Do you want to get paid to travel? If traveling to new places is your passion, you need to find work that require travel and pay well.
There are plenty of people who have forged great careers that pay them for traveling around the world.
Travel and Get Paid
If you want to travel the world and get paid, you need to first identify what you are good at. Apart from being passionate about traveling, you need to have a few skills. You can be good at writing, blogging, photography, videography or editing.
According to Kelly Lewis, founder of the Women’s Travel Fest, it is important to invest in your dreams and passion if you want to get paid to travel. You must get all the tools that you would need for producing content. Invest in a new camera and a selfie stick so that you can get paid to blog about a brand new restaurant.
In the beginning, you might have to invest in travel. You will get travel jobs when you utilize your trip to produce quality content. If you go to a new city and write about a brand new food outlet that has opened there, you will catch the attention of companies that pay you to travel.
Alternatively, you can pick up jobs such as teaching and earn money while you travel. You must have a working holiday visa that will let you work easily for a year in foreign countries like Australia or New Zealand.
How Can You Get Paid to Travel?
There are plenty of ways to get paid to travel. They are not too easy as you will have to work a lot. If you have an insatiable wanderlust, you can check out the 12 opportunities that will let you travel and get paid to do it. You can spend weeks or months in exotic countries while earning money.
#1. Travel Blogging
Travel blogging is one of the best travel jobs where you get paid to travel. Traveling to beautiful places such as traveling in a rented party bus to Lubbock, and writing about them sounds definitely appealing. However, it is not a cakewalk to be a popular and professional travel blogger.
First of all, you need to spend money on building your site. Next, you have to write interesting posts on travel regularly and have many followers on social media to get noticed. Once you gain some popularity as a travel blogger, brands will contact you and sponsor your travel.
You will get paid to travel and review hotels. The job of travel blogging is very interesting but it requires hard work, perseverance, and patience. There is plenty of work that you have to do as a travel blogger. As you are running your own business, you have to also handle the marketing and growth of your site apart from writing articles.
In the initial months, you have to pay for your travel and write interesting blog posts. You cannot think of free travel during that time. Many travel bloggers get impatient when brands do not contact them. You will get success in travel blogging if you are passionate about both travel and blogging.
#2. Instagram Influencer
If you are good at photography, you can become an Instagram influencer for getting paid to travel the world. There are plenty of travel and lifestyle influencers who earn money online. All of them are trying their best to enhance their reach on the visual platform.
If you have many Instagram followers, you can explore the opportunities to monetize your page. There are many companies that pay you to travel so that you can promote a particular location through your Instagram feed. You can get paid to travel and take photos if you have a good number of followers.
In order to find success as an Instagram influencer, you must have a professional Instagram page. Apart from having a great number of followers, you should upload scenic travel pictures with the right hashtags. Lastly, you must network with fellow travel Instagrammers to know about the various ongoing travel opportunities.
#3. Teach English
If you want to travel the world and get paid, you can teach English. It is one of the most lucrative jobs that you can get in a foreign land. As English is a universal language, it has great demand.
Schools in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East look for good English teachers. A certificate of TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign language) will increase your chance of getting the job. You will get a handsome salary if you teach English in Japan or the United Arab Emirates.
You can explore the foreign country for a few months and get paid while you do so. There are countless job opportunities in teaching. Many programs will also sponsor your airfare and housing.
#4. Flight Attendant
If you are wondering how you can get paid to travel to exotic places, you can be a flight attendant. It is one of the best jobs that require travel and pay well. Flight attendants make a good amount of money every year and therefore, it’s a good career choice if you love traveling.
They also get free travel benefits for their families. Although the payment is good and there are many benefits, the job is demanding. Flight attendants have to work a minimum of 80 hours a month.
#5. Write for a Travel Guidebook
One of the most popular travel jobs is to research and write for travel guidebooks. The job is exciting as it allows you to visit many new places to explore the food, hotels, and the local culture. Although you get paid to travel and review hotels, you should remember that the job is hectic.
Travel guidebook writers have to meet strict deadlines that compel them to work for more than 12 hours a day. Moreover, traveling to new places is only a small fraction of the job. You have to write interesting content and make maps of the places you visit.
#6. Trade Foreign Goods
You can travel the world and get paid by trading foreign goods. At first, you need to pay for your trip and have some capital to start your business. Go to exotic countries and pick up local specialty goods that will grab the attention of people in your city.
