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What are the best jobs in the travel industry?
Most travelers start without a long-term plan. It's a long journey, and you'll eventually discover the right path along the way and identify the type of travel job that best fits your goals.
For example, if you want to live in a foreign country while looking for the security that a permanent job offers, looking for an ex-pat travel job may be the best solution.
Here are some of the best travel jobs for varying levels of skill, experience, and comfort that will help you earn money while traveling.
1. Become a travel blogger.
Income range: $100 to $30,000 or more per month
Travel blogging is a dream job for many. Imagine earning money writing about your travel adventures.
There is a problem, though.
The internet is inundated with hundreds and thousands of travel blogs. Almost all of them talk about their travel adventures, develop itineraries, and post photos that people are envious of. That's why you need to do something different to stand out from the crowd.
Don't dive headlong without doing proper research. Read other travel blogs, news, and newspapers to get an idea of the writing style a blogger or travel critic needs. Then find a specific niche. Are you going to write about budget travel? Luxury travel? Travelling with children? Becoming an affiliate for credit cards from travel and airline? Then start writing in-depth, actionable blog posts on this topic.
Most bloggers give up easily. But consistency, generating backlinks by publishing articles, building relationships with famous travel bloggers, and intensively promoting your content will help you build an audience for your blog.
Once you have decent traffic, you can make money by incorporating affiliate links into your content, selling digital products, or working directly with travel agencies. First of all, do what it takes to build an audience.
2. Becoming a language teacher.
Income range: $14 to $22 per hour or $1,000 to $3,000 per month.
Teachers of languages like English are still in high demand around the world, as English is one of the most sought-after second languages in the world. You have the option of teaching English online or abroad in the country you are visiting.
There are numerous portals on the Internet that allow you to find clients/students who are ready to learn English online.
You can register with VIPKID for a career in teaching English online.
Upwork or Fiverr are also very good options for English, but also for many popular languages such as French or Spanish.
With platforms like VIPKID, you can earn up to $22 per hour, along with several attractive incentives, sponsorships, and other opportunities.
If you want to teach English online via Skype or other means, an undergraduate or graduate degree is more than enough. However, to find a job teaching English abroad, a TEFL certification (teaching English as a foreign language) is often a prerequisite.
3. Freelance travel writer.
Revenue range: $0.10 to $1.00 per word.
If you've mastered the art of creating stories and playing with words, freelance travel writing is an ideal way to earn money while satisfying your thirst for travel.
It's simple: you travel to your favorite destinations around the world, you write about them, and you get paid at the same time. You can become a ghostwriter or contribute as an author to magazines, tourist offices, guides, etc.
To get better copywriting jobs, expand your network using social media and online forums.
You can also sign up for a service like FlexJobs to start your job search and find travel writer jobs.
Consider establishing your credibility by launching your blog, which will also serve as a portfolio for your travel writing.
Consult the job sites FlexJobs to find writing opportunities that will allow you to gain travel experience.
4. Website and graphic design.
Income range: $1,000 to $8,000 per month.
Web designers and graphic designers are always in high demand. All you need is solid coding skills (especially HTML, PHP, and CSS), knowledge of Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, etc. and, of course, your computer and a good internet connection. Your sense of design and aesthetics will give you an edge in this sector.
Here are some of the most popular online platforms for taking web design and graphic design courses:
Find jobs in web and graphic design with FlexJobs.
5. Tour guide.
Income range: $1,000 to $10,000 per month
If you have a thorough knowledge of the various tourist destinations in the world, put it to good use by becoming a tourist guide.
It's a great opportunity to travel around the world while sharing your knowledge with nice people and getting paid while you do it.
If you already have substantial experience of 2 or 3 years or if you manage to obtain a tourist guide license, it will be easy for you to access this sector. There are numerous tourist guide training programs, such as theInternational Tour Management Institute (ITMI), which will allow you to easily become a tourist guide. Not only do you receive vocational training, but you can also get in contact with viable tourism businesses.
