The truth is that only living once means a world full of things you intend on doing and very little time (relatively speaking) with which to do them so seizing the day is highly important.
However, as you trudge to work day in and day out with only the few hours of time you sleep or simply relax at home in between, you may be wondering how you can snap out of this routine that is completely draining your life and get back to the living this quote references.
Although your responsibilities and stability may be important to you, there are plenty of ways to transition into full-time traveling in order to see and do the things you’ve dreamed of, without embracing chaos in the process. In fact, once you realize the sheer amount of possibilities out there, you may just want to grab your suitcase, buy an RV, and start your adventure today.
Below are 10 ways to kick your normal everyday habits and add a little excitement to your life without losing your stability and comfort along the way.
1. Become a Tour Guide
Although you may not realize it, tour guides don’t simply stay in one city, but rather travel the world, experiencing different cultures along the way in order to provide tourists with the most real and genuine tours possible.
Furthermore, tour guides can be contracted by different travel agencies, meaning that they get to experience the best climate times for each individual place, such as spending a summer in Oregon and a winter in Costa Rica.
However, one of the reasons that tour guiding is so enticing comes in the form of the payment. Depending on the location, the average tour guide makes around $30,000 yearly.
With all expenses paid on each tour including food, transportation, and housing, this leaves these young travelers with extra income to spend on exploring the locations they are stationed at, which definitely adds a little flair to the traditional work environment and routine.
2. Work For an Airline
So, maybe you’d rather always be on the move, seeing new places each and every day.
For flight attendants, this is more than just a possibility, but rather the norm, making each and every trip a fun and unique one. In fact, most flight attendants travel to countless destinations each and every year, and, although there is a common misconception that the senior flight attendants are the only ones which are given the exciting and desirable flight positions, this is far from the truth.
In fact, you could quite literally begin immediately with a trip to Hawaii or even Paris as long as you prove your availability and work ethic.
Furthermore, the average salary of a full-time flight attendant is upwards of $100,000 yearly which is pretty good for someone who gets to travel anywhere and everywhere each year. Lastly, most flight attendants also receive benefits such as equal pay not dependant on sex or gender, as well as a highly flexible schedule after you are removed off of “reserve status” and receive your “line”.
3. Do Freelance Journalism and Photography
Although being a flight attendant is a lucrative and exciting position, you may want to be even more flexible and have the ability to set the travel destinations yourself. If this is the case, working as a freelance journalist or photographer may be the perfect way to do so.
Although the stability of having a set paycheck each month is enticing, countless young individuals choose to work as a self-employed journalist or photographer.
You'll get to create your own schedules, choose destinations, and even write about and photograph their travels likewise. In order to do this successfully, most freelance writers and photographers look towards job sites in order to find work that is fun and unique each and every month. In fact, there are countless summer jobs that will allow you to start immediately and see the true benefits to freelance work today.
4. Sign-Up for Workaway Programs
So, perhaps you’re not artistically inclined and want to spend your days engulfed in the true culture of the places you intend to visit, and rather than simply visit as a tourist might. For this, workaway programs are a fun and unique way to truly see the culture and sights without feeling like a tourist in the process.
Most workaway programs focus on education, working in hostels, or helping to create sustainable gardens and farms, but all of these opportunities allow you to pay little to nothing on food most of the time, save on hotel expenses, and experience local activities and common tourist attractions without massive prices in the process.
In fact, most workaway programs include free food, free living quarters, and even free use of things such as scuba gear, kayaks, climbing equipment, and more, depending on where you go.
5. Become a Musician
For those that are artistic but prefer music over writing and photography, you may actually be in luck. In fact, many musicians travel full-time, getting money through performances at open-mic nights and various other paying talent shows.
Although the pay is not great, you may also be able to make some quality money by working as a studio musician, meaning that you are hired to play a particular instrument for a band looking to record that doesn’t have a member who can play this instrument.
For this reason, musicians looking to travel full-time should also learn to pick up other instruments that are more unique in order to open more opportunities for studio work on the road.
6. Follow the Art Fair Circuit
Although music is a fun way to make money on the road, creating art can be just as exciting and interesting as well. In fact, by creating art on the road and selling it at art galleries and farmer’s’ markets across the world, you can travel full-time and make money doing what you love in the process.
The best way to go about this is by looking into various art fair circuits online and finding one that is traveling to locations you hope to travel to and applying to become a member. However, keep in mind that many of these art fairs require upfront payments for tarps and table space, so it may be smart to pay for only one event first and see whether it is something you want to do full-time.
7. Go Picking at Thrift Stores
We’ve all probably seen those shows on the History Channel like American Pickers about going through massive amounts of trash in order to find the hidden gems within it.
Although these shows may tread directly on the line between reality and “good tv” every now and again, the main content is important to note for anyone looking to make money in order to travel full time: In fact, countless people across the world make their money by simply going to thrift stores and finding hidden treasures that are worth more than these places know and reselling them for their appropriate prices online.
However, to do this, you must first become an expert in at least one or two different things, such as coins or old appliances, so you can pick the valuable artifacts out of the massive amounts of worthless items. Once this is complete, you can begin to sell these items accordingly and make enough money to follow your dreams in the process.
8. Get Sponsored for Your Travels
For many individuals across the world, traveling means more than just a vacation, and, in these cases, sponsorship may be a great option.
If you are hoping to travel in honor of someone or a particular charity or even due to something you are currently facing yourself, sponsorship is a wonderful way to share your story and get the funding for your travels accordingly.
For instance, many full-time traveling cyclists ride for various different charities to support those in need and to show them that anything is possible.
Similarly, many people travel in honor of lost loved ones or even in honor of the battles they currently face themselves. By finding sponsors using funding sites and through sending out sponsorship inquiries to various generous companies, you can make your dreams a reality and show your support through it all.
9. Work at Local Restaurants Along the Way
Although not as glamorous as other positions may be, local restaurants are always fairly open to hiring travelers and often even supply living arrangements in exchange for work.
Whether you need a place to stay or money to pad your travels, you may want to look towards dishwashing or waiting positions in the place you intend to travel through, as they may be a great way to make some extra money along the way.
Furthermore, most restaurant positions don’t require you to put in two week notices, some offer seasonal jobs for travelers, and most are often understanding when it comes to flexible hours, meaning you could even do the work alongside other online opportunities if you truly needed to.
10. Find Telecommuting Opportunities
At the end of the day, telecommuting opportunities as a whole are vast and easily accessible when on the road.
Furthermore, when working as a self-employed individual, you can set your schedule and even use your traveling to promote your brand along the way. Furthermore, you can also earn far more doing your own telecommuting jobs, as it means that you can give yourself the actual amount of work you are capable of accomplishing each month accordingly.
On top of this, although this does not mean you are tax exempt, tax for part time self-employed individuals is often far less and easier to handle as well, and you can even track your mileage when travelling as a work expense — which is pretty enticing, to say the least.
In the end, the future of business relies on travel and who says traveling and working full-time have to be boring and tedious? By using these techniques, you can begin to lead the life you always dreamed of whilst still retaining the comfort and stability a traditional work environment often provides. In the end, you only live once and adventure is an absolutely crucial element to a life well-lived.
By Samantha Donaldson
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