Are you looking for the best travel jobs? Are you wondering, “How can I make money and travel?” The best travel jobs give you a chance to make money while pursuing your passion of travel. Travel is a dream for many, but it doesn’t have to just stop there — you can side hustle, or…
Are you looking for the best travel jobs? Are you wondering, “How can I make money and travel?”
The best travel jobs give you a chance to make money while pursuing your passion of travel.
Travel is a dream for many, but it doesn’t have to just stop there — you can side hustle, or earn a full-time income while traveling the world.
Whether you want to make extra money or if you’re looking for a full-time career, this list of best travel jobs may help you reach your goal to travel more.
Yes, it is quite possible to make money and travel full-time. Whether you want domestic or international travel jobs, there are many options.
Making money holds many people back from traveling more, but it doesn’t have to.
This is because there are many different types of best travel jobs that can make your travel dreams become a reality.
We sold our house, moved into an RV, and started traveling over 6 years ago, and we’ve now been living on a sailboat for around 3 years.
I’ve been location independent since 2013, and have been traveling full-time since 2015.
Because I work a job that allows me to make money while traveling, I have been able to travel extensively, while also being able to pay my bills and save fully for retirement.
Over the years, I’ve met many full-time travelers. There have been people who have saved up enough money to travel for an extended amount of time, those who are retired, those who find odd jobs on the road, those who work some of the best travel jobs I’m about to tell you about, and more.
The majority of the people I have met are not travel bloggers or Youtubers. I know you see a lot of that online, but the reality is there are many people traveling while working more traditional jobs.
Everyone has their own way of doing things to make full-time travel work, so I’m sure you can find something that will fit you the best.
Related content to best travel jobs:
Here are 25 best travel jobs.
1. Find remote work
Many, many of the people that I have met who travel full-time have remote jobs.
By remote jobs, I mean that they simply work full-time or part-time for an employer through their laptop. These aren’t jobs that pay you to travel or jobs that require international travel. Instead, they are just regular jobs that can be done online.
So, these people are able to work from anywhere, but they usually need to be available Monday through Friday during certain hours — just like if they were going into the office.
Because of the events of 2020, many companies have moved their employees to remote work, and there are many companies that plan to stay that way. Jobs like analysts, programmers, customer service reps, human resource management, and more can all be done remotely. And many big companies — Amazon, American Express, Siemens, Microsoft, etc. — have announced plans for staying remote or making it optional for the future.
If your company currently doesn’t allow for remote work and you’re interested, you can see if they are willing to work with you. Make a plan to meet with your boss and be prepared with reasons it would work for them too, and then talk about the possibility.
You can learn more about what makes remote work one of the best travel jobs in Remote Work: Work, Live, and Travel Where You Want With Remote Jobs. You’ll learn:
- What a remote job is
- How to make money as a remote worker
- How much a remote job will pay
- How to find remote work
2. Become a blogger
Blogging is great because you can work from anywhere. I know I’m biased, but it’s definitely one of the best travel jobs out there.
Blogging is what allows me and my husband (and daughter) to travel full-time. Yes, you can even travel full-time if you have kids.
I make a great income and have enough saved to retire whenever I would like by blogging. Blogging also allows me to have a flexible schedule, meaning I can enjoy many of the places I travel to.
So, I can honestly say that one of the best travel jobs is to become a blogger.
As a blogger, you may make money through advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored partnerships, reviews, creating your own product, and more.
You even may decide to start a travel blog! Or a food blog, or something else. You can blog on many different topics – you don’t have to have a travel blog in order to travel and work full-time.
You can create your own blog here with my easy and quick tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $2.95 per month, plus you get a free domain name when signing up through my guide.
Related content: How To Start a Blog Free Course
3. Become a park ranger
Becoming a park ranger can allow you to really get to know a new place, and you can transfer to different parks to visit new areas.
The website ParkRangerEdu.Org is a great place to learn more. According to the site, earning a college degree in a relevant major such as earth science, forestry, conservation, biology, and more can be very helpful to becoming a park ranger.
As a park ranger, you may help protect the park, wildlife, visitors, and more, and may work at the visitor center, as law enforcement, protecting animals, guiding tours, and so on. It all depends on the position that you are looking to fill.
This would be one of the best travel jobs for people who love to be outdoors and want to help improve the parks that they love.
4. Cruise ship worker and cruise ship jobs
If you want to know what jobs allow you to travel the world, working on a cruise ship is definitely one of them. You can work and travel through the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and more.