Alternatively, you can start by creating your blog and publishing your tourist guides to develop your audience.
6. Travelling yoga teacher.
Income range: $30 to $100 or more per hour.
The importance of yoga is constantly growing in the world.
Take a look at these impressive statistics on the Statista site.
These are important numbers.
It's no wonder yoga instructors are highly sought after.
One of its great advantages is that it allows you to receive a decent salary, which is more than enough to help you with your travel plans.
You don't have to limit yourself to teaching yoga. Take Pilates, Zumba classes, or become a personal trainer if that's your thing.
To succeed in your career as a traveling yoga teacher, become a certified instructor or trainer. Once you become a licensed instructor, start making contacts with local gyms, hostels, or five-star hotels around the world to use their facilities to deliver your training courses.
7. Foreign service travel jobs.
Income range: $500 to $10,000 per month.
Service jobs abroad allow you to immerse yourself in a new culture and live like a local for months or even years.
This job requires you to work for diplomats, your country's embassies abroad, or a intergovernmental organization (LIG). You need to have a higher education degree and a good knowledge of foreign languages will help you get this job more easily. The competition is tough and you may even have to take several aptitude tests organized by your State Department.
Remember that you have little or no influence on the location (s) where you will be placed. But as you gain influence and experience, you may be allowed to make such decisions for your future investment.
8. Travel agent.
Income range: $3,000 to $6,000 per month.
You may be surprised to know how many people Hate look for accommodation, cheap tickets and organize other complex trips. That's where travel agents come in.
If you have a knack for creating itineraries, you can work as a freelance travel agent or at a major travel agency. As a travel agent, you will be responsible for organizing just about everything, including accommodation, transport, advice on tourist destinations, and more.
Remember that this job requires a thorough knowledge of the tourist destinations whose packages you sell. You should also be familiar with the travel management tools so you can book trips and collect payments from your customers in one place.
9. Dropshipping.
Income Range: Up to $100,000 per year.
The Dropshipping is like running a traditional e-commerce store, but part-time and without worrying about managing inventory, shipping, or warehousing.
Here is a complete description How dropshipping works :
You mainly work as a third party seller or intermediary between the consumer and the real Dropshipping supplier.
Websites like Amazon allow you to market the product on their platform and you are responsible for shipping it to the customer once they have made the final purchase. The advantage of dropshipping is that you don't have to handle the products yourself.
10. Freelance travel photographer.
Income range: $1,000 to $10,000 per month
If you like taking photos, this job might be right for you. While travel photography isn't as easy as it seems, if you know how to handle a camera, you can do wonders in this profession.
Use appropriate equipment to improve the quality of your photos, including:
- A good quality DSLR (Canon and Nikon are great options)
- A wide range of lenses, such as wide angle and high power zoom
- A tripod for better stability
- A remote shutter
Besides the equipment, learn how to use post-processing and editing software like Adobe Lightroom to make your photos even more aesthetically appealing.
To earn money with your photography skills, you can upload photos to stock photo sites or sell them directly to magazines, marketing campaigns, and tourism websites.
11. Airbnb host.
Income range: $100 to $5,000 and more per month.
If you travel a lot and own real estate, you might as well rent it to short-term occupants. With Airbnb, it is definitely very easy and very safe to rent your property to tenants.
A cozy house located in a tourist area naturally brings a lot of money. A quaint lodge, equipped with everyday amenities and a serene atmosphere, can also attract numerous tenants and earn you enough money to cover your next trip.
Start as a host Airbnb.
12. Freelance IT developer.
Income range: $3,000 to $10,000 per month.
If you spend your time working as a professional programmer, your skills should make it easy for you to find customers remotely.
There are plenty of websites where you can find clients who are willing to pay a decent amount for your freelance services, including:
On the other hand, if you want to consolidate your programming skills and learn new programming languages, you can follow numerous YouTube channels such as The New Boston.
You can also register on platforms such as Codecademy, Coursera, Udacity, etc.
Find freelance computer programming jobs with FlexJobs.
