The Best Jobs That Let You Travel More

We live in a ‘9–5 society’ where it’s quite easy to forget the possibilities to make your own choices and detour from this life pattern followed by virtually everyone. If you pursue one way and stick to the same industry/position and get more years “in” you can expect a salary increase, more recognition and expertise.

At least that’s what they say.

But what’s fun about knowing what you’ll be doing for the rest of your life? Isn’t the unknown also the most exciting? I’ll take a guess some people want exactly that in their life and have no intention of making a change and that’s fine — but at this point I’m off, to have some adventures.

Having the ability to switch careers throughout your life offers exciting opportunities to learn about yourself, discover what you are passionate about and be a part of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I always try to look at decisions I make from a life-long perspective; like, will I really care if I stayed in this job for a few more years to just go and do the same thing in another one? being paid a couple of grand more, but still having to ask if I can go on holiday? or feel guilty if I want to rest on Wednesday, but would work for 12 hours straight on Saturday? because that is how I feel inspired to be?

Reflecting on my life experiences as a young twenty-something, variety of spice and location flexibility gave me the most impactful experiences. Was it challenging? Yes. Did it change me? Definitely! Would I do it again? Oh hell yes!! Remember that all of the events that occurred in your life have lead you to the place you are now.

So, what could you possibly do for a living that would allow you to experience a multitude of activities, visit exotic locations or hop and skip from one country to the other, all whilst being able to have fun doing it, eating wonderful local food AND having a place to stay?

Well, that’s why I’m here to help.

I’ve carefully created a selection of professions that could appeal to you. Most don’t require a specific skillset, or if so, training would be provided as a part of the role. The experience you could receive would be an invaluable asset for your future and assist you in keeping your adventure alive.

You might learn a new craft and discover new passions and abilities you were not aware of before — it is a great way to challenge yourself and there are many ways you can achieve your goals. That is, if you aspire to travel more and earn the money you need and more to help you pay for your accommodation and food.

This could range from earning money anywhere you wish as a digital nomad, or relocating to a new place and receiving useful perks in exchange for your expertise. Both of these options will provide you with an income outside of the office environment, which is a great way to extend your travels. Some people have been doing it for many years and are very happy with their work-life balance. If travelling is one of your main goals in life, it’s very important to pursue a career that can be easily become remote.

Below is a selection of my favourite work opportunities that can offer the most interesting and rewarding ways to enable longer, more meaningful travel.

You will be able to help other people and contribute to improving local societies. It feels great to be a part of a community that cares about the same causes as you do — this is one of the best places to form life-long friendships and have tons of fun on the way.

Workaway

Workaway is cultural exchange allowing you to commit a few hours a day in exchange for accommodation and food. There is a huge variety of opportunities — you can work in a hotel, help out on a farm or work at a school! But it is also so much more. You will be able to find your perfect activity. To gain a placement you have to apply and introduce yourself to your potential host. Everything will be agreed in advance and there’s a lot of support from Workaway to make it one of the greatest experiences of your life. Once you get the workaway bug, it might be tough to come back to typical jobs. If you plan ahead, you might be able to sustain yourself and move from one location to the other, especially if it’s farming season. Join the Workaway community today and find your perfect host.

See more info on their website.

• What is Workaway? Workaway is a cultural exchange — you exchange your time for accommodation and food offered by a host. Some jobs are paid and some of them are in amazing locations — it seems like a great idea to travel like a local and work at the same time!
• Is Workaway paid? Some of the placements offer a wage — especially those requiring more physical commitment (like a work on a farm) or expert knowledge.
• How to get a job in Workaway? To begin, simply sign up and create your account on Workaway. You will need to pay a membership fee of 36€/£30/$39 per year. With that you will have access to a whole database of contacts and hosts on the platform. Once Workaway has verified your details, start messaging hosts with experiences you would like to get involved in!

House and pet-sitting

House and pet-sitting has gained popularity as a win-win for both pet-owners and people who love pets. You might think of it as taking care of someone’s house and their pets while they’re out travelling. There could be many reasons for this such as:

• Their pet doesn’t cope well with travelling
• Their pet is not so suitable for the journey they are taking (cats, horses, chickens — you might have to take care of those, too!)
• There are limitations or high costs linked to going cross-continent with a pet (let’s say from UK to US)

There are many pets and houses which need sitting around the world — you might start more locally to get referrals and get the feel of it, before you decide to go across the globe. There are many kinds of stays — some of them are very remote locations and you might have to take care of farm animals. Perhaps you could end up taking care of a cat in high-end NYC apartment, or end up in Scotland with cute dogs. This is definitely an option for people who love being around nature and have a good grasp on being around different animals. If it sounds like a great option for you, I recommend that you visit trustedhousesitters.com. To become eligible for house and pet sits, first you will require an annual membership. There are 3 different types of membership:

