To travel and explore the world has always been part of anyone’s bucket list. Traveling not only enables us to explore the world but it has proven health benefits for us. However, money is required to travel. But what if you find a career that requires travel?

Photo courtesy of Oleksandr Pidvalnyi via Pexels

Business Travel Statistics 2018 shows people who travel for business are happy and productive during their travels. It also says that “92% of business travelers are satisfied with their quality of life when traveling for business.” If you love to travel and would love to travel for work, you can consider changing careers and chase after your dreams.

In order to do so, research on different career opportunities that are available for a college course you want to pursue. Doing so can help you see if the course you’re eyeing will help you land a job that would require you to travel locally, and even internationally. Just note that some of these careers may have specific requirements. Even students can start traveling as early as now to help prepare them for work-related trips.

Are you a student, a fresh graduate, or simply someone who believes you’re not meant to be working inside an office for most of your life? If you are, grab your pen and paper. Start taking down notes as we enumerate different jobs that require travel and pay well!

1. Event planner

Photo courtesy of Natasa Fernandez via Pexels

Event planners’ main duty is to coordinate, manage, and execute a wide variety of events. These events can range from concerts, training, seminars, weddings, debuts, and others. To be an event planner, it is ideal to be a graduate of a hospitality or communications course. Some professionals who have a degree in other fields complete event planning and management certificate programs to be qualified for this position.

Event managing and planning is one type of job that travels the world because the events they organize happen at different venues, locally and abroad. Working as an event planner will definitely bring you to different places and will enable you to meet new people. If you’re an event planner or planning to be one, apply at event companies and start making connections with different dealers and suppliers and build a database. Stay healthy, organized, and patient. Remember, mistakes can happen before, during, and after the event. Always have a plan B if problems arise. And remember: the show must go on.

2. Consultant

Photo courtesy of Startup Stock Photos via Pexels

Consultants specialize in different fields such as business, legal, and human resources. Business consultants or management analysts, for example, improve the structure, techniques, and productivity of a business or brand. Consultants are experts in their field or product. If you want to be one, secure a relevant bachelor’s degree and earn work experience related to your chosen expertise. Gaining years of work experience will help you know the ins and outs of your field, giving you a wider perspective on how to improve. Having a master’s degree is also preferred.

Consultants can work for different businesses or work for a large company with different branches in different places, giving them the opportunity to work and travel at the same time.

3. Regional sales representative

Photo courtesy of Thomas Drouault via Unsplash

Being a regional sales representative is a business job that requires travel. They present and sell products and services of a company to individuals in different areas, depending on where they are assigned. To be a sales representative, one must be knowledgeable about the products and services of their company and is sociable, and persuasive.

Working as a regional sales representative will not only help you go places, but it is also a great opportunity to meet new people. The salary of sales representatives usually depends on the number of sales they made during their travels. If you want to pursue this job and get a high salary, work on your sales talk skills. Avoid using jargon when talking to potential clients. Do not assume that they will understand all the terms you use in your industry. Simple words are easier to understand. Aside from knowing your product and service well, try to understand the life and needs of your client. This will give you an idea of how you can convince them that your product can significantly improve their lives.

4. Construction manager

Photo courtesy of Scott Blake via Unsplash

Construction managers plan, direct, coordinate, and oversee activities on construction sites. Construction managers usually have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, and relevant work experience to qualify. They travel to different construction sites across regions and countries depending on their projects. This career will require you to travel to different places for as long as the construction is ongoing. The duration of your stay at different locations depends on the state of the project you are overseeing. Being a construction manager means dealing with different people working on the construction project—from laborers to architects, engineers, and clients. You need patience and good leadership skills to be an effective construction manager.

5. Media professional

Photo courtesy of Austin Distel via Unsplash

Media relations specialists or public relations specialists handle the communication between the press and organizations (private, public or government) to create a favorable public image for their clients. Their activities also include implementing public campaigns that will raise awareness about their clients. People in this field often accomplished a bachelor’s degree in public relations, communications, journalism, advertising, and business administration.

This career requires travel especially when clients organize and attend events. Some PR representatives work on the speeches of their clients and their presence is much needed wherever the client is. Some PR/media representatives also pitch their clients to different media companies for them to get promoted on TV, newspapers, magazines, or radio. During the production shoot of such advertisements, PR representatives usually join their clients to monitor how the advertising goes and make sure it goes according to their client’s requests.

6. English teacher

Photo courtesy of Wes Hicks via Unsplash

English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers teach the language to people whose first language isn’t English. Some ESL teachers work from home, giving them the freedom to travel while working for as long as they have a strong Internet connection.

ESL teachers usually earned bachelor’s degrees in education, English, Literature, and Communications. Most earn a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate prior to becoming an ESL teacher. The training provided prior to receiving a TESOL certificate will give you technical and practical knowledge on how to teach English to international students. Aside from working remotely, there is a high demand for ESL teachers in different countries mostly from Asia, Europe, and South America. Either way, ESL teaching is one of the jobs that allows you to travel the world and meet people from different cultures and countries.

