and from different world projects. Also, insider tip: traffic controllers Down Under get paid an ungodly amount for literally doing nothing. They usually pick the cutest girl to man the stop sign though – yay, sexism!

• $1200 – $3000 per month but hugely variable depending on your trade and skillset,

28. Transport a Car or RV

Car and RV dealerships or car rental companies sometimes hire people to drive cars to different destinations. Rental companies often find themselves with too many cars in one destination and want to move them to an area where rentals are more in demand. Car dealerships may need a specific car, with specific options or colours, that they arrange to get from another dealer.

While most companies work with full-time professional drivers, there may be some opportunities for one-time trips. The trick with these jobs is getting a car that’s going where you want to go at the right time. You’ll need a clean driver’s license and may need a specialty license to drive RVs, but it’s worth it for a free and rocking RV road trip !

Some transport companies that you may be able to score some delivery gigs with include:

• Imoova is one of the biggest search platforms for relocations.
• Jucy has some nice opportunities on RVs.
• Cars Arrive Auto Relocation is USA based and has some good options.
• HitTheRoad.ca is a well-known Canadian company that offers mostly long-distance, one way, one trip driving contracts for cars.
• A free road trip!

29. Professional Chef

If you have some cooking abilities or some legitimate kitchen experience, you can find a job by asking around at kitchens in hotels, cruise ships, boats, or retreats. Also, take a look into Worldpackers and Workaway as you can certainly find some cook-work opportunities for a free place to stay.

The downside is that you’ll have to work in close proximity to chefs. Chefs are primadonnas. Get in and out of the hospo industry as quick as possible, amigos.

If thou gaze too long into an abyss…

• $1500 – $3000 per month

30. Travel Nurse

Stop right now and listen to me. If you are a nurse, or if you are thinking about becoming a nurse, becoming a travel nurse is one of the single most amazing careers you can get into.

Travelling nurses are usually hired for thirteen to twenty-six weeks in whatever location they choose and all of your travel expenses are usually paid. Housing is usually covered, and due to the high demand and urgency, travelling nurses are paid more than regular nurses. It’s one of the best ways to travel, work and save a stupid amount of money.

Plus, you know, saving lives and all that jazz.

• $1500 – $4000 per month.

31. Flight Attendant

An oldie but a goodie, being a flight attendant isn’t as glamorous as it once was, but in terms of travel friendly jobs , this is a fantastic travel career. It’s really the OG travel job (right after busker AKA a wandering minstrel).

Free flights, long stopovers to explore, and the ability to tweak your schedule to have a few weeks off a month – there’s a lot to like! This is one of the best careers that involve travelling, and if you get hired by a quality airline, this is a job that not only requires travel but can also pay well.

• $1800 – $2500 per month

A new country, a new contract, a new piece of plastic – booooring. Instead, buy an eSIM!

An eSIM works just like an app: you buy it, you download it, and BOOM! You’re connected the minute you land. It’s that easy.

Is your phone eSIM ready? Read about how e-Sims work or click below to see one of the top eSIM providers on the market and  ditch the plastic .

32. New Zealand/Australia Work Visa

Not strictly a top travel job so much as a top place to find a job. Yes, the rumours you’ve heard are true: Australia does have an obscenely high minimum wage (as does New Zealand, albeit not as high).

Depending on where you are from and if you are able, New Zealand and Australia are two excellent countries to get work visas for. The visa allows you to be employed in most industries, but you’ll most likely find jobs in the hospitality, tourism, and agricultural fields. Come Down Under where you can travel and work for a year or maybe two!

However, both New Zealand and Australia’s cost of living is high, so finding a job that provides you with both a room and food will net you some huge savings. The more remote you go, the better you will earn too. (Sheep shearers make BANK… and then blow it all on cocaine and meth…)

Watch out though: not all Ozzies and Kiwis subscribe to the “mateship and fair go for all” mentality they’re known for. It’s not uncommon to get paid a fraction of that obscenely high minimum wage.

• $1800 – $3500 per month
• Backpacking Australia Travel Guide
• Where to Stay in Australia
• Backpacking New Zealand Travel Guide
• Where to Stay in New Zealand

33. Ski Resort Jobs

While I mentioned resorts and seasonal gigs before, skiing deserves its own holler(back girl). Ski resorts are notorious for hiring travellers and often under the table. Ski resort gigs can be the best seasonal jobs for travelling.

As an “unofficial” ski resort worker, you won’t get paid much (and you will likely be overworked), but it’s a great way to work hard, play hard, and make some travel friends along the way! Plus, there will always be the skiing/snowboarding perks which are obviously EPIC.

You don’t have to be an instructor though. Many seasonal jobs in lodges or working the lifts are widely available. Oh, and the snowbum life is pretty hedonistic – it’s basically working, partying, and picking up Insta-brand vacayers between your shifts.

• $1000 – $2000 per month.

34. Tattoo Artist

Backpackers love to get tattoos on the road , so there is always a demand for talented artists. And I’ve met some amazing tattoo artists travelling the world and paying their way through freelance work in hostels and backpacker hangouts. Talk about a creative travel job!

The better you get at your craft, the more doors that will open up to you. You don’t even need a gun! I’ve met and befriended some phenomenal stick-and-poke artists who earn money working while they travel.

Plus getting paid by people to inflict large amounts of bodily harm on them really isn’t too bad either!

• $500 – $15000 per month (be prepared to adjust your rates to reflect the country you’re in – ain’t nobody stupid enough to pay $100+ an hour in Mexico).

35. Join the Peace Corps

This is certainly one of the noblest travel jobs on this list and it deserves a mention! Providing a different work and travel experience, the Peace Corps is no joke and essentially makes you an international aid worker in a foreign country.

It’s a two-year commitment, you have very little influence on where you are stationed, and you only get two days off per month.

You don’t get paid much but, hell, you will be earning and you will get paid to travel to somewhere new. And what’s more, is relevant work experience can take the place of a college degree.

Check out:  This Peace Corps volunteer’s blog all about her experiences volunteering in Vanuatu.

Do You Need Insurance as a Working Traveller?

If you are going to be living and working outside of your home country, you really do need to think about getting health insurance. If you have an accident or get sick, then those hospital bills are going to completely nullify any money you’ve earned and saved.

For long term cover, we recommend SafetyWing . They specialise in covering digital nomads and those working outside of their home country. It’s basically a subscription model – month to month payments – on international health insurance without the need to provide an itinerary.

Month to month payments, no lock-in contracts, and no itineraries required: that’s the exact kind of insurance digital nomads and long-term traveller types need. Cover yo’ pretty little self while you live the DREAM!

SafetyWing is cheap, easy, and admin-free: just sign up lickety-split so you can get back to work! Click the button below to learn more about SafetyWing’s setup or read our insider review for the full tasty scoop.

There are so many ways to work and travel; sometimes you just gotta get a bit creative! As long as you are cutting the costs of travel and picking up a job where and when needed, you’ll find a way.

Not every traveling job needs to be a career. Covering your living costs is a fantastic start, and all the skills and confidence will take you soooo much further in life than one simple job ever could.

Taking a leap of faith on a new vocation on the road is fantastic. It’s a step outside of your comfort zone and right into the growth of travel. In many ways, that’s what it means to BE a broke backpacker .

You don’t have to be broke to be a broke backpacker. Nay, being resourceful, willing, and kind-hearted with a good work ethic – that makes you more of a broke backpacker than holes in your undies and lack of consistent showering ever will.

So get out there and work on the road! Start with a shit-kicker job. Then once you’ve levelled up appropriately (and with some ingenuity), you’ll find a job that involves travelling and where you get paid to travel and live in a new country. Maybe you’ll even live in a mini-campervan conversion and start rockin’ the super nomad life. Then, you’re not just hunting for the best travel jobs anymore.

No, that’s a travel career: a whole new adventure!

Elina Mattila

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Traveling and experiencing new places and new ways of life firsthand is an incredible experience. It’s no surprise that many people not only look for travel opportunities in work, but also for ways that they can integrate travel into their everyday life and profession.

Look below for some tips on how to land a travel-heavy job and for a list of some of the best options for jobs that require travel.

Key Takeaways:

The top three jobs for people who want to travel are flight attendant, tour guide, traveling nurse.

When traveling for work some of the advantages are getting to see some new cities and meeting new people.

Some disadvantages traveling for work are being away from your family for long periods of time and it’s difficult to network with those back home.

30 Jobs for People Who Want to Travel

Why do you want a job that requires traveling, where to look for a job that requires traveling, pros and cons of traveling for work.

• Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs

Average Annual Salary: $23,000 Job Outlook: Bartender jobs are projected to grow 18% through 2030, according to the BLS

Bartending is a job that exists (and is in high demand) in nearly every country, city, or area you might want to travel to. Whether at a bar, restaurant, or club, bartending can make you a good living depending on where you choose to serve.

Higher-end bars, busier bars, and bars in touristy areas will have the most potential for earning a high income. However, certain locations , especially more remote or rural ones , may be a bit rougher in terms of the payscale.

Wherever you choose to bartend, just be sure you speak the native language at least at a basic level to best serve patrons (and spare yourself lots of confusion).

Job requirements: To become a bartender, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 1-2 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Hospitality Skill Certification for Bartender will help you to earn more as a bartender.

Find Bartender jobs near me

ESL Teacher

Average Annual Salary: $49,000 Job Outlook: ESL teacher jobs are projected to decline 6% through 2030, according to the BLS

ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers are in high demand all over the world. If you consider yourself a mentor or instructor type, taking a job as an English teacher overseas is a great way to travel while building your professional skills.

In some instances, all it takes is a proficiency of the English language, but it is, of course, best if you have a passable knowledge of the native language . You also have the option of teaching virtually.

Job requirements: To become an esl teacher , you usually need a bachelor’s degree and none of experience. Getting a certification as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) will help you to earn more as an esl teacher. Most of the time, a TEFL certification (teaching English as a foreign language) is required for jobs abroad.

Find English Teacher jobs near me

Flight Attendant

Average Annual Salary: $30,000 Job Outlook: Flight attendant jobs are projected to grow 21% through 2030, according to the BLS

Flight attendant is perhaps the first job that comes to mind when people think of travel-heavy professions. A flight attendant helps to keep airplane passengers comfortable and safe throughout a flight.

It’s not always the easiest work, and the hours can be anything but predictable and strain relationships , but the chance to experience cities and sights all across the globe is unbeatable to some. You also get the perk of free or heavily discounted rides for yourself and your family.

Job requirements: To become a flight attendant, you usually need a bachelor’s degree. Getting a certification as a Travel and Tourism Professional (TTP) will help you to earn more as a flight attendant.

Find Flight Attendant jobs near me

Average Yearly Salary: $24,651 Job Outlook: N/A

An au pair is someone who acts as a live-in nanny in a foreign country for a year or more. As a nanny, you’ll be taking care of a child or a group of children as well as doing household chores for your host family. In exchange, you receive pay as well as a free place to stay.

Families choose au pairs to help their children learn about new cultures and new languages, and they are in demand all across the world.

Job requirements: Usually, au pairs don’t need a college education. The most common degree for au pairs is bachelor’s degree with 72% graduates, with only 10% au pair graduates earning associate degree.

Find Au Pair jobs near me

Average Annual Salary: $55,020 Job Outlook: N/A

Many different varieties of freelance work are available depending on your skill set, including writing, graphic design, programming, and more.

These jobs don’t necessarily require travel (unless your title is something like “freelance travel writer ”), but they make it possible for you to work from anywhere with internet access. Because they don’t require the necessary in-person interaction of traditional jobs, these gigs are perfect for travel lovers.

Job requirements: There are several education requirements to become a freelancer . Freelancers usually study graphic design, communication or journalism. Even though most freelancers have a college degree, it’s possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Find Freelance Work jobs near me

Social Media Manager

Average Annual Salary: $59,000 Job Outlook: Social media manager jobs are projected to grow 10% through 2030, according to the BLS

Quickly becoming one of the most sought-after jobs for millennials and Gen Z , social media influencers profit from online popularity. With good marketing, photography, or videography skills, and the right niche, you can earn unlimited amounts.

However, don’t think it’s going to happen straight away, or even any time soon. It takes years to build an online following for the vast majority of people, and even then, it’s no guarantee. But, for those who can crack the secret code, this can become a serious source of income.

Job requirements: To become a social media manager , you usually need a bachelor’s degree. Getting a certification as a Certified Medical Interpreter – Spanish (CMI) will help you to earn more as a social media manager .

Find Social Media Influencer jobs near me

Average Annual Salary: $33,000 Job Outlook: N/A Being a tour guide offers you a great opportunity to both travel and see the best of what your locale has to offer. You can work as an independent tour guide , for a local company, or even for an international tour company.

Tour guides help visitors find the best spots around town, whether that’s restaurants, hiking trails, or historically significant places. Working as a tour guide can be one of the best ways to indulge your love of seeing the world.

Job requirements: To become a tour guide, you usually need a bachelor’s degree. Getting a certification as a First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor will help you to earn more as a tour guide.

Find Tour Guide jobs near me

Retail Buyer

Average Annual Salary: $53,000 Job Outlook: Retail buyer jobs are projected to decline 6% through 2030, according to the BLS

Retail buyers are responsible for monitoring a store’s inventory, and they’re expected to be knowledgeable about the latest fashion trends.

Retail buyers spend a great deal of time going to vendor meetings, conferences, and trade shows to determine what products a company should sell. Depending on how large your employer is, you may even be traveling across the globe.

Job requirements: It takes an average of 1-2 years of job training to become a retail buyer .

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Average Annual Salary: $70,000 Job Outlook: Musician jobs are projected to grow 4% through 2030, according to the BLS

Whether you’re busking (performing music on the street) or playing a paid gig at a venue, the musician’s life has been known to go hand in hand with some heavy traveling.

Try booking some shows at local venues, or even just setting up camp in a touristy area. Just keep in mind that some cities require a special permit to perform on the street.

Job Requirements: To become a musician, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Music Therapist – Board Certified (MT-BC) will help you to earn more as a musician.

Find Musician jobs near me

Average Annual Salary: $26,576 Job Outlook: N/A

This is the perfect job for those who love music and travel but would rather work behind the scenes. A stagehand for a concert or a theater production has the opportunity to go on the road with different acts or work for a specific venue.

Job requirements: It takes an average of Less than 1 month of job training to become a stage hand . Even though some stage hands have a college degree, it’s possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

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Truck Driver

Average Annual Salary: $59,000 Job Outlook: Truck driver jobs are projected to grow 4% through 2030, according to the BLS

If you love driving (and you’re a good, safe driver ), becoming a truck driver might just be the best travel job for you. With this job, you’d be responsible for driving goods all across the country.

To have this job, you should be good at meeting delivery deadlines promptly and ensuring no damage is done to goods along the way.

Job requirements: To become a truck driver, you usually need a high school diploma and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Commercial Driver License (CDL) (CDL) will help you to earn more as a truck driver.

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Average Annual Salary: $47,000 Job Outlook: Chef jobs are projected to grow 15% through 2030, according to the BLS

Chefs get the opportunity to travel often simply because every culture in the world has its own unique cuisine. Kitchens across the globe are always looking to hire great chefs, and some positions even pay for you to travel and hone your skill.

Job requirements: To become a chef, you usually need a associate degree and 4-6 years of experience. Chefs usually study culinary arts, business or hospitality management. Getting a certification as a ServSafe Alcohol will help you to earn more as a chef.

Find Chef jobs near me

Athletic Recruiter

Average Yearly Salary: N/A Job outlook: Athletic recruiter and scout jobs are projected to grow 20% through 2030, according to the BLS

As an athletic recruiter, you travel around the country searching for the right candidates for your college or professional sports team. Recruiters know every facet of their sport of choice, and they know what makes a great player. This is an excellent choice for sports fans with an analytical eye.

Virtual Assistant

Average Annual Salary: $38,000 Job Outlook: N/A

Personal assistants help with all sorts of tasks, from customer relations to calendar and social media organization, and more. In this day and age, personal assistants can do all of these tasks online .

Businesses and individuals are increasingly hiring virtual assistants due to the reduced cost of hiring remote employees. With technological advancements increasingly adapting to remote work styles, this is a quickly-growing and in-demand profession.

Job requirements: Virtual assistants usually study business, psychology or communication. The necessary certifications that virtual assistants must have to succeed are Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).

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Yacht Captain

Average Annual Salary: $58,000 Job outlook: Yacht captain jobs are projected to show little or no change through 2030, according to the BLS

As a ship captain for commercial or private boats, you get paid to sail the open seas in luxury. Well, sort of. While you have several essential responsibilities, and you’re going to have to hold back on most boating festivities (e.g., the drinking), this is a dream job for many.

You get paid to sail to beautiful, exotic locations with free food as well as room and board. Even if you don’t have experience sailing, you can still apply for entry-level positions such as deckhand .

Job requirements: There is no education requirement for this position, even though most yacht captains have a college degree, it’s possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED. Most yacht captains gain their position through years of experience.

Find Yacht/Cruise Ship Sailing jobs near me

Diving Instructor

Average Annual Salary: $23,600 Job Outlook: N/A

In cold climates, hot climates, and everything in between, exploring the ocean through diving is a sport that’s popular worldwide. As a diving instructor , you help people have a fun and safe diving experience while showing them some of the best sites.

Job requirements: The education needed to be a diving instructor is normally a bachelor’s degree. The necessary certifications that diving instructors must have to succeed are Diver Medic Technician (DMT) and Instructor.

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Average Annual Salary: $45,000 Job Outlook: Translator jobs are projected to grow 20% through 2030, according to the BLS

If you speak two languages fluently, you may have the opportunity to work as a translator. You’d be responsible for translating various documents or audio files from one language to another in this job.

Translator jobs are available worldwide (though it may depend largely on your spoken languages), but they are also increasingly available online.

Job requirements: To become a translator, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Certified Translator will help you to earn more as a translator.

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Event Coordinator

Average Annual Salary: $42,000 Job Outlook: Event coordinator jobs re projected to grow 18% through 2030, according to the BLS

As an event coordinator , you’ll be traveling between various events to conduct the duties of your jobs. Because of this, being an event coordinator is a great job for lovers of travel (and parties).

