How to travel and work your way around the world

In this post I’ll be explaining which jobs give you the freedom to work and travel. The job factor is fundamental but  it’s not the only “obstacle” to be taken into consideration if you are thinking of quitting everything and leaving. There are several components which affect this choice and several questions that need to be answered:

  • How can I leave my current job?
  • What will friends and relatives think about my decision?
  • What will I do with my house/flat?
  • What  about my dog?
  • When and how do I go about organising my travel experience?
  • and more..

We’ll explore some of the possible answers to these questions in a future post in the series.

Freelance writer

Do you like writing? So, why not become a “writer”?

A writer is someone who creates a written text and not necessarily someone for whom writing is a profession, like a journalist for example: you do not need to register yourself with any associations or professional bodies to write in magazines, journals, blogs or web sites etc.

There are many magazines, newspapers, internet web sites always looking for new material and, consequently, for freelance writers: articles, reviews, stories, photos, etc. some examples of what is usually required and the subject is not necessarily always linked to travelling.

For example:

  • Do you like cooking? Why not write and suggest recipes or articles about cooking?
  • Are you keen on finance? Then why not contact magazines and web sites which  deal with finance?
  • Are you interested in nature the outdoors? Send your articles and photos to magazines / web sites which talk about this subject.

Is photography your real passion?

Also in this case there are several web sites (besides newspapers and magazines) willing to pay for your photographs. While travelling, you have the opportunity, every day and almost every moment, to take a photo of different subjects and landscapes: a unique situation which most photographers don’t have.

A small selection of web sites that you can sell your photos are: Fotolia, iStockPhoto,  ShutterStock. These are only some of the sites dedicated to online photo selling there are many more. You can propose everything: people, animals, objects, landscapes, sunsets and so on.

ESL teacher

TEFL stands for  “teaching english as a second language” in countries where english is not the first language. Finding work in this field is easier in some countries than in others. The normal requirements are good spoken and written English and, in some cases, a TESL, TEFL, TESOL certification. It isn’t always necessary to speak English perfectly, as a second language is fine, but definitely a good basic knowledge is essential, both written and oral, but a degree in english is not a requirement.

Photo by yewenyi

Job opportunities are plentiful, especially in Asia: finding a job in Korea, for example, is the easiest option and in many cases (taking into account the cost of living) also the best paid. Even Japan, China, Thailand and Vietnam are very popular destinations to consider.

South and Central American countries also lack ESL teachers, but getting the visa is a bit tougher than in Asia. There are plenty of job opportunities in Europe as well, but the requirements are more strict.

Recruiting companies such as Footprints can be extremely helpful if you’re looking for an ESL job. Another option is to hunt them down in forums like  Dave’s ESL Cafe or goabroad

Travel nurse

Who qualifies to be a travel nurse? According to TravelNursing.com

  • Registered nurses in most specialties
  • Dialysis nurses
  • Nurse practitioners
  • Advance practice nurses
  • LPNs/LVNs with 6 years of recent experience
  • Radiologic technologists
  • Physical therapists
  • Occupational therapists
  • Speech language pathologists
  • Nurse Managers
  • Other allied health care specialties

The pay and benefits are great, assignments can be long or short-term, and in many cases, accomodation is provided.

Travel agent

Travel agents are the connection among travelers, hotels, airlines and tourist offices: for this reason aspiring travel agents require a basic knowledge of travel and possibly more detailed knowledge of a particular continent or region..

The travel agents-to-be have different options as far as training is concerned: a lot of travel agencies prefer candidates with a previous travel experience, or formal vocational qualifications can be gained from technical schools, pre-university training schools and university.

These kind of jobs can be found anywhere in the world: job ads can be found in local newspapers or web sites. It’s impossible to list all the web sites to look at because it depends on the city/country you want to work in.

Tourist guides

This is the perfect job for  people who do not link the word “home” necessarily with the place where they were born.

If you have decided to live in a foreign country, in a city and  have chosen it for its culture, food ,life style.  What better way to earn a  living by sharing this passion with other people? Often speaking a second language can be a great advantage.

In order to find a job as a tourist guide, it’ is sometimes enough to go to travel agencies who organize sightseeing tours of the city (or area) where you live and ask if they are looking for staff.

Job offers can be found in local newspapers and localmartuk.com. In some countries you can find job ads on newsagents’ or small grocers’ shop-windows.

If you want to add  info on jobs which have not been listed, you can do it by leaving a comment in the box below.

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I contribute with articles, posts, photos, reviews, anything travel related to Thinking Nomads. Find out how to become a guest blogger!

5 thoughts on “How to travel and work your way around the world”

  1. Pingback: How to travel and work your way around the world: tips for travellers ...
  2. Thank you for the fantastic article. I’m very enjoyed while reading this. WAT is such an awesome program for foreign youngs. I hope I will attend it next year 🙂 Take care!

  3. Nice post. I’m about to pack in a job of four years to travel around South America and have actually considered a few of those options. I thought I might do some freelance editing and writing for the science industry, where I work now, to help keep me going and fund by travels and blogging. But being a tour guide really appeals too!

  4. Some websites, that hire writers; would be useful.

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