In a previous post, we talked about the best ways to travel for cheap, free, or even get paid. But maybe you’re looking for more than just a funded trip. Maybe you want travel to be your life, you’re in it for the long haul, and you’re ready to take that step into the unknown and leave the mundane behind.
Well, this is the list for you! Here are a few jobs that will allow you to travel the world.
By Keith David Langston
CRUISE SHIP JOBS
The most dynamic array of careers that allow you to travel is working on cruise ships. In the modern age, cruise ships have basically become floating cities. The largest cruise ship to date is Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas which can carry almost 9,000 people.
With all those people aboard, it means the ships needs lots of crew with a variety of skills: You can be anything from a doctor, chef, entertainer, room service attendant, lifeguard, on-board travel agent, bartender….you can even be the captain of the ship if you’d like!
With cruise ships, there’s no shortage of variety or abundance of careers.
CABIN CREW
If your eye is towards the sky, not the sea, then maybe you belong in the airline industry.
Being a member of an airline’s cabin crew is a pretty awesome job if you love to travel. Every day you’re off to a new city, each flight has a different vibe, and remember… when you’re above the clouds, every day is a sunny day.
Perks include free flights, being put up in nice hotels with free days to roam new cities, and if you fly international, you get to experience new countries while getting paid!
I think this quote from a flight attendant on Iheartcabincrew.com sums it up nicely: “My parents told me that being a flight attendant wasn’t a real job. While they sit at home with their real jobs, I get ‘views like this’ at my fake one.”
PILOT
If serving drinks isn’t your thing, there is another to way to get onboard a plane…you could be the one who flies it! Being a pilot is one of the most unique careers imaginable. If you’re flying an A380, you could be responsible for up to 800 people’s lives. You get a front row seat to the wide open skies. And the job is a balance of tension and reward every single day. It’s definitely a job a that will make you feel alive.
According to FlyGA, some qualities that make a good pilot include, confidence, self-discipline, situational awareness, and quick thinking skills.
Also, another great thing to remember is that commercial piloting isn’t the only pilot job! There are cargo plane pilots, private jet pilots, forest fire jet pilots, and more!
AU PAIR
Let’s clear this is up from the start: what exactly is an au pair? Well, an au pair is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working for, and living as part of a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family’s responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a monetary allowance for personal use (according to Wikipedia.)
It’s probably not the most profitable career in the world, but with the family covering your food and shelter, all the money you make gets to go towards your social life in places like Paris, Berlin, Lisbon, or Stockholm!
Cultural Care Au Pair (Owned by the highly respected Education First)
INTERNATIONAL AID OFFICER
In the last post we talked about volunteer vacations, but for some, helping others isn’t just a fun pastime, it’s their calling. And there are numerous jobs for people who want to provide international aid, disaster relief, and conflict resolution around the world. This certainly isn’t the most glamorous job in the bunch, but it certainly is the most fulfilling. Career opportunities include groups like the Peace Corps, global nonprofits like the Red Cross, and government jobs.
PRIVATE YACHTS
Ever consider on working on some rich guy’s private yacht?
The world’s mega rich hire their very own crew for their private yachts. Captains, skippers, chefs, and sometimes even housekeepers, and nannies. If you work on one of these yachts, be prepared to spend a good amount of time with only about a handful of people as you sail the open oceans.
I know a woman who was a private chef for a family on a yacht. She loved it. They would travel the northern hemisphere half the year, then move down to the southern hemisphere for the other. The money is pretty good as well, since your food and lodging on the yacht is provided, and you’re not able to spend any of the money you make since you’re in the middle of an ocean.