Event coordinators help to balance budgets and make arrangements according to their client’s wishes. This is an excellent choice for people who are organized and know how to throw (and plan out) a grand bash.

Job requirements: To become an event coordinator, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Certified Wedding and Event Planner (CWP) will help you to earn more as an event coordinator.

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Average Annual Salary: $89,000 Job outlook: Consultant jobs are projected to grow 11% through 2030, according to the BLS

A consultant is a specialized position that helps corporations or individuals with varying issues. Because consultants have such a specialized, specific knowledge base, their work often requires travel to many different locations to meet with clients and maintain client relations.

Job requirements: To become a consultant, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) will help you to earn more as a consultant.

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Foreign Service Officer

Average Annual Salary: $98,534 Job outlook: N/A

The U.S. government maintains over 250 embassies around the world and is frequently looking for U.S. citizens to staff these positions. As a foreign service worker , you’ll be an agent of the U.S. Department of State, helping to facilitate meetings with foreign governments.

If you’re advanced in your career, you could work as a U.S. diplomat, but there are plenty of positions and career tracks available to aspiring foreign service workers.

Job requirements: Hiring managers expect a foreign service officer to have soft skills such as management skills, problem-solving skills, and time-management skills. Once you have all the required skills and experience, it takes an average of None of job training to become a foreign service officer .

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Peace Corps Volunteer

Average Annual Salary: N/A Job Outlook: N/A

If you want to travel and contribute positively to the places you end up through humanitarian efforts, consider signing up to be a Peace Corps volunteer . These positions involve healthcare, economics, education, and development, and they generally last for about two years.

The Peace Corps provides housing, healthcare, and even student loan help to its volunteers and is an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to travel while making a difference. Just remember that this is a volunteer position, so it won’t be bringing in the big bucks any time soon.

Job requirements: N/A

Traveling Nurse

Average Annual Salary: $82,000 Job outlook: Nurse jobs are projected to grow 6% through 2030, according to the BLS

As a traveling nurse , you’ll be moving between temporary positions at hospitals across the country. Positions like this exist to help bring quality healthcare to places that need it most, like remote areas or areas with a high volume of clients.

Job requirements: To become a traveling nurse, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 1-2 years of experience. The most common jobs before becoming a traveling nurse are staff nurse, registered nurse , and licensed practical nurse . Getting a certification as a Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) will help you to earn more as a traveling nurse.

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Traveling Festival Work

Average Yearly Salary: N/A Job Outlook: N/A If you’re a festival-lover, you can score free tickets, accommodation, or even pay by working at festivals across the globe. These jobs include serving, vending, installation, stagehand work, and more.

If you’re truly passionate, you can even alternate between countries depending on when their peak festival season (typically summer) occurs.

Ski Instructor

Average Annual Salary: $36,259 Job outlook: N/A

This is the perfect profession for anyone who loves skiing and other snow sports and is eager to help others learn.

Ski resorts all over the world look for great instructors during peak season and even after that at indoor ski resorts. With great charisma, you may even be able to make some great tips off wealthy ski travelers.

Job requirements: To become a ski instructor, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience. Getting a certification as a First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor will help you to earn more as a ski instructor.

Find Ski Instructor jobs near me

Travel Agent Average Annual Salary: $31,000 Job Outlook: Travel agent jobs are projected to grow 20% through 2030, according to the BLS

Okay, so this profession may be on the rocks due to the increasing preference for online services, but if you can find your niche in the market, this is a fantastic choice for travel-lovers. Travel agents plan and sell vacations to people looking to skip the headache of trip-planning.

As travel agents need to be decently familiar with the places they’re trying to market to their clients, this job involves a lot of travel. At many agencies, these trips are paid for as a work expense.

Job requirements: To become a travel agent, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 3-6 months of experience. Getting a certification as a Travel and Tourism Professional (TTP) will help you to earn more as a travel agent.

Find Travel Agent jobs near me

Photographer Average Annual Salary: $36,000 Job outlook: Photographer jobs are projected to grow 9% through 2030, according to the BLS

If you have creative talent , a serious investment in equipment, and photography know-how, you may be able to make money as a traveling professional photographer .

Whether you’re uploading your photos online for clients or being paid to photograph events in different locations, this is a perfect gig for traveling artists. You may even be able to make money teaching others about photography.

Job requirements: To become a photographer, you usually need a bachelor’s degree. Getting a certification as a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) will help you to earn more as a photographer.

Find Photographer jobs near me

Construction Manager

Average Annual Salary: $85,000 Job Outlook: Construction manager jobs are projected to grow 8% through 2030, according to the BLS

This can be quite a lucrative career for anyone with great leadership skills and experience with construction projects, with an added bonus of being travel-heavy.

Construction managers are in charge of every aspect of construction projects. They often travel between the various construction sites they manage to oversee the work and perform their job duties.

Job requirements: To become a construction manager, you usually need a bachelor’s degree and 4-6 years of experience. Getting a certification as a OSHA Safety Certificate will help you to earn more as a construction manager.

Find Construction Manager jobs near me

Airbnb Host

Average Yearly Salary: N/A Job Outlook: N/A This isn’t likely to be a full-time job for you (unless you own and rent out many properties), but becoming an Airbnb host is one of the fastest-growing ways of supplementing your income.

If you rent out your own space, this job will require traveling at pre-arranged times to allow guests to stay in your home. So you’ll be able to make money while going on vacations of your own.

Seasonal Associate

Average Annual Salary: $30,000 job Outlook: N/A This is a broad category that includes any type of temporary work that only operates in specific seasons. Seasonal workers either take jobs during peak seasons and travel during off-seasons or continuously travel to new locations to pursue temporary work.

There are an innumerable amount of seasonal jobs out there, all depending on your skill set. Construction workers often work and travel seasonally, depending on the site location.

Job requirements: It takes an average of Less than 1 month of job training to become a seasonal associate .

Find Seasonal Work jobs near me

Working Holiday Visas

Average Yearly Salary: N/A Job Outlook: N/A

This one is sort of a bonus entry on this list because it’s not a job title in and of itself, but it is a great way of finding work while traveling.

Working holiday visas allow travelers (typically between the ages of 18-30) to take on small jobs to make an income while traveling. It’s a great way to gain professional experience in your younger years while exploring the world.

Before you try and find your perfect jet-setting job, consider the reasons you might want a job like this.

You may find yourself using all your PTO (and a big chunk of your income) traveling and wondering if there’s a better option. Or, you may simply be wanting a job with more flexibility in scheduling and location. In these cases, you may want to see if working remotely at your current position is possible.

You might also be in the position of being a recently graduated college student , a student on a gap year, or someone who hasn’t established their career yet. These are all great times to travel, and there are tons of entry-level options for supplementing your trips.

To find jobs that require traveling, you’re most likely going to have to use the same methods you’d use to find any other job. Online searching will be your best friend, especially online job boards (such as Zippia ).

If you are looking for volunteer or work away positions, there are plenty of sites dedicated to posting them exclusively for travelers. The same thing goes for freelance jobs.

If traveling comes first for you, and the job comes second, you may even consider networking with the people you meet to find temporary positions and work that isn’t listed online.

Here are some pros and cons of traveling for work that can help with your decision process.

You’ll get to see some cool cities. When traveling for work, you will get to see some places you may never have seen otherwise. Also most of the time you are traveling for free because it’s apart of your job.

You get to know your coworkers really well. When you spend all your time with your coworkers, you’re going to get to know them really well. Most of the time when you first get to a new place, they are going to be the only ones you know for a while.

Most of your meals are paid for. When traveling for work a lot of the time a company will pay for your food, or give you a food allowance for a week. They do this because you aren’t always staying in a place that has access to a kitchen.

You get to meet new people: You will get to meet all kinds of new people when you are traveling a lot for work. It can be great if you are single because it could lead to finding a partner . It’s also a great opportunity to find new friends.

You may not be able to explore the cities. Getting to go to these cool places is great when you can go exploring. Depending on what your job is you may not get to spend much of your free time exploring the city.

It’s more difficult to network at home. Since you are most likely spending all of your time with the same coworkers, it’s harder to network with those back at the office.

It’s hard to eat healthy. Since your company is paying for your meals, they may not always be the healthiest. If you eat take out most of the week, it’s hard to get the proper nutrition.

You are away from your family for long periods of time Traveling for work is a great experience, but you have to spend time away from your family. If you have young children or you are leaving your spouse for long periods, it can lead to feeling alone.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook.” Accessed on September 12, 2022.

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Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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• Career Advice >
• Job Classifications >

21 Best Jobs For People Who Love To Travel!

1. flight attendant.

2. Cruise Ship Worker

3. International Aid Worker

4. Foreign Service Worker

5. English Teacher

6. Tour Guide

8. Sports Instructor 

9. Au Pair 

10. Freelancer

11. Photographer

12. Consultant

13. Event Coordinator 

14. Translators

15. Bloggers/Vloggers 

16. Archaeologist

17. Virtual Assistants 

18. Website/Graphic Design

19. Digital Marketing

20. Software Engineers 

21. Travel Nurse 

This post was published by Mugdha Songire

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The Highest-Paying Jobs for Travel Lovers

Do you love to go on trips? If so, you might be curious about the highest-paying jobs for travel lovers. It’s not a far-fetched dream, and in fact there are many ways to earn a living as you actively pursue your travel goals.

There are a wide range of great job opportunities that you can try out, including working remotely or working in person while traveling. This article details some of the best jobs for travel lovers, as well as companies hiring in the field and tips to achieve success.

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Who are travel lovers.

Travel lovers are people who like to visit different cities, states, or countries to experience new cultures and locales. If you’re someone who works eight hours a day behind a screen in a cubicle but is constantly planning your next global escape, you might just be a travel lover. In many cases, travel lovers spend a significant amount of their income to fund future trips.

What Jobs Are Available to Travel Lovers?

Travel lovers are usually drawn to jobs that can help them explore. This might include expat jobs or travel industry jobs that will take them to different places. For example, travel lovers can work for a cruise line or for the US Foreign Service. There’s also seasonal manual labor, which is preferred by the backpacker community as a way to cover their travel expenses.

Remote or freelance jobs, often referred to as digital nomad jobs, are the ideal career for travelers. This is because they have more control of their time and are not confined to a physical space where they have to report every day. They can afford to travel to any destination of their choice and still make a living.

Companies That Hire Travel Lovers

• Twitter. Twitter is a social media company that encourages a remote work culture for a variety of positions. Though some staff work from the office, the company believes in giving its employees flexibility when possible. 
• Viking Cruises. Viking Cruises is a multinational cruise line. The company operates a challenging, fast-paced work environment focusing on action, working in small teams, and continuous improvement. Working for this company comes with perks such as a great compensation package and paid vacations.
• Delta Air Lines. Delta Air Lines is a major airline in the US that also flies to Asian and European countries. It’s a great place to work if you love to travel and are curious about other cultures. American Airlines is another major airline, and American Airlines careers are also worth considering.
• Disney Cruise Line. Disney Cruise Line’s goal is to create special memories for its guests at sea. Staff work in teams to make sure a cruise goes smoothly, including restaurant work, housekeeping, and entertainment. 
• Dell Technologies. Dell Technologies is a multinational tech company that encourages remote work for its staff. Travel lovers will appreciate Dell’s approach to time management for remote staff, as the company allows very flexible hours .

10 Highest-Paying Jobs for Travel Lovers

Travel lovers prefer a job that allows them to get closer to living their travel dreams. Luckily, as a travel lover, you should be able to find plenty of opportunities in whichever industry interests you. Most of these jobs pay well above minimum wage. Listed below are some of the main tasks of the roles listed above.

Cruise Ship Worker

Many travel lovers dream of working on a cruise ship. This is because cruise line workers get to make a living going to different countries, plus they get free accommodation and food as they go. There are many different roles available to people who want to work on a cruise line, including working as a shop clerk, restaurant server, musician, or comedian. 

It’s easy to apply for a cruise ship job by checking on a cruise line company’s website or by browsing online hiring platforms and job sites. 

Travel Blogger

Travel bloggers visit different places and write about their experiences for others to read. They often review popular tourist destinations around the world in their travel blogs. As their online community grows, travel bloggers will get invitations from resorts in exotic locations to review the hotel and its amenities. 

Travel bloggers are usually freelancers who have a love for writing and traveling. They combine both passions and use them to make a living via their travel blog while living out their dream in the process. Travel writers can also freelance for popular travel websites or guides as they move between countries.

Travel Nurse

Traveling nurses work for different hospitals and clinics around the country to provide health care services including administering medication, performing medical tests, and checking patients’ recovery. They are posted in locations where there is a dire need for nurses.

Expenses, accommodation, and benefits such as health insurance are usually covered in this profession. All nurses must have nursing credentials from a registered institution to be able to work in this position. 

English Teacher

Capable English language teachers are in high demand all over the world. English teachers who work abroad help young students and adults learn how to write, read, and speak fluently. They often work in private schools, language centers, or government organizations.

This is a fun job for native English speakers who enjoy traveling. Depending on the country and specific school, you often won’t be required to have experience, although you will need to earn your TESOL certificate. However, there are some schools that will require you to have a bachelor’s degree to teach.

Flight Attendant

Working as a flight attendant is a popular travel career. A flight attendant’s job is to ensure that aircraft passengers are safe and comfortable. They do this by demonstrating airline safety procedures and communicating with passengers to provide food and beverages as needed. 

You don’t need a degree to become a flight attendant. Most major US airlines simply require a certification from the Federal Aviation Administration and prior customer service experience. Benefits of this job include free and discounted flights for workers and their family members.

Travel Photographer

If you have great camera skills and you enjoy going to new places, working as a travel photographer might just be your thing. Travel photographers can look in every nook and cranny of the country they’re in to capture timely and appealing images. 

Photographers can work for news wire services such as The Associated Press, or for publications like National Geographic, both of which hire full-time staff and accept freelance work. They can also work independently, traveling from country to country and taking photos commissioned by resorts.

Foreign Service Worker

Serving as a foreign service officer can be a rewarding career for you if you love your country as much as you love to explore. Foreign service workers often deal with complex issues such as disaster relief, refugee flows, and immigration, representing the interests of their country as they visit different parts of the world.

They communicate with governments of foreign countries and get reassigned to a new country after a set period of time, usually a few years. Potential recruits will have to pass the Foreign Service Officer Test to get hired. Candidates must also follow a specific career path within the department, so this job is not location-independent.

Travel Agent

Travel agents work at travel agencies and help customers plan trips by finding the travel options that fit their clients’ budgets, including land transportation, flights, accommodation, and excursions. Travel agents usually get to travel to popular destinations to experience the services of the restaurants, resorts, or other tourist attractions that they will later recommend to customers.

Athletic Recruiters

Athletic recruiters, or scouts, are hired by professional sports organizations and colleges to travel to schools and sporting events in different parts of the US or world to scout for emerging talents. 

Athletic scouts must have an in-depth knowledge of the game they’re recruiting for, and of the particular strengths an athlete must possess for certain positions on the team. This is a job for people who are huge sports fans

A translator must be fluent in at least one language aside from their native language. The more languages you speak, the more opportunities you will have to travel around the world to help other people communicate. The duties of this job may include translating in person or converting text or audio into another language.

Besides language skills, translators must also possess some computer skills. Great Britain, China, the United States, Italy, Sweden, Japan, and Luxembourg are some of the countries that commonly hire translators in a formal capacity.

Tips for Finding Success Working as a Travel Lover

The travel industry is a big money-maker. As a lover of travel, you’ll want to key into the best opportunities available. If you already have a job, you may be looking to progress in your current career track. Below are five tips that can help you in your quest to find success as a travel lover.

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• Find a strong Internet connection . This is very important if you’re going to be working remotely. A fast and stable Internet connection is vital if you want your work day to go smoothly. A terrible Internet connection can hinder your progress and affect your productivity. If you’re struggling with this, try to find an Internet cafe or co-working hub.
• Set daily goals . This is essential if you’re working with a team that’s based in multiple different time zones. If you plan correctly, you can focus on complex tasks at a time that is convenient for you. Then, by the time your team members in other zones are starting work, you’ll be able to bring them up to speed on what you’ve accomplished.
• Keep an open mind . You should understand that no matter the amount of research you do on a job or business opportunity, things may not work out according to your plans. It’s best not to have high expectations so you don’t get too disappointed if things go sideways.
• Set a routine and stick to it . Having an effective routine and sticking to it no matter where you’re working from will boost your productivity. This will also help you strike a good work-life balance.
• Explore . If you’re the type who’s always working through the lunch period or at home after working hours, you should consider quitting such habits when you’re traveling. You don’t want to miss out on all the good stuff while focusing too much on work. Go out more and enjoy yourself. 

Jobs for Travel Lovers Outlook

The outlook is good for most types of travel jobs, as the growth rate for most of those listed above is higher than the US national average of seven percent. One example is the cruise ship industry, which is projected to increase by 12 percent between 2020 and 2030 .

Travel writing is also growing faster than average, at nine percent. However, the growth in travel agent jobs is only projected to rise by five percent by 2030. This shows that overall, jobs for travel lovers will continue to be in demand. So, if traveling while you work is your dream job, there are plenty of options for you to pursue.

Best Jobs for Travel Lovers FAQ

Some of the best career options for travelers include working as a flight attendant, in an international aid or foreign service job, or teaching English.

You can turn your passion for traveling into a career by picking up relevant skills or taking courses that can help you get a remote job or a job in a different country. One example is learning photography. You can take pictures wherever you are in the world, so if you’re skilled, you’ll be able to sell them.

Yes, travel jobs can help your career trajectory. Learning new skills usually comes in handy at some point. Plus, as you travel, you will also have tons of opportunities to network with people across the globe, which will likely increase your chances of landing your dream job.

Yes, you can have an awesome career while traveling around the world. In certain cases, traveling can even grant you the success you desire.

About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication .

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The Best Jobs for People Who Love to Travel

Our global society offers countless jobs for people who love to travel. If you’re looking to live life “on the wing,” here’s some cool ideas.