We went on a cruise many years ago and met a man who was sitting in the hot tub waiting for his wife to get off work. She was a balloon artist on the cruise ship, and he got to join the cruise and stay with his wife. She didn’t work a lot of hours, and they both seemed extremely happy with their travel and living situation.
There are many different types of opportunities to find on a cruise ship, including:
- Daycare/childcare worker
- Cleaning crew
- Boat crew
- Photography team
- Salon/spa
- Fitness center
- Restaurant server or cook
- Entertainment
Those are just a few of the jobs you can find on a cruise ship, and there are over 300 cruise ships in the world, and hundreds of workers on each cruise ship.
With a job on a cruise ship, you would live on the cruise ship and many of your expenses, such as room and board, may be paid for by the cruise ship company. You may also make a salary and tips.
Plus, you get free cruises because you will be on a cruise ship!
To find cruise ship jobs, I recommend heading to cruise ship websites and finding their jobs page. For example, Carnival Cruise Ships has a special page just for cruise ship jobs which you can find here. On their website, you can even sign up for job alerts so that you can be emailed when a job is added to their website. I did a quick search and they are currently looking for jobs such as: Bar Attendant, Shipboard Finance Specalist, Hotel Service Technician, Supervisor Pools and Decks, Junior Restaurant Host, Assistant Cook, Assistant Electrician, Environmental Technician, Guest Service Coordinator, Shore Excursions Associate, Photographer, Housekeeping Handyperson, Storekeeper, and so much more.
Related: How I Went On An Around-The-World Cruise (25+ Countries In 4 Months!)
5. WWOOFer
WWOOF stands for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, and it’s an organization that connects visitors with organic farms around the world.
WWOOF allows volunteers to choose an area and country to travel to and volunteer in at a farm. The stay can range from a few days to several months, depending on what is agreed upon.
In return for your food and provided accommodations, you may work 4-6 hours a day on the farm.
You may be asked to do tasks such as cutting wood, packing items, feeding animals, making food, sowing seed, making compost, helping to plant or take care of a garden, and more.
This is one of the best travel jobs if you are looking for an affordable way to travel the world. You won’t make a full-time income, but it sounds like a fun way to visit new areas.
In most cases, you will need to be 18 or older in order to start WWOOFing.
6. Freelancer writer
A freelance writer is something that you can work on from nearly anywhere. And, it’s one of the best online jobs because there is a growing number of freelance writing jobs.
A freelance writer is someone who writes for different companies, such as websites, magazines, books, and more. They don’t work for one specific company, instead, they work for themselves.
So, this means that you can have a flexible schedule and travel full-time if you want to.
My friend Holly has a successful freelance writing career and has earned over $200,000 each year writing online! She also travels a ton all over the world.
Learn more about one of the highest paying travel jobs at How I Earn $200,000+ Writing Online Content.
7. Au pair
Au pairs are like nannies, but they go to live abroad with a family in a foreign country so they can learn the language, experience the culture, and travel. Au pairs don’t usually get paid a salary, but their host family pays for food and stay and gives the au pair some spending money.
Working as an au pair or travel nanny is one of the best travel jobs for anyone out of high school, in college, or younger adults who want to travel.
My sister was an au pair in Italy a few years ago. It was an interesting experience, and she had both positives and negatives from it.
In the blog post linked to below, she talks about:
- How much an au pair can earn
- The positives and negatives of being an au pair
- Tips to find a host family to work for
- Questions that you should ask the family before moving in with them
You can read more at How To Become An Au Pair And Travel The World.
8. Campground worker (workamper)
Campground workers or workampers are people who work at a campground in exchange for free stay and sometimes pay. There are many campgrounds across the country looking for workampers, and this can be one of the best travel jobs for people who like to camp.
You can find amazing campgrounds that are on the beach, in national parks, state parks, forests, and more. Pretty much any kind of campground can use workampers.
After RVing full-time for many years, I have met many happy workampers who enjoy their jobs. And, it’s something that I would definitely do myself!
After all, you get to stay for free, and many times you’re even paid to stay in some of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s a great way to make RVing work full-time.
As a work camper you may be:
- Answering phones and making reservations in the campground office
- Cleaning RV sites and bathrooms
- Helping RVers learn their way around
- Making food for visitors
As a workamper, the way you are paid can vary. Workampers can be paid with an RV site to stay in, at an hourly rate, or a mixture of the two.
Many times, campgrounds prefer a couple as well.
Related content: How To Make Money While RVing
9. Outdoor guide or instructor
If you’re the adventurous type, then becoming an outdoor guide or instructor is one of the best travel jobs available.
