These 15 Travel Jobs Will Pay You to See the World

Landing travel jobs seems like a dream and feels unachievable for most people.

You are not alone in feeling this.

If you’ve ever found yourself daydreaming while on your day job, thinking of all the places you want to go to, but can’t because you’re stuck to your desk job, then this article is for you.

If you’ve spent a weekend at a beautiful, exotic place and dreamt about staying there forever, you actually can.

In this post, I’ll talk about the best travel jobs you can apply to, the requirements for each job, and how much you can expect to make.

Dig through the list today and see how you can get paid to travel.

15 Best Travel Jobs

Before I begin, let me clarify…

The travel jobs I chose are jobs that require you to travel as part of the job requirement.

NOT included on this list are:

• Jobs that do not include traveling as a major part of the job, even if travel is rewarded or offered as a perk.

• Remote or work-from-home jobs. Yes, these jobs allow you to travel, for sure, but it’s different from employment that requires you to travel.

Now that you have a clearer set of expectations, let’s get to the list:

1. Flight Attendant

Being a flight attendant is one of the best jobs that lets you travel to many different cities in the country and the world, onboard lovely airplanes, and land at the best airports.

There are physical requirements, though.

These vary among different airlines. The basic physical requirements for safety are:

• You must be able to reach the overhead bins
• Your BMI needs to be within the normal range (that is, your height needs to be proportional to your weight),
• Your vision needs to be at least 20/30.

Other highly valued skills of a flight attendant include excellent communication skills, customer service skills, and the ability to present a well-groomed, dignified appearance. You also need to be level-headed to handle circumstances such as jet lag, turbulence, and difficult passengers.

If you can do this job, you’ll be rewarded handsomely.

The salary range for flight attendants is normally between $62,000 to $96,000 a year. On top of this, flight attendants also receive perks like free or discounted flights for themselves and their family members.

And the biggest perk of all: being paid to travel to and stay in all kinds of beautiful cities and countries.

2. Commercial Pilot

Commercial pilots don’t just fly airlines, though many of them do.

The term “commercial pilot” means a pilot allowed by the FAA to receive money for services, so the term also includes cargo pilots, tour pilots, backcountry pilots, ferry pilots, and even flight instructors.

Learn to fly, and you can travel as much as a flight attendant does, but for a greater salary.

You’ll also have one of the best travel jobs imaginable.

Of course, you’ll have to assume a greater amount of responsibility.

To get a commercial pilot license, you’ll first need to be a private pilot and log at least 250 flight hours.

You must also complete commercial pilot training, obtain a second class medical certificate and pass the FAA written exam, and check-ride.

Once you complete all these requirements and land a commercial pilot job, you can take home a salary between $117,000 to $152,000. On top of this, you also have travel perks such as free accommodations, food, and other travel expenses taken care of.

3. Nature or Travel Photographer

Photographers can find jobs virtually anywhere in the world – and at many industries. They’re needed at a variety of locations, including tourist attractions, local events and high-end resorts.

While it is possible to join news organizations like the Associated Press, your path doesn’t have to rely exclusively with media companies.

You can even make a living on a freelance basis while traveling. You just need to know how to make money with your photos or land a remote photographer job.

4. Travel Journalist

Journalists can report news wherever they are.

Being assigned on international beats can get you a way out of your country for a year or more.

A specific journalist job is known as a travel journalist, who visits various cities and countries, interview people from these areas, prepare reports, and writes stories for TV, newspapers, online news sites, and other media platforms.

The average salary of travel journalists are at around $61,000 a year.

5. Cruise Ship Worker

Being a cruise ship worker is a travel job that allows you to see the world, one port of call at a time.

You’ll be living on the cruise ship, so you’ll have free room and board, and this is aside from the salary you’ll be getting.

Below are some of the positions you can apply for:

• Hairdresser
• Massage Therapist
• Casino Dealer
• Engineer
• Server
• Cook
• Gift Shop Attendant
• Housekeeping
• Concierge
• Financial Controller
• Purser
• Computer/Internet Technician
• Ship Physician
• Ship Nurse
• Photographer
• Videographer
• Instructor
• Clergy
• Entertainer
• Deck Officer

The job requirements and salary will, of course, vary by position.

However, expect these 3 common requirements:

• You should be able to handle months out at sea
• You’ll need to know how to swim
• You need to be a people-person, since you’ll be assisting tourists from all parts of the globe.

For more information, check out All Cruise Jobs, CruiseShipJob.com, or Cruise Ship Jobs Guide.