Our global society offers countless jobs for people who love to travel. The tourism and hospitality industry is one of the biggest employers in the world. While many people get their start in the industry by working at local restaurants or hotels, there are many career options out there for people who love to travel and want to get their foot in the door of this fascinating, and fast-changing, industry. 

Embrace every adventure!

Every traveling experience is an adventure, and when your job involves travel, life is a nonstop adventure. We want you to make the most of that. Be sure never to miss an iconic location or must-see museum by signing up for our site-specific scavenger hunts —wherever you are in the world, there’s a good chance we’ve been there first and can give you all the juicy tips.

We offer a huge range of activities to suit every flavor, from  local attractions to haunted history tours and art walks , to  bar crawls  in  hundreds of cities . So whatever your adventure, embrace it with the Let’s Roam app .

The Best Jobs For People Who Love To Travel

Below you will find a list of the best jobs for people who love to travel. Some of these jobs have a relatively low barrier to entry which means that they are a fantastic first step towards building a career in the travel industry while others are a bit trickier to get started in but are perfect for creative types who would love to create their schedule and work from anywhere.  

In keeping with the changing times, the list is divided between the traditional “travel jobs” and jobs that allow you to travel.  When you’re considering the career path that you would like to take, it’s important to consider whether or not you want to work in the tourism industry itself or if you want to have a location-independent job that allows you to travel. 

I’ve worked quite a few of these jobs including waitressing at a hotel in Scotland, working as a tour guide in Prague, teaching English online from all over the world, volunteering at an NGO in India, managing partnerships at a large multinational travel company, and eventually becoming a full-time digital nomad and travel writer.  

Travel Jobs for People Who Love to Travel

There is a long list of jobs in the travel industry that are perfect for people who love to travel including everything from working for a cruise ship to travel blogging. Whether you love nothing more than helping people plan the perfect trip or are someone who can’t wait to show the world your creative side, there’s something out there for you!

Flight Attendant

When people think of careers for people who love to travel, they often think of flight attendants. The reasons why are pretty obvious. As a flight attendant, you get to fly all over the world, meet new people, and, depending on which airline you work for, you can also work with colleagues from all over the world. While the job definitely has its perks, it can be challenging. Dealing with unruly customers, working long hours, and receiving low wages are a few of the drawbacks. It can also be difficult to balance when you want to start a family. 

Work on a Cruise Ship

When COVID hit, virtually all cruise liners ground to a halt for the next two years. However, the cruise industry is back in business, and jobs aboard the ships are in high demand by people who dream of traveling around the world! Jobs on a cruise ship range from housekeeping or restaurant staff to deckhands to shore excursion managers and expedition leaders.  Although working on a cruise ship is no cakewalk, the thrill of being able to wake up in a new place every day is perfect for anyone who shudders at the idea of working in an office day in and day out. Best of all, you have free room and board which means that your expenses are very low and you’re able to save virtually all of the money that you make!

Teaching English

Teaching English abroad has long been a way for many young people to start their lives overseas. English language skills are in demand all over the world from China to Argentina and once you have gotten the hang of managing a classroom, your experience as an English teacher is highly sought after by everything from language schools to universities. You can even moonlight as a private tutor specializing in ESL. 

One of the best things about teaching English abroad is the upward mobility that it gives you. As you put more and more years of teaching under your belt, you can move on to better schools or relocate to different countries that pay a higher salary. Unlike some of the other jobs on this list, this can easily turn into a long-term career.  

If you would prefer to be a bit more mobile rather than being at one school for a semester or academic year, you may even want to consider teaching English online. This was an incredibly popular way for many digital nomads to get their start and although the industry has shrunk a little bit in the past year, there are still plenty of opportunities to teach online. 

TEFL Certificate

Before you get started as an English teacher, it’s important that you gain your TEFL certificate. This certificate shows that you are qualified to teach English as a second language. There are many different ways that you can gain this certificate.  Some organizations offer in-house certification programs where you attend lectures and learn first-hand the fundamentals of teaching English, preparing lesson plans, and managing a classroom setting. 

You may also be able to take supplementary classes through your college while you are earning your Bachelor’s degree which could lead to certification. If you don’t have the time or money to spend doing one of the in-person certification courses, you can also get certified online. In my experience, these programs aren’t particularly helpful when it comes to teaching you the skills that you need to succeed as an ESL teacher but they do tick the box if a school or business is asking you to provide your certification. 

International Teaching Positions

If you are already a teacher and would like to work internationally, there is a whole world of opportunity out there waiting for you! With the right qualifications and experience, teaching jobs can be found at international schools in many highly-paid markets such as China, the UAE, and India. This is perfect for teachers who want to see more of the world around them and differentiate themselves from their colleagues. 

Ever since I started traveling abroad when I was a teenager, I really, really wanted to be a tour guide. To me, the job seemed perfect. You get to travel around the world, teaching people things that you are passionate about! Turns out, young me was pretty spot on when it came to the benefits of being a tour guide, and when I finally got my chance, I absolutely loved it!

Tour guiding is a great job for people who are outgoing and friendly and who love to teach others about the world around them.  Many companies are happy to train tour guides as long as they have the “right” personality for the role so even if you don’t have a lot of experience in a particular subject like history, culture, etc, it is definitely worth applying for any jobs that you see if this is something that you would like to do. The job can be very tiring, especially if you are doing a lot of tours back-to-back, but it is worth it! 

Travel Agent

Gone are the days when people had to go to a travel agent to book flights or hotels. However, this doesn’t mean that there is no longer a need for travel agencies and this can still be a lucrative career path for travel lovers. Travel agents and travel advisors are still in demand, particularly when an itinerary is complex or if a traveler wants something very specific. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are roughly 38,000 people employed as travel agents in the United States. 

Most people get started as travel agents by joining an existing travel agency or by starting their own freelance business that works in conjunction with a much larger host agency. There’s very little up-front cost for becoming a travel agent but you will likely need to decide what you want to specialize in early on as this can help you decide which training you would like to do, what host agency to sign up with, and what type of clients that you should be attracting. For instance, if your niche is high-end cruises of the Caribbean, you may have a very different target market than someone who specializes in backpacker tours of Africa. 

Travel Coach

Another recent addition to the list of travel jobs, travel coaches combine the job roles of a travel agent with the personal touch of a life coach. They generally help people choose destinations that will help them achieve a particular goal (wellness, relaxation, cultural immersion, etc) rather than simply booking flights and accommodation. Since this is a relatively new job, people may not be entirely sure what a travel coach does. While this can make it a little slow to get clients, it also means that you can shape your job as a travel coach around your own skills and passions. This could be a great choice for people who love to plan travel, are very well-traveled already, and like helping people on their path to self-discovery. 

Travel Blogger 

Over the past twenty years, travel blogging went from a pie-in-the-sky dream job to a viable way to make a living.  Bloggers like Nomadic Matt have created lucrative businesses from their blogs and are now household names in the travel industry. However, it’s important to know that it is relatively difficult to make money from travel blogging and you need to be in it for the long term as it can take years to build up enough traffic to monetize your website. However, once you have reached this point, this is a great way to make a passive income that can fund your travels while you create new content. 

Travel Photographer 

Like travel blogging, travel photography can be a tough thing to break into and today, you are competing with everyone from travel bloggers to influencers to create content that people are willing to pay for. However, the good news is that the demand for high-quality travel photography is at an all-time high as people and businesses compete for exposure. One of the best ways to make yourself stand out as a travel photographer is by developing a unique niche and having a consistent style in your work. Some photographers may specialize in drone footage while others have developed a knack for underwater photography.  

Travel Nurse

If you are a registered nurse with at least two years of experience, travel nursing is a fantastic way to explore new places.  Travel nurses are usually hired for short-term placements in hospitals across the United States and even around the world. Most travel nurses find placements through special travel nurse staffing agencies which can help handle a lot of the logistical issues that you may face otherwise, especially if you are planning on working overseas. 

Au pairs are people that live with a host family in a foreign country and provide childcare in exchange for accommodation and a monetary allowance or stipend. Au pairs are on legal work visas that generally last for around two years. One of the many perks that come with being an au pair is that you get to immerse yourself in a new country and learn more about the culture, home life, etc and it is great if you want to improve your skills in a foreign language. Most au pairs tend to be young women in their 20s and they are placed with host families either by going through an au pair staffing agency or by contacting families directly. You can find positions everywhere from Thailand to Canada so this is a wonderful option for any young people suffering from a major case of wanderlust!

Ski Instructor

If you love nothing more than getting out on some fresh powder, then a career as a ski instructor may be perfect for you!  Ski instructors generally get to spend a ski season living high up in the mountains in ski towns, skiing as much as possible during their “off-time”.  Not only do you get to be surrounded by like-minded people but you also get to indulge in your passion without having to pay the expensive lift passes. You need basic ski instruction qualifications before you can begin but then you have the opportunity to gain further qualifications which help you gain more skills and ultimately more money. 

Scuba Diving Instructor

Like ski instructors, scuba diving instructors get paid to do something they love. Diving instructors train and assess the skills of underwater divers. To get started, you need to first be a certified PADI diver for at least six months before taking the instructor course and also have gained your advanced diver certification, rescue certification, and Divemaster certification.  Although it can seem like a lot of qualifications, once you become a diving instructor, you can teach scuba diving all over the world. 

Jobs for Digital Nomads

Over the past few years, the definition of a digital nomad has begun to blur slightly. Before COVID, digital nomads were mainly digital marketing specialists or tech wizards who were self-employed and could work from anywhere. However, once COVID made working remotely more of a “thing”, more and more people have begun to embrace the digital nomad lifestyle.  

This means that there are increasingly more ways to build a nomadic lifestyle. If this is what you would like to do in the future, it’s a wise idea to either begin upskilling in fields that will allow you to work remotely in the future or apply for full-time remote jobs. When you’re looking for jobs, make sure that you clarify whether or not a job is fully remote, a hybrid position where you are still expected to go into the office, and if you are allowed to work outside of the United States as a remote employee. 

If you have some great skills to offer, it is a good idea to create an account on Upwork. Upwork is a platform that connects businesses or individuals in need of freelancers with the freelancers themselves. There are a ton of different jobs and projects listed on the platform and once your account has been approved, you can bid on these projects. Upwork takes 20% of the total payment as an administrative fee which is a little high but this is one of the best ways to get experience when you are first starting out as a freelancer.  

Social Media Manager 

The rise of social media over the past few decades has brought some new job opportunities with it! Social media manager is a relatively new job compared to some of the other more “established” travel jobs on this list. Most people working as social media managers help manage the accounts of influencers or businesses who want to gain exposure through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Tiktok.

Virtual Assistant

The term virtual assistant may be unfamiliar to a lot of people but the job itself has been rising in popularity throughout the years as more and more tasks can be done virtually. A virtual assistant is exactly what it sounds like, an assistant that can help someone with different business tasks. These tasks generally include things like administrative work and email and schedule management and may also include digital marketing skills such as SEO blog writing.  

However, the great thing about being a virtual assistant is that you can upskill in whatever you want. Some virtual assistants help build WordPress websites while others can help a client automize their business or provide services as a graphic designer. Some virtual assistants have even created their own companies offering online business management which can handle virtually all aspects of a client’s business as if they were part of the company.  Depending on your skills and how unique they are, virtual assistants can command surprisingly high hourly rates, making this a great option for people who would like to be location independent, set their hours, and love continuing education. 

Freelance Writer

Although there has been a huge increase in video content over the past decade, freelance writers are still in very high demand. Most freelance writers get paid by the word or by project and are able to work on their own schedule as long as they meet their deadlines.  This is a wonderful way to make money if you consider yourself a bit of a wordsmith and luckily, there are no necessary qualifications that you need to get started besides having samples of your work. If you aren’t already a published writer, don’t worry. I personally got started with freelance writing by using my own travel blog to show my writing skills and then created a portfolio later on to show prospective clients.

Specialized Jobs for People Who Love to Travel

If you have a unique range of skills, you may also want to consider a more specialized role that will allow you to travel and give back to the communities that you travel to!

International Aid Worker

International aid workers are found in many different parts of the world, normally working in areas that have been impacted by war, developmental issues, security problems, or natural disasters. The roles range from administrative assistance to specialized jobs focusing on health and hygiene, women’s safety, and so on. Although the job can be dangerous at times, it can also be extremely fulfilling and is perfect for anyone who wants to give back to a local community. 

Foreign Service Officer

Foreign service officers are employed by governments to help manage political and economic relations with the government of a foreign country. There are close to 10,000 Americans located in embassies and consulates all around the world and these people play a key role in representing the USA. There are five different types of “officers” including consular, economic, management, political, and public diplomacy officers and you must choose your career path before entering the foreign service.  

The US State Department is very competitive to get into and you must pass a written test and an oral exam. Passing both of these means that you have a chance of getting placed at an embassy or consulate. After serving a few hardship positions in developing or wartorn countries, you can then apply for positions in more “developed” countries where you usually have a much more comfortable life. If this is something that you want to pursue, it is important that you have a Bachelor’s degree and that you are knowledgeable about international relations, geography, history, and global events. 

Peace Corps Volunteer

While this isn’t a job per se, Peace Corps volunteers have the opportunity to live and work in developing countries all over the world. Like foreign aid workers, many Peace Corps positions are in countries that have structural or economic issues and as a volunteer, you can help improve the quality of life for the local community. There are currently volunteers located in more than 60 countries around the world.  

To enter the Peace Corps, you must be at least 18 years or older and a US citizen. Volunteers work in fields such as agriculture, environmental protection, community economic development, health, education, and youth development so ideally, you would also have an interest or experience in one of these fields. 

Ready to roam?

We hope that this list has left you inspired to get a job that allows you to travel the world. As you can see, there’s an incredibly wide range of jobs out there for people who love to travel and the world truly is your oyster! 

Before you embark on your next adventure, don’t forget to download the Let’s Roam app . It is packed full of exciting scavenger hunts in locations all over the planet. Not only that, you’ll be able to access Let’s Roam Local , which gives you user-generated tips on great attractions around the world.

As always, we would love to hear your feedback and please let us know if there are any great jobs that we may have missed!

Frequently Asked Questions

From teaching English to working on a cruise ship, there are tons of jobs out there for people who love to travel !

If you’re trying to get a job that lets you travel but you have little experience, consider jobs such as teaching English or working on a cruise ship—these are perfect if you’re just starting out.

This depends on your own skills and experience! To learn more about destinations all over the world, use Let’s Roam Local  to find tips and tricks about some of the coolest places on the planet!

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Best Jobs for Travel Lovers & enthusiasts, jobs that allow travel

February 3, 2020 2 Comments

Traveling is fun, full of adventure and new experiences especially for those who want to spend the rest of their lives traveling and exploring new places. It can be tough for an adventurer to sit behind the desk from 9 to 5 doing office work, isn’t it? Imagine if you can have a job that allows you to travel as much as you want and earns you money as well at the same time. If you are a travel enthusiast then in this post you will explore the best jobs for travel lovers that make you money as well. There are hundreds of jobs for travellers but we will only list the best jobs for travel lovers.

Instead of working at a job where you don’t get to travel at all or just few times in a year, why not get a job that requires travel as one of your duties? This way, you can explore the world while earning money and building your career in the travel industry. But before we dive any further into the topic ‘best jobs for travellers’, let’s explore some interest facts about the travel industry that would blow your mind.

Global travel and tourism industry facts

Table of Contents

The travel and tourism industry is one of the world’s largest industries with a global economic contribution (direct, indirect and induced) of over 7.6 trillion U.S. dollars in 2016. The direct economic impact of the industry, including accommodation, transportation, entertainment and attractions, was approximately 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars that year. A number of countries, such as France and the United States, are consistently popular tourism destinations, but other,  less well-known countries are quickly emerging in order to reap the economic benefits of the industry .

Worldwide, the tourism industry has experienced steady growth almost every year. International tourist arrivals increased from 528 million in 2005 to 1.19 billion in 2015. Figures were forecasted to exceed 1.8 billion by 2030. Each year, Europe receives the most international tourist arrivals. It also produces the most jobs for travellers: with approximately 607 million outbound tourists in 2015, the region had more than double that of the second largest tourist origin, the Asia Pacific region.

Travel and Tourism industry in the U.S. – Facts

The U.S. travel and tourism industry has contributed over US $1.6 trillion to the economy in 2017 employing 7.8 million people in the U.S. Travel and tourism exports accounted for 11 percent of all U.S. exports and nearly a third (32 percent) of all U.S. services exports. That same year, U.S. travel and tourism output represented 2.8 percent of gross domestic product. Expenditures by international visitors in the United States passed $251 billion in 2017, yielding a $77 billion trade surplus for the year.

According to Department of Commerce projections, the United States will welcome 95.5 million international visitors annually by 2023 (nearly twice the amount in 2000). The United States leads the world in international travel and tourism exports and ranks third in terms of total visitation. It also produces some of the best jobs for travellers in the world.

Best Travelers of our times that can inspire you

Gabriel Morris (Gabriel Traveler) – Author and world traveler Gabriel Morris has traveled for almost half of his life and compiled tips, tricks and hacks for budget traveling in his book named “Gabe’s Guide to Budget Traveling.” You can learn a lot from his youtube channel about travelling the world on a budget. https://www.youtube.com/user/gabejedmo

Rick Steves – Rick Steves is a well known travel guide, TV personality and the producer of public television show “Rick Steves Europe”. Rick Steves’ Europe also runs a successful small-group tour program taking 30,000 travelers to Europe annually. Widely considered America’s leading authority on European travel, Rick produces a best-selling series of guidebooks and is the author of  Travel as a Political Act . You can find lot of information and travel tips to plan a holiday in Europe on his youtube channel.

Mark Wiens – Mark was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in the USA in 1986. He’s also a world traveler, author, blogger and a video host currently based in Thailand. He has over 5.5 million subscribers on his youtube channel and he makes thousands of dollars in annual income from youtube while traveling full time. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyEd6QBSgat5kkC6svyjudA

Sonny Side – He runs one of the most popular youtube channel “Best Ever Food Review Show”, exploring food from around the world. He’s a full time traveler that makes food shows for youtube and currently has over 5.5 million subscribers. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcAd5Np7fO8SeejB1FVKcYw

Drew Binsky – He’s an American travel blogger and vlogger and visited over 187 counties on the planet. His videos have got over a billion views with over 1.5 million youtube subscribers.

