5 Awesome Travel Jobs…and Where to Find Them by @cherireadwrites

by Cheri Read | Featured Contributor

Do you sit in your cubicle all day, secretly dreaming of the day you can escape the grind, shuck the heels, and travel the Caribbean? Or maybe your idea of paradise is riding horseback in the Smoky Mountains.

Whatever your dream, does it seem like the only way to get there is to win the lottery or invent the next Snuggie?

While your ultimate goal might be to make your own way, be your own boss, and carve out your own niche, what if you’re not quite there yet? Maybe you still feel like you need the security of a paycheck that comes from someone else, while easing yourself into the entrepreneurial lifestyle.
What if I told you there was a way to go ahead and travel the world, have flexible hours and get to do it all on someone else’s dime?

There are lots of jobs that offer flexibility, travel benefits and exotic locations. You just have to be willing to dig a little to find them.

To get you started, I’ve compiled a list of 5 of the most awesome travel jobs in the world and where to find them. Once you start exploring the possibilities, you will probably find dozens of options you’re suited for!

1.      ESL Teacher

Having a good command of the English language could be your ticket to seeing the world while earning a pretty hefty wage. There’s never a shortage of demand for this type of work and a lot of the time, you are not required to have any experience.

These jobs do, however, usually require you to have either ESL (English as a second language) or TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) certification, but most employers are willing to pay your expenses to get them and it can be done online.

Doing a search for ESL or TEFL jobs on most of the job boards will turn up results, but Dave Sperling has a website dedicated specifically to this career and has a job board that’s updated frequently at www.eslcafe.com.

2.      Retail Buyer

You read that right! You can totally get paid to shop for anything from garden tools for retail stores to luxury cars for big market auto dealers.

Large companies usually hire retail buyers to analyze purchasing trends and initiate negotiations with wholesalers. Travel is usually required to compare products and attend trade shows.

Just searching for “travel buyer” jobs in Simply Hired pulls up hundreds of jobs that require anything from 25 – 80% travel.

While most of these jobs require a large percent of your time to be spent in the office, if you like this sort of work and a steady paycheck, this might be just the gig for you!

3.      Airline Reservations Agent

Flight attendants and pilots aren’t the only ones who enjoy all the travel perks of major airlines. Just to get an idea, check out Delta Airlines and you will see job openings for baggage handlers, reservations agents and customer service representatives among others.

Most employees of major airlines receive free flight benefits along with travel vouchers for family members, no matter what area they work in. Some of the other perks can include flexible schedules and a 401k.

Since flying can be one of the biggest expenses of any trip, getting free flights while earning a paycheck might be a great thing to try!

4.      Adventure Guide

If your idea of heaven is riding horseback through the Wyoming prairie, or teaching survival skills to a group of adventure-lovers, landing a job as an adventure guide might be for you.

While this is usually a seasonal gig, it might be perfect for someone still transitioning into self-employment or with extended vacation time.

Cool Works has a consistently updated list of jobs in cool places.

In addition to job listings for guides, you might also find openings for chefs at guest ranches, camp counselors in the Rocky Mountains and tour guides for major attractions.

5.      Cruise Ship Hostess

If you’re itching to try out your sea legs, maybe a job with a cruise line is right for you. You can either work full time for a cruise line and make ocean travel your life, or you can take a seasonal job and then move onto dryer land.

Hostess jobs are just one of the many jobs you can get with a cruise line. Almost any job you can get on dry land, can be found on one of these megaships. Hair stylists, waitresses, cooks, clerks, nurses, casino dealers, and activity directors are just a few of the available positions always in high demand.

While you can do a search on one of the job sites and turn up hundreds of cruise ship jobs, my advice would be to do some research on the different cruise lines and visit the websites for job listings on the ones that travel your ideal destinations.

I hope this list has inspired you in your search for a travel career. As you can see, with a little creativity, you can live the life of your dreams without giving up your paycheck!

Where would you go today if someone else was paying your way?

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Cheri Read is a successful freelance writer, West Texas girl, single Christian mom & blogger. She has a decade of experience in career research and advising, and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. She loves helping women discover what they are meant to do and showing them creative ways to do it.

She also has more than a decade of experience in finding ways to earn extra money from home, adding to her list this past year, her budding freelance writing and blogging business, which is quickly on the way to becoming her full-time gig. You can learn more about the writing biz and how she does it over at cheriread.com. Her writing specialties include careers, personal finance, Christian living and digital marketing.

Cheri loves the Dallas Mavericks, her kids, grandkids, Jesus and writing (not necessarily in that order). When she’s not working on her blog or freelance writing assignments, you will probably find her drinking diet root beer and binging on Gilmore Girls on Netflix.

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Cheri Read