Even without a formal degree and qualifications, there are still loads of rewarding jobs that you can do around the world.
Here are six cool jobs you should consider for your travel adventure.
1. Tour Guide
Decided to stick around somewhere cool for a bit? Getting involved in the local tourist trade as tour guide or activity host is a great way to make easy money when you stop off somewhere interesting.
- Your language skills and expat perspective will make you a popular tour guide. Tour operators are always looking for people who can communicate with tourists and keep them entertained.
- By being a tour guide you will learn more about the country and the area you’re staying in. It’s also a great way to meet new people and stop yourself from getting bored.
- Have you got any specialist skills? Great at scuba diving? Love horse riding? Use your skills to your advantage and specialize in certain types of tours. People love tours with a difference – spooky or themed tours are always popular.
- There is a stereotype that tour guides have to be loud, but that’s not always the case! It’s more about being safe and informative in a fun way. Check out these tour guide hints.
- It’s probably easiest to get hired by a local company as a tour guide, but you could also offer tours yourself and get local hostels, hotels, and businesses to include you in their tourist literature. Get guests to share their tour pics on social media to build up a tour reputation.
2. Travel Blogger
Starting a travel blog can be very lucrative, but it’s not as easy as just buying a domain name and writing a few posts!
You have to differentiate yourself from all the other online noise and spend time building a readership.
Here are some tips:
- Imagery and videos are key to any successful travel blog – you have take compelling images that tell a story and capture a place’s character. Being a vlogger and photographer as well as writer will be an asset.
- Grow your digital brand by working with other bloggers and influencers. Accepting and writing guest posts is a great way to get more links and mentions.
- Learn from the people who have already made it and spend time getting to know other travel bloggers. Here are some blogger branding tips from the pros.
- Think about all the different types of blogs: food, relationships, nature, adventure – find a suitable niche for your blog. Try to appeal to a specific person or lifestyle with your blog.
4. Dropshipping Entrepreneur
Selling products in 2017 is surprisingly hands-free. By using the dropshipping model you can forgo managing a product inventory yourself and just focus on running your online store.
- Being a dropshipper means finding good suppliers for popular products that you think you can easily sell online. Go for something that inspires you as it means you will work harder.
- You will still need to manage customer queries and sales – but a lot of the repetitive tasks can be outsourced and automated with plugins, bots and virtual assistants. Invest time into figuring out how you can cut costs and run a successful business on the go.
- You can sell products through marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy and Ebay; or, you can easily open a store on a hosted platform that is primed for publication – just choose your online store theme and customize.
5. English Teacher
Teaching English abroad is a great way to make money and loads of countries offer native-level English speakers competitive visas. You usually don’t need any formal qualifications, but commitment and teaching experience will help.
- You can teach in local schools or at private language schools. Some schools may be in remote and rural environments – don’t expect to be living a vibrant city life.
- Teaching is hard work and you need to be able to manage your time (and a classroom). Think hard before you commit to a long placement.
- Teaching adults and teaching children is totally different – you need to decide on what works best for you.
- Getting some teaching experience before you go is a good idea. Volunteer with children at a local school or playgroup and see how you get on.
6. Seasonal Work
No matter where you are in the world, you can always get involved with the local culture by taking on seasonal work. Already there? Get to know the local area by asking around for work.
- Agriculture and fishing are popular industries (especially in Asia), but the work can be hard and physical. Make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew. Work like this is not well paid and is hard manual labor; though fishing can be lucrative in the richer countries like Japan and the Nordics. Picking berries and foraging can also be surprisingly well paid if you’re fast at it.
- Waitering, serving tables, and cheffing are all great ways to make money and can help you carve out a career in hospitality later. These jobs are especially prevalent in popular tourist destinations.
- Mines and gas oil rigs also hire people for short term contracts but the work can be dangerous, or mean that you end up living on a remote oil rig for months at a time.
- Conservation work at zoos, nature reserves and sanctuaries is fun and rewarding but these types of volunteer jobs are in high demand and won’t always pay well.
Still not satisfied? Check out these awesome ways to make money whilst you travel.
