Getting Paid to Travel
When you’ve been bitten by the travel bug, it’s impossible to sit still in one place knowing you can be off elsewhere to see new places and meet all sorts of interesting people. Unfortunately, for the most part, traveling requires money. Yet, there’s no shortage of available options for anyone to make a good living and travel at the same time.
Here are a few options that can allow you to make traveling a part of your full-time job:
- Be a flight attendant
You don’t need to be a graduate of a specific degree, in order for you to be a flight attendant. You just need to be over the age of 21, meet the height requirements and have a clean criminal record. The best part is, you get to travel for free and over time, you’ll be able to bring your family along with you, as well. In the beginning, you won’t have a lot of freedom to choose your schedule and your flight route. However, the longer you stay in the airline, the more you get a fighting chance at bidding for the destinations of your choice and your work hours.
- Work in a cruise ship or cruise line
Cruise ships require a lot of manpower for a wide variety of professions. As a cruise ship is a moving city by itself, the job opportunities are endless! You can be an electrician, production manager, cook, entertainer, masseuse, bartender, diving instructor, casino dealer or a hotel manager. It depends on the cruise ship, but more often than not, you will be able to find a position you’re qualified to do on a ship. Working on a cruise ship can entail long days, but each of you is given the chance to enjoy ports of call. You may have to work while you’re on one, but in the next, you will have your turn to explore.
- Get a working holiday visa
For US citizens, there are several countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Ireland that offer working holiday visas to those under the age of 30. This visa can last up to two years depending on the policies of the country. This allows you to find any job you like in your destination – whether that be bartending to make ends meet or an internship in your dream company. It’s an incredibly good option for young adults who want to stay in a certain country for a longer period of time. Most of the time, jobs being offered while you’re on this status are seasonal and temporary, but you get to stay longer in a place and earn a decent income while you’re at it.
- Volunteer for the Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is a volunteer program that aims to provide assistance to developing nations to improve their living standards and training. Its objective is to help third-world countries, while providing volunteers with the opportunity to immerse themselves in an entirely new culture. You can be placed to work in schools, non-profit organizations, agriculture, information technology and other sectors. If you decide you want to volunteer, make sure to do so in advance as the application process can get tedious. The pay isn’t impressive, but you get free housing, and you become part of a worthwhile organization. The program typically lasts for 2 years and you also get health benefits as well as student loan deferment. If you’re not ready to stop making a difference in the world after two years, you can extend your time as a volunteer, as well.
- Volunteer for WWOOF
WWOOF is another organization that assigns volunteers to work on organic farms. It aims to provide volunteers with first-hand experience in organic farming methods. While many of the positions offered in “Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms” are not paid, you get free room and board at the farm you work in. Examples of WWOOF experiences include harvesting coffee beans in Northern Thailand and tilling the soil of a flower farm in Oregon. It’s your Farmville account that has come to life! Think wide expanses of farm lands you can wake up to daily. It’s a different kind of experience that will most likely appeal to hipsters at heart. Volunteer work with WWOOF can last as little a number of days you like or up to a few years. You have a flexible schedule and you can hop from one farm to another as much as your heart desires.
- Be an international aid worker
Like working for the Peace Corps, being an international aid worker means you will be providing assistance to struggling countries. However, this is more concentrated on countries that are recovering from being hit by terrible calamities or poverty. This entails more social work and you will need a background in health, agriculture and education if you want to be an international aid worker. Examples of organizations that employ international aid workers are Red Cross, Salvation Army and United Nations. The pay is not too great and the living conditions may not be ideal at times, but you get to help people out and make a difference.
- Be a Foreign Service worker
This is one way you can express your love for your country and your love for traveling at the same time. Being a service worker means working in the embassy of your country in foreign ground. You can be a diplomat or the liaison of your country in foreign soil. Be aware that it may not be easy to become a Foreign Service worker. You will have to go through written and oral exams that are highly competitive and there are several steps to the security investigation process before you can be considered for the position.
With these options now all laid out for you, all you have to do is brush up and update those resumes, primp yourself for the whole application process, and go get that job. Whether you plan to be a flight attendant or a volunteer for the Peace Corps, know that this will be a whole new experience and it can get overwhelming if you’re not prepared.