There is a wide variety of jobs that either involve traveling or are directly related to the travel industry. For those who are looking for a way to explore the world, visit new places and do it all while getting well paid, a travel industry or traveling based career can be a rewarding and interesting way to bring work and adventure together in one place.
See the World on a Company Ticket
Are you a ''road warrior?'' Do you love to wake up every morning in a new city or country? Or are you just fascinated by the idea of travel in general and wish you could find a job that rewarded your thirst for adventure. There are many, many jobs that require traveling as part of the job description. These traveling jobs can take you around the country or around the world. But they may also involve long hours, inconveniences and the need to learn and adapt to the ways of life in other cultures. To help you take the first step on your travel journey, here are just a few ways to travel the world and get paid for it!
Living and Working Abroad
If you’re looking for a way to broaden your horizons but don’t necessarily want to jump on a plane every week, living abroad may be the option for you. With operations scattered all over the world, many multinational corporations have offices in exotic locations. The locales may be exotic, but the needs aren’t necessarily the same. If you’re a clerical worker or IT professional, why not consider working your magic in a far off locale like Dubai or Hong Kong? When seeking jobs in your profession, take the time to see if a prospective employer has offices in other countries and whether they need personnel with your skill set.
You don’t have to be a high-powered specialist to travel on the company dime. Some companies regularly move operations to accommodate possible clients or opportunities. Petroleum companies move drilling teams all over the world to seek out new oil deposits. Construction companies have building jobs that span many countries. If you fit pipe, lay track, build offices, or drive specialized heavy equipment, you may find your skills in high demand abroad. Computer companies regularly deal with remote sites where software or electronic installations take place. Many people find their job abroad teaching English to foreigners in company or school settings. And don’t forget one of the best ways to see the world—the military. Sailors, soldiers, and pilots travel to distant bases around the planet; but so do cooks, computer techs, secretaries, doctors, lawyers, procurement people, and even facility managers.
Jobs that Travel
Maybe you’re not ready to settle down in one place, even if that place is an exotic locale like Paris. No worries—there are lots of jobs that require traveling as part of the description. Sales agents and executives travel regularly to seek out and maintain accounts. Physicians and health/safety personnel travel around the world dealing with medical needs in other countries—these jobs can be found both in the private and public sectors. Travel agents and other travel pros must investigate locations to set up deals and make sure customers will be well cared for. Hotel industry personnel travel to hotels in distant locations, making sure that company standards of upkeep are maintained. If you like jumping on a plane and waking up in a new town every morning, these jobs are a good way to start.
Jobs that ARE Travel
If getting there is half the fun, then maybe a job in travel is the way to go. Airline pilots and air hostesses/stewards jet around the world attending to the needs of passengers; they also get to ride free on many of company flights. Tour guides regularly shepherd tourists around interesting places while explaining the sights and ironing out the travel bumps—if you know a lot about a particularly popular travel destination, this could be your best option. Or maybe if your writing skills are good enough, you can parlay them into a travel writer’s job and share what you learn with others.
Working Conditions
In most cases, these travel jobs won’t just be sightseeing trips. They’re jobs, and you’ll have to work; sometimes for long hours which may limit your chance to explore. But even a little can go a long way when you’re someone who loves to travel — even mundane tasks like going to the store to buy groceries or stopping to buy coffee at the corner is an adventure when you do it in another country. And not every distant locale is a picnic spot; for every glittering street in Paris, there may be a rough, dangerous spot like the slums of Bombay. If you're planning to actually live in the country, make sure to get a solid knowledge of the language and customs; and if there’s a community of other foreign workers there, it’s worth making friends as soon as possible. They know all the ropes and can speed up the learning curve.
Qualifications
The skills and qualifications for travel and traveling jobs are as wide as the kinds of jobs available. The first step in a traveling job is to have excellent skills in the area you plan to work in. That and at least a good grounding in the language and culture of the country you want to work in will go a long way towards getting you the job you want. Knowing a few people in a similar type of job will also help, especially if you plan to live/work in another country. Tight knight expatriate communities are common in these situations and will help you make the adjustment to a new country. Jobs where travel is the job (like pilot, airline host/hostess, tour guide or cruise ship staff are more specialized and will often require getting into special training programs that may take years to complete.
Conclusion
So if you want to travel and think being a travel agent or airline pilot is your only option, think again. Maybe your skills can take you to a new place that you never considered—to far-off adventure and travel in your daily job.
