If you want to spend your life traveling, one of the best ways to do it is to have a career that involves being on the road. This may or may not mean working in the travel industry. Below are a few things to keep in mind as you plan the career that will be right for you and give you the lifestyle that you want.
Your Education
Many of the jobs that involve travel will also require a college degree. Even if they do not, it’s a good idea to get a degree because it will give you more career flexibility. For example, you might enjoy working on a cruise ship in your 20s, but after that, you may want to move into a different line of work. A student loan from a private lender can help you pay for college, and with a student loan calculator, you can figure out what you will have to pay after graduation. This information can help you find an affordable repayment plan. While in college, try learning a language and getting some study abroad experience to better position yourself to work overseas.
Living or Visiting?
One of the things to ask yourself is whether you want to live in other countries or simply visit them. You may choose a different career trajectory depending on which appeals to you. For example, teaching English, working in the foreign service or working in international aid are all jobs that involve living in other countries, sometimes for years at a time. Another type of job is one that is not about travel itself but which involves a lot of travel for work. The third options are jobs within in the travel industry. You have likely learned the value of finding a tour guide on your many travels, why not become one yourself?
Advantages and Disadvantages
Teaching English is something many people do when they are younger, and they do not look on it as a career-type job. However, some people do it as a career, and you can end up teaching at a foreign university or running a language school eventually depending on where in the world you want to go. The pay for this varies greatly according to where you are. One of the biggest advantages it offers is flexibility in where you go and how long you stay there. In contrast, if you work in the foreign service, you may not have much choice about where you live.
This could be true for international aid work as well although you may pick and choose where you apply for work. In a job that is not based in travel but that involves visiting other sites, the drawback is that you may end up spending a lot of time in conference rooms for meetings but not seeing the place you are visiting. You’ll need to work with your company to try to add on extra days to allow you to be a tourist. Finally, there are jobs in the travel industry itself where you may be based in the United States but spend a lot of time on the road. For example, you might work for an airline or lead tours for students.
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