Trevor James – He’s a Canadian born food vlogger and traveller. His youtube channel “The Food Ranger” has over 3.8 million subscribers and he is famous for his street food tour videos which have been viewed over 450 million times.

Nicole Eddy – She is a young vlogger and traveller from South Africa. She over over 75,000 subscribers on her Youtube channel. She explores the world with unbelievable desire and enthusiasm, capturing her adventures on YouTube, where she shares her passion and inspires others to follow their dreams and make them true.

19 Best Jobs for Travellers

According to recently released data from the  US  Census, 5.2% of workers in the  US  worked at  home  in 2017 or 8 million people. That share is up from 5% in 2016, and 3.3% in 2000, which means that there’s a steady rise in work from home culture among Americans.

Jobs that allow you to travel don’t just include remote or work-from-home opportunities. You can also work in the industries that requires travel as part of the job duties. Sales professionals often have to travel to meet new and existing clients or to attend conferences or close sales deals around the world. If sales jobs do not interest you because of the sales targets, there are other jobs for travellers which include travel guide, travel writing, food reviewer or a foreign aid worker where you can travel from place to place working.

Get inspired and find jobs that allow you to travel while working from home or by landing positions that require travel.  To help you out, we’ve created a list of 19 jobs for travel lovers or allow you to travel as you work, so you can lead an adventurous life while earning at the same time.

1. Field Sales Executive – among best jobs for travel lovers

This is one of the best jobs where you can travel. The role of field sales executives is a client-facing role which involves travelling round and holding meetings with clients and potential clients as the representative of a company, its products and services. You will also get your travel expenditure reimbursed by the company and draw a good salary each month. It is among the best jobs for travel enthusiasts. The average salary for a Field Sales Representative is $52,444 per year in the United States .

2. Tour Guide – among the best jobs where you can travel

A tour guide is a person who provides assistance, information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized group tours or individual clients at educational establishments, religious and historical sites, museums, and at venues of other significant interest, attractions sites. As a tour guide you get to visit hundreds of local, domestic and international destinations along with the tourists whom you assist in exploring the destinations. Mostly tour guides work for travel agencies and companies but some also work as independent tour guides. The average hourly wage in the U.S for a land tour guide is $13 per hour, while the average annual salary for a tour guide is  $23,000  in America . Travel and Tourism schools in the U.S. to help you become a certified travel guide.

3. Flight Attendant – among the best jobs that allow you to travel

A Flight Attendant is responsible for attending to the safety and comfort needs of passengers aboard a flight. Also referred to as a Cabin Attendant or Airline Stewardess, they perform a range of tasks including demonstrating emergency procedures, directing passengers, and performing safety checks. The average Flight Attendant salary in the United States is $75,857 as of December 26, 2019 , but the range typically falls between $60,880 and $94,047. Here’s a complete guide on how to become a flight attendant .

4. Travel Agent – among the best jobs for travellers

Travel agents help their clients make travel plans. In addition to booking reservations, they assist customers in choosing their destination, transportation, and lodging and inform travelers of passport and visa requirements, rates of currency exchange, and import duties. The BLS currently lists the average  travel agent salary  in 2017 as $40,840 with a range of $21,350 and $62,320 dividing the lower to upper 10% of  travel agents .

5. Diving Instructor

More than just teaching and training soon-to-be-divers, Dive Instructors are primarily responsible for the safety of the diving party as well. They are also in charge of the maintenance of diving equipment and at some places they also have the responsibility of saving lives of the people at the beaches. As a diving instructor you get to travel a lot to various locations that are great for scuba diving and deep sea diving. It could be Spain, Maldives, Australia and many other locations. Scuba instructor in the U.S.  will probably make between $35,000 and $40,000 per year , which likely includes all his income sources (source). Here’s a complete guide to become a Dive instructor .

6. Ski Instructor

If you love snow and cold weather then job as a Ski Instructor can be best for you. Teaching individuals new skills and techniques to help improve their skiing ability. Helping raise confidence levels. Answering the questions of individuals taking part in lessons and individuals at the resort as a whole. A ski Instructor’s salary can depend on the level of Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) certification but typically they start earning out between $9 to $15 per hour. 

7. Cruise Ship Worker – among the best jobs for travel enthusiasts

Working on a cruise ship can take you places that others can only dream of. Cruise ship jobs have a reputation for being one of the best jobs where you can travel. You can be working as a chef or a live saver or a marine technician on a cruise ship. You get paid to see the world and interact with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds, all while collecting a salary and receiving free room and board. Since cruise ships offer almost every service imaginable, there are job opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds. 

As far as salaries are concerned as a cruise ship worker, majority of positions are based on an hourly wage and most employment opportunities on a cruise ship earn $1,200-$1,500 a month . There are though, a large number of positions that can make as much as $2,500 a month equating to $13 an hour.

8. Photographer – among best jobs for travel lovers

If you love photography, nature, wildlife and travelling different places, then photography can be one of the best jobs where you can travel. There are several well known TV channels such as, Fox Travel, National Geographic, Animal Planet and Discovery that offer great packages and compensation to the photographers. If you are looking for the best jobs for travel enthusiasts then Photography can fulfil your dream of travelling and making money. Start your journey of being a photographer at fstoppers.com .

The average salary of a photographer in the U.S. is Us $14.77 .

9. Truck Driver

Truck drivers earn good especially long-haul truck drivers and the ones that own and operate a truck company with just one or two trucks. All you need to do is apply for a Commercial Driving License (CDL), apply for permits, purchase or lease a truck and get started. You can be working as a Truck driver for another company or you can attach your truck to a logistics company. The median annual wage for a trucker that works for a private fleet, such as a truck driver employed by Walmart, is $73,000 , according to ATA. The Labor Department pegs the median annual salary for all truck drivers at around $40,000. There are over 1.6 million truck drivers in the U.S.

10. Football Coach

If you are fascinated by Football, one of the most loved games in the world, then being a Football coach at a school is among the best jobs where you can travel. Many countries such as U.S. offer foreign coaches a chance to teach football to the school students. You can find more opportunities about being a football coach in the U.S. at uksoccer.com . Football coach is among the best jobs for travel lovers.

11. International Sales Representative

The international sales representative responsibilities include managing the company’s sales on an international level. International sales reps often travel overseas to make a sale, or sometimes are stationed there for a period of time. They also travel for attending trade conferences and exhibitions around the world to facilitate meetings with international customers and acquisition.  Average International Sales Representative Salary is Us $51,557.

12. ESL Teacher – entry level job that require travel

ESL (English as a second language) teachers are in high demand both at home and abroad. When you take a job as an ESL teacher in a foreign country, you’ll get to help students understand your native language while immersing yourself in that country’s culture. You’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree, ESL training and a special license to get hired. Here’s a step-by-step guide to becoming an ESL teacher .

13. Event Managers – among best jobs that allow you to travel

Event managers mostly work on local events like parties and corporate events, but managing large-scale events like conferences and trade shows could be a golden opportunity for travel lovers. You’d meet with potential vendors from across the country, then travel to the event location to oversee everything from setup to breakdown. A search for “trade show coordinator” on Indeed returns more than 1,500 jobs in a variety of cities.

14. Foreign Service Worker

If you want to combine your love of travel with your love of your country, a career as a Foreign Service officer or specialist could be right for you. The best-known Foreign Service job is a U.S. diplomat, but there are plenty of other career tracks that allow you to meet and interact with foreign governments. The U.S. Department of State has more details about these jobs listed on its website, and with more than 250 embassies around the world, there are plenty of opportunities for travel.

15. Travel writer – among traveling jobs that require no experience

It might not be the easiest way to make a living, but if you’ve got a knack for writing, you can share your knowledge about popular travel destinations. Though full-time travel writing positions exist, most of the work you can get is freelance, as publications typically want individuals who can submit firsthand accounts of the location they’re writing about. You can search for and bid on freelance travel writing assignments on sites like Freelancer.com and Upwork. Travel writer is among the best jobs for travel lovers.

16. International Aid Worker – Job that require international travel

If you want to travel for a living while making a real difference in people’s lives, consider working for an international aid organization like USAID. With this job, you can visit struggling countries and help residents recover from dire situations, such as natural disasters and famine. You’ll need a background in a field such as health, agriculture or education and a strong interest in social work. International aid worker is among the jobs that require international travel.

17. Au Pair 

Do you work well with children and know a second language? If so, becoming an au pair might be a good option for you. Au pairs live with a host family in a foreign country and provide child care services, such as babysitting and assistance with schoolwork. You’ll receive a small salary on top of your room and board, but you also get to immerse yourself in another culture as an extended member of a family.

18. Foreign Service worker – among the highest paying travel jobs

If you want to combine your love of travel with your love of your country, a career as a Foreign Service officer or specialist could be right for you. The best-known Foreign Service job is a U.S. diplomat, but there are plenty of other career tracks that allow you to meet and interact with foreign governments. The U.S. Department of State has more details about these jobs listed on its website, and with more than 250 embassies around the world, there are plenty of opportunities for travel. Foreign service worker is among the highest paying travel jobs.

19. Food Reviewer – among the most common jobs for travel lovers

If you are passionate about food and love trying different types of foods from various parts of the world then food reviewing can be a great job for you. You can create videos of your food tasting and reviewing at different locations and post on youtube. Most of the new age vloggers are food reviewers such as ‘Trevor James’ and ‘Sonny Side’ and they make good money from Youtube while travelling full time. 

Bottom Line

Travelling is fun and can be rewarding if you can find the right job that pays for travelling. We’ve compiled a list of best jobs for travel lovers that pay well and allows travelling. Start assessing which skills you possess and how you can turn those into a career where you can travel and earn a full time income. 

If you are skilled in programming or web development then here are some of the best jobs for travel lovers like you such as: Website design , website development, web application development, mobile application development and software development. These jobs do not require you to be behind the desk from 9 to 5 but you need skills in programming, coding and tools on your laptop to write the code. 

With the penetration of the internet to the remotest locations of the world, you can be working from anywhere for a client thousands of miles away while exploring and travelling different locations. Digital nomads are growing across the world and websites such as UpWork and Freelancer are allowing people to find jobs and work remotely for customers from anywhere in the world. We hope the list of best jobs for travellers will help you land your next job as a traveller. 

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Reader Interactions

March 30, 2020 at 12:44 am

Great post for travel lovers that are looking for full time travel jobs. I am looking forward for more interesting posts that are useful and informative. Good job!

April 5, 2020 at 9:52 am

Great list of job for travel lovers. People that want to make a career in travel industry should read this post!

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45 Great Jobs You Can Do While Traveling The World And How To Get Them

Looking for the best travel jobs? If you think that you can’t afford to travel the world, finding a job on the road may be just the ticket. Travel’s wonderful, sure, but little things like food and a place to sleep are good too.

The Best Travel Jobs

We’ve found some of the best ideas to get paid as you travel the world , with some help on how to land each job.

Tip! While house sitting may not pay all of your travel bills, it can take a huge bite out of accommodation costs. Trusted Housesitters  is a great place to start.  Check Trusted H ousesitters job listings here.

You should know the basics of sailing for this gig, although some jobs only require a keen willingness to learn and a great attitude. Check out Find a Crew or Crew Seekers  online or ask directly at a local yacht club. Well known jumping off points include Darwin, Phuket, San Diego and Panama. We volunteered as yacht crew for evening cruises at the yacht club in Brisbane and found the club and captains to be friendly and open to our help.

Freelance Travel Writing

Traditional freelance travel writing is a tough gig. The competition is stiff, and the life of a freelance travel writer usually doesn’t pay well (or reliably). Even if you’ve got stellar contacts, don’t expect to get much pay in the first year or so. Even irritatingly talented writers struggle as travel writers.

One of the best places to start looking for freelance writing jobs, and that includes freelance travel writing, is FlexJobs .

FlexJobs screens employers for you. FlexJobs comes with a small, flat monthly fee, but they also vet all of the job opportunities, meaning that there’s a lot less spam to wade through.

FlexJobs is one of the top job boards for remote work, but there is a monthly fee (about $14.95 USD a month).

Check out FlexJobs here.

Check out Virtual Vocations job listings here for freelance writing and plenty of other online jobs. You can try it out for free, but there’s also a paid version.

Looking for help with your resume or CV? Check out a top resume review .

Cruise Ship Work

Cruise ships hire all sorts of folks, from entertainers to waiters to cooks. This type of gig is best for those without kids or a spouse. It may also not be great long term for a digital nomad who needs reliable internet access, since WiFi at sea can be spotty.

Earl from Wandering Earl has used cruise ship work to fund a large part of his 12 years on the road, and wrote a book called How to Get a Job on a Cruise Ship .

Click here check out his book on getting a job on a cruise line .

Royal Caribbean even hires horticulturalists and cupcake supervisors (now that’s a job I could handle). Check out careers at Royal Caribbean  or Carnival Cruise Lines .

Travel Blogging

If you’re the enterprising sort, you can start your own travel blog. You’ll be putting in a lot of work (trust us on this) as you build your blog. Even if your blog becomes well known, you’ll need great business sense and a way to stand out from the crowd before you start bringing in any income. We’d estimate it takes about a year of hard work blogging before you can start to make any real income here (and by real, we mean around $1,000 per month).

Tip: To really enjoy the combination of work and travel, don’t forget about your safety. Here’s when a reliable VPN service may come in handy to protect your online presence and unlock geo-restricted content.

While volunteer jobs by nature don’t pay, some will provide (often very basic) accommodation or meals, or both. Conservation Volunteers  provides basic accommodation, but not meals, in exchange for help on conservation projects. Be careful with this strategy, as many voluntourism placements charge you a significant amount of money to volunteer. This helpful article from Wisebread will point you in the right direction.

If you’ve ever been interested in volunteering on an organic farm, this might be the gig for you. WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) brings together volunteers and farmers. You’ll work a set number of hours in exchange for room and board.

No previous farming experience is required, so all you need to do is check into visa requirements first an you could find yourself on a flight to Europe to work on an organic farm!

Flight Attendant

This is one of those jobs that require travel as part of the career. Flight attendants wages vary depending on the airline, and new employees don’t have a great choice of shifts or destinations. That said, you can still score some great flights while being paid. Airline employees often get substantial discounts on airfare for themselves and their family. Some airlines even allow you to pass on discounts to specified friends.

We always get travel insurance when we travel.

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance covers nearly every country on the planet.

While this is out of the reach of most of us, those with flight experience can score great flights. To become a pilot , you’ll need over 250 hours of flight experience, decent vision, a clear criminal record and good health.

Technical Writer or Editor

If you’re technically (or scientifically) inclined, and have great writing skills, technical writing and editing can be a great gig on the road. Technical writers write everything from website text to software user manuals to detailed computer hardware specifications. I’ve worked as technical writer for the past ten years, both remotely and in cubicle nation. I’d suggest getting a certificate in technical writing and a few clients under your belt before you hit the road. Starting pay is about $25/hour for North American gigs for native English speakers, but experienced writers and editors can earn $60 an hour or more.

Academic Editor or Writer

Academic editors and writers are often in big demand. English is a second language for plenty of students, so

Academic editors and writers are often in big demand. English is a second language for plenty of students, so getting an editor to proofread academic papers is common.

Editors can work on articles all the way from high school to PhD level, depending on their experience. Writers are also in demand with paper writing and editing services, which offer work in fields as diverse as English, biology, and physics.

Busking can be great if you have a skill in some sort of performance art, from singing to drumming or juggling. Pick a busy area to maximize your tips, and be careful not to run afoul of local city ordinances for street performers. Check out the video below of talented electric violinist Ed Alleyne-Johnson doing some busking work to get you motivated. Amazingly, all the music you hear is coming from his violin!

Bartender or Waiter

Depending on the country you’re visiting, you may be able to score a job waiting tables under the table. As you’ll be working illegally, you face a few risks, including being nabbed by the tax man, or even deported. That said, if you’re looking to work in a restaurant or bar, try to find a place where tips are good, as most of your income will come in the form of tips. There’s some helpful info here on traveling and working as a bartender .

Work for Your Accommodation

Many hostels will let you stay for free in exchange for light work around the hostel. While we were in Adelaide, Australia, we exchanged a couple of hours cleaning the hostel each day for a comfy double room with shared bath. All in all, it wasn’t a bad deal, as rooms were going for about $50. You research hostels before you leave on sites like Hostelworld.com .

Peace Corps Volunteer

The Peace Corps is serious business. Only apply if you’re able to commit to a long engagement in what might be a difficult environment. The application process is stringent, and usually includes an interview. The Peace Corps doesn’t pay a lot, but does cover health insurance and deferrals of student loans (for US Citizens), plus a bonus at the end of your term.

Run an Import/Export Business

The premise is simple: Find a product in one country, and sell it for a tidy profit somewhere else. This is perfect if you have a strong entrepreneurial bent, as you’ll have to dig up the product, the market and the suppliers all on your own.

Interpreter or Translator

You’ll need to be fluent in either written (a translator) or spoken (interpreter) two languages or more, and many employers want a university degree in linguistics.

If you can herd groups of confused people, and enjoy talking about the sights, this job might be for you. Tour guides don’t just schlep people around museums; you might even score a job as a wilderness guide. Speaking multiple languages isn’t a must but would be a definite asset.

Tour Organizer

If you can build trip itineraries, plan visas and stay arrangements, group tour organizing might be for you.

Seasonal Fruit or Vegetable Picker

The work is long and hard, but demand is often high for seasonal farm labor in Australia and many other countries in the world. If you’re staying in a New Zealand or Australian city with outlying farms, you should be able to find some work picking crops or shearing sheep.

Because the jobs depend on the harvest, timing can be a bit tricky. Here’s a tip from a backpacker we met in Cairns: Don’t pick watermelons, they weigh a ton and you’ll be exhausted within the first hour.  Anywork Anywhere is a good place to start looking for jobs.

