Want to know the best careers for those who love to travel?
In our society, traveling can be a huge endeavor, as well as costly and not practical. With many companies only giving two weeks vacation per year, taking trips becomes few and far between. Maybe you are a student making a decision on what to study in college, or maybe you are deciding on a career change because your current situation restricts your free time. Whatever your lot in life is at the moment, you may be asking yourself, what job can I do so I have more time, money, and/or flexibility for traveling? What career will give me back more time to myself?
Whenever you decide on a career, you should consider what type of job you are interested in. You should also keep your travel goals in mind. Are you wanting to travel for work? Do you want to have time away from work for traveling? Just want to make the most money you can to afford vacation? In this article, we will discuss a few career options to consider that will help you live the life you dreamed about so you can travel often.
1. EDUCATION
A career as a teacher opens up many avenues to travel. You can teach abroad whether it be teaching at a military base, or teaching English to children and/or adults in another country. Teaching English to locals is especially in high demand in East Asia.
If you become a teacher at home in the USA, almost every school will give you summer break, Thanksgiving break, winter break, and spring break. All that time off gives you plenty of opportunities to take a vacation.
While a degree in education has not ever been known as a get-rich-quick career, many teachers will say it is a rewarding career and it is in high-demand. Keep in mind that your annual salary could be a less when teaching abroad, however the memories would be priceless.
2. NURSING
Nursing is another rewarding career and many nurses travel often. Like education, nursing is in high demand. There are many avenues to travel with a nursing license to consider.
Some nurses become travel nurses. This means they accept short term contracts at hospitals around the country. This gives them an opportunity to explore that new city in which they have a travel assignment. Keep in mind, depending on which state you live in, not every state recognizes your nursing license. Before looking for a travel job, research which states recognize your nursing license and how to obtain a license for the state in which you would like to work.
If you decide to keep a permanent staffing position at a hospital, it is common nowadays to work three 12-hour shifts in a week. If you make your schedule a certain way, you can have four to six days off without having to use any Paid Time Off hours.
3. AVIATION
Being a pilot is one great career if you love to travel. If you work for a major airline, you may fly the same routes repeatedly, however you will get airline benefits that are enticing. The average pay of a pilot is $130,440 annually.
If you don’t fly for a commercial airline, you could consider becoming a private pilot which may offer you opportunities to fly to a variety of destinations. To become a pilot you may take private flying lessons, and you can consider studying for a degree in aviation science, aircraft operations, or aeronautical engineering.
4. MILITARY
Traveling all over the world is part of almost every service member’s experience while in the military. With bases all over the world, you may get the opportunity to go to many unique places while serving the country. Seeing the world is perhaps truest for members of the U.S. Navy as they go on deployments at sea for months at a time, sometimes making many stops at ports all over the world. In the military, you get to experience unique things and boast the pride of serving one’s country.
5. WEB DEVELOPMENT
Web development is highly in demand in today’s interconnected world. If you love to travel, this job is feasible pretty much anywhere with a solid internet connection. The average pay of a web developer is $73,000 per year, and many can work for themselves as freelancers. When choosing a major in college, consider a degree in web development, programming, or computer science. There are also alternative routes to learning the technicality of designing web sites that do not require formal university instruction. There are online bootcamps as well as self-paced courses that are completely free online. This is a great option for those who are both technically and artistically minded and have a desire for the life as a digital nomad.
6. FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Flight attendant travel benefits are big perks of the job. Not only do you get paid to travel, sometimes you can get an airline ticket for free as a benefit. Further, flight attendants could have layovers for a few days, allowing time to enjoy whatever destination they are in.
Flight attendants enjoy the flight benefits, and many times their family members can travel for free as well. This means that you can bring relatives with you on your adventures.
7. JOURNALISM
With a degree in journalism, it is possible to take international trips hunting down the best story. This is high profile work, however some with journalism degrees may choose to write articles on a freelance basis. If you have a camera, computer, and internet connection, the ability to write articles from all over the world is there.
Journalists’ salaries vary depending on what type of journalism they do. Live broadcasters on the radio and TV usually make more than print journalists at $71,000 per year versus $48,000 per year on average. Freelance writers can make up to $63,000 per year.
8. PEACE CORPS
The Peace Corps is a U.S. Government agency dedicated to building relationships with global leaders. If you are interested in humanitarian work, becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer is a unique way to live and work abroad. There are over 60 countries that welcome the Peace Corps. Most Volunteers serve 2 years, and 3-12 month options are available in select fields. You must be at least 18 years old to volunteer, and they prefer hiring those with college degrees. Although this role usually does not pay very much, they normally provide food and housing and you will have unique experiences of a lifetime.
9. HOSPITALITY
With a hospitality and management degree, you can have a career in a variety of areas including tourism, food and beverage, event planning, and entertainment. If you are one who dreams of travel, and you enjoy organizing, managing, and leadership, this could be a good option for you. Often times, hospitality experts work for major hotel companies as managers, directors, and more. As many hotels offer benefits to their workers, this will help you when you travel to have free or discounted lodging.
10. ENGINEERING
There are dozens of different kinds of engineering in the world, but at its core engineering is solving problems and building solutions. Many types of engineering are highly specialized. If you are technically minded, this may a be a good career for you.
As many industries are turning towards remote work, engineering is no exception. According to Linkedin, there are 15,000 remote engineering jobs out there. As long as you have a secure internet connection, you can live out your wanderlust dreams with a remote engineering job.
11. LINGUISTICS
Do you speak a second, third, or fourth language? Linguistics may be a good career option for you. With the obvious benefit of studying other languages to better communicate as you travel the world, if you get a degree in linguistics, it may open up opportunities for a career as a translator. There is plenty of work as a translator. As our world becomes increasingly technological, there are even opportunities for remote work.
A career in linguistics also opens up avenues in education. You can teach English as a second language abroad, or even at home and enjoy the benefits of many days off when school is not in session.
12. CONTENT CREATOR
A content creator is someone who makes projects for social media, blogs, Youtube, and more. Becoming a full-time content creator is no easy task. It can take years of unpaid work before it grows into a career that earns you income. Once you are able to establish a following, or you are able to make content for other businesses, this can be a fun job that allows a lot of flexibility. As long as you have access to Wifi, creating content can be done all over the world. Perhaps, you can make content about your adventures at home or abroad.
This article was all about careers for those who love to travel.
You don’t have to wait for retirement to travel the world. It is possible to use your working years to travel. Whether you decide to put your career to work, or to have as many days off as possible, or to find a career working remotely, there is a vast array of opportunities for travel-lovers.