You will need some sort of skill level in order to safely do this, of course, as those who are paying for your guide services will want to know that you are an expert at what you are guiding them with.
Outdoor guide or outdoor instructor jobs may include:
- Hiking guide
- Rock climbing guide
- Scuba diving guide
- Wilderness and survival guide
- Kayaking/rafting guide
- Fishing guide, such as a fly fishing guide or spearfishing guide
- Surfing instructor
- Hunting guide
- Tour guide
- Travel guide
And more. There are many different types of guides that exist and you may be able to carve your own specialty as well.
As a guide or instructor, you may work for yourself, work for a park, a summer camp, or for another company.
Guides may be paid via tips and a flat fee for taking people out on a guided trip.
10. Flight attendant
Many people desire to become flight attendants because of the travel opportunities that you are given.
There are strict requirements for becoming a flight attendant, but you may receive super discounted flights for you and companions. This can be a great way to travel while you’re working, and when you’re not on duty as a flight attendant, you can explore new places.
Flight attendants can make a good income, and the benefits can’t be beat. Flight attendants make anywhere from around $50,000 to over $100,000 a year. Training typically takes around 1-2 months to become a flight attendant.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, flight attendant jobs are expected to grow 30% over the next decade, which is much faster than the average for most jobs. So, there is a lot of room for new people to get into this travel career!
You can learn more at How To Become A Flight Attendant And Make $61,640 Each Year.
11. Yacht crew
Working as part of a yacht crew is a super interesting travel job. And, people are always looking for help on their boats, whether it’s a small 30 foot sailboat or if it’s a 200 foot mega yacht.
My husband has delivered two sailing catamarans for a total of around 4,000 miles (that doesn’t even include the amount of sailing he’s done on our boat), and we’ve both been offered crew jobs on several other occasions as well.
Being on a yacht crew doesn’t always pay (full-time jobs do tend to pay well, though), but it does allow you to travel because that’s literally the job!
As yacht crew, you may be working as the:
- Captain
- Mechanic or engineer
- Server
- Chef
- Cleaner
- Crew
Working on a boat may mean that you get to travel around the world, to new countries, or you may be staying in one area. It really just depends on the boat and what they do.
Now, working on a boat is not easy. It’s usually quite hard work, but it can be extremely rewarding and one of the best travel jobs if you’re interested in sailing.
To find travel jobs on a boat, a lot of it is about networking. Simply hanging around the docks may help you get some jobs, there are websites that you can join which connect crew to boats, and agencies that can help you find yacht jobs as well.
Recommended reading: 46 Fun Jobs That Pay Well
12. Travel photographer
We’ve met some amazing photographers ever since we started traveling, and I’ve always thought this would be one of the best travel jobs.
There are so many different kinds of photographers that make a living traveling the world. These include National Geographic photographers, people who travel around the world chasing crazy races and taking pictures of them, people publishing amazing photos on Instagram, people who take photos of sharks, and so on.
This is a very creative job that many people dream of.
You’ll need a camera to start, and you may want to take some courses on photography so that you can become a better travel photographer.
Related: 18 Ways To Get Paid To Take Pictures
13. Take surveys or take part in focus groups to make money traveling
Taking surveys definitely won’t be a full-time travel job, but it may help you make some extra money while traveling. It’s perfect if you’re looking for traveling jobs with no experience.
Some survey sites I recommend include:
- American Consumer Opinion
- Survey Junkie
- Swagbucks
- InboxDollars
- Branded Surveys
- Pinecone Research
- Prize Rebel
- Opinion Outpost
- User Interviews
With survey companies, it’s a good idea to sign up for as many as you can so that you can get the most surveys opportunities each month.
14. Marine biologist
Becoming a marine biologist was definitely something that I dreamt of as a kid. I can thank movies for that, haha.
Now, I live on a boat so I guess that’s the next best thing!
As a marine biologist, you may work for a university, the government, or a nonprofit organization that is focused on the water. You may work with wildlife, doing research, working as a naturalist, researcher, consultant, guide, as an underwater photographer, or in some other role.
This travel job clearly requires more education and training than many of these other jobs, but if your dream is to travel and spend a lot of time near the ocean, this may be something that you want to work towards.
15. Proofreader
This is one of the best travel jobs because it allows you to travel full-time and be your own boss.
Proofreaders look for misspelled words, punctuation mistakes, and formatting errors, and they contract out their services to other business owners.
As a proofreader, you may be editing and proofreading articles, blogs, website copy, advertisements, emails, and so on.
