10 travel jobs within your reach

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DESPITE THE ECONOMIC gloom and doom, there are millions of jobs available these days. Many of these jobs require extensive travel or even relocation overseas.

Some of the travel jobs on this list pay better than others. Some demand specific qualifications, while others are available to just about anyone who can speak English and button their shirt. Most are best suited to young people without major attachments.

All of these travel jobs promise overseas adventure and exposure to foreign cultures, so put aside the local classifieds and explore a world of possibility!

English Teacher

English teaching jobs are ridiculously easy to find in many parts of the world. It helps to have a college degree or ESL certification, but these qualifications aren’t mandatory. The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program is one of the best English teaching gigs, but there are countless other opportunities in every corner of the world.

Top 10 Places For Teaching English Abroad

Tour Guide

Photo by Marcin Wichary

Tour guiding jobs are plentiful if you already know a place well and have good social skills. You can either freelance, using the web to attract clients, or you can apply for a job with an established tour company. It helps to have a particular skill or hobby that you can share with your clients, like mountain biking or birdwatching.

Tour Guide: The Right Job For You?

Sailor (Navy)

Even when the last factory in America has closed, the military will still be hiring. There are a ton of reasons why this situation sucks, but a Navy job actually isn’t all bad. You’re very unlikely to see combat, and you’ll definitely get to see the world.

Join the Navy, See the World

Sailor (Yachts)

Photo by sharkbait

If you can’t picture yourself on an aircraft carrier, how about a luxurious yacht? Rich people need crews to help them get around, and qualified sailors with good people skills can travel the world in style by hanging out in fancy ports and making connections with the global elite.

How To Travel The World By Crewing On Yachts

Travel Writer

Becoming a travel writer is easy. Earning a decent income from travel writing is more difficult. However, if you can write fairly well and are web-savvy, it’s possible to sustain your travels on writing income alone.

Matador Travel Writing School

Geologist

Becoming a geologist will take some time and money, but once you get your degree the travel and employment opportunities are mind-blowing. Our hunger for fossil-fuel energy isn’t going to end anytime soon, and people who can sniff out the world’s last stashes of oil will always score high-paying work in exotic locales.

Becoming A Geologist

Peace Corp Volunteer

Photo by army.mil

Wait a second, you say. Don’t Peace Corp volunteers get paid pennies? Well, yes, but how does good health insurance, student loan deferrals and a solid $5,000 bonus after the end of your service sound?

Peace Corp Official Site

Importer / Exporter

There are cheap widgets for sale in China. Americans love widgets. So go to China, buy cheap widgets, and sell them in America. Done and done.

How To Start Your Own Import / Export Business

Host / Hostess

Photo by Timothy Lloyd

Japanese men and women will pay you hundreds of dollars to flirt with them in smoky bars. Hey, it beats English teaching…

So You Want To Be A Bar Hostess?

Diplomat

Yup, the foreign service is hiring. If you read The New York Times and don’t smoke pot you’re probably qualified. Being a diplomat isn’t all fun and games, but the pay is decent and you’ll have good job security.

The Life Of A Diplomat

Final Notes

Done with travel and want to find a job back home? How To Make Travel Look Good On A Resume is a must read.

An excellent resource for finding travel jobs is the website Transitions Abroad.

And remember, if you can’t find a travel job you can always travel the world for free.

If you have a suggestion, question or just want to rant, please leave a comment below.