fishing could be a great job for traveling. you can go anywhere there's water. you can work a one-day charter, a week-long trip, or a month-plus season. the job itself might even take you to the next place you want to go. a shrimp boat, for example, will begin a season in Brownsville, TX, work around the Gulf Coast and down to the Florida Keys, then up to Cape Hatteras, NC. and you're getting paid! (self-employed, no withholdings!) it's an accessible industry around the world, and full of unique exposure to nature, both human and mother. rubber boots and strong back required.
The best travel job I had was in London, England. I worked at the Concierge of a small hotel chain. It wasn't really the job that made my experience so great, but the people I met everyday. We had tourists from all over the world, some speaking very limited English. It gave me the chance to brush up on my Italian, since I literally went home everyday looking up new words in the dictionary to be able to assist the guests better. I was even invited to go to Italy by one of the guests. Eventually, I was so inspired that I ended up traveling to Italy to take an intensive two week language course.
A simple job, and that's where I ended up in the end. You can check www.swap.ca or www.bunac.org which can help you with work visa and your job search. Good luck, and remember: it's not what type of a job you do when you travel, but how you make use of your time at the job.
I rarely have any good stories of my own, but whenever I think "work" and "travel", I think of the following:
When my brother was in basic training, he had this guy in his barracks from West Virginia. Rural West Virginia. We'll call him Pvt. Snuffy.
Anyway, a few weeks into basic and they finally get their first paycheck. "Golly," the West Virginian says, "All this and I get paid too?" Pvt. Snuffy honestly thought that the "pay" you received from the Army was 3 hots, a cot, and a pair of boots.
The point is, I've since watch a bunch of otherwise worthless lives get transformed through the armed forces. I know it sounds sadistic and weird, but there are guys like Pvt. Snuffy who don't even know enough to know that there's a world outside Bunglestump, MO, or Beeshit, AL. Not that they're stupid, but someone needs to drag them by the nostrils and throw them headfirst into a new world.
Of course, the ethics could be argued up and down, but Housing allowances, hazardous overseas duty pay and a host of other benefits has put people in the most interesting places on earth...and kept them fed.
The grand strategy:
Work in a rich country. Save your money. Live like a monk.
Then cancel your rent, sell your shit, quit your job and buy a ticket to Bangkok.
One year's salary from Tokyo, London or New York will give you years of the good life in SE Asia.
Working in the national parks is great. Unless you're really committed to doing it for life, you can't usually get a good position with the National Park Service, but the private companies that do dining and lodging services in the parks will generally hire people. The greatest part is that you get to live inside the park for a season. I did it in Acadia National Park in Maine one autumn, and it was fantastic.
I haven't done it, but I know a few people who are artists/performers who work on cruise ships. Lots of pros and lots of cons, but it is a job that gets you traveling.
In Acadia! Nice. I road my bike up there 2 years back and was just blown away by how beautiful Mt. Desert Island is.
There's definitely a unique one I've been looking into: hosting or hostessing in Tokyo. Being paid to look attractive, dress nicely, drink, and talk. There's a book coming out in April called Bar Flower, about this lifestyle in Tokyo; check it out.
By the way, thanks for the mention on the article!
Turner in Japan-
There's also, apparently, a documentary about this subject (though I haven't seen it yet)-- "The Great Happiness Space." Here's the description from Netflix:
"This compelling film explores the rarely seen world of Japanese host boys, men who are paid to entertain wealthy women in exclusive nightclubs. Almost but not quite gigolos, more akin to male geishas, the host boys of Café Rakkyo share their secrets with director Jake Clennell in his first documentary. The narrative focuses on Issei, Osaka's top host boy, but all the characters in this unique subculture are fascinating."
If you do take up that job, let us know. Some good stories should come out of it!
Hey David,
I've got a number of tried-and-true suggestions for traveling jobs:
1) Bartending. People drink all over the world, so bartending is a great skill to travel with. Many bars will also allow you to work "under the table" (not that we condone such things, of course!), so it's an easy way to make some dough on the road to sustain your travels.
2) Hostel Hands. Many hostels have staff who operate on an informal work-trade basis. Work a few shifts (be they front desk, housekeeping, or property improvement projects), and get a bunk for the night and a place among team members at the hostel. There are lots of perks to living and working at a hostel, and it seems to be a commonplace way to travel "for free".