As a proofreader, you may be able to earn over $50,000-$100,000 per year, and work from anywhere.
You can learn more at How To Become A Proofreader And Work From Anywhere.
16. Travel nurse
A travel nurse may be able to earn more than $3,000 per week. They tend to make much more than a nurse who has a permanent job at a hospital or other facility.
Travel nurses are RNs (registered nurses) working short-term positions at healthcare facilities. Whenever there are nursing shortages, which happen often, travel nurses help healthcare facilities fill these roles.
I have had several friends become travel nurses, and I’ve also met a few travel nurses while traveling.
Travel nurse jobs usually last around 3 months and can come with many benefits, and they also tend to pay quite well.
Recommended reading: 27 Best Side Hustles For Nurses
17. Write your own eBook
Writing your own book, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, is a great way to make money and travel full-time.
My friend Alyssa self-published her first book and has sold more than 13,000 copies. Her book was all about RVing, and she earned over $6,500 in one month alone, all while traveling.
You can learn more about making money while traveling by writing your own eBook at How Alyssa is making $200 a DAY in book sales passively.
You can also make money and travel by writing romance novels. I recommend reading How to Make Money Self-Publishing Short Romance Novels on Amazon to learn more.
You could even write a book about traveling, so that you can tie your love for travel in with writing.
18. Find items to resell online
If you are traveling full-time, then you may come across items to sell quite often because you are visiting so many different places.
I’ve met people who travel the country in vans or RVs and pick up items as they travel. They sell their inventory online and ship items out from wherever they’re staying.
Etsy, eBay, Craigslist, and countless others are great places if you decide to sell items online.
You can learn more at How I Made $40,000 In One Year Flipping Items.
19. Work as a freelancer
Freelancers are people who work for others and businesses hire them for one-time gigs or long-term contracts.
Freelancing is a growing field because companies are hiring more freelancers instead of full-time workers because it’s more cost-effective for them.
In addition to some of the freelance jobs I’ve already mentioned (writing and proofreading) there are many, many other freelancing gigs such as:
- Bookkeeping
- Graphic design
- Web design and development
- Video editing
- Sound design
- Programming
There are so many different types of services you can offer as freelance work. It makes this one of the best travel jobs for lots of different types of workers.
20. Sell printables on Etsy
This might surprise you, but you can travel while earning a living selling printables.
Printables are digital files that can be bought and sold nearly indefinitely, and because they are delivered online, you don’t have to ship anything or store physical products.
This can be a great way to earn passive income while you are traveling and earn income for years down the line. This can allow you to travel for much longer and you will have more free time to enjoy the places that you travel to.
Some examples of printables you can sell while traveling are:
- Vacation packing checklists
- Travel planners, such as travel itinerary printables
- Grocery shopping checklists
- Gift tags
- Candy bar wrappers
- Printable quotes for wall art
- Holiday printables
You can learn more at How I Make Money Selling Printables On Etsy.
21. Teach English abroad
Teaching English is a very popular travel job. Whether you’re teaching English online or if you find a school in a foreign country (such as China or South Korea), teaching English is one of the best travel jobs because it’s in-demand and can take you to so many different places.
In this section, I’m mainly going to talk about teaching English online, as that’s very popular these days.
You do not need to be a teacher to teach English online or speak another language, which is great. You only need to speak English.
Typically, you can earn around $14 to $22 per hour by teaching English online.
The pay you can earn when teach english in person in another country can vary. Some places typically pay more than others, such as South Korea and Japan.
ESL teachers can also even occasionally get their housing paid for or free food when working in other countries. Free room and board can make this quite lucrative!
There are a couple of companies I recommend signing up for if you want to travel and make money as an online English teacher:
- VIPKID
- Education First
Learn more at Make Extra Money By Learning How To Teach English Online.
Another option would be to become a teacher overseas. You can learn more at How We Made Over $100,000 Teaching Overseas.
22. Amazon Camperforce
Amazon has a program where they hire RVers to work at their company “picking, packing, stowing, and receiving” packages.
If you’re an RVer, Amazon’s CamperForce program is one of the best travel jobs because it’s pretty flexible and easy. They offer hourly pay, a completion bonus, referral bonuses, and campsites for those that join and complete their CamperForce program.
CamperForce associates may be either full-time or part-time and pay between $120 to $270 per week (to go towards your camp fee).
This is a seasonal warehouse job at Amazon warehouse locations across the United States.