6. International Aid and Development Worker

If you want to travel to foreign cities, immerse yourself in an entirely different culture, make a difference, and get paid for it, working as a volunteer for an international aid organization may be a good fit for you.

You’ll visit countries around the world that are in the middle of wars, famine, and suffering after natural disasters and are in dire need of help and assistance.

These organizations welcome volunteers over 18, with or without experience, and they are usually looking for volunteers for missions related to health, food, social services, and infrastructure.

It’s no vacation to help those in need, even if they’re in a gorgeous country. So before you apply, do some soul-searching and figure out what matters to you.

Requirements vary depending on the position you’re applying to, but you’ll need to be able to bear being without the comforts of home for months or even years at a time.

Some of the organizations you can apply to are:

• Peace Corps
• Voluntary Service Overseas
• Red Cross
• USAID
• UN Volunteers
• Voluntary Service Overseas

Also note that many positions in these organizations are on a volunteer basis. Check details about salary, stipend, accommodation, food, and other essentials before signing the dotted line.

7. Foreign Service Officer

How would you like to live and interact with people from other countries and immerse in their culture while serving and representing your country?

If the idea sounds appealing, foreign service might just be one of the best travel jobs for you.

Foreign service officers are assigned to one of 5 areas of specialization: political, economic, consular, administration, and public diplomacy.

They travel around the world working on immigration, managing refugee flows, distributing disaster aid, reporting on diplomatic issues, and conducting press conferences for ambassadors.

Foreign service officers must be a US citizen, at least 20 years old but no older than 59, and available for worldwide service. Meaning, you should be willing and ready to go at a moment’s notice to fly anywhere in the world as the state department decides.

Other requirements include an oral assessment and a security background check. Passing all these gets you an offer for a position and a training slot in the Foreign Service Institute.

The state department will decide where you get assigned and when you need to be transferred.

The normal salary range for foreign service officers is between $82,000 to $109,000 a year.

8. Au Pair

If you’re an unmarried young adult with no children, you may want to apply as an au pair.

You have to be good with children and be willing to stay with a host family for the entirety of your stay in a certain country.

An au pair is someone who travels to a foreign country for a defined period to support a host family with childcare and housework. In exchange, you’ll receive free board, lodging, and pocket money. Some also pay a regular salary instead of an allowance.

Despite this arrangement, an au pair is neither a nanny nor a housekeeper.

The primary purpose is to facilitate cultural exchange. The host family teaches the au pair about their local culture and allows the au pair to practice speaking their language.

The au pair also educates the children in his or her care and allows the children to practice the au pair’s language.

The minimum age is normally 18, but the maximum age varies per country.

Program requirements and salary for au pairs also vary per country, so it’s good to check the requirements and the fine print thoroughly first before you turn in your application.

Programs do generally require a visa, a medical checkup, and a criminal background check before interviewing you.

For more information, you can consult AuPair.Com, AuPairWorld, or Great AuPair

9. Luxury Travel Advisor

Travel advisors for clients put together an itinerary, manage vacation time, and provide personalized service and advice.

But when you’re a luxury travel advisor, this goes one (or maybe even a few) steps further.

Clients who are willing to spend big money on a vacation want advisors that have first-hand experience in every aspect of the travel experience, such as flights, hotels, restaurants, and attractions.

Think mansions that are not publicly listed, but can be rented out for the “right price,” an entire island for rent, or a swanky invite-only nightclub reserved only for high-spenders.

As a luxury travel advisor, you’re not offering tours and travel packages people can easily find online. You’re giving clients a unique experience that only the best money can buy.

Thus, luxury travel advisors are almost constantly traveling and in contact with their clients.

When you’re only getting started, you need to make sure that you find the right agency to work with. You’ll want an agency that’s well-connected so that you can get added amenities and benefits that you can offer your VIP clients.

Read the fine print and research how the salary and commissions work, as well as whether they’ll provide training.

The average income of a luxury travel advisor is around $47,000 a year.

10. English Teacher

If English is your native language and you know how to teach, teaching English abroad may just be the travel job for you.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) is a fast-growing educational field, presenting many opportunities for teachers who want to teach English in foreign countries.

It is called other names, such as Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), English Language Teaching (ELT), and teaching ESL (English as a Second Language).

The usual requirements to be able to teach English abroad include a Bachelor’s Degree, some teaching experience, and a TEFL/TESOL certification.

English teacher salary varies per country, but you can get as much as $78,000 a year.