Select goods that the areas are famous for such as Italian leather and Turkish ceramics. After coming back home, sell the goods to collectors, stores, and e-retailers such as Amazon or eBay for great profits. You must know about customs regulations so that you don’t get into trouble.
#7. Freelancer
A freelancer can earn money online from any place if he has a laptop and an internet connection. You don’t have to worry about how to get paid to travel if you are good at writing, editing, translation, coding or graphic design. Sites like Upwork and Fiverr allow freelancers to work anywhere anytime.
You can easily pick up side-gigs to earn money while traveling. Before you embark on your journey, start taking gigs on the popular freelance websites. Once you have a good reputation on these sites, you will never run out of work. You can work from a beachside café in a foreign country and earn money online easily.
#8. Destination Wedding Photographer
If you are a talented photographer, you can utilize your talent to get paid to travel. The business of wedding photography is a promising and lucrative one. You have to invest in a good camera, editing software, and a professional website.
You must have a great portfolio on your site to attract clients. The destination wedding is in vogue among millennial’s. Couples hire wedding photographers and pay to travel.
A good destination wedding photographer charges a handsome amount of money for a wedding along with airfare, meals, and lodging. This job lets you travel free and get paid handsomely. The only criterion is that you need to be good at your work.
#9. Be an Au Pair
The term “au pair” means an extra pair of hands. An au pair is a young woman who travels to a new, foreign country and lives with a host family for a specific period of time. She is like an international nanny who takes care of children of the host family in exchange for a room, food, and some pocket money.
Being an au pair is one of the best ways to get paid to travel. Not only you can make money but also explore a new culture from the perspective of a local family. Au Pair World is a website that matches interested people with families.
#10. Tour Guide
If being paid to travel is your dream, you should become a tour guide. You need to be friendly, talkative, and passionate about traveling if you want to excel in this job. You can lead groups of people through the historic and iconic places of the world.
There are many touring companies that pay you to travel if you have amazing talent. Once you get a contract with a touring company, you don’t have to worry about money. Many guides work as freelancers and have uneven paydays.
#11. Join WWOOF
You can get paid to travel if you join WWOOF (World Wide Organization of Organic Farms). The organization gives you the opportunity to travel to various countries so that you can work on the organic farms. You have to work for about 6 hours every day in exchange for housing and food with a host family.
As you have to work only 6 hours a day, you can explore the country in your free time. The terms of WWOOF are flexible. You can stay and work there for as long as you want. You only have to pay for your flight ticket.
Although joining WWOOF is not a career choice, it is a good way to explore a new country without paying for food and lodging. The experience of working on organic farms and staying with a local family will enrich you in many ways.
#12. Yoga Instructor
If you are good at yoga and love to interact with people, you can get paid to travel. Once you become a certified yoga instructor, you can teach yoga all over the world. You need to have a free spirit and be passionate about yoga.
There are plenty of yoga camps all over the world that require certified yoga instructors. In order to excel as a traveling yoga instructor, you have to build a strong base. You should state your yoga credentials and qualification on your resume.
You can invest in a website where you can flaunt your portfolio. If you have some additional skills like healing techniques or playing a musical instrument, you will earn more while traveling. You can also share your experience as a traveling yoga instructor on your blog.
There are many online yoga job sites where you can register. You can also volunteer at a yoga retreat or a studio. Build your brand and network with fellow yoga teachers.
Wrapping it up
Although being paid to travel sounds like a dream, it can be a reality. Most people believe that traveling to a foreign country will cost a lot of money. That is not true unless you are adamant about living in a 5-star hotel in a foreign country.
A traveler will rather enjoy living with locals and experiencing their culture. If you are passionate about traveling and do not fear to leave your comfort zone, you will get paid to travel. There are plenty of opportunities to travel and get paid to do it.
You can teach a guitar or violin if you know how to play it well. You can become a scuba instructor or tutor children online while you travel. Travel can not only be affordable but also profitable if you have some skills.
There are always some vacancies at resorts and hotels. You can take a job there to earn while traveling. Many travelers also take the job of a bartender to make some quick money. The only thing that you need is the urge to travel the world irrespective of the amount of money in your bank. If you have a great wanderlust, you will make things happen.