3) Caretaking. Caretakers' Gazette (http://www.caretaker.org), Organic Volunteers (http://www.organicvolunteers.com), House Carers (http://www.housecarers.com), and Wwoofing (http://www.wwoof.org) are great resources to find temporary positions doing anything from house or pet sitting, to organic farming, to campground management, and myriads of other seasonal jobs where rent-free living is the common denominator.
4) Dive Master. Although I don't have personal experience with this, I hear that having a Scuba Dive Master certification and love of all things ocean is a great way to earn some cash on the road. Get paid to do what you love, and show other people the wonders of the deep blue.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you want to use any of it.
Blue Skies....Nora
Another one I've been contemplating for next winter (or maybe the one after...) is working the ski resort scene - there are waitressing, bartending, busing jobs aplenty and many of the resorts will put you up (in dorms... I hear it's like freshman year, without the classes! woot?) and provide perks like lift passes. I wouldn't be surprised if I land in Whistler or Banff one of these winters, seems like a good gig. Most of the resorts have job info on their sites - also, for non-Americans I've heard this is one way to get a temporary US work visa. I met a bunch of Aussies who worked ski seasons in upstate New York and down in New Mexico - the resorts hooked them up with permits.
Dive masters, definitely. I know lots of dive instructors in Mexico and Puerto Rico who do seasonal work. They bust their butts during high season, but make great money and love their work.
The best Job I had was in Australia as a bartender. It seemed that no one really wanted that job over there because they wanted to go out. You don't make tips but you make about $18 AUS and hour plus $26 AUS dollars and hr on holidays and weekends. However, it's hard to secure a job bar tending before you travel and actually apply in person. Does anyone know of any websites that can secure a job like this?
Work in Bollywood. It's really easy for foreigners to get jobs as extras and longer stints with speaking parts. The pay for one-time gigs is pretty low, $15 a day or so. But if you're persistent and good at networking (or just happen to be in the right place at the right time), you can get longer positions that pay much better, $30-$60 per day.
My boyfriend and I worked as extras on a major Bollywood film (google "You, Me, Aur Hum", releasing April 10) that was being shot on a cruise, which meant: $60 a day in addition to 2 weeks on a luxury cruise liner for free. After that, we got offered some other parts for speaking roles in commercials and TV shows which we had to turn down due to our travel schedule. And we're not particularly talented or good-looking!
The bummer is that you're pretty much limited to Mumbai (plus a few other cities in India). The one-day jobs can also be pretty awful, long and boring. Still, if Mumbai's part of your itinerary, and you've got a flexible schedule, DO IT.
Yo DM,
Nursing is a huge one. I have multiple friends who earned their nursing degrees and haven't looked back. There's always work for somebody who knows how to take care of the sick. Check TravelNursing.com or Doctors Without Borders if you're really committed.
I am a flight attendant and I think hands down one of the TOP jobs to travel with. Even if you work for a domestic or regional carrier - The perks extend all over the world. :)
Crewing on sailboats is a great way to travel. In 2001 I went to help a buddy re-hab a 32 foot West Sail in La Paz, Baja; this got me onto other boats, a 42 foot vessel named Wooden Shoe (guess what she was made of), owned by a woman cellist for the San Diego Symphony and a couple other gigs on different boats over a five month period. I sailed the Sea of Cortez and jumped over to the Mexican mainland for other adventures including taking the train into Copper Canyon. Had offers to make the crossing to the South Pacific, but alas, responsibilities here in the States called me home. If you don't get too seasick, I highly recommend it. If you are a decent cook, even better. A search on the Internet will direct you to all sorts of opportunities. Some great characters on the open water.
Happy Sailing,
Chrysser
Uniqueness is the greatest success. W.H. Auden, poet.
Gracias Gente!
I checked back after a couple weeks and am stoked to find these new replies. I'm going to do a roundup / remix and post these in group-authored article on the notebook in the upcoming days.
Alright everyone,
thanks so much for your efforts--we've got another roundup posted at: http://thetravelersnotebook.com/travel-and-adventure-jobs/the-best-seasonal-jobs-for-traveling-pt-2/
Don't feel bad if your tip didn't make the cut this time . . I'll try to get it in there for the next round.