Ethnomusicologist

I have to admit to being a little skeptical when I first ran across this job . Ethnomusicologists are involved in the anthropology of music and study how music and culture relate. The Society for Ethnomusicology  is a good place to start. Grant competition is fierce, and an academic background is highly recommended.

Online Poker Player

While this requires mad poker skills (obviously), the good news is that it’s open to anyone with a good internet connection and a small bankroll to start. According to the FBI, online gambling is illegal in the United States .

Day traders buy and sell stocks and other financial securities online, usually within the space of a day. A word of warning: You really need to know what you’re doing here, as this is a risky job for those without solid experience and knowledge. The large majority of day traders actually lose money .

Scuba Instructor

You’ll need a minimum of a PADI Open Water Scuba instructor course (or a similar accreditation). The more qualifications and specialized courses you take, the more marketable you’ll become. Instructors don’t make a lot of money, but the great perk of this job is that you get to teach in some of the world’s most beautiful locations.

Massage Therapist

While you don’t technically need an accreditation to be a massage therapist in certain countries, it may help you land clients and gigs. There are probably hundreds of styles of massage, ranging from deep tissue to Thai. Pay depends on the country you’re in, but the job can extremely flexible if you work as a freelance massage therapist.

Skiing Instructor

In most parts of the world, ski instructors must take courses and become accredited. Canadian ski instructors earn about $12 an hour to start.

Freelance Photographer

With the advent of digital cameras and the Internet, freelance photography has gotten a lot more competitive. That said, if you have great photography skills and a keen business sense, you may be able to sell some of your travel photos.

Travel Agent

Years ago, being a travel agent was one of the dream jobs for would-be travelers, who dreamed of perks and discounted fares. Today, travel agents are a rarer breed, as commissions have been cut and the internet has allowed consumers to book more of their own trips. You can work as a home based travel agent through a web-based travel agency. Successful travel agents today often offer specialized services that don’t compete with discounted web fares. Commissions and wages these days are low and perks are hard to come by.

An au pair is a nanny who may also be expected to do light housework. A large proportion of au pairs are female, and tend to work in Europe, the US and Canada, and Australia and New Zealand. If you’re looking to cover a lot of ground, this arrangement may not work well, as au pair contracts range from six months and up. Check out the  International Au Pair Organization  to start.

House Sitter

While house sitting may not pay all of your travel bills, it can take a huge bite out of accommodation costs. Trusted Housesitters  is a great places to start.

Check Trusted H ousesitters job listings here.

Also check for caretaking jobs, which generally involve a longer time commitment and increased responsibilities (like taking care of someone’s motel while they’re on vacation). Caretaking jobs often pay a stipend in addition to free accommodation. You can find caretaker jobs through the Caretaker Gazette . There’s a small membership fee for most sites.

Check Caretaker jobs listings here.

If you own an apartment or house, consider swapping for a place at your destination. You can save a fortune in accommodation costs, and often live much better than you would in a hotel.

International Resort Worker

International resorts like Club Med hire a wide variety of people, from electricians to bakers to activities coordinators. Check out Club Med jobs for information.

Time Share Salesperson

The bane of resort goers everywhere, time share salespeople make a commission by convincing vacationers to purchase a partial ownership of a vacation property (or multiple properties). For a set amount of money, the vacationer gets access to a vacation property for one or two weeks per year. Timeshares have taken a beating in the press for scamming vacationers out of their money. Even timeshares on the up and up are often sold with restrictive dates for access, hidden fees and taxes. Check out RCI.com  to get an idea of what kind of time shares are available worldwide.

Work at a Campsite

If you’re the outdoorsy type, you may be able to combine camping and work in Canada and the US. Work camping involves either hooking up your own RV or on-site housing and working as a camp host, desk clerk or even a tour guide. Private campgrounds and national parks like Yellowstone offer seasonal employees RV hookups or onsite housing.

Real Estate Agent

You’ll need to pick a specific area, become knowledgeable in the local real estate market, but many expats make good money as real estate agents, especially specializing in selling to other expats.

Location Independent Businesses

You can take many businesses with you on the road. These are usually computer-based business like website development or computer programming. All you’ll need is a laptop, internet connection, and a mad set of skills and you can work anywhere in the world. Sites like Freelancer.com  let you bid on jobs from all over the globe, while Fiverr gigs are set at a $5 (though you can add on extra services for extra $$).

Check out our article on the best online jobs for travelers for some ideas.

Deckhand on a Cargo Ship

While not as glamorous as working on a luxury cruise liner, working on a container ship can be a more leisurely way to see the world. Workers often acts as lookouts and perform maintenance like painting and maintaining containers. You’ll need a high school diploma and many deckhands have training through industry or labor union schools.

Back in the day, legit international businesses would pay couriers to fly packages as carry on between select destinations. Cheaper and faster international shipping, increased security and transporting docs electronically have made these jobs almost non-existent. Use a lot of caution with courier sites, as most seem to be trying to sell a membership, a supposedly discounted airfare or an outdated e-book written 10 years ago. Courier List, once one of the biggest names in the business, suspended subscriptions because of decreased opportunities.

Transport a Car or RV

Car and RV dealerships or car rental companies sometimes hire people to drive cars to a different destination. Car rental companies sometimes find themselves with too many cars in one destination and want to move them to an area where rentals are more in demand. Car dealerships may need a specific car, with specific options or colors that they arrange to get from another dealer. While most companies work with full time, professional drivers, there may be some opportunities for one time trips. The trick with these jobs is getting a car that’s going where you want to go at the right time. You’ll need a clean driver’s license and may need a specialty license to drive RVs. Transport companies like DAS Auto Shippers and RV Transport  hire drivers. HitTheRoad.ca  is a well known Canadian company that offers mostly long distance, one way, one trip driving contracts for cars, while AutoDriveAway  has listings for the USA.

Camp Counselor

Countries as diverse as Canada, the USA, Croatia and even Russia hire camp counselors. Check out Bitten By the Travel Bug’s helpful  articles on camp counseling .

ESL Teacher

Teaching English as a second language is a well worn staple for travelers, and for good reason. Some countries, like Japan, China and Korea are well traversed by ESL teachers, though there are opportunities around the world. Japan and Korea pay reasonably well, while countries in South and Central America generally pay less. Depending on the country, accommodation may be included in your pay. Many teachers also tutor after hours for extra cash. An English as a Second Language (ESL) Certificate  helps, as does a Bachelor’s degree, though with persistence it’s possible to get a job without either if you have the right connections. If you can figure out a way to break into the field, teaching business English to adults is reputed to pay better. There’s a helpful guide to teaching English abroad here .

Online Teacher or Tutor

Many universities and colleges are moving to online learning. While this is great for students, it’s also a fantastic perk for teachers or tutors, who can work from almost anywhere to teach their online students. An advanced degree is helpful for teaching, but it is possible to teach for a trade or technology school with experience and good connections.

Check out  Teaching Traveling  for a profile of a web and mobile design instructor who worked remotely for nine months while traveling from US to Argentina. The best part of this gig? You’re paid as well as if you were working at home. To find work, browse the teaching listings at university like the University of Phoenix , community colleges, and even technology and trade schools.

Geologists often travel as a requirement of their work. They can work in fields as diverse as oil and gas exploration, climate change and mining. You’ll need a minimum of a four year undergraduate degree .

Join the Military

Joining the military simply to travel seems like a bad idea, given the chance that you could be permanently stationed in your home town, or … well… killed. That said, military service can lead to opportunities to work overseas, though there may be little time for recreation.

Personal or Virtual Assistant

A personal assistant wears a thousand hats, depending on the needs of their employer. Personal connections seem to be critical.

Virtual Assistants offer administrative services to clients from a remote location. Virtual assistant services include scheduling appointments, managing email accounts, managing social media accounts, and more.

Marine or Wildlife Biologist

For nature lovers, the great perk of working as a marine or wildlife biologist can be location. Marine biologists can be stationed in fantastic locations like Hawaii and Costa Rica, while wildlife biologists can be found anywhere on the globe. Biologists need a minimum of a four year undergraduate degree, though researchers who work with universities usually require a PhD.

Internet Affiliate Marketer

Internet affiliate marketers create websites that sell other people’s products and then take a percentage of the sales. While the industry has a smarmy reputation, it is possible to make money through affiliate programs. No formal education is required, but a strong entrepreneurial bent and tech savvy is needed.

Working Holiday and other Visas

If you’re under 35, see if your destination country offers a youth working holiday visa. Many countries have agreements that allow youth to work on a working holiday visa for up to one year. Check out Wikipedia’s list of working holiday visa programs .

When planning to work in a foreign country, check into visa requirements first. In many countries it’s possible to work illegally (under the table), but be aware that there can be consequences that include immediate deportation. Receiving lodging or a stipend for volunteering may fall within the category of working under the table, depending on the country.

We hope we’ve inspired you that there are a lot of ways to make money on your travels . Now get out there and get one of these best travel jobs!

There’s always options if you really want to travel! 🙂

My boyfriend is a programmer on the go. He wrote a post to share some inspiration with other programmers, if anyone is interested or seeking an excuse to hit the road while still working as a programmer.

Hi Zara, Some helpful tips, there! Charles is a programmer, too, coincidentally enough. We’ve found that sites like oDesk and Guru tend to pay less than if we can manage to take our work for existing clients on the road.

Same here, a programmer… who is willing to be on the go….

Great list…hope to put some to use full time one day:)

Hi D.J., These days, I really favor jobs that I can take along with me – the whole digital nomad thing. It’s not quite as glamorous as everyone thinks, but honestly, it beats working in a cubicle 9-5 every day (been there!)

Fantastic list – very inspirational! I’ll send people this way – what a great resource!

Thanks! I know that we struggled with how to find a job when we were traveling, so I hope this can help someone out… 🙂

Quite an extensive list! I’ve looked into more than a few of these in the past (and am even considering a couple of them right now) and they’re all very viable options!

I tried to make a list of jobs that were possible for most folks. I honestly wouldn’t have thought working as yacht crew was viable if Charles and I hadn’t spent time at the yacht club and met a few people. Who knew? Now that we have kids, yacht crew may be out for a few years :), but then again, maybe we’ll get our own catamaran when they’re a bit older and be our own crew. 🙂

Anyone know if it’s necessary to have an ESL teaching certificate? I do not have a degree so thought maybe TESL cert might be helpful but many friends say not so much? Would love some feedback… Great article. Thanks!

Nice to see you here! I’m going to copy my answer from our chat on our Facebook page , in case someone else reading this would like to know.

“From what I’ve read, if you have a Bachelor’s degree, the TESL certificate isn’t necessary for most overseas teaching jobs (it depends very much on what the specific school you’re approaching wants, of course). Some schools will hire a teacher who doesn’t have a bachelors or TESL, but you need to have a connection (like knowing someone in the school who’ll vouch for you), or experience. Since you have experience, I’d say that trumps an TESL certificate for most schools. I’d try contacting one of the schools you’re interested in and asking – you never know, right? Hope that helps a bit… ”

Another good place to start is Nomadic Matt article on TESL certificates .

TEFL cert not that important, but you pretty much have to have a BA/BS in anything unless you have contacts and connections.

Many great ideas and a great single source of links! I can vouch that travel blogging requires a lot more time than the writing time! I would say that my preferred would be one job not mentioned: husband to a high-flying career (business, diplomat, etc.) spouse stationed in a well-located country 😉

Wow Raul, this was Micki’s post however I have to interject my thoughts on what you just wrote. I’m 100% in favor of that and will toss the idea to Micki. If she questions it I’m going to refer her back to you, okay. 😉

Nice article!

That’s a whole lotof jobs to consider! 🙂

Thanks, Tommy. Hopefully, the tips should keep someone well funded for a while 🙂

Fantastic Tips!

I never know we can exchange a hostel stay with cleaning and home Swap!

Opened my eyes really!

Hi Lex, Nice to see you here! I was surprised how many hostels were interested trading light housekeeping for a room. I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard of people building a small website for a hostel in exchange for a short stay. I’d imagine any kind of barter might work, really, anything from cleaning to carpentry to gardening.

A terrific post jam-packed with great ideas! In short, there’s no reason to stay home.

Hi Terry, So true. I spent a lot of my 20’s working crappy jobs, and barely getting by. Honestly, I could have been traveling and working at the same time, and been just as far ahead financially.

This is a great list of ideas for people looking to travel long-term and work. Thanks very much for sharing!

Hi Emma, you’re welcome. Hope it provides some inspiration.

This is fantastic list and an inspiration for those who are considering travelling indefinitely but wondering how they can continue their journey. I know a lot of friends doing scuba dive instruction in Thailand and the Maldives.

Hi Samuel, Scuba diving in Thailand or the Maldives sounds like a great way to earn money on the road! We took our Open Water PADI course in Ko Tao. Thailand, and loved every second of it.

Great list! Very inspiring to those who may not have realized all the options out there. I’ve been going the digital nomad route myself, but I also love the idea of taking on seasonal jobs in different places. Especially things like campground host would be really fun, I think!

Great tips. But they really fall into two categories, don’t they? The jobs that you can do anywhere in the world which will fund your travels – and those which will also get you actively involved in the local community. I hope people will consider the latter and really see the world while they’re making some cash on the side!

That’s a really great way of thinking about work. Not only can it make you some cash, but working somewhere can help you connect with the local culture and people.

Great list! Some of these are really great suggestions, though some might not work out so well if the end goal is to travel. Getting a pilot’s license is extremely expensive, and it’s a very low paying job for several years when you first start. But picking up jobs along the way, teaching ESL and staring your own location independent business are solid choices. I always thought the different cruise types of jobs sounded interesting, but I don’t think I could handle the seasickness!

Yep, I won’t be taking up flying as a commercial pilot any time soon, either. I’ve had a couple of friends who put in some serious time flying in Northern Canada (mostly for oil and gas companies and flying firefighters up North). They really put in their dues for a lot of years, that’s for sure.

A lot of people are choosing the location independent work route, whether it’s working a regular job remotely, or starting their own business. The idea of sitting under a palm tree with a laptop while getting paid to work is a pretty powerful draw. Though it’s not all it’s made out to be – sand’s pretty tough on keyboards and there’s a lot of glare on the screen 🙂

Hi, What can i do for getting a job the above mentioned 45 list.I am interested to travel the worldwide.So please give the suggestion to get a job in the above mentioned list.

Don, some of these jobs require degrees or certifications. Some are as simple as showing up at the place you want to work. Others require that you apply for the position just as you would in your home country.

It really depends on the job you want, what you’re qualified to do, where in the world you happen to be and whether you want to work for cash only or after filling in the proper paperwork and getting a work visa.

The rest is up to you. Good luck!

Nice article also its nice to date airhostess so you keep getting cheap tickets…. Rest is everyone knows… 🙂

Ah, now that’s the SMART way to go about travel. Ren, I think you’ve got it all figured out 🙂

Very nice post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I’ve truly loved surfing around your blog posts. After this I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I am hoping you write more often!

Roccia, we’re so glad you stopped by! If you every have any questions, or need any help, give us a shout!

Great list! The best job Ive seen someone have that allowed them to travel with ease was as a hairdresser. They would rock up into a city – put up a sign in the hostel saying $30 a cut and would have queues of people getting a trim – just how they liked it back home. Then they would cash out and move onto the next city.

Peter, now that’s a fantastic idea! Love how enterprising that is – and at $30 a cut, they could make some decent money!

I wrote this article really just to get people thinking about all the options that there are to make money traveling. In my 20’s I worked a LOT of crappy jobs trying to save money to travel, when it would have been just as easy to work on the road.

What a great list! I’ve done a Work & Holiday in Australia and was able to get a couple “real” jobs in marketing that paid well enough to fund my travels (in such an expensive country), but some of these sound really tempting!

Rachael, the working holiday visas are a fantastic way to travel.

Some countries are starting to increase the holiday visas age to 35 for specific visitors (for example, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand residents up to age 35 can visit Italy on a working holiday visa).

Most folks think that the working holiday visas are only for jobs like fruit picking and waiting tables, but you can actually end up with some good jobs (like your marketing jobs) that give some great work experience and pay reasonably well.

Really great list! Thank you, Micky

What an awesome resource for people looking to travel but worried about income! This a great page to bookmark and share around. Thanks for putting this together.

Thanks so much Aloyna and JRinAsia! Glad we helped out.

I took your advice and recently became on online tutor… I started sharing this as well with kids that I tutor who are looking for a job.

Ralph, That’s so wonderful to hear! I tutored for a couple of years as well (though not online), and think it would be a great travel job. Thanks for sharing!

Great list of jobs here. I’ve done / still do many of these. Writing, photography, tour guiding, car delivery, working for accommodation. The only negative experience I’ve had was with hittheroad.ca so I can not recommend that service, but the more skills you have, the better, right?? I’ve travelled with a few geologists…and they get to go to some remote, crazy places…wish I knew that when I was in school.

Some great ideas, travel blogging is a challenge but rewarding.

Great post, great site. We’re a travelling family so always great to read about others. Looking for inspiration to find a new travelling career ideas and help us stay on the road for longer so this is great! Thanks!

Great ideas. This is the dream of all of us to finance our travel with work during our trip.

If you’re a certified teacher, you can easily travel by working in an international school! They pay your flights each year, give you a house or housing allowance, and the salary is usually good enough to travel every glorious school holiday! I’ve been doing it for 6 years now, and I will never go back to Canada to teach… No jobs! I can live in paradise, or a couple hours flight to it. You can’t go wrong! 🙂

Meg – overseas lifer

What an awesome list! It just goes to show that you can do anything if you are creative enough to figure out a niche that aligns with your destination. This is a much harder lifestyle to maintain when you have kids so I always recommend younger travellers go far while they are single:)

Some of these ideas seem really great. The list really is extensive!

I would have never thought to work while traveling, usually that’s my vacation time away from work. Though that could greatly extend your vacation and/or allow you do more if you are constricted by money and expenses. Having some cash inflow allows you to do a lot more than otherwise. Though as an Austin mover I have been lucky enough to travel and see a lot of places while working.