7. Photographer, writer, and videographer

Photo courtesy of Andrew Ly via Unsplash

Freelance work has been a trend these days especially to creatives like photographers, videographers, and writers. Because they work remotely, these creatives have the freedom to pursue careers that allow traveling.

Photographers and videographers usually have a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts such as multimedia arts. Photographers can be commissioned to cover events such as weddings or press releases happening in different places in the country and abroad. Videographers who work in production companies also have the opportunity to work in different locations depending on where their shooting location is.

Writers usually have a bachelor’s degree in the field of the arts—literature, creative writing, and communications. If you are a writer or good at writing, you may opt to apply in travel and marketing agencies that are looking for remote writers. Start reading up on SEO writing and practice as this will be very handy especially if your task is writing for websites.

Travel writers, for example, maybe commissioned by agencies to travel to different places and write compelling articles about the experience. Freelance writers can work whenever they want, be it in coffee shops and other public places, as long as they have their laptop and Internet connection. Some even fly to locations like Boracay for writing inspiration and to get their creative juices flowing.

If you’re a remote creative worker, why don’t you fly to Boracay and hit the beach while working? Book at Alta Vista de Boracay, a comfortable lifestyle hotel on the island. The hotel’s room rates start for as low as Php2,800 and their facilities can keep you relaxed, happy, and inspired throughout your trip.

8. Translator

Photo courtesy of Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash

Knowing how to read and write another language doesn’t automatically make you qualified to be a translator. Having a bachelor’s degree, related experiences, certification, and even a master’s degree in a language and in areas of the translation will help you qualify for the position. To be an effective translator, often practice conversing using the language you want to translate. Also, read up on the industry jargon of your field and know how to accurately translate these words. If you’re working for a company whose expertise is law and legal management, study the translations of the jargon used in this field. Knowing an industry’s vernacular will make you more competitive among other translator applicants vying for a position.

Being a translator is one of the jobs that will help you travel internationally depending on the needs of clients or companies. Some translators work at conferences and international summits as speech interpreters of speakers and delegates who do not fluently speak English. The work of translators includes translating documents from one language to another and interpreting the speeches of their clients.

9. Cruise ship employee

Photo courtesy of Timothy Eberly via Unsplash

One of the common jobs that allow travel and pay well is, of course, being a cruise ship employee. There are different positions available on cruise ships that deal with maintenance, logistics, and food. Most cruise ship employees have a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, trade, hospitality, and culinary arts. It is one of the most sought-after jobs because of the high pay plus tips they can get from their customers. Another perk is obviously the convenience of being able to travel the world.

Before hopping on board, there are training and certificates that they will need to secure. These include basic training, crowd management, and crisis management. Having a Seafarer’s Identification and Record Book (SIRB) or seaman’s book is also one of the major requirements. You can apply or renew your seaman’s book by booking your appointment in the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA). This book is similar to a passport and includes details about the seafarer's personal information and seagoing service. The exams that are required to pass before working on board are medical and the Marlins Test. The latter measures the English proficiency of an applicant to ensure clear communications among cruise ship members.

While working on a cruise ship is a lucrative career, be prepared to be in the middle of the sea for quite a time, adjust to different time zones, and work long hours.

10. Pilot and flight attendant

Photo courtesy of Jon Flobrant via Unsplash

Pilots and flight attendants have a career that combines business and leisure travel. They fly to different destinations every day, every week or every month.

Airline pilots are graduates of aircraft operations, aviation, aeronautical engineering, and other related fields. Months of ground training and more than 1,500 hours of flight experience is also required. Other important requirements include Commercial Pilot License (CPL), 1st Class Medical Certificate, NTC License (radiotelephony), at least Level 4 of English Language Proficiency, and ATO Certificate of ATPL Ground training. Other technical trainings to acquire include Instrument Rating to legally fly planes on inclement weather by relying on the instruments found in the aircraft, Multi-Engine Rating for flying an aircraft with two or more engines, and Type Rating to fly a specific aircraft. Enrolling at flight schools in the Philippines will guide you to becoming an airline pilot.

Flight attendants, on the other hand, usually have a bachelor’s degree in tourism. Others may come from different fields but underwent flight attendant courses and training to be qualified. They keep airline passengers safe and comfortable throughout the flight by providing basic services and assistance. Aside from certification requirements that are required by airlines, qualifications for flight attendants include meeting the minimum height requirement and display high standards of physical appearance, hygiene, and grooming.

While pilots and flight attendants enjoy traveling from one destination to another across regions and countries, flight attendants must be physically and emotionally fit to work. There are emergencies that can happen during flights and not all passengers are the same so patience is important.

Photo courtesy of Ashim D’Silva via Unsplash

If it is your dream to get paid while traveling, there are a variety of careers that require travel to choose from. Research well on these careers and see where your abilities suit best. While going to different places can be a great adventure, traveling all the time for work entails sacrifices. These sacrifices may include giving up a lot of time for family and friends, homesickness, and adjusting to different time zones.

However, if you prefer to work in an office or if your dream to work and travel at the same time is not reachable for now, you can still find ways to travel and work at the same time. The important thing is to balance work and leisure to avoid burnout and stress while enjoying life to the fullest.

Fly High With Your Career: 10 Careers That Let You Travel