The age-old tragic irony: when you have enough time to travel, you don’t have enough money. When you have enough money to travel, you don’t have the time. Where does that fine line in the middle fall, where you have enough time and money? Here’s the secret: it all comes down to your job. After years of traveling and talking to others who seem to travel more than work, I’ve finally figured it out. Here are the best jobs for travelers, starting with the most obvious!
When you have the money, you don't have the time. When you have the time, you don't have the money. So when can you travel?! Click To Tweet1. Travel Agent
Travel agents get to plan trips to beautiful destinations for a living! And not only do you get paid to book trips, you also get the benefits of traveling to some of these places to get a firsthand experience and familiarize yourself with the hotels, activities, and other things travel agencies sell. Realistically, a travel agent travels about once per quarter, or four times per year. It’s not ideal for someone who loves to live out of a suitcase, but if you like a little structure and still like to get four solid trips in each year, this is a great job!
2. Flight Attendant or Pilot
Flight attendants’ offices are on airplanes. Doesn’t really get much more travel-related than that! They always have a great view and each time they leave the office, they step out into a new place. It’s true they have to deal with some annoying aspects of the job, but they get paid to see the world! I love getting to know my flight attendants and hearing their stories. For example, I learned that Israel has the BEST beaches. Who knew! Now I can add Israel to my travel bucket list. I can’t say from personal experience as I’ve never been a flight attendant, but from the outside looking in, I’d say being a flight attendant is definitely one of the best jobs for travelers! Check out some posts from flight attendant Mia at travelwithmia.com to see how much of the world a flight attendant can really see.
3. Consulate/Embassy
Working at a consulate or embassy could go one of two ways. First, you could work in a foreign embassy in your own country. This is a great way to meet people from that foreign country and help them with problems they might have abroad. Second, you could work in your own country’s embassy in a foreign country. Then, you get to live abroad and you’re an asset to that embassy because you speak your own language fluently!
Working in a consulate or embassy can also be a very lucrative job. There are lots of different types of jobs you could have within the consulate or embassy to suit your interests. Depending on the country, you may get lots of vacation time too. I don’t know anyone who works in a consulate or embassy, but I’d love to hear from someone with experience – if that’s you, leave me some info in the comments below!
4. Teacher
Being a teacher is an awesome job for a few different reasons. First, you get lots of long breaks like winter break, spring break, and summer break (sometimes even fall break). That’s lots of travel time! Plus, the breaks are always the same so very predictable, so you can plan way in advance for great prices. Second, you can choose any school you want (in the U.S. at least). That means you could choose an international school, which is like traveling at home. Or you could choose a school in an area with a high immigrant population, which is what I did. I work in a city with a high Hispanic population and most of the kids have to learn English in school. Their parents don’t even speak English! I feel like I’m teaching English in Spain all over again.
5. Language and Culture Assistant: Teaching ESL Abroad
Teaching English abroad is a great way to make a home base in a foreign country, make some money, do some good, and see the world. I taught English in Spain and I was within an hour and a half of four airports. I had Fridays off, so I could book Thursday night to Sunday night trips. Luckily, Europe is so close together that flights, trains, or drives are all easy weekend getaways. I visited 13 different countries on 3 different continents during my 8 months teaching English abroad! As long as you’re willing and able to pick up your life and move it across an ocean, this is definitely one of the best jobs for travelers.
6. Cruise Ship Worker
Working on a cruise ship means you get to travel the world while enjoying the beautiful open seas all the time! Talk about another job where the office views are pretty sweet. Plus, the job is like a constant party according to a cruise industry veteran on thrillest.com. And because you don’t have to pay for food, rent, or utilities, you can bank all the money you make. Hop on that next cruise to Europe and get your world travels started for free!
7. Work for a Spring Break Company
Speaking from first-hand experience, this is definitely one of the best jobs for travelers if you like exotic tropical destinations with a nonstop party. So first, the job is mostly sales. Sell spring break trips, earn commission, go party on location for 6 weeks every spring. I skipped the sales part and just made myself available for the party part, but the year-round opportunity is there. I did this job for three years and enjoyed every exhausting but exhilarating minute of it! You can get a job year round or on location with companies like STS Travel or Student City.
8. Bartender
First, bartending is a skill you can take anywhere. You can bartend at home and travel or move abroad and bartend to get yourself on your feet. Second, bartending is a very flexible job so if you want to work where you live but travel often, you can easily find someone to cover your shifts when those great prices come around. And third, bartending is great money, and mostly cash. That’s travel cash in your pocket! I have met many people from other countries while bartending, so it’s a great way to get some inside tips on what to do and where to go if you happen to be traveling to their countries.
What do you think the best jobs for travelers are? Did I miss anything? Have you ever had any of these jobs and were you able to travel often? Let me know in the comments below!
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P.S. You might also love How to Survive Plane Travel Gone Wrong or 9 Romantic Places for Couples Travel