13. vlogger/YouTuber.
Income range: $1,000 to $20,000 per month
Today's most successful vloggers and YouTubers share similar traits. They have a great on-camera personality, video editing skills, gravity-defying hair, and an ardent audience of seemingly endless followers.
However, with the current immense competition, these skills are not enough to make you a successful vlogger. Ultimately, it's about three secret weapons: weekly regularity, researching keywords on YouTube, and mastering inbound marketing outside of YouTube.
If you can master these three elements, you'll attract more traffic than sharp-haired celebrities and you'll get a real number of views thanks to your tactical SEO on YouTube in 2020.
14. Travelling medical professional.
Income range: $30 to $40 per hour
If you are a nurse, doctor, etc., it will be easy for you to turn your usual job into a travel job. This type of job usually involves you staying in the same location for a specified period of time, as international assignments typically last from one to two years.
In addition, depending on your destination and the type of job, these jobs come with additional benefits such as free housing, tax-free income, etc. You can connect with medical recruitment agencies to help you find a job that matches your skills and work experience.
What job categories allow you to travel?
Before taking the next step, it's critical to understand the different travel job categories that are available. They often fall into four categories: jobs for expats, jobs for backpackers, jobs for digital nomads, and careers in the travel industry.
1. Expat travel jobs.
Expats (or “expats”) live outside their home country and work abroad for an extended period of time. You move to a foreign country for months or years and “live like a local.” Expat jobs can last from a few months to several years.
The usual jobs for expatriates traveling are jobs in foreign services, English teachers, etc.
2. Digital nomad jobs.
As the name suggests, digital nomad jobs allow you to come and go as you please and live like the ultimate nomad. To become a digital nomad, all you need is a reliable internet connection, a smartphone, and a stable computer system.
This work is done entirely online, from anywhere in the world.
Examples: Blogging, freelance writing, e-commerce, social media consulting, etc.
3. Backpacker jobs.
Backpacker or vagrant jobs are practical travel jobs and can be done while moving from one destination to another. In most cases, you don't even need a graduate degree to get hired for these jobs. Think blue collar jobs, artists, etc.
Examples: Agricultural work, volunteering, hostel workers, street vendors, musicians, etc.
4. Careers in the travel sector.
While the other three types of jobs in the travel industry require you to earn your salary by doing a specific job, jobs in the travel industry pay you to travel. It's a dream, isn't it? However, there is a downside. With jobs in the travel industry, you won't be self-employed and won't be able to come and go as you please, and the flexibility to explore each destination will be limited.
Jobs in the travel industry include flight attendants, travel agents, cruise ship employees, au pairs, travel nurses, tour guides, and more.
5. Travel agents and volunteers.
If money is not an issue and you want to make a difference, international volunteering is a great option. You can join the Peace Corps or get a job as a traveling nurse to make a real impact in the world.
If becoming an international diplomat is more to your liking, you can pursue a career as a foreign service officer. You will work in embassies and consulates “to promote peace, support prosperity, and protect American citizens while advancing U.S. interests abroad.”
6. Jobs in the tourism sector.
Whether you want to live in Europe, Australia, Mexico, America, or any other country, tourism jobs offer full-time income in popular vacation destinations.
Accept a job as an entry-level bartender on a cruise ship or in Hawaii. Give scuba diving lessons in Mexico or private lessons at a Colorado ski resort. Join a tourism company to provide tourists with an exceptional travel experience.
Whatever you choose, you can find jobs in all sorts of tourism businesses.
Summary
All of the travel jobs mentioned above offer great opportunities to earn money while traveling around the world. However, as you can see, most of these jobs require persistence, a substantial commitment, and some prior skills and experience.
While many travelers make a living on the road, it doesn't happen overnight.
Without further ado, choose a job that matches your skills and fulfill your dream of becoming a full-time traveller.
Recommended reading: Check out my articles on best online jobs for working from home, on the How to become a digital nomad And on the best ways To earn money online.