• pet and house sitter — annual fee of £89
• pet and house owner — annual fee of £89
• combined (sitter and owner) — annual fee of £114

The fees cover insurance during your stay — in case anything bad happens and just to be safe! Once you house sit you can feel welcome and be able to explore surrounding areas. If you happen to pet sit a dog, it will surely be happy to show you around its favourite trails and parks. Be sure to stay in touch with the owners once you’re there — an occasional picture might be a nice touch which will increase your chances for securing another staycation in the future.
Is house and pet sitting paid you ask? Usually, house and pet sitting is an exchange of access to the house for taking care of it — look at it this way, you will have a rent-free stay and get to spend some time with animals in a new setting!
How to get a job in house and pet sitting? Create an account with TrustedHousesitters and create your profile. Once you’ve paid for your membership, fill in all required information and outline what level of experience you have with different animals. All done? Start applying for house and pet sits — and start conversations with potential hosts!

Help out on a farm or vineyard

If you’re not scared of hard work and love a good view, you might be happy to join the harvest season on a farm or in a vineyard. It’s a good seasonal option. The other great thing about it is — you get paid. Harvest season is not too long, so if you decide to work hard for a couple of weeks, it may be a nice income to stay on holiday for longer. While for some it might sound monotonous, it’s a great opportunity to meet both locals and people travelling from different countries. It’s a great opportunity to pick up some language skills — and that’s just a side perk! I know some people have become fluent in a language this way.

It’s not just for vineyards, you can also work on fruit farms or take part harvesting olives. To search for available openings, head to World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms website — its such a great way to be a part of an organisation involved in improving the quality of food and the well-being of the people that produce it.
What does farm work involve? There are so many different tasks you could be involved in, but all of them include manual labor. In some cases it could work in your favour to hold a driving license, but usually the majority of work will be done on the field — the best gym sessions I’d say!

Music Festival staff

Music lover? Glastonbury tickets sold out for the 5th year in a row before you could even see the screen to get one for you or your friends? There is a way to sneak your way and be around in magical vibes of music festivals. The only difference would be you’re not really wearing tons of glitter, but hi-vis vest — that might do as well — and you get that experience just volunteering, instead of having to pay to be there. Some roles might be paid, such as a security guard. You might be a part of the wristbander, steward or info steward teams! You will be able to camp there or you can find a place nearby to stay for those couple of days where the festival takes place. If you’e in the UK, you can apply on Festaff website — they cover the best festivals in the country, including Glastonbury, Creamfields, 80s Rewind and more…

Cruise Ship crew

Good pay, accommodation and food included, and you get to go on a cruise — this is the reality for many people that work as crew on a cruise ship. If life on the open water sounds very attractive to you, there’s variety of positions available in the industry.

Think of it as a hotel on the sea — there are so many positions onboard from cleaning to massage, singers and musicians through to kitchen and bar staff jobs. Virtually all of your costs of living will be covered and you will get some downtime to explore some beautiful port cities in desirable locations. If this sounds like a challenge that you would be interested in, you can apply for jobs directly on the websites of the cruise companies themselves such as RoyalCaribbean, CelebrityCruises or VirginHolidayCruises. If you want to browse a broader range of cruise opportunities you can browse through All Cruise Jobs.

Teach English abroad (or other languages)

Teaching English overseas is a fantastic proposition for people who are passionate about both teaching and travel. Having an approachable personality and a friendly attitude can ensure you have no problem earning a stable income and will lead to further bookings and private lessons. This job is quite easy to transfer to a remote position with VipKid, which will allow you to conduct lessons online — as long as you have a stable internet connection and a camera. Most English teaching jobs require a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate and is available for English native speakers with a Bachelor’s degree in any field. Some employers cover the cost of your certification.
To find English teaching jobs, check here — Teachaway website.

Summary

All of the diverse job ideas I have explained above are interesting, rewarding paths that really allow you to see more of the beautiful planet we get to live on. Consider what your strengths and skills are, what you are passionate about and start looking for roles that will put those skills to good use. If you gain enough experience in the first few roles, it will become easier to secure further placements and make it a continuous adventure, moving from one place to the other.

Keep in mind that you will no doubt meet new people along the way and make friends around the world that might help you find your next endeavour — who knows, maybe your paths will cross again in the future?

The world has never been so connected like it is now, so becoming more connected with it can only promise great things will happen.

So what are you waiting for? Follow your true passion without delay!

Originally published at https://www.lionsdetour.com on January 23, 2020.