All the rosy pictures of people, couples, teenagers and stupid millennials quitting their jobs and school to travel have given us enough disenchantment with our lives.
For those of us who live in the real world where traveling demands real money, here is the help you will need to follow your passion without starvation. These 20 jobs are best for us who often find definition of travel restricted to deadlined vacation and tight funds, and are looking to balance both aspects with ease.
Tour Guide
Don't dismiss the potential of being a tour guide just because Bollywood has made it tacky. There are several divisions of being a guide, from educational tours to even a future with international organizations such as United Nations. The worst case scenario of sharing history and educating people, is that some god forsaken a group with 10 whining kids will find their way to you.
Know more: Many institutions provide certified courses. Such as Educational Travel Adventures, International Guide Academy and International Tour Management Institute.
On Cruise Ships
People are crazy over cruise jobs. They are fancy, luxurious and in the sea. Ofcourse they are over romanticized as well, but if you have a penchant for the ocean then do give it a shot because the big bucks make the sea sickness worth it.
Know more: Some job prospects and information about prerequisites are mentioned here and here respectively.
Au Pair
If you are already in a foreign country, familiar with the language and are looking to make a few (it can actually pay a lot) extra bucks then being a care taker of household and children is a great opportunity. Being an au pair doesn't mean you have to do housekeeping. Responsibilities such as house-sitting and looking after the kids, in return for which the host let's you enjoy home stay and food (sometimes even more cash for other tasks).
Know more: Though there are several websites which mediate these services, it's best to look at craigslist and local social media groups which focus on au pair requirements.
![]()
Credits: Elite Aupair
Teach English
The gift of colonisation and weapon of commercialization, English is sought after in every (literally) place you will go. If you moving from country to country and have a good command over English then consider half your financial troubles sorted. But if you are planning a long stay in a different language speaking country, then get a hang of the second language as well.
Know more: Interexchange and GoAbroad offer some great options. But focus your research on local organizations who have vacant positions.
Flight Attendant
Yes, it's not something that everyone can pull off as it requires some level of training and physical mandates which are honestly a bit ridiculous. Still the life of a flight attendant is exciting and consists of hopping across countries, staying in five stars and enjoy luxuries for free. It is obviously not easy being one, given the perpetual jet lag and crazy working hours but will fit wild dreams of a crazy traveler.
Know more: There will be many flight attendant training institutes in your city, and if not then Frankfinn Institue and Air Hostess Academy are among the best in India.
![]()
(This is why most of us can't be flight attendants because most of are not this hot.)
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms
WWOOF is a large network of national organizations which facilitates placement of volunteers on organic farms. WWOOF hosts are marked across 99 countries making it a perfect workplace for travelers looking for doing something worthwhile.
Know more: Go ahead and find which organic farm will be your next home here.
![]()
Credits: Strikeael
Programmer/Website Developer
Let me tell you one thing, all the fuss about internet breaking barriers is actually true. Codes are not written with linguistic divisions and aesthetics don't lose value across borders. If you have invested your time to learn computer languages and code, then you are a very wise person. If you are even above average, you will be measured gold. No matter which country.
Know more: Freelance jobs are available all across the internet. GetaCoder is pretty cool too.
Web Designer
You are also brilliant. Invested time like an intelligent person on studying the right thing, unlike me who collects humanities degrees. The world of freelance opens it's gates to embrace you. From Hola to Bonjour, your creativity will make you big bucks. And if you haven't yet ventured into this field, I highly suggest you do now.
Know more: 99Designs steps up the freelance game by holding design competitions and Upwork is basically the biggest freelance network out there.
![]()
Credits: Huffington Post
Travel Agent
If your travels have made you an absolute pro in a particular place, then go ahead, take it a notch higher and get into the business. Being a foreigner to the land yourself people will feel comfortable in front of you, unlike locals (who are quite judgmental).
Know more: WikiHow gives a sweet guide for How to Be a travel Agent
Photograph and Film
If you are pretty good with your camera skills then you can record footage and get pictures of all the places you travel. Initially you can make money from selling them to tourism companies and on internet, but slowly proceed to make your website and/or YouTube account. If you are good and have an original vision, you might just make it big on YouTube and if you don't want to be a superstar then small term plans such the former work pretty well too.
Know more: Here are some tips on How to Make Money from YouTube.
Write
Oh yes! You probably thought this was a passe, but internet has given writers the opportunity to turn every experience into a narrative which the world is eager to hear. Be it an opinion piece on Middle East crisis or a blog on best travel gear, if you have words which are capable of coming together and effecting the reader then writing will easily make you money. But when it comes to writing/blogging, you have to start small. Post by post on platforms which are renowned for their reach and readership. Catalog your travelogues and grow as your progress from one post to another. Even better if you can find platforms which focus precisely on the niche audience of travelers. But it is also essential have a personal blog/website too.
Know more: Tripoto offers you the niche audience I just mentioned, and you can probably start by beginning here by sharing your trip.