Myself a pilot, I would love to see the entry regarding traveling on a pilot’s wages changed. There is no need to have perfect vision innately. It simply needs to be correctable to perfect. Most contacts and glasses have no problem with this issue.

Andrew, yes it is a common misconception about perfect eyesight and pilots. Contacts and glasses are fine for most airlines if you can see 20/20 with them on. Most fighter pilots need perfect vision (whether naturally or via lasik) however I’m guessing the average traveler doesn’t fall in that category. 😉

Thanks for the comment.

Charles/Micki,

Thank God, I stumbled upon this site, this list is a terrific resource guys, I love traveling and this will help tremedously! In fact, I am in Europe right now, lol. 😉

Always like to stumble blogs I read by accident! I’ve done so many of these – most noteably, teacing English and summer camp work, with a dabbling in blogging, translating, tour guiding, etc. Definitely helps ease the blow!

Great share and post!

Tour guide is a very good way to make extra money while traveling. There are even some people who actually travel TO a country, work as a guide for a few days and vacation a few days.

Ha. Pretty good list. I have actually had a fair few of these. Timeshares was definitely an interesting experience.

I have yet to bartend. Australia maybe on my horizon.

This is great! Thanks for writing it 🙂 I plan to go work and travel Europe in 2014!

easy in theory…..1st: for how many of those jobs do you require a specific specialization? and also the percentage of employer happy to give a job, even if small or temporary,to a stranger traveller and very often from another country?…I’d say not very high,I aqm italian and have constantly travelled for the last twentyfive years (travelling is my life), and my opinion is,that,if it wasn’t for busking,probably, I would’t have never gone all the way I did,nice your ideas though,inspiring.thanks

Amazing post. So far we have been working as English teachers in China and web designers in Cambodia, but there are more job opportunities, as you say, we would like to go for in the future. Greetings from Macau!

Very nice tips. Thank for this. Travel Blogging is the best for me!

Fantastic post! Very useful info! Gave me some ideas of jobs I didnt know you could do!

Excellent list! yardandgroom.com has taken me around the world (before responsibilities & a real job!) It’s great for horsey types who don’t mind serious hard work.

Complete List..but in 2013 and so on, I think Internet Marketing will be a great job. Just traveling worldwide and sit relax in front of your laptop

Wow … A lot of different opportunities listed. Making income from Blogging is tough, but if you have the time, one day it can pay off. I also like the idea of a campground host in the near future. Thanks for sharing!

Great article, so many job apportunities , who would have thought so?? dont stop writting 🙂

Thanks for sharing this wonderful list – so many jobs here I hadn’t even thought of! Ethnomusicologist ;-D

When I was in Australia a girl came into my hostel about every other week and would cut everyones hair and within a few hours would walk out with $200-$300. She didn’t charge much (maybe 10-15 for guys and 20-25 for girls) but most people needed one. She would then head out and party till she ran out of money and start over again. I on the other hand utilized my skills as an entertainment coordinator for hostels and got free accommodation from them and would put on tournaments for money where winner takes all except for the organizing fee i took.

Great list. The working online options are better for persons like myself who don’t travel on a US/Canada/UK passport. Working holiday visas and sometimes just tourist visas can be such a nightmare.

Nice article. There are lots of jobs to do while traveling, I like to work in camp site while traveling to Australia. My main concern is the working permit.

I love walking bare foot on the grass in winter morning.. ahh.. feels so awesome..

I’d love to have more than one of the jobs on the list. This is a comprehensive post!

I was really enjoying your article and stopped at the campground picture because it looked so much like home to me. Imagine my surprise to see it WAS! Paul Lake is basically the closest campground to my hometown of Kamloops, BC, Canada. It was really cool to stumble on this. I am a relatively new single at 42. I am hoping after a few more years of work in a steady well-paying job I will have some freedom to travel extensively. I think you have listed a lot of great ideas and resources. I wonder, do you think a lot of them will apply to me at this stage in my life with no real formal education beyond high school? I am going to send this to my young adult children too. I think travel when you are young is a great idea!

Thanks for the list.

Very useful tips. I wish to use few of these some day.

Great article . Very informative

Hey what about looking after Elephants, or other animals abroad? Is the pay good enough to feed and let you have accommodation? I would be very interested in this type of work…..Let me know….Someone!!

Hi Dianne. There are a lot of places in the world where you can work for room and board however I’m not sure about looking after elephants specifically. I suppose you could get a job abroad in a zoo or perhaps work for a lodge in Africa or India.

There are lots of animal sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers around the world as well so that’s always a possibility however there’s usually a fee involved so it will actually cost you money rather than the other way around. Here are a few sites of that nature: Globalteer , Go Eco or Conservation Volunteers

Most places operate on small grants and donations so being paid to do a job where thousands of people are willing to pay their own way makes it hard to find. That’s not to say it’s impossible however you would have an easier time tracking down a privately owned animal reserve or animal rehab center if you want to actually make money looking after animals abroad.

If you’re lucky enough to have a background in animal biology or animal behavior, you might be able to join an expedition on a grant that would cover your expenses however that level of detail lies far outside the scope of this article.

Dianne, we wish you good luck finding something of this nature and if you do, please come back here and share your findings!

This all sounds pretty amazing….I always wish I had all this info in my early 20’s! Now, I’m more interested in how you guys keep up the travelling with 2 kids! I know from experience that it’s really expensive to travel on poor currency as the Commonwealth countries are 10 – 12 times more expensive!!Currently my husband’s job takes him away from us for 2 months at a time…it would be really great to be able to be a family unit again and still see the world 🙂

It’s always a bit of fun juggling work and travel with our two little ones :).

Wow, and we were trying to think of things we could do when we hit the road. Great list this will come in very useful! Great blog by the way!

Great list! Hope to use that list some day 🙂 Thanks for your post 🙂

Thank you so much for the brilliant as well as comprehensive list !

Fantastic list! I just wish that there were more options eligible for members on non-EU states as for instance House Sitting and House Swamping request you to be from a certain country. Moreover, there’s always visa issues to solve.

WOw its a great combination of two sites including traveling and job information. love your this informative blog…

thanks to share!!!!

Wow, that list is great. I never realized how many different opportunities there were for travelers. I especially like the tour guides. Always thought that would be fun.

Thanks for putting this together, some great ideas I hadn’t thought of! We’ve done a fair bit of volunteering along the way, which saves us money but certainly doesn’t make us any. I’d soooooooo love to volunteer on a sailing yacht for a long trip!

What an awesome list! Thank you so much for sharing!

Are you aware of any online opportunities which require extensive excell/analytical skills which can be done from remote locations? I am fully qualified accountant and auditor but not a huge fan of working in the profession. I really want to travel and try use the skills I have from remote locations…just not sure if those opportunities exist?

Hi Ant. The best way to work online is to try to find a local company that is willing to let you work remotely before you even start traveling. It will be steadier income and if you’re from a wealthier nation then the pay will be more than you’d make in a lot of countries with lower living costs. If you know you’ll be staying someplace that costs less, you can also offer your services for lower than the going rate to help guarantee your position. Because you’re also a local, you speak the same language, have similar views and can meet them in person. A lot of companies have no problem hiring remote workers however a lot of them have trouble outsourcing to employees in foreign companies.

In terms of your skillset, I can think of tons of industries where it would be in demand. Of course anything financial like banks, accounting firms, tax preparers, market analysis experts or any large company’s payroll and HR department need people with analytical skills. You can also browse the jobs on Monster or Workopolis to give you some ideas.

Other than that, there are numerous sites where you can bid on jobs or offer your services on a smaller scale. Odesk, Elance, Guru and Fiverr are 4 that quickly come to mind. You likely won’t be making the same money you could earn with a dedicated position however there are plenty of people that do just as well taking on numerous small contracts and they can pick and choose as they go.

Good luck on your search!

“While you don’t technically need an accreditation to be a massage therapist, it may help you land clients and gigs. There are probably hundreds of styles of massage, ranging from deep tissue to Thai. Pay depends on the country you’re in, but the job can extremely flexible if you work as a freelance massage therapist.”

Please change this horrible piece of information. It’s called a Massage License, and it is absolutely required to legally practice massage therapy in most countries. Here in the US, a MINIMUM of 500 hours from an accredited massage school is required. Upon completion of school, you are then required to pass a state licensing examination. And every state has their own licensing requirements. You cannot just simply start massaging for the hell of it anywhere you want. It is against the law and fairly strictly enforced.

Hi Robbie. Yes, a message license is required in the US and in 3 provinces in Canada it actually falls under the governmental health care service so you are right that in these countries it is illegal to practice without a license. The same holds true for a good portion of Europe and scattered first world countries around the world.

That being said, it’s not governed in a good portion of Asia, South America, Africa and many tropical islands around the world. So like we said, a license helps however we’ve seen many people offering massages in hostels we’ve stayed around the world and I’m pretty sure they weren’t licensed in that country. They all seemed to be making money doing it so obviously it’s a viable business.

In regards to your comment I’ve modified the line to clarify it more. Thanks for pointing that out.

It seems very useful for everyone. Nice info

Great list Micki! As a pilot myself, I can attest to the amazing flight benefits! The sad part is that most pilots probably travel only slightly more on their personal time than non-pilots. Many of my colleges tell me that the last thing they feel like doing after flying at work for 4 or 5 days is hopping on another airplane. It’s sad to see them lose the love for travel. After all, I think that’s why we all got into it.

Add travel nursing to the list! My husband and I started traveling in 2011 and LOVE it. Traveling abroad is a little more difficult but possible. We have stayed in the states but there is plenty to see in this great country. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for adventure and excellent pay.

Flight Attendant…..I’m glad you listed this as people rarely realize how much “perk” travel is associated with being one. I took a “gap year” between my undergrad college & next one to pursue this. It was the best choice I ever made. In the span of one year, I had opportunities to explore US (home base), Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Carribbean (over 15 islands!, often more than 3’xs each!) and this position was held almost 20 years ago. I am now fully into another career but this is always the job employers ask me about first in my interviews. They are very curious about how I became one, where did I go, how did I live out of a suitcase, etc. It was really quite easy. I answered a newspaper ad (yes, I’m that old :-)) and showed up for an open call. From that, about 450+ people were eventually narrowed down to 25 selected for training. My best asset was having a outgoing personality and decent work ethic. After waiting tables in highschool and having a Associates degree, they were happy to have me join. On my days off, I’d jumpseat to other locations and split bills w/ fellow crew members to say, spend 4 days in the Keys to go snorkeling or take 3 days and go explore New Mexico. I think it sounds so daunting and courageous to follow travel dreams by reading blogs but truthfully, once you’re out there doing it, it’s so fun you forget why you had any fears holding you back. Cheers. Here’s to just going for it. We only *know* that we’ve got this 1 life. Right now.

WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for travel jobs

Everyone loves what you guys are up too. This kind of clever wokrk and reporting! Keep up the terrific works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to our blogroll.

I’m a Freelance Photographer and capturing amazing sights to places where I spent my vacation. I even collect photos. Will probably sell my photos nest time. Thanks to your ideas.

That’s a very cool list. Love to explore the world. I am going to try this. Even-thought I have been traveling for the last 5 years with my wife. It helped me a lot since she is a travel nurse and willing to travel 3 months at a time.

Great article. Many choices. What this shows is that you can really put yourself in a no excuse position if travel is your main focus. I have a family of 5. We sold everything and went from a 4700 sq ft house to a 40 sq ft cargo trailer and SUV. For my revenue, I do consulting on 2 fronts: personal and professional. I do business strategy and tactics consulting for businesses and personal accountability and objective acquisition and completion consulting for individuals. Consulting is a great revenue stream as long as you actually know what you are talking about and can adequately relay advice. Anyway, great article. Thanks for sharing and have safe travels and a prosperous future!

Regarding the military option, I can tell you from experience that you would have time for recreational activities. I was stationed in Mannheim, Germany during my time in the Army and I got the chance to travel to surrounding countries during my time there. We had a lot of three or four day weekends that would come up plus all of the holidays. I had a great time during my time in Europe. Unless you’re a barracks rat or a natural homebody, you will more than likely go many places while stationed overseas. Deployment is about the only time you wouldn’t have much in recreation.

WOW! I pinned this for future reference! Very extensive and complete list and many I have never heard of or thought of!

The younger or older you are the more attractive this life style may be. As they say, where there’s a will there’s a way. Of course the more money you can make the better the travel (I’m for that). Thanks for the insight!

I love traveling and these are great ideas. We always stucked and can’t due to jobs issues but now i feel i really travel 🙂 thnx alot!!!

We no longer have any excuses…

Great list, really thorough! I know a lot of my friends think that you’ve gotta be some sort of millionaire to travel, but this serves as proof that it’s not so. There are so many ways to make money on the road. Great job.

Awesome post.

HI Micki, thank you for this extensive list. You provide great information and resources! There really are countless options when you want to finance your travels. When there’s a will, there’s a way!

Thanks to this site i got my job due to this sit i am enjoying

Great list ! And very Wise to recommend checking for the visa situation too…. been there done that and unfortunately it’s not that easy… 🙂

I want to travel the world. What kind of jobs should i take if i start. Can someone help me . I am from India and want to travel the world and get paid while i travel as travelling is my life.

Thanks for sharing such a detailed list!

Thank you so much for such a detailed article. It’s becoming easier and easier to work remotely while travelling and being able to pick up freelance work by advertising on websites like Elance and Upwork (formerly Odesk). If your dream is to travel and visit new places, you can find a way. There’s still plenty of places where it’s very cheap to live and get by, and half decent internet is available in most. It’s how I’ve been living my life for most of the last 15 years and hopefully will continue for many more 🙂

All the best

Working at a campsite, lol it reminds me of Regular Show even though they work at a park.

Well, it caught my interest and would definitely be one of the jobs that I would look for if I would travel the world. TV shows can be super inspiring :U

Thanks for sharing these jobs, these are very useful to me. When I go for travelling, I definitely try some of these.

I came across your website while searching for articles about tolls in Portugal (btw, thanks for sharing your experiences) which led me to continue reading your posts in your travel blogs and tips . I enjoyed reading them especially this one which gave me possibilities to travel without having 9-5 job.

Great stuff guys! Keep up the good work…

Web Design is a great idea too! Can do that sort of thing anywhere with a laptop and internet connection. You meet tones of people and potential clients while travelling meaning you could be doing work for people all over the world!

Hi Micki !! Great ideas, I admire your style of writing and can definitely feel the sense of adventure in each. Good reads !! 🙂

Great post – lots of jobs on there that don’t appear on most lists! You’ve given me a few great ideas!!! Thanks heaps!

Thats a great resource shared.

Wow great list, you thought of almost everything and I totally agree with you that blogging is not easy, it is a real job and you have to take it seriously!

Great list, as always…hope to put some to use full time one day:)

Thanks for sharing!

I really like your post. It’s a great resource for traveler that need extra income. May I suggest a company named VIPKid? VIPKid is a great place to work if you are looking for a job while traveling. I have been with the company for a year now and it’s so rewarding teaching English to students in China. You are able to make between $14 and $22 an hour as well as set your own work schedule. This job affords you the opportunity to earn extra income from anywhere with internet connection. All you need is a Bachelor’s degree, be a native speaker of English and have some teaching experience (formal or informal).

hi, I am currently 17 and a senior in high school, and I am confused I have no idea what I want to do with this life of mine after highschool I want to go to collage that’s for sure but I have no idea for what kind of career I want something that is a high salary and I like traveling a lot so I hope my future career would require that, but most of all I want a career that I like something I would have a passion for I want to do something I love, not just sit at a desk doing paperwork all day, no offence too anyone who does that but my point is I just need some advice here

Fantastic list! Thank you so much for the brilliant as well as comprehensive list !

Traveling with family is the best and most enjoyable

I started travelling by teaching English and that served me really for 5 years until I got into travel blogging! With the list you have though, you’re proving that there are a ton of ways to make your dreams come true these days <3 I recommend to just ask yourself what your passion is, and then work out how you can make money from it 🙂 Then you're laughing 😀

I really love the idea of work for accommodation. It offers an opportunity into the the lives of the locals. Got familiarized with the term recently on Hippohelp. Have you ever used it?

I do online marketing, with blog review, so it is very convenient to travel. I take advantage of these to make money and develop blogs stronger. The work you propose is also good, I will refer and try it!

Great list! Hope to use that list some day 🙂 Thanks for your post

If we enjoy working on cars and are looking for a new career path, consider enrolling in a career training program to become an automotive technician. There are many types of programs in the field.

Nice tips and work mention are really helpful. I definitely use some in my life.

Great tips for those who want to take advantage of their time even travel but I think he needs to have relations with the local people or know people there what do you think?

Such a beautiful blog. its really worthful. thanks for writing this.

Very helpful and motivating article. Thank you!

Great article! It really helps us think about our work opportunities on our 18 month around the world

I like your tip to work for your accommodation when you’re traveling abroad. My brother wants to travel to Canada to work while he’s taking a break from school. I wonder if there is a program that he could go through to get work.

This is such an informative article. Thanks for sharing 🙂

This is an outstanding post that’s filled with so many useful nuggets. Thank you for being so detailed on great Jobs you can do while travelling the world.

Ever since the covid 19 pandemics started, many people have lost their jobs. And just now I was thinking that what are those people doing now whose jobs have been lost. The importance of this post of yours has increased, even more, I have also read it, it is really very factual, that how we can move again along with travel.

Great list, really thorough! I know a lot of my friends think that you’ve gotta be some sort of millionaire to travel

You have post brilliant list of jobs.. I like this article.

Thank You! It’s actually a cool and useful piece of information. I’m satisfied that you simply shared this helpful information with us.

Thanks for these impressive ides. I have already chosen travel blogging to survive for a bike tour but after reading this, I am confident that I can do may other things to fulfill my worldwide bike tour dream

Working whilst travelling the world sounds like an absolute dream! I hope one day I have the guts to take a leap of faith and give it a go!

Thanks for providing these amazing suggestions about the great jobs in which we can travel the world such as pilot, travel blogging, trader, etc. as they will help a lot of people who like to travel and by reading this blog, they will get know about some fabulous opportunities.