I owe each of you a round of yerba mate.
when your talkin' jobs are you talkin' non visa style or i would need a visa.
i really want to quite my job hop a plain over there and travel by bike.
from ireland down into france or as far and as long as possible.
i heard jobs "under the table" are hard to get and if you get caught out ya go.
i don't need to make a bundle just enough to keep from day to day.
about the only talent i have is art, beside carrying some handmade items to sell not sure what else to do.
i do photo thigs so that might work.. oh and i have a laptop and i am a graphic designer so maybe that would be fruitful.
ever hear of anyone work across europe as an artist?
anyway thank for the info and i hope i haven't wasted your time with foolish questions.
Darren
Tripfilms (http://www.tripfilms.com) offers to pay for travel expenses and accommodations for anywhere in the world, as long as the travelers can make some pretty decent travel videos of their experience. It's really a cool deal and they give a lot of leeway with dates, locations etc. It's not a full-time job, but it could cover your next trip! The details are here: http://www.tripfilms.com/tripvlogger.do
Maybe I'm way off base here, but try to stick with me. Jobs that pay more than you can spend on RnR's are few and far between but working in Iraq pays the bills and enables you to travel every four months for two weeks paid. Not the easiest way to go but it beats most U.S. nine to five career job vacation packages companies try to wedge you into. The work and the weather sure are way different than bartending in Jackson. You can tan real quick when the sun is baking you to a crisp at 140 degrees. Stay cool for me, Slinky
Canada is the place to go if you want to catch trophy northern pike, walleye, muskie and lake trout. While there are tons of fishermen that plan trips up here every year, there are still so many lakes that offer some unbelievable fishing. Travellers who are planning for the tip for those I would like to provide one site "http://www.only4deals.com/" where we can reserve the tickets at low airfare and it is comfortable in accommodation and price.
I'm a bike guide for a travel company. I get to travel all over Europe and explore the country on two wheels while I'm there. All expenses are covered, plus I'm paid.
In the end this work, so I don't have much time to really explore/enjoy the country on my own terms(of course when I do it's great) but it sure beats a job sitting at a desk every day.
So far the best job I have is that I work in a travel agency. This found this job quite interesting. :)
The traveller! http://www.thailandsworld.com.
Can you please offer me a little more info on the bike tour thing? I just moved to the UK a month ago and this sounds absolutely perfect for me.
Cheers
-Moj
I'm definitely into the "mobile office" sort of lifestyle. Freelance writing and editing, along with English teaching, pay my bills. I'm trying to focus more on the writing and editing than teaching right now, but wherever there is a large (or even medium-sized) community of expats or - as in Russia - a commodities-price boom, there is going to be a community of people willing to pay you to write ad copy, edit memos and brochures, and teach English to their kids.
I guess this could apply here. You can join the Army National guard or reserves. The Air Force National Guard or Navy is probably better for travel. This example is true of the Army as that is what I know. Since you are part-time military you can "volunteer" for overseas deployments (Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Egypt, Africa-Horn area and Cuba) like the one I am on now. You are have full-time work for the year, you can save each month and get a month paid vacation. This option is best for former military people as they don't have to attend basic training again. Right now its not bad as the war is winding down. 4 months overseas and I haven't seen a bomb or a bullet fired in anger. Lets pray it stays that way. Yeah its not the greatest job but its a means to an end and that end (of course) is escape from America!
hey,
i've also heard some stories about women who worked as strippers in the US before going traveling-- i'd like to throw that out there as it offers autonomy and is lucrative. has anyone done this or have any thoughts?
Amen to that.
I totally think i'm capable of living like a monk. (it's too bad for all you slaves for fashion out there!)
My family thinks i'm crazy to want to do all of this. They feel bad for me.
But I plan to prove them wrong.
:)
I think the best job for traveling is blogging. There is a lot of demand for travel blogger. I do blog for a medical tourism company www.healism.com This website got all health related issues and also travel information where we can find low cost medical treatment. I love to write travel articles as well earn few dollars as my part-time income.
Joined: 08-13-06
Hola Gente!
Some of you have already contributed to the first group-written article we put together about a month ago entitled "Best Jobs for Traveling," which got more than 10,000 hits on the notebook. I'm still trying to put together a follow up piece, and have a couple more jobs, but am still looking for more. If anyone would like to contribute their best travel job (could be a cash in hand type of thing, like valet parking in San Francisco or could be something that actually is traveling, like an adventure guide) please add your response here, in a thread, and please provide any links if you have them. Thanks guys, you rock.