I did a quick search and at the time of this writing they are currently hiring for jobs in Troutdale, Oregon, St. Peters, Missouri, Castleton, New York, Houston, Texas, Richmond, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, Tampa, Florida, and Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
23. Ecommerce shop owner
There are so many different things you can sell online, everything from clothes, home decor, electronics, outdoor equipment, and much more. And unlike a brick-and-mortar business, ecommerce shop owners don’t necessarily need to store inventory or handle shipping.
If you’re unfamiliar with this idea, it works this way because of something called dropshipping. Your online store is the middleman between the wholesaler and customer. So, you won’t actually have to ship anything yourself if you do not want to.
That makes running an online store one of the many jobs that allow you to travel because you can manage your online store from your laptop.
Learn more about running an ecommerce store in How Jenn Makes over $10,000 A Month With Her Online Store In Less Than 10 Hours Per Week.
24. Peace Corps Volunteer
Working for the Peace Corps as a volunteer could be one of the most life changing travel jobs. I’ve heard it is a very rewarding experience as you will travel to places you’ve never thought you’d visit while helping people along the way.
But, the Peace Corps isn’t for everyone.
This is technically a volunteer position, and volunteers live with hosts in the community. You are paid a small monthly stipend that is enough to live on in a developing country.
25. Virtual assistant
Many individual and small business owners hire virtual assistants (VAs) to help with tasks that don’t need to be completed by the business owner. It’s a way for business owners to free up their time and focus on more important tasks
Virtual assistants work online doing things like billing, scheduling, basic website tasks, responding to customer requests, handling social media, and more.
As long as you have an internet connection and a laptop, you can work as a virtual assistant from anywhere in the world.
You can learn more in How Kayla Earns $10,000 From Home As A Virtual Assistant.
What jobs travel the most and pay well?
I recommend taking a look at the list of best travel jobs above and see what interests you.
The pay can vary widely depending on what you are looking for, where you want to travel to, your skillset, how many hours you want to devote towards the job, and more.
Some do pay less than others, such as becoming a Peace Corps volunteer or being in the Amazon Camperforce program. But, they may have other benefits that will outweigh the pay for you to make it worth it.
What jobs will pay you to travel?
Many of the jobs above may actually pay you to travel, such as cruise ship jobs, au pair, flight attendant, pilot, marine biologist, travel nurse, travel guide, yacht crew, and more.
Others may allow you to earn money as you travel, but may not be directly related to travel. This includes remote jobs, blogging, proofreading, and more.
What are jobs that travel and pay well with no experience?
If you are looking for jobs that will allow you to travel even though you have no experience, you may want to look at starting a blog, finding a job at a campground, find items to resell, and more.
Many of the jobs on this list can be started even though you have no experience.
You may have to take a course for some, but everyone has to start somewhere.
What are the best travel jobs?
There are many different travel jobs that may interest you. It’s all about finding the one that you are passionate about, the one that pays the bills, one that fits your skill level, and so on.
There are pros and cons to each type of travel job, so there is no single solution — it’s all about finding what will fit you best.
As a recap, some of the best travel jobs talked about above include:
- Remote jobs
- Blogger
- Park ranger
- Cruise ship worker
- WWOOFer
- Freelancer writer
- Au pair
- Campground worker
- Outdoor guide or instructor
- Flight attendant
- Yacht crew
- Photographer
- Take surveys or take part in focus groups
- Marine biologist
- Proofreader
- Travel nurse
- Write your own eBook
- Find items to resell online
- Freelancer jobs
- Sell printables on Etsy
- Teach English
- Amazon Camperforce
- Ecommerce shop owner
- Peace Corps
- Virtual assistant
There are many other travel jobs as well. These may include becoming a tour guide, working at hostels, yoga instructor, becoming a pilot, working on a cruise line, find jobs at ski resorts (such as by being a ski instructor), working for the airlines as a flight attendant, PADI scuba instructor, finding digital nomad jobs, finding expat jobs, finding backpacker jobs, travel jobs in social media management, foreign service officer, and more. The list is endless in the travel industry.
Whether you want to travel across countries or continents in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, or elsewhere, there are many options for finding the best travel job for you.
For me, I love being able to travel and work at the same time. I have been able to visit many new places and really get to learn about the areas that I visit because I am able to spend more time really getting to know a place. Plus, I am still able to pay all of my expenses and save fully for retirement with no worries.
In today’s world, it is very attainable to find a travel job that works for you. The list is endless and there are many different options for traveling job opportunities that exist.
Enjoy the travel lifestyle!
Are you interested in finding travel jobs? What would your dream travel job be?