Dreaming of leaving your day job to delve into life on the open road? A life on the move doesn’t have to be a penniless pursuit. With some planning, it’s possible to earn a solid living while travelling the world and enjoying all the riches life abroad has to offer. Here are ten great jobs for globe-trotting while still bringing home the bacon.
Online Instructor
Want to teach English, maths, science, music or any other subject that interests you? Thanks to the flexibility of online learning platforms, you can now do so from anywhere with an internet connection. Companies like VIPKid, Outschool and Udemy are always on the lookout for knowledgeable instructors to teach students across the world. Simply apply, build your profile and video library, set your own hours and watch the cash roll in. This can be a great way to fund an extended trip while sharing your knowledge with eager students around the globe.
Freelance Writer
If you’ve got a way with words, selling your writing while travelling is an obvious choice. Travel blogs, magazines and websites are hungry for stories and local perspectives from far-flung destinations. Pitch articles on your journey or destination insights and earn cash without leaving your hostel bunk. With a good portfolio and some solid pitching, you’ll never be short of writing gigs on the go.
Tour Guide
Want to get paid for showing off your new favourite travel spot? Once you get to know a destination, consider training to become a licensed tour guide. Not only will you make money from running tours and providing your knowledge to visitors, but you’ll also meet loads of like-minded travellers too. Win-win. Guiding is also a great way to deeply embed in a new culture abroad.
Photographer
Fancy making cash from snapping photos along your adventures? Stock photography websites are always seeking fresh travel images from new places, with contributors earning royalties each time their snaps are downloaded or used. Build a portfolio of awe-inspiring landscape shots, visual cultural quirks and interesting portraits to start raking it in. Selling travel photography can be an effortless way to fund your onward journey.
Hospitality And Tourism Jobs
Fancy longer stints in dreamy destinations? Let those backpacking days evolve into a hospitality career as you move from place to place. Hotels, hostels, bars, restaurants and activity providers across the world rely on transient traveller types to fill temporary roles – allowing you to easily slot into the workforce abroad while enjoying an extended experience of living somewhere new. These roles also often come with perks like accommodation, discounted travel and new friends. Just make sure you have your passport and visas ready for a job like this; ivisa.com can help make it stress free.
Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant can work remotely while travelling using a laptop and reliable internet connection. Main duties include providing administrative support to clients such as email/calendar management, data entry, writing/editing, bookkeeping, and other tasks as needed. It gives you the opportunity to travel freely and still maintain an income stream. Adaptability and excellent communication help build trust with clients across time zones. Knowing which tools boost productivity on-the-go is useful. Managing different time zones and staying organised with tasks/priorities while on the move can be challenging initially. With experience, one learns how to sync remote work with travel for an enriching career experience.
Social Media Manager
As a travelling social media manager, you remotely manage social accounts/strategies for hotels, tourism boards, travel brands, influencers, etc. Key tasks are creating engaging content, growing followers, running ad campaigns, managing community relationships, tracking KPIs, staying on top of trends/updates on the road. An innate understanding of social platforms and their algorithms is crucial. Being a digital nomad in this role requires self-discipline, cultural sensitivity, and constantly evaluating performance. Having a creative mindset helps ideate content aligned to different cultures. The ability to adopt best practices from different markets while travelling makes you highly adaptable. Identifying key opinion leaders to partner with locally helps amplify reach.
Travel Photographer
A travel photographer’s camera is their passport to explore places and make an income on-the-go by selling compelling images to magazines, tourism boards, travel websites, etc. Assignments can range from landscapes and cultural to street and food photography that tell powerful visual stories. Involves keeping updated on photo trends and unique local elements to capture. Success requires patience, an eye for aesthetics, ability to work under pressure, and leveraging local guides/contacts while protecting equipment. Mastering photo editing software helps provide ideal post-processing effects demanded by clients. Building a diverse portfolio across genres is key to being considered for top assignments.
Journalist
A globetrotting journalist travels to assignments and writes stories/analyses for magazines/websites on places, people and culture there. Being well-read, observant and having an innate curiosity helps. Typical outputs range from news reports, expert interviews, destination guides to longform stories. Background research skills and networking in local language is essential. Self-discipline to meet strict deadlines and data security consciousness while mobile is important. Having an eye for original perspectives not covered by mainstream media provides a competitive edge. Leveraging multiple platforms like video, podcasts along with writing helps secure more engagements.
Website Developer
Freelance website developers with in-demand coding/platform skills like WordPress can work around the world building/fixing sites. Involves understanding clients’ needs via calls/emails, planning project scope, programming using your laptop anywhere with internet access, testing/delivering and iteration. Staying updated with web/language trends is key. Travelling light, having backups, finding co-working spaces, and collaborating across time zones are key success factors.
The World Is Your Oyster
As appealing as diving into permanent overseas life may seem, test the waters with one of these more flexible careers allowing you to fund your travels along the way. With some hustle, organisation, and a willingness to adapt, you really can earn as you roam – without being chained to a single location. Bon voyage! The working travel life will open your eyes to new cultures, perspectives and possibilities.
