Do you like the idea of taking travel jobs to help cover costs on your trip, but hoping to do more than just sit in a classroom or office abroad? Are you looking for a way to have an immersive, unforgettable travel experience, but feeling confined by a small budget?
It can get really frustrating to go travel with just enough funds to get a plane ticket and a room at a hostel, but very little left over to actually go out and experience the destination that you’ve spent all your hard-earned cash to get to.
Here are five ideas for travel jobs that Christine and I have personally done or worked right alongside that will actually help you get started seeing more places and meeting more people using skills you already have without requiring a bunch of new certifications.
These travel jobs are real, easy to find, and can make a big difference in the way you travel the world. Don’t forget to apply for travel jobs professionally, including resumes, cover letters and photos. And before you jump on the plane, make sure you prepare for your work abroad by researching your destination, getting proper visas if necessary and generally getting organized for what could be your trip of a lifetime!
1. SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST
Get Those Instagram Skills to Work for You!
You don’t have to be able to gather a Twitter following like Kim Kardashian or post Instagram photos that flood with hundreds of comments to be circling the globe as a Social Media Specialist.
Many small companies worldwide are very excited to spread the word about their awesome brands but have trouble knowing how to begin or simply don’t have enough staff to get it all started. Often, these companies are looking for quite basic social media assistance including building/managing the company Facebook page, posting/editing photos, opening and interacting on a Twitter account, creating Pinterest pins, and essentially building a following to gain social media momentum– then teaching the manager what you’ve done and how to keep it going.
A great short-term agreement is to work with hotels, tour/adventure companies or eco-lodges to exchange housing, food and/or excursions for helping spruce up their online presence. Though it is possible to get paid for this as a travel job, we have found it can be VERY lucrative in other ways too. We’ve met people who have made all sorts of arrangements for free housing/food, free language courses, free scuba diving certifications, free rock climbing lessons and more!
For example, last year, Christine and I met a couple of guys at a kite surfing school in Vietnam who wanted to learn to kite surf. Kite surfing lessons and gear can cost thousands of dollars and take quite a bit of time. Those two rolled into town, talked to the owner of a kite surfing company, and arranged to trade lessons, rentals and housing for three weeks in exchange for a few hours of social media work every day. The best part was that most of their work was done from a beach lounger with sand beneath their toes!
If you’re interested in this type of opportunity, but don’t have a relevant degree, you may want to enhance your abilities and confidence by taking some online classes in social media and marketing.
There are MANY FREE OPTIONS online that can enhance your background and resume!
- DIY Genius: https://www.diygenius.com/10-free-online-courses-in-social-media-and-inbound-marketing/
- Social Media Training: http://socialmediatraining.com/social-media-training/
To apply for these types of travel jobs, it may be most effective to find companies online that you believe could use your help and contact them directly. Look for companies that are in areas you would like to visit and offer things they could easily exchange for a mutual benefit!
Here are a couple websites to watch, but these are only a few suggestions. There are many opportunities out there!
- Hostel Jobs (not actually all hostels): https://hosteljobs.net/browse-hostel-jobs
- Expat.com: http://www.expat.com/en/jobs/
- Travel Job Search: http://www.traveljobsearch.com/
2. ADVENTURE GUIDE
Make Money Sharing What You Love to Do!
Are you interested in travel jobs but working on a laptop in paradise isn’t for you, even on a beautiful beach?
Do you have an outdoor sport or activity like hiking or kayaking that you would like to share with the world as you travel? If so, you may want to pursue working as an adventure guide!
Whether you are leading people on snorkeling trips, rock climbing, on jungle treks or on horseback adventures, being a guide can take you to some incredible places, letting you live the vacation everyone else has to pay for–every day!
A lot of travelers think it takes YEARS to become an adventure guide, while in reality, there are some outdoor travel jobs that you can start with only a few weeks of on-job training! In our experience, employers are especially looking for people that are confident in their own abilities to learn quickly and who enjoy helping and leading others on a fun day.
Christine and I have been hired to guide all over the world, sometimes in places we had never been, for short and long-term commitments–some as short as just a few weeks! We have found jobs online as well as applied directly in person and by email. The experience can be extremely rewarding, especially when you are working together with a team of locals. And guiding isn’t just about sport–it can be an awesome opportunity to learn about and teach guests about the history of an area, interesting facts about the local flora and fauna, and overall, help your guests appreciate the unique qualities of places they are visiting!
Compensation for working as an adventure guide can vary greatly based upon where you are and what you are doing. There are often chances to get paid to do your favorite adventures on a daily basis, housing and food can be included in remote locations and in some areas you can make good money from tips as well.
Here are a couple of websites to check out and sample adventure companies, but do your own research to find companies that fit the skills you have AND the skills you would like to acquire:
- Dream Jobbing: http://dreamjobbing.com/category/fulltime
- Adventure Jobs: http://adventurejobs.co/
- Asia Outdoors: http://www.asiaoutdoors.com.vn/
- Trek Travel (bike guide): https://trektravel.com/employment/
- OX Expeditions: http://www.oxexpeditions.com/work-jobs-mountain-guides.html
- G Adventures: https://www.gadventures.com/careers/
- The Gorge: http://thegorgezipline.com/jobs
3. TRAVELING COOK
Get Your Travels Covered by Working in a Kitchen for a Few Hours a Day!