Absolutely wonderful article!!! How I would love to travel the world while traveling, But alas I can’t. But I would definitely keep this article in mind, for future references. You never know when you might get the spark to leave all aside and live.

You posted a fantastic list of jobs. This article is good.

Amazing article! In my opinion, this is the best job in the world and everyone wants to travel and get paid for it. See the world without spending money on it and besides being free, this is something worth living for.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that there are a few jobs listed that don’t require a college degree, such as au pair and travel blogger. This is great news for people who might not have the financial resources to go to college but still want to travel and work at the same time.

Great post, thanks for the tips!

I can’t express how much I appreciate you for producing this list of fantastic employment for travellers! There are numerous opportunities. Have you or a loved one worked one of these occupations while on the road?

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15 of the best jobs for travel lovers

Keen to rack up some frequent flyer miles on your boss’s dime? A job that travels with you is the ultimate career move for many of us — and there are plenty of options to choose from…

1. Au pair – Working overseas as an au pair or nanny gives you the chance to immerse yourself in a culture and pick up some of the language along the way. But it’s probably not a great choice if you don’t like kids 😛

2. Flight attendant – An obvious choice, but for good reason: In addition to getting paid to fly, you’ll score discounts for personal travel, and meet fellow travel-lovers to share your journeys with. Bonus: You’ll (hopefully… eventually…) get used to plane food.

3. Bartender – Every exotic resort needs a talented bartender to whip up poolside cocktails for their guests. If you have a gift for mixing the ultimate margarita, this could be the job for you.

4. English teacher – Teaching English as a second language is a great way to earn money while travelling. It looks good on your resume too, and you might even pick up a new language yourself.

5. Concert roadie – Can we say coolest job ever? Live the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and get some stamps on your passport by working as a backstage hand for a music group. Just be prepared for some late nights and long hours.

6. Dance instructor – If it’s good enough for Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing , it’s good enough for us. Working as a dance instructor could see you earning money while enjoying an all-expenses-paid stay at a boutique resort — and you might even find love along the way (aww!).

7. Sommelier – Love a good tipple? Turn your passion into a career and sample vino from across the globe as an international sommelier.

8. Photographer – Whether it’s destination weddings, fashion photo shoots, or nature photography, the life of an international photographer is packed with excitement and awesome travel opportunities.

9. Archaeologist – OK, so this one will take a few years of study, but once you’re qualified, you could be just like Indiana Jones. Better even, if you’re not scared of snakes.

10. Documentary filmmaker – Is there a better excuse for travel? Explore the world and bring back stories on every topic you can imagine. Start brainstorming!

11. Nurse – If you’re keen on taking an extended working holiday, a career in nursing could be the way to make it happen. There’s a shortage of healthcare workers in many countries, so you could also earn some serious dollars in the process.

12. Diving instructor – This is a fun one. Perfect your scuba skills, then get qualified as a PADI Divemaster so you can explore the world’s oceans and get paid for it. Awesome!

13. Aid worker – Turn your passion for social justice and human rights into a rewarding career in aid work. You’ll earn money and see the world while helping to make it a better place.

14. International journalist – Foreign elections, major sporting events, royal weddings… As an international correspondent, you’ll do plenty of travel and have a front-row seat to the events that change the world.

15. Fashion buyer – Imagine brushing shoulders with the likes of Anna Win tour as you hustle at Fashion Week events all over the world. A career as a fashion buyer would have to be the most glamorous way to notch up your travel miles!

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Amanda Behre

Road tripping pro, mum of 2, adventurous foodie, traveller to over 20 countries and counting.

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One plus that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic was many companies moving toward hybrid schedules or even allowing their employees to work remotely full-time.

This has opened the door for many workers with wanderlust to pursue their traveling passions while still making a living. Some jobs also include travel without necessarily being remote.

If spending time in different parts of the world is important to you, consider these 13 careers that support a traveling lifestyle.

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Traveling nurse

Travel nurses bounce around to different parts of the country based on needs. They perform the same duties as other registered nurses but are contracted to different healthcare facilities throughout the country instead of just working for one.

What’s more, these nurses tend to be offered higher wages due to the high demand for qualified nurses in certain parts of the country.

That means travel nurses can pick and choose which areas they’re interested in traveling to and accept and reject contracts based on their preferences.

Flight attendant

A flight attendant is an obvious choice for travel lovers as part of the job is traveling to different places around the world.

There are certainly some cons to working for an airline. Most flight attendants don’t have large salaries, the hours can be very erratic, and all that time in the air can do a number on your health.

However, there are also many pros for travel lovers. Part of the job is traveling the world, most major airlines don’t require a specialized degree (just training), and flight attendants often get discounted flights for themselves and family members.

Recruiters work for recruiting companies or within human resources departments at other organizations to help find new talent and bring them on board. 

This is another gig that tends to be very flexible as much of the work — searching for potential candidates, researching their backgrounds, conducting interviews, and connecting hiring managers — can be done online and from just about anywhere.

Freelance writer

Freelance writers may have an area of expertise or cover a variety of topics, and typically they’ll pick up jobs and be paid an hourly or daily rate, or per word or project.

Much (if not all) of this work will be done outside of typical offices since these writers tend to pick up work for a variety of different companies or publications.

Freelancers who have many connections can piece together full work schedules but carry out their duties pretty much anywhere as long as they have a laptop, an internet connection, and can meet deadlines.

Cruise staff member

Working for a cruise line is a great way to see different parts of the world — and the options for employment run the gamut.

Cruise lines need servers, customer service representatives, entertainers of various sorts, bartenders, cleaning staff, and even IT departments.

If living on board for long periods sounds appealing (cruises can range from two days to several months), looking into getting a job on a cruise could be a great option to satisfy your wanderlust.

If you’re fluent in English and another language and interested in traveling to or even living in a country where that second language is spoken, you may want to consider translation work.

Translators work in a variety of different environments like schools, hospitals, courtrooms, and conference centers, and may be able to find regular work in a remote setting as well.

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English teacher

Teaching English abroad is a great way to immerse yourself in another culture while doing rewarding work.

There are many programs in the U.S. that hook people interested in teaching in other countries up with schools overseas — and the requirements to teach vary.

In general, teachers typically need to have at least a bachelor’s degree and a special certification to teach English as a foreign language.

If you enjoy working with children and know a second language, you may be able to find work as an au pair.

Au pairs travel to another country to live with a host family and are given room and board in exchange for childcare. They are also often provided a small salary.

Working as an au pair gives those with wanderlust a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a new country. If you have a good relationship with your host family, you may even be able to continue work long-term.

With so many tech-focused industries moving toward remote (or at least hybrid) work, those with engineering or computer science degrees should have lots of options for jobs that can be done from home or on the go.

With a remote or hybrid schedule, traveling becomes much easier. Employees can even try living in a few different areas for extended stays.

Event planner

Local event planners may be involved in coordinating large parties and weddings, but those with great organizational skills can also find work coordinating large-scale events like trade shows and festivals.

This is another gig that can largely be done remotely. Planners may also have to travel to different festival grounds and meet with vendors, making it a great option for those who love visiting and getting to know new areas.

Get paid up to $225 a month while watching viral videos

Photographer

Those with a passion for photography may be able to make lives for themselves on the road as well.

While news organizations often have staff photographers — including some who may be sent out to jobs in different areas — photographers can also make a living freelancing.

If you have an incredible portfolio, you may be able to get freelance work for high-end resorts, major tourist attractions, local events, and so much more.

The challenge of getting into this business would be building up a reputation that gets you regular gigs.

Stagehand (roadie)

If touring sounds like the good life to you but you’re not much of an entertainer, getting a job as a stagehand or roadie may be a perfect way to see the world.

Theater groups and musicians regularly go on tour, and many take groups of roadies and stagehands with them to set up and break down at every stop.

The accommodations may not always be glamorous (depending on exactly who you're touring with), but it's certainly an interesting way to see the world.

Travel agent

You may assume travel agents aren’t used much in the age of the internet, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects 20% job growth for travel agents between 2021 and 2031, significantly higher than the average across all other occupations.

Travel agents can make planning trips — both for business and for pleasure — so much easier. Reducing headaches when it comes to booking flights may be worth an agent’s cut on its own.

Agents also often visit popular destinations so they can offer candid advice to clients.

Bottom line

Whether you’re looking for a job where travel is part of the description or trying to land a remote gig that can be done from anywhere in the world, there are many jobs perfect for travelers.

If you’re truly committed to seeing the world, it’s also possible to turn that passion into a paycheck, or at least a great way to boost your bank account .

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8 Great Jobs for People Who Like to Travel

Published: Jun 23, 2024 By Kate Johanns

Some of us possess wanderlust, which is a term with German origins. Quite literally, it means to have a lust for wandering. If you’re looking for a job that allows you to “see the world,” these career paths might be just the ticket.

1. Event planner

The hospitality industry—while rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic—is back, and someone has to plan those in-person conferences and events! An event planner helps companies design experiences that achieve strategic goals. For instance, they might plan training conferences, fundraising galas, or large meetings. The event planner needs to be able to translate a client’s ideas into a seamless, cost-effective event where attendees don’t have to think about logistics—and the planner likely will travel to do so, both for site visits and the actual events.

2. Tour guide

A wide range of tour guide jobs exist—but if you work for a company that arranges group tours, you’ll get to travel. Of course, being a tour guide means you’ll be facilitating others’ travel (which means dealing with their foibles), but you’ll likely enjoy special access to tourist sites, as well as make useful connections throughout the industry. You might be able to tack a few days on to the end of a trip.

3. Professor

Earning tenure as a professor is a highly stressful endeavor, but along the way you may be able to spend time in some interesting locations. Tenure-track professors attend many academic conferences, some of which take place abroad. They also have opportunities to teach in study abroad programs, particularly summer study abroad programs in which American professors travel with a group of students for short-term expat experiences.

4. ESL teacher

Almost 1.5 billion people speak English worldwide, and many opportunities exist for English as a second language (ESL) teachers to work in other countries. You’ll need a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate to secure a position teaching English to non-native speakers in other countries.

5. Travel nurse

Working as a travel nurse is one way to ensure you never get bored. As a travel nurse, you’ll work for a staffing agency as opposed to a specific physician or medical facility, and you’ll be placed based on need. You may find yourself securing licensure in a new state or even a new country. The good news is, if you don’t like one area of nursing, you’ll soon be on to new adventures. Travel nurses often have higher salaries than traditional RNs, but the costs of temporary housing may be greater, and your available benefits, such as health insurance, will vary by assignment and the time you take off in between.

6. Sales representative

A sales representative can expect to put in long hours on the road as they travel to visit clients, but if you like to meet new people, pursue competitive goals, and enjoy a high level of autonomy in your job, then it could be the right job for you. Typically, you’ll be assigned a territory or region to cover, so while you might not see the world, you’ll have the chance to get to know a particular area well.

7. Business consultant

If you have an MBA and work at a big consulting firm, it’s likely you’ll have the opportunity to travel and spend time meeting with clients to make presentations and do research. Of course, some of this travel has been curtailed with the ease of remote work, but you’ll still find opportunities to travel in search of client facetime.

A buyer is responsible for deciding what customers will want to purchase and securing that inventory. It’s a high-stress field—if you’re not on target with your trend-watching and can’t negotiate a good profit margin, you might not be long for the industry. But if you are successful, you’ll have the opportunity to go to market, meet with suppliers, and visit manufacturing facilities.

Now, if you really like traveling and want to go a step farther, you could consider finding a job as an expat.

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6 Perfect Jobs for People Who Love to Travel

Traveling is something we do to escape the monotony of our day-to-day, including our sometimes-tedious nine-to-five jobs. But what if we could travel  while  doing our nine-to-fives? Sounds too good to be true, but it’s not, as proven by these six jobs that are perfect for travel lovers.

RELATED : The 6 Best Jobs for Introverts

Consultant Consultants are hired by companies to offer their fresh perspectives to solve big problems. Because they work with lots of companies without ever being tied down, consultants are often on the road. On top of that, the salary isn’t too shabby. According to PayScale.com, the median annual salary for IT consultants is $71,887, and for management consultants, $86,181. Cha-ching.

College Recruiter Remember when you were in high school and reps from colleges were constantly visiting to talk up their employers and try to get you to apply? While it might not be the most exciting to do that within the United States, imagine being a recruiter in charge of international students. Way cooler.

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Au Pair Love kids? Being an au pair (French for fancy nanny) could be the perfect job for you. Au pairs are matched with families all over the world looking for someone to take care of their children. These families are often pretty well off, meaning you’ll likely get to experience some of the finer things in life—albeit, with a small, crying child in your arms.

Hotel Employee Many U.S.-based hotel chains have locations abroad, meaning that once you get into the organization stateside, there’s the opportunity for transfer to a more exotic locale. So while you might have to pay your dues for a few years in Cleveland, there’s possibly a light at the end of the Paris-shaped tunnel.

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Freelance Anything The beauty of being a freelancer is that you can do it from pretty much anywhere. The only thing to keep in mind is that with certain freelance jobs, you’ll be required to keep normal office hours, which could mean working super-weird times. Worth it if you can complete expense reports while staring out at the Mediterranean…

Professional Instagrammer OK, so this isn’t a career , but it’s awesome. Royal Caribbean has a new intern-ship program (ha) that sends candidates on all-expenses-paid cruises to New York, the Caribbean, Asia and the Mediterranean. To travel and post swoon-worthy Instagrams of your travels, you’ll make $3,700. So while it’s not a long-term gig, it’s a pretty sweet way to make a few extra grand.

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Wellness Director

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The Best Jobs for Travel Lovers: Earn a Living and Have an Adventure

Sep 30, 2019 | Travel Tips | 0 comments

The Best Jobs for Travel Lovers: Earn a Living and Have an Adventure.

It’s time to stop teasing and tell you how to work and travel together. After all, life is meant to be lived, and if you can live while travelling simultaneously, all the best to you.

Below are some fantastic ideas for affording your adventures and making your work travel-friendly!

Is a travel-friendly job possible?

It’s a common question amongst all of us who dream of a life of travel – can I make a living and see the world simultaneously?

The answer is yes!

There are many opportunities for those who want to have an adventure while earning a paycheck. This blog post will discuss some of the best jobs for travel lovers.

Start a blog or YouTube channel!

If you love to write or take photos, why not start a blog or YouTube channel about your travels? A blog or video is a great way to document your journeys and share them with others. You can also make money from advertising and sponsored content.

..Blogging and YouTube are great ways to earn money, doing something you genuinely love.

If your content is about travel, you can film or write as you go; you’ll never be short of inspiration!

It can take time to get to this stage; you won’t be able to open a blog or YouTube channel and earn money from it within a week but stick with it, and eventually, it’s a way to make a good living.

Between sponsored work and affiliate earnings, you can earn as you go, making money from wherever you are.

You’ll need a camera (if you’re recording) and a good-quality laptop.

Macs are particularly useful as they’re powerful machines. You can run high-quality editing software on them and everything you’d need to run a channel or blog on the go.

It can take some getting used to at first; for example, if you look at  how to screenshot on Mac – Setapp  instructions will show you that it’s a little different to a PC. But you’ll quickly get the hang of things.

Consider filming ‘follow me around’ type vlogs as you travel; you could film or write reviews of hotels, restaurants, shows, tourist attractions and much more.

Your channel could be more from a lifestyle, beauty or fashion angle if you prefer!

Become a digital nomad

A digital nomad is a perfect job for those who want to work while travelling, and I am sure many of us have heard the term digital nomad, or we wouldn’t be reading this blog post on the best jobs for travel lovers.

But what exactly is a digital nomad?

A digital nomad can work entirely online from anywhere in the world.

So as long as you have a laptop and good internet connection, you can work from Bali, Rio De Janeiro or Timbuktu!

There are many ways to become a digital nomad; you could work as a freelance writer, web developer, graphic designer, social media expert, or anything you can do online.

The best thing about being a digital nomad is that you can make your hours and work around your travels.

So if you want to take a day trip or spend a week in another city, you can do so without asking for time off work.

Of course, this means that you’ll have to be disciplined and manage your time well, but it’s a great way to live if you can make it work for you.

Be a professional Youtuber on the road.

Become a remote worker

Become a remote worker, you say? If you already have a job but want to make it travel-friendly, then becoming a remote worker is a great option.

Many companies are now offering the opportunity to work remotely, and as long as you have a laptop and good internet connection, you can do your job anywhere in the world.

Working remotely has many benefits; you can make your hours, work around your travels and take work with you wherever you go.

Of course, there are also some challenges; you’ll need to be disciplined and manage your time well, as there’s no one watching over you to ensure you’re working.

But if you can make it work, working remotely is a great way to have the best of both worlds.

As a  remote worker , you naturally have an employer (and therefore set hours, a set wage and employee benefits); however, you don’t have to go into a physical workplace.

Many remote workers work from home, but if you love to travel, nothing stops you from working on the go!

As long as your tasks are completed each day, you can permanently work from anywhere.

Take your laptop to the beach and work there, download the software you need and work from a train, or you could enjoy your days travelling, get back to your hotel/ accommodation and do a few hours each evening before bed.

Become a volunteer abroad

How do I make living volunteering abroad? Doesn’t that mean I don’t get paid?

Well, technically, yes. But many organisations will provide you with food and accommodation for your work.

And although you won’t be earning an income, you will get to live and work in some fantastic places worldwide.

Paid work opportunities are not the only way to make a living while travelling. You could also look into volunteering abroad options.

Volunteering is a great way to give back and help others while you get to experience new cultures and travel to unique places.

There are many types of volunteering projects available, from teaching English to working in animal shelters, so you can find something that fits your skills and interests.

Most volunteering projects will provide you with food and accommodation, so you don’t need to worry about finding a place to stay or how to pay for meals.

You may also be given a small stipend to help with living expenses.

Conduct work in remote places.

Find a job that requires travel

One way to make a living and have an adventure is to find a job that involves travel.

Many jobs require travel, from sales jobs to working as a tour guide.

