Is there anything better than to travel the world? In our opinion not! The problem is that your funds are likely to run out if you are traveling long-term and going back home to save up again is pretty boring! So why not work abroad? It is a great opportunity to get to know a country and its culture while earning some cash for your ongoing travels. Some people think it is really hard to find a job in another country, but we noticed that it is actually really easy! There are plenty of options to work and travel at the same time. These travel jobs might not be your 'dream job' but hey, you're earning money to do what you love most: travel the world! We've created for you a list of the 15 best travel jobs to earn money while you're traveling long-term.
Visa wise
First of all, you'll need a visa that allows you to work in the country you're going to. It depends where you're from, but there are a lot of opportunities for working visa.
We are a big fan of the working holiday visa which allows you to work and travel for 1 year in participating countries. Some popular destinations for working holidays are Australia, New Zealand and Canada. We have done it for 2 years in Australia and are currently on a WHV in New Zealand.
If you want to work abroad, the best way is to check out the government websites to see if you are eligible for a visa. For example, find the government website of Australia here, and from New Zealand here. There will be many agencies willing to help you, but it is often easy to organise it yourself which saves you some money!
Babysitting or Au-pair Job
A great way to get to know the local life is as an au-pair or doing some babysitting. Especially when you travel alone, an au-pair job will cover your expenses when you live in with a family who can tell you all about the place! Mostly you'll get food and accommodation for free and then you'll also get some weekly pocket money to do fun things with. While this is not really a job to save money, it is a great way to save on travel costs! A good website to look for au-pair travel jobs worldwide is AuPair World.
Of course, when you don't want to live in with a family or are traveling together, then you can also look for babysitting jobs in the area you are staying in! Manon did this a lot in Perth and it's pretty easy to find. A great tip to find a babysitting (or au-pair) job is to join different kinds of babysitting groups on Facebook. You will find one of almost every country you're visiting!
If you want to get more serious with this and want to become a nanny or even try to work in a childcare, then a qualification in teaching or childcare is necessary.
Farm Work
It might not sound appealing to everyone, but farmers are always looking for seasonal workers so it is quite easy to get a job. And it isn't that bad to work outside in the fresh air, it is only going to be temporary anyway! Another good thing is that you can often make a lot of hours, so you can save up for your travels quickly! Furthermore, for Australia, it is also required to do farm work in order to get your second year working holiday visa.
English Teacher
Well, you need to speak proper English for this one, but if you do you can work literally from everywhere in the world! English is spoken worldwide so there is always a need for English teachers. You can get travel jobs teaching overseas in a school in another country, or you can even teach English online from your computer!
When you want to teach English, you'll need a bachelor degree and a TEFL certification.
A good website to start teaching online is VIPKID and to get your TEFL certification you can click here.
Cleaning or Housekeeping Job
There is always a need for cleaners everywhere around the globe. In a hotel, resort, campsite shopping mall or at someones home, you can literally find it everywhere! We have done it in different countries already and actually really don't mind doing it. It's not a hard job and it often pays well.
Sport Instructor
If you are good at sports, you can find a job in a sports school or even better as a surf- or scuba dive instructor. Whether you love diving, surfing, skydiving, kayaking, rock climbing, mountaineering or sailing: why not take a course to be an instructor and start doing what you love all over the world! Our dream is still to become a fully certified dive instructor!
Event Work
Working at a festival or food stall can be a lot of fun! You save money by not going to the festival, instead, you will get paid for it! Besides, you will meet a lot of other people who are doing the same. Or when you work in a foot stall you often benefit from the perks of free food! In bigger cities, there is always the need for hundreds of people for festivals and you don't always need a lot of experience, so it's really easy to find. We also did these travel jobs very often, especially in Australia. We worked on festivals, at different food stalls, fun fairs and Manon even worked at a wedding shop that planned and decorated weddings!
Working in the Hostel Where You’re Staying
A great option if you want to get free accommodation in exchange for a few hours of work a day! Because it's only for a few hours, it will give you plenty of time to also find another job next to this. Sometimes, you can even work some extra hours at the hostel for cash. While we are not really hostel people, staying at a hostel can be a great way to meet new friends!
Hospitality Job
This is another travel job that you can do everywhere in the world! Working in a bar or restaurant can be a fun way to meet people and earn some money at the same time. The job description is pretty much the same everywhere in the world, so easy peasy! Of course, the tourist places are the easiest spots to find work.
Labouring Work
It is often hard work, but it pays well too! Help the tradies out on a building site, or maybe some painting and such. If you're fit, it will fit you ????
Camper or Car Rental Company
When you stay in a place that is popular with tourists, there will be some car and campervan rental close. If you stay for a couple of months you are likely to find a job as a receptionist, cleaner or vehicle handyman. Bram worked for a campervan rental company as a handyman several times and really liked it. You can often get a good deal to rent a campervan yourself as well!
Travel Tour Guide
You can also consider getting a job as a local tour guide or tour assistant for an outdoor company. This can be on one single location or maybe even for larger multi-destination tours. You could, for example, become a tour guide for walking/bus tours in a city or maybe even for adventurous activities like quad riding!
Factory Work
It can be boring sometimes, but if you can make some serious hours it will bring in some cash too. You often work in big teams so you are likely to meet some nice locals who want to show you their neighborhood.
Your Own Trade
Depending on what your trade is, you might be able to do it abroad too. Just have a look if your qualification is recognised in the country you want to work and hopefully there is a need for people in your trade! Plus side of this is that you're still doing what you learned for and you are gaining more experience in your trade, even while you're on the other side of the world! You will also earn much better than with a 'backpacker job' and since you already have experience, your earning might get even more.
Photographer
Becoming a professional photographer, and especially a traveling photographer takes a lot of years of hard work. This isn't an easy job to get but it is still possible! If you have the skills and are willing to put in the work, then you will have a chance to earn money with this. To get started, you can also upload your photos to stock sites to sell them! We are doing this for a while now and it is a great way to earn some extra cash.
Interested in doing this? Then click here to sign up for Shutterstock, the biggest stock site and the easiest one to earn with your photos!
Digital Nomad
Last but not least: work online! Okay, it may take a while before you can earn money with this, as you first have to build up an audience, but this is by far the most ideal job to have when you're traveling for long-term!
There are many ways to earn an online income these days. You can do freelance work in travel writing, photography, translating, web design, or you can earn online with your very own travel blog or webshop, travel vlog or even as a social media influencer. Seriously, there are so many online travel jobs to choose from and this way you can combine traveling and working wherever and whenever you want!
All the options to work as a digital nomad are way too much to discuss in this article, so if you want to learn more and get our tips about how you can make a great earning online, then JOIN our exclusive digital nomad community HERE!
As you can read, there are plenty of options for travel jobs, so now nothing holds you back anymore to follow your long-term travel dreams! Go out there and see what's happening in this world!
This blog was originally published on Flip Flop Wanderers.