There are people who don’t like to travel for work but then there are people who love business travels so much that they pick jobs based on the required mileage. The popular myth has it that jobs “on the road” pay less but this is simply not the case. In fact, there are at least 6 jobs that come with a solid paycheck and the opportunity to travel the world.
A(ny) job at a cruise ship
Although the cruise ship industry took a major hit in 2020, the future is bright for pleasure cruises. These floating hotels offer an abundance of employment opportunities, from bartenders and maids, all the way to professional photographers and yoga instructors.
The work hours may be long but you always get time off when the ship docks in a harbor. Barcelona, Dubai, Venice, Miami, Naples, or Dubrovnik: the list of places worldwide you will visit while working on a cruise ship is endless.
p.s. Did we mention that you get meals and lodging for free, allowing you to save your entire salary (sans the souvenirs shopping)?
Becoming a travel agent or a tour guide
You simply know that an occupation that contains the word “travel” will help you go places. If you’re a person who likes to schedule, plan and book his/her own trip, then you can turn your passion into a full-fledged profession of a travel agent. Admittedly, there are going to many days at the office but your line of work will allow you to travel as well and get a heavy discount for your own holiday trips.
Another popular post in the tourism industry is a tour guide. Don’t get us wrong, taking tourist to visit famous sights won’t turn you into a billionaire but won’t be lacking anything. In fact, you will be paid to travel, learn, and teach about various interesting sights. A dream come true for any outgoing, inquisitive, and friendly, person.
Take up truck driving
All of the jobs on our list require some kind of formal qualification in terms of a degree or a certificate. The only job you only need a driver’s license is driving a truck. Apart from excellent driving skills, you need to be a time-aware person, since the goods you’ll be hauling need to deliver on time.
Living on the road is exciting but difficult and sometimes dangerous as well. Most of the time you’d be spending the night in the semi’s cab but you can brag that you passed through every city on the continent when you retire.
You needn’t have a pension in old age, as a truck driver can earn up to 65k dollars annually, even more if you get a dangerous goods licence and start hauling fragile and/or flammable cargo.
A life in the skies
Pilots are among the top-paid professions but it takes a lot of schooling, flight hours, and skill to become one. Luckily, the next best thing might be just the job you are looking for: a flight attendant. Like a tour guide, you need to be extrovert and enjoy working with people, catering to passengers’ every need.
The biggest perk and allure of becoming a steward/or a stewardess is the opportunity to stay for a couple of nights in luxury hotels in foreign countries.
During layovers, you get to explore the sights and sounds of pretty much every city with an airport across the globe. Since you’re travels are covered by the airliner, you get to save a huge chunk of your salary. However, expect crazy work hours and be prepared to adopt a hectic lifestyle, which shouldn’t be too hard if you’re truly fond of travel.
Teaching English to non-natives
Whether English is your native tongue or you speak it with near-native proficiency, you can monetize your language skills. We speak of English (pun intended) but in reality, you can take up teaching of any language you are proficient at to non-natives. From parents who want their children to learn a foreign tongue early on to business people who want to brush up on their English.
The opportunities are endless. You can start as an online language instructor and then advance by actually traveling to the country your language center is based on to teach students face to face. As far as money is concerned, the more classes you are willing to book, the more dollars you will earn; it’s all up to you!
Writing about your travels
Usually, people hope to earn money at a job that involves travel. However, you can turn travel into a pleasure without the need for a real job. There are more and more travel bloggers who record their journeys and get paid by sponsors or viewers. Whether it’s an Instagram story or a travel blog, you can start earning money by recording your adventures.
The full list of jobs that blend travel and business is endless but the ones we’ve listed are more than enough to get you started. Good luck on all future and profitable travels!