If you want to work and travel, finding a job that involves travel is a great option.

You can get paid to see the world, and many jobs that involve travel also offer incredible benefits, like free accommodation and airfare.

Of course, you’ll need to be prepared for the challenges of working while travelling, like being away from home for long periods and dealing with culture shock.

But if you can make it work, finding a job that involves travel is a great way to have an adventure and earn a living.

If you get a  job that requires travel  or allows you to travel, this could be the perfect way to see more of the world.

It could be anything from nursing to airline staff or even mining; there are plenty of jobs with the adventure in mind.

If you’re at the start of your career (or wishing to change career later on), consider what sort of jobs would allow you to see the world.

So there you have it: three ways to make a living and have an adventure. What are you waiting for when seeking the ideal job for travel? Start planning your next adventure today!

Do you want to take your career on the road? Check out these three great options for jobs that involve travel.

If you love to travel, but don’t want to give up your career, then becoming a remote worker is a great option. Many companies are now offering the opportunity to work remotely, and as long as you have a laptop and good internet connection, you can do your job anywhere in the world.

How do you want to make your work travel-friendly?

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Passing Thru

Globe-Trotting Careers: 18 Jobs That Pay You to Travel

Posted: June 26, 2024 | Last updated: June 26, 2024

Dreaming of turning your wanderlust into a way of life? Believe it or not, there are careers that not only allow but encourage you to explore the globe, dive into new cultures, and collect experiences instead of things. Here are 18 unconventional jobs that offer just that, with a bit more insight into each.

1. Travel Blogger or Vlogger

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Ground Picture

Create engaging content about your travel adventures, offering tips, reviews, and personal stories. With enough followers, earn through ads, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing. It requires persistence and creativity to stand out.

2. Cruise Ship Worker

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Costin Constantinescu

Roles vary from entertainment to hospitality on a cruise ship. Enjoy living on the sea while stopping at beautiful ports. Contracts often include room, board, and sometimes travel expenses between contracts.

3. English Teacher Abroad

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Monkey Business Images

Teach English in countries across Asia, Europe, and South America. Requirements vary, with many positions asking for a bachelor’s degree and a TEFL certification. It’s a way to immerse yourself in a new culture while making an impact.

4. Flight Attendant

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Feruzbek

See the world from thousands of feet in the air. Benefits often include discounted flights for family. The job requires flexibility, customer service skills, and the ability to manage jet lag.

5. Digital Nomad

Image Credit: Shutterstock / GaudiLab

Work in fields like tech, content creation, design, or marketing from anywhere with an internet connection. This lifestyle demands discipline and time management but offers unparalleled freedom.

6. Tour Guide

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Arvid Norberg

Share your passion for history, art, or nature by leading tours. Requires deep knowledge of the area and the ability to engage with people from all walks of life. Language skills are a plus.

7. International Aid Worker

Image Credit: Shutterstock / New Africa

Work for organizations that provide aid, development, and policy support worldwide. Roles are diverse, from health to education, requiring various degrees of expertise and often the ability to handle challenging environments.

8. Yacht Crew

Image Credit: Shutterstock / CandyRetriever

Join the crew of luxury yachts, working as everything from a deckhand to a chef. It’s hard work but comes with the perk of sailing to exclusive locations. Experience and certifications like STCW are often required.

9. Foreign Service Officer

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Golden Pixels LLC

Diplomats who live abroad representing their country, working in embassies or consulates. The selection process is rigorous, involving exams and security clearances, but the career offers a unique look into international relations.

10. Wildlife Photographer

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Virrage Images

Travel to capture stunning images of the natural world. It demands patience, photography skills, and often significant investment in equipment. Success can lead to publications in major magazines and books.

11. Archaeologist

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Parilov

Explore ancient civilizations through digs and research in various countries. Requires advanced degrees and a passion for history. Fieldwork is often in remote locations, demanding physical stamina.

12. Adventure Tour Operator

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Chokniti-Studio

Guide guests on outdoor adventures such as hiking, kayaking, or mountain biking. Requires expertise in the activity, safety certifications, and the ability to lead and ensure guest safety.

13. International Sales Representative

Work for companies that sell products or services internationally. Involves travel to meet clients, attend trade shows, and understand different markets. Requires strong sales skills and cultural sensitivity.

14. Au Pair

Image Credit: Shutterstock / iseeu2

Live with a host family abroad, helping with childcare while experiencing a new culture. Often includes a small salary, room, and board. It’s a great way to learn a new language and gain independence.

15. Travel Nurse

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Sarawut Kh

Provide temporary healthcare in locations needing short-term professionals. Requires nursing credentials and often the ability to adapt quickly to new settings. Offers competitive pay and the chance to make a difference.

16. Ethical Hacker

Image Credit: Shutterstock / fizkes

Protect organizations by breaking into their systems to find vulnerabilities. With cybersecurity a global concern, opportunities to work remotely or travel to client sites are abundant. Requires deep technical knowledge.

17. Traveling Festival Worker

Image Credit: Shutterstock / lucky boy studio

Join teams that set up, operate, and take down festivals around the world. From music to cultural festivals, work behind the scenes. It requires flexibility, physical stamina, and a love for the festival atmosphere.

18. Remote Language Tutor

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Dragana Gordic

Teach a language from anywhere in the world to students globally. This job requires proficiency in the language taught and the ability to engage students virtually. It offers flexible hours and the opportunity to connect with people from different cultures.

Your Passport to Adventure

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Carles Iturbe

These unconventional careers are more than jobs; they’re tickets to a life filled with exploration, learning, and growth. Whether you’re teaching, creating, or discovering, there’s a path for you to combine your profession with your passion for travel. Ready to start your journey?

Ghost Roads of America: 12 Haunted Highways with Tales of Terror and Creepy Rest Stops

Image Credit: Shutterstock / donvictorio

Discover chilling tales from the America’s spookiest roads complete with ghostly figures and eerie phenomena in this thrilling guide to paranormal hotspots—perfect for adventure seekers and ghost enthusiasts. Ready for a supernatural road trip? Ghost Roads of America: 12 Haunted Highways with Tales of Terror and Creepy Rest Stops

18 High-Crime Cities in the US You Should Avoid

Image Credit: Pexels / Adrian Newell

American cities dazzle with culture and history, yet rising crime rates demand cautious exploration. This guide ensures you stay informed and safe. 18 High-Crime Cities in the US You Should Avoid

22 of America’s Most Charming Towns

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Nejdet Duzen

Hit the road and discover America’s coziest towns, real-life versions of those quaint settings from your favorite novels. Explore charming streets where every storefront tells a story and locals greet everyone with a hello. Ready to dive into the charm? 22 of America’s Most Charming Towns

The post Globe-Trotting Careers: 18 Jobs That Pay You to Travel was first published on PassingThru .

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / RBstock.

For transparency, this content was partly developed with AI assistance and carefully curated by an experienced editor to be informative and ensure accuracy.

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Fly or drive from Lower Hudson: Summer travel ideas for foodies, dog-lovers and more

It's summer and if you're like me, you're itching to go somewhere. Breeze Airways has made it easy with more flights from Westchester County Airport, as has JetBlue with new additions from Westchester as well as direct flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico, starting in October from other New York airports.

Whether you plan to fly or drive — or simply want to look at booking fall or beyond — there's a place out there for you, everything from a luxury inn where you can play with a foster dog to a city hotel with a Gordon Ramsay restaurant to a historic B&B owned by a distillery (meaning lots of fun tastings). What follows is a sampling of spots to put on your radar.

Newport Harbor Island Resort, Rhode Island

This quintessential New England coastal destination is an easy drive away and is newly renovated to provide a guest-centric experience. That means an abundance of on- and off-site activities such as group clambakes, fireside s’mores, wellness classes, movie nights, and an extensive Kids’ Club. You'll also find a restaurant brimming with fresh seafood (hello lobster rolls!), flatbreads, and grill classics that pair perfectly with a day in the sun. More details at 401-849-2600, newportharborisland.com .

Four Seasons Hotel, St. Louis MO

Looking for a getaway built around city activities, a celebrity chef and perhaps some baseball? St. Louis is a baseball town where the energy and excitement of watching the St. Louis Cardinals (however they're doing each season) is always an experience. There's even a Ballpark Village complete with restaurants and shops (try Katie's Pizza & Pasta with its famous fried artichoke salad). Even better: Lounging by the pool with a view of the famous Gateway Arch (you can visit later!), then indulging in a pampering spa treatment at the Four Seasons spa.

More: Summer bucket list: What to do this season in the Lower Hudson Valley

Recently opened: Ramsay’s Kitchen By Gordon Ramsay, the first restaurant in this city from the multi-Michelin-starred chef. Inspired by his travels abroad, the Ramsay's Kitchen concept takes guests on a global culinary journey, starting with the chef's legendary Beef Wellington. Also not to be missed: the buttery Parker rolls, jumbo lump crab cake, and the St. Louis-style ribs. All hotel rooms were recently renovated for a more serene, sophisticated look so if you've been here before, it will definitely be different this time around. More details: 314-881-5800, fourseasons.com/stlouis .

Inn by the Sea, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Love dogs but don't have one? No worries. You can enjoy the company of a four-legged friend at this luxury hotel where dogs are fostered and playing with them is encouraged. The Inn fosters shelter dogs from the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland on site and offers rescue dogs a temporary home until adopted (176 dogs have been adopted after being fostered at the Inn since the program started).

Fido is also welcome, with no pet fee required. The hotel is so committed to man's best friend — and has been for 30 years — its "Dogs Days at Inn by the Sea" amenities include water bowls, beach towels, cozy L.L Bean dog blankets, and handmade treats at turn down. There are also gourmet pet menus, dog walking and doggie day care.

Of course humans are the property's main priority and that includes 62 comfortably appointed rooms and suites, full-service spa, fireplace lounge, pool and regionally sourced menus. The location alone will make you go "aaah," as its situated on Crescent Beach, just seven miles from Portland. What makes it even better: Breeze Airways flies direct from Westchester County Airport to Portland. More details at 207-799-3134 or innbythesea.com or go to flybreeze.com.

More: Get tasty news before everyone else: Sign up for lohudfood newsletter

Wyndham Palmas Beach & Golf Resort, Puerto Rico

It's not too early to start planning your fall getaway especially since JetBlue will, come October, have direct flights to San Juan. This oasis, just steps from the beach, offers an ideal island getaway complete with a family pool, a wine cellar room and Trova Coastal Kitchen which features a melody of health-conscious Puerto Rican flavors from James Beard’s finalists and celebrity chefs Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth. Golfers in particular will appreciate the two championship golf courses designed by PGA four-time champ Gary Player and renowned architect Rees Jones, an equestrian center and a Pterocarpus forest. Located on the island's East Coast also means access to miles of unspoiled beaches, clear mountain rivers, and outdoor recreation opportunities year-round in El Yunque Rainforest. More details: 787-247-7979 or wyndhampalmas.com .

Ironclad Inn, Fredericksburg, Virgina

Some bourbon with your B&B? Newport News, VA-based Ironclad Distillery recently purchased what had been the Kenmore Inn. The 18th century three-story home, in the heart of downtown (walkable) Fredericksburg, has plenty of history to absorb (in addition to tasting bourbon) as the city hosted a number of pivotal battle scenes during the Civil War.

Sip a cocktail on the home's breezy front porch after a day spent wandering boutiques, antique shops and art galleries. But book soon: There are only nine rooms; the main bedrooms are part of the original home and feature original fireplaces, while the other bedrooms are from the addition built in the 1930s. Each features antiques and have a traditional décor. The central hub of the space, however, is The Tasting Room & Bourbon Bottle Shop where you'll find bourbon tastings, cocktails and a menu of light snacks. More details at 540-371-7622 or ironcladinn.com .

  Jeanne Muchnick  covers food and dining. Click  here  for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram  @jeannemuchnick  or via the  lohudfood newsletter . 

The depressing reality of quiet vacationing

Why is everyone suddenly going on trips without actually taking time off?

Who among us has not done a little fibbing at work? A little résumé embellishment here, a fake dental appointment there. Now people are taking full-blown holidays while on the job as part of a trend that's been called " quiet vacationing ."

There's no set definition of quiet vacationing, and it can encompass a variety of behaviors — traveling to a faraway place and not saying anything while still getting your work in, or not working but keeping your mouse moving to appear as if you're online in hopes that no one will notice your drop in productivity.

On the one hand, this sounds like an awesome, novel possibility brought about by the rise of remote work. Responding to the 10th email of the day while sipping a margarita on the beach sounds a lot nicer than doing it from an office desk as a coworker nearby munches loudly on their sad salad . If work gets slow in the summer, there's no good reason to sit and stare at your computer.

On the other hand, the idea that people are under so much pressure at work that they feel they can't take true disconnect-from-everything time off or even tell their boss they're working out of town for a bit is deeply depressing. It's a stark reminder of how broken American work culture is, just in time for summer.

Related stories

"It may be a question of just psychological safety, or lack thereof, that the employee doesn't feel like they can openly have a conversation with their manager about taking real time off," said Rebecca Zucker, an executive coach and the founding partner of Next Step Partners, a leadership consultancy. "We're all big boys and girls, and it's a question of not where we're working or when we're working, in terms of the hours we're working, but are we doing what we need to get done."

The whole quiet-vacationing discourse got kicked up by a recent Harris Poll survey on out-of-office culture. It found that 28% of workers said they'd taken time off work without telling their bosses — basically, they're out of the office, but not "officially." Millennials in particular have picked up on the practice, with 37% saying they'd dipped out of work on the sly.

People feeling like they have to be sneaky about their whereabouts is not a positive sign.

It's not that these workers are unhappy with the vacation their companies offer: 83% of respondents said they were satisfied with their company's paid-time-off policy. The issue seems to be that employees don't feel like they can actually use the time off they're given. Eight in 10 workers said they didn't use the maximum amount of PTO allowed; some said they felt pressure to always be available, while others cited a heavy workload as their reason. Almost half said they got nervous about requesting time away, and three-quarters said they wished their workplace culture put more value on taking breaks. Workers reported being tricky about the whole thing, too: About a third said they moved their mouse to make it look like they were online, and about the same share said they scheduled messages outside work hours to give the impression that they were working overtime.

The problem isn't really that people are working from elsewhere, especially if it's not hurting their productivity . The greater issue is what it signifies about their relationship with work and the incentives that have been fostered at their companies . People feeling like they have to be sneaky about their whereabouts is not a positive sign, nor is feeling like the only way to disconnect is to remain half plugged in.

The people taking vacations on the sly may be at organizations that are likelier to reward overworkers, said Malissa Clark, an associate professor and the head of the Healthy Work Lab at the University of Georgia. In turn, those quiet vacations may perversely reinforce the always-on culture, even when always being on isn't necessary or leading to better business results. Clark, who also wrote the book "Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business — and How to Fix It," pointed to 2015 research looking at how some men at a consulting firm were able to pull back from work while pretending to still put in 80-hour weeks. Their managers couldn't tell the difference, and they were rewarded for giving off the impression that they were workaholics, whereas men who were up front about needing to downshift were penalized.

"That's why there's this pressure for people to constantly be working and feel like if they take a step back they'll be left behind, because that's a very real thing," Clark said. "Apparently, that's what a lot of organizations reward."

Pretending to work when you're not or acting like you're putting in more hours than you do is not a new phenomenon . Zucker recalled working years ago at an investment bank where men would leave their suit jackets on the backs of their chairs after hours so people would think they were still somewhere in the office. But technology does make this behavior easier. The ability to connect from anywhere is a double-edged sword: Sure, it's nice to be able to answer an email on a midday walk or work from a relative's house over the holidays, but it sucks to know your boss knows that you saw that 10 p.m. Slack message pop up on your phone.

This is a societal problem and one that is uniquely American. We're told to go, go, go, made to feel like we can never get off the treadmill for even a second, lest we fall behind or give the impression that we're not trying hard. We often don't see taking time off as necessary and well deserved but as a sign of laziness and lack of work ethic. People aren't told to work to live; they're told to live to work.

Some of the fundamentals underlying quiet vacationing are positive. We live in an era where a lot of people can work from wherever and have more flexibility to achieve a better work-life balance. The rub is the sneakiness of it all. It would be much better if we were talking about, say, "loud working from anywhere for a month," or whatever you'd want to call it. (Or we could stop coining terms for work trends, the true dream.) It should be OK to have a conversation with your manager about spending a few days in the mountains or on the beach and, as long as the WiFi is decent, fulfilling your capitalist soldier duties.

Clark said this trend may make employers even more eager to force workers back to the office. Managers don't always love the idea that they don't know where their employees are, and they have the (often false) impression that being out of sight means not working.

Working from elsewhere does not erase the need for an actual vacation. There's all sorts of research indicating that time off improves mental and physical health, reduces stress, and boosts productivity, among other benefits. Even planning a vacation makes people happier. People need to psychologically detach from work in order to relax and recover.

By always feeling like you have to stay connected, you never recover from work.

"By always feeling like you have to stay connected, you never recover from work," Clark said. "And so it's like you're constantly running a marathon, but then you never take a break, and what is it going to do? It's going to wear your body down slowly, gradually, to the point where you hit a wall. And then all of a sudden you're burnt out."

If you're quiet vacationing and your boss doesn't know, good for you, I guess. But it would probably be better if you could be honest about where you are and what you're doing. And none of this scraps the need for an actual vacation. Regardless of how up front (or not) employees are, at the end of the day, American work culture is the bad guy here. The toxicity of hustle culture is the real problem, not the person who's low-key working from a cabin in the woods or the coworker who said screw it and is taking three weeks off.

Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

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Through our Discourse journalism, Business Insider seeks to explore and illuminate the day’s most fascinating issues and ideas. Our writers provide thought-provoking perspectives, informed by analysis, reporting, and expertise. Read more Discourse stories here .

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Governor Green out of state, June 22-26

Governor Josh Green, M.D., will travel to Minnesota on Saturday, June 22, to attend a conference of democratic governors from across the country.

Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke will serve as acting Governor from the morning of June 22 through the afternoon of June 26 when Governor Green returns to Honolulu.

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