Dec 22, 2023

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Travel Advisor Resources

6 Jobs Where You Travel: From Au Pairs to Travel Advisors

Fora Author Fora Travel

The Modern Travel Agency

Fora Travel

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Looking for jobs where you travel? We’re covering six of the most exciting jobs that allow you to travel, from au pairs to travel advisors, the latter of which allows you to share your passion for all things travel and get paid for it. 

Already know where we’re going with this? Skip the reading and become a Fora Advisor today.

Jobs that allow you to travel vs. jobs that require travel

Before we continue, we should note that there’s a big difference between jobs that allow you to travel and jobs where you have to travel. The distinction is that one simply allows you to complete your duties from anywhere, while the other requires travel.

Remote jobs that allow you to travel: digital nomads, backpacker jobs & expatriates

VW bus driving through rock formations in the American Southwest

Remote jobs that allow you to travel offer a freedom few other jobs can. Broadly, these can be categorized into three groups: digital nomads, backpacker jobs and expatriates. 

Digital nomads enjoy long-term employment and work from anywhere, often moving from one place to the next. In California, for instance, some remote workers will buy or rent RVs and travel up and down the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at some of the coolest places to visit in California along the way to refuel, resupply and maybe attend the occasional in-person meeting. 

Backpacker jobs are fairly similar, except the employment is usually short term. 

Expatriates are employed in one country and live in another, usually staying at an exciting destination like one of the best places to stay in Costa Rica or one of the best areas to stay in Puerto Rico.

Jobs that require you to travel: first responders, business professionals, scientists…

An archeology site somewhere in North America, with pueblo style buildings being unearthed

Jobs where you travel as a requirement can still offer a great deal of excitement — or at least the opportunity to explore beyond your home. Jobs in the travel industry are an obvious choice if you want to expand your horizons. First responders, military-service members, business professionals, scientists and many other jobs require travel, too. 

We’ll touch on a few of these below.

6 of the coolest jobs where you travel

Read on for a quick breakdown of the most exciting jobs where you travel. 

1. Au pair: an excellent opportunity for cultural immersion in a new country

An uncommon choice, but certainly an exciting one for people with the right temperament, au pairs live with a host family in another country or region to help with childcare and / or housekeeping duties. Au pairs typically earn a stipend, but the real draw is the opportunity to immerse oneself, authentically, in a totally different culture. 

As far as jobs where you travel, becoming an au pair probably isn’t the most financially rewarding. But the life experience is hard to beat.

2. Cruise ship staff: traveling the world on the high seas

Partly cloudy day with calm seas: a cruise ship anchored in open water (photo by Josiah Weiss)

Cruise ship staff get to see the world without ever straying more than a few hundred yards from where they’re sleeping at night. 

Not all cruise ship jobs where you travel are glamorous. For lower positions, the hours can be grueling and the lodgings a little too cozy. But the ability to enjoy occasional shore leave in new places — from the best places to visit in Hawai‘i to the most relaxing Bahamas resorts — or admire ocean views from the deck of what essentially amounts to a floating city is pretty exciting. 

Moreover, high-profile cruise jobs such as engineers, navigational crews and event coordinators can be very lucrative, if demanding, positions.

(P.S. Prefer to sell cruise itineraries rather than work on a ship? Learn how to become a cruise travel agent.)

3. Flight attendant: daily travel, domestic and international 

Flight attendants spend most of their work day thousands of feet above the ground, but during their downtime, they get to see cities all over the world. Like cruise ship staff, flight attendants' responsibilities can be demanding — and even outright stressful — but if you’re looking for a career that requires minimal prior experience or education, it can be another fun choice.

4. Photographer: capturing the world’s beauty one trip at a time

A woman with a professional camera takes pictures somewhere in Downtown Havana, Cuba (photo by Persnickety Prints)

The best photographers regularly travel, regardless of the subject matter, because people and companies will pay top dollar for high-quality shots, be it wedding photos, listings, nature shoots…

The downside is that of all the jobs where you travel, as a photographer, skill is arguably the most defining factor. Not everyone has the patience or eye to be a top-tier photographer. But for those who can hack it, a hobby becomes a career. 

5. Travel writer / blogger: travel to new places, write about them, repeat

From covering the best places to stay in Colorado to visiting Spain with kids, travel writers and bloggers — slightly different jobs where you travel, as the former tends to work for publications, while the latter is usually self-employed — get to venture all over the world covering their experiences. 

Most travel writers and bloggers have a niche, too, such as gastronomy, hotels and so on. 

6. Travel advisor (a.k.a. travel agent): earn income from selling vacations, trips & experiences

The silhouette of a woman standing at the end of a tunnel before a large body of water. In the distance, an urban skylien stands

You might assume that travel agent jobs only help other people travel, but that’s not exactly true. Many travel advisors (we prefer the modernized term) build relationships with suppliers — think hotels, venues, tour guides — and the best way to do that is to experience those things for oneself. 

Not every travel advisor does this. But considering the flexibility of their schedule, travel advising is absolutely a job that allows you to travel. 

So what does a travel agent do, exactly? They work with clients of all types to plan their vacations or business trips with expert suggestions and access to cool perks. Plus, advisors are there to handle issues if something goes awry. Moreover, travel advisors bring a degree of convenience to a process that can otherwise be fairly tedious, if not outright overwhelming (especially if you throw international travel in the mix).

Want to learn more? Here’s how to become a travel agent

Interested in a job where you travel? Become a Fora Advisor

Love the idea of becoming a travel agent? Want A+ support and access to extensive marketing resources and comprehensive travel agent training?

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Want to learn more first? Check out these travel advisor guides, too:

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