Cooking is a fantastic way to make your travels unique and can be well compensated on the road.
From breakfast cook positions in hostels to gourmet private chef jobs in the Alps (ski all day-cook at night!), there are a variety of businesses worldwide looking for seasonal cooks and chefs every month of the year.
Christine has cooked on yachts in the Caribbean and been the head chef on a guest ranch in Nicaragua. We have some close friends who have lived in Antarctica as cooks and others who been in charge of kitchens in French chalets. This really is a job that can introduce you to many people and places on an amazing path.
One of the main benefits of working as a cook while you travel is that you often only work one part of the day, early morning or evening, leaving the rest of your time open to enjoy your new area. In our experience, the amount of time you work is a trade-off for the compensation, so if you are looking to only work a few hours a day for four weeks, it is completely possible, but you may be exchanging for housing, food and new friends instead of a paycheck.
Finding and applying for cooking jobs can be as simple as turning up in a town and looking for help wanted signs, but preparing for your trip with online research and applications is more effective.
If you have a good amount of experience cooking, whether at home or in a restaurant, you may want to consider using those acquired skills to gain employment on your next adventure!
Here are a few sites to watch and inspire you, but do your own searches too!
- Season Workers: https://www.seasonworkers.com/hospitalityjobs/chef-jobs-abroad.aspx
- Global Expat Recruiting: http://globalexpatrecruiting.com/candidates/jobs/
- Cool Works: http://www.coolworks.com/restaurant-jobs/
- Yacht Chefs: http://www.yachtchefs.com/
- Work a Season: http://www.workaseason.com/work-for-us/winter-jobs/catering/catering-jobs/
4. CLEANING STAFF
Earn and Exchange on a Team of New Friends!
Being on the hospitality staff may not seem like a glamorous way to spend your vacation, but when your budget is limited, a little light cleaning can extend that vacation money MUCH further. Common hospitality travel jobs are in small lodges and hostels, as well as on boats (stewards), but there are opportunities in all sorts of places. This is great for people who aren’t necessarily looking to take on a large leadership role.
Working as cleaning staff can be a pretty simple gig in some places with only a few rooms to pick up after, and because of that, often gets lumped together with other types of jobs. For example, you may be a cleaner/receptionist or cleaner/gardener. Depending on the workload, these positions may pay a bit, but there are many food/housing/beer/activity exchanges as well that make the job worthwhile.
Living without paying for food or housing can really save you some money while on an extended trip and often the workload is as little as 20 hours a week. Finding work as a steward on a boat can pay A LOT better, but the workload and time commitment is often more intense.
Overall, we think the experience of living and working with people from all over the world, learning a bit more about a place by staying longer, and having an instant network of new friends in a unique location is more than enough reason to roll up your sleeves and get dirty while you travel.
Here are a few sites that give good examples of opportunities:
- Hostel Jobs (not actually all hostels): https://hosteljobs.net/browse-hostel-jobs
- Cool Works: http://www.coolworks.com/guest-services/
- Hostel Travel Jobs: http://www.hosteltraveljobs.com/
- Crew Finder: http://www.crewfinders.com/
5. MANAGER
Work with Locals and Travelers to Learn So Much More!
Every day, Christine and I find short-term and long-term travel opportunities online for people (especially couples!) to manage properties and restaurants all over the world. We’ve found that managing a property can give insight into an area in a way that perhaps no other job can.
Though each and every position is going to be different, Christine and I have managed a few places and can say that, for us, working with local staff is the most rewarding aspect of managing away from home. We’ve found that problem solving in a new country is VERY educational, and pushes you to work within the community, speak other languages and generally begin integrating into a different culture, rather than passively observe it from inside an air-conditioned bus.
Short-term management jobs often require little past management experience. The responsibilities can vary greatly, but the benefits are often monthly salaries, free food and housing and free access to loads of classes and local tours with other businesses in the area. This is especially great for people looking to try out or work on a second language on a daily basis as you may have guests and staff from all over the world.
Check out sites like these for new openings, but be creative too! Think location specific searches, including sites like Craigslist.
- Far and Wide Workers: http://www.farandwideworkers.com/
- Ehotelier: http://ehotelier.com/jobs/
- Global Expat Recruiting: http://globalexpatrecruiting.com/candidates/jobs/
- Hostel Jobs: https://hosteljobs.net/browse-hostel-jobs
- Surf Travel Jobs: http://www.surftraveljobs.com/
- Ski Bug: http://www.skibug.co.uk/working-for-skibug/
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
There are so many travel jobs for you to choose from whether it is cooking pancakes on Wednesdays for a hostel, guiding kayak adventures in Hawaii, or managing a yoga eco-lodge in Costa Rica. These jobs can give you access to experiences you never anticipated and make your international adventure less sightseeing and more sight-doing!
Now that you have some ideas, where would you like to travel and work this year?
Disclaimer: All opinions in this article are my own and do not express the opinions of others or my employers. Also, this is an article about my experiences working and will probably vary for others during different times, with different people and with different companies. Use your head.