You can teach English from your own home, but going to other countries and experiencing their culture firsthand is a far more enriching experience.

11. Travel Nurse

If you’re already working as a licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), or nurse practitioner (APRN) and would like to have some change in scenery, you can apply to be a travel nurse.

A travel nurse is a skilled healthcare professional who takes short-term assignments in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Traveling gives you the opportunity to gain more clinical experience by working in different hospitals and facilities while getting to visit new locations around the country.

If you don’t already have a degree as an RN, you need to get one, which takes 2 to 4 years to complete.

If you’re going to be a travel nurse in the United States, you can expect to make around $74,000 to $118,000 a year, while if you’re going to work overseas, the salary would depend on the country.

Other perks you could get include free board and lodging, transportation, health insurance, and possibly incentives for accepting certain high-risk or high-demand assignments.

12. Truck Driver

This is probably the least glamorous one here, but being a long-haul trucker does allow you to travel around the country and even to Canada or Mexico.

There’s currently a shortage of qualified truck drivers, and so trucking companies are willing to train and pay more truck drivers.

The problem is that traditionally, long-haul truck driving is physically and mentally exhausting, not to mention the time away from their families.

But now, the industry is changing, and trucking companies are now willing to change industry standards to make truck driving attractive to younger drivers.

You can make between $30,000 to $90,000 a year as a truck driver, depending on the company and where you’re assigned to drive.

You’ll have to be above 21, obtain a commercial trucking license, attend truck driving school, pass a background check as well as a medical, drug, and alcohol test.

13. Athletic Recruiter

If you love sports and you love traveling, this might just be the job for you.

Colleges, universities, and professional sports teams hire athletic recruiters to travel to schools and sporting events around the country and find the best up-and-coming athletes in various sports.

At times, the assignment is to find coaches and other sports roles.

To be a good athletic recruiter, you’ll need to know the sport completely.

You’ll also need to know how to assess an athlete: their skills, how they can fit in a team, potential problems, and how to woo them to join your team.

Negotiating skills will also take you far in this career, as you need to deal with the athletes, their parents, their current coaches, and sometimes their agents if they have them.

Sports recruiters make around $34,000 to $50,000 a year.

14. VIP Nanny

Not all childcare jobs are created equal.

Far from the usual babysitting or stay-out nanny, VIP nannies cater to VIPs and celebrities and as such command higher pay than usual.

Being a VIP nanny becomes a travel job when their clients travel as the nannies would have to travel with them.

Aside from extensive childcare experience and rapport with children, you’d need to have at least a bachelor’s degree, certifications in child CPR, first aid, and other life-saving measures, have excellent communication skills (speaking more than one language is definitely a plus), and most importantly, the flexibility to be where they need you to be.

You’ll be paid quite handsomely—$40,000 to $84,000 is the usual range of annual income for VIP nannies—along with all the perks, but you can get paid even more if you can teach specialized skills to your wards. Music, sports, and academics are all sought-after skills in nannies.

Veterans do advise that you go through your contract very carefully; hire a lawyer if you need to. Once you sign it, do everything in your power to complete your contract.

Keep in mind, though, that competition is fierce. Only the best of the best get to do this, so get your experience, your qualifications, and keep training to be the best.

You can do a Google search for “VIP nanny,” “high profile nanny,” “celebrity nanny,” or “professional nanny.” Alternatively, some of the agencies that hire VIP nannies include:

• The Nanny League
• British American Household Staffing Agency
• Nanny & Butler
• VIP Nannies & Household Staffing Agency
• Nanny Poppinz

15. Scuba Dive Instructor

Here’s a job that mixes two passions in one – scuba diving and travel.

You can actually make a pretty good living teaching diving essentials underwater, in various parts of the world.

You do have to complete courses and certifications from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) to get started with this career.

The average Scuba Diving Instructor salary in the United States is around $51,000 a year.

Final Thoughts On Travel Jobs

These aren’t even half of the opportunities available for those who want to work while traveling, so it’s really not impossible to make money while traveling.

But truthfully, many of these travel jobs require prior skills and expertise, experience in the field, and perhaps most importantly, commitment.

You’re going to get homesick at some point, and you’ll need to be able to find a way to overcome your homesickness and finish out your contract.

If you want to learn about other ways to earn money while traveling, check out my guides on:

• How to earn cash while traveling with these mobile apps (a side hustle)
• How to become a home-based travel agent or build your own travel agency
• How to become a travel consultant
• All the ways you can get paid to travel