Mixing travel with work is a wonderful way to see more of the world while gaining valuable career experience. If you’re dreaming about a job letting your travel while paying for itself, rest assured you’ll have quite a few choices for rewarding careers with travel opportunities. If you can match your strengths and skills to an appealing career, you’ll likely find a job you love.
1. Import and export
Working in importing/exporting means an exciting, fast-paced career running your own business or working for an import/export business as an agent. Your job will have an international focus with plenty of contact with overseas suppliers/buyers, along with awesome opportunities for travel, as you’re on the frontlines of global trade. If you enjoy meeting lots of new people and getting to know different cultures, this could be the career for you.
If you’re exporting, you’ll have the opportunity to market directly to overseas wholesalers/buyers. You could work with local manufacturers to develop specialised products for overseas markets.
But where does the travel come in? Part of your work with overseas wholesalers/buyers can include a lot of exciting travel to build strong business relationships. You could be travelling to make pitches to wholesalers/buyers. You might end up travelling around the world to run stalls at major trade shows and promote your products.
You’ll be contacting suppliers from around the world to sell or source products, and this can include travelling to far-flung locations to inspect supplies and finalise agreements.
So, what skills do you need to have in the sales field? For starters, good business acumen, since you’ll be checking suppliers and products for profitability. Other great skills to have in this field are communication, negotiation, and product evaluation. Conducting market research to work out demand and profitability is also a core part of import/export careers. Completing an accredited import/export course can give you an in-depth overview of everything you need to know for a career in the field.
2. Travel and tourism
What better way to combine your love of travel with work than a career in travel and tourism? This growing industry offers a vast range of roles from airline and hotel jobs to ecotourism and arts and conventions and conferences.
It’s a broad space, so where do you start when choosing your sector? Well, if you like working outdoors, you can work as a tour guide in or start your own business in ecotourism. If you love helping people, hotel and airline customer service could be fulfilling pathways. You can work in a travel agency, a cruise ship, or at a tourist attraction. Even if you don’t get to travel directly for your job, you’ll probably get travel-related perks like discounts.
One of the benefits of working in this field is travel opportunities, but it’s also a great career choice because it’s easy to get into. High growth and demand means you should be able to enter if you have the drive and determination.
Options abound, so narrow down your choices by taking stock of your skills. Language, networking, and organisation skills are excellent foundations for a travel and tourism career, but a formal qualification can give you solid grounding.
3. Event management
The exciting world of event management is a wonderful option to consider if you love travel. Not only can you find jobs where you’ll be travelling around the country (or even overseas) to apply your superior organisational skills to major events, but you’ll be encountering new people and venues on different jobs.
So, what does a career in event management entail? You’ll plan and run events to achieve the client’s goals. This can mean overseeing major conferences, big awards nights, and other exciting business or celebratory functions. The job will include planning, sourcing venues, and marketing.
But how do you get started in this industry? Top event managers say to get some experience under you belt by volunteering at events. Get a few events on your resume and show employers you’re capable of thinking on your feel and staying focused. Doing a reputable course in the area will also let you stand out in job applications. Be willing to learn and start somewhere and you’ll be successful in this field. You could eventually start your own business in event management.
4. Public relations
If you’re good with words and love travel, consider a career in public relations (PR). PR is often thought of as a glamorous field offering the chance to work with celebrities and public figures, but like any job, you’ll also need to work hard to succeed in it.
What does a typical day in PR look like? Well, you’ll be talking to different people, from clients to journalists. You’ll keep an eye on trends in your client’s’ fields and brainstorm campaign ideas. You’ll be writing articles, press releases, and other content. The opportunities for travel can come when you’re flying out to client sites for in person meetings.
If you’re wondering what skills you’ll need, at the top of the list is great communication skills. Whether it’s preparing a press release or talking to clients, you’ll need strong written and oral communication skills. Ability to cope with stress, good organisational skills, and thinking fast are also essential qualities.
Clients are paying you to solve public relations problems, so you’ll need good research and analytical skills to understand problems and formulate solutions. Doing an accredited course can help you get started in a promising career in PR.
5. Photography
A career in photography can take you to remote corners of the world and allow you to encounter a diversity of people and places. Professional photographers often specialise. For example, you could pick landscape, wildlife, portraits, or events as your key area of focus. Travelling to your subjects is an essential part of the job, so keep your overnighter ready on hand to set off at short notice!
So what skills and qualities do you need to succeed? Well, pro photographers need to be flexible and able to work long hours. Your clients might need weekend and after-hours work. Obviously you’ll also need to be an awesome photographer: develop your technical photography knowledge and natural flair for capturing great shots. Good client communication is also essential. If you can work out what clients want before you do the shoot, you’ll end up with happy clients.
Completing a quality photography course can give you the grounding you need to get started. You’ll learn the technical aspects as well as important elements such as photojournalism and styles.
6. Teaching English as a second language
If you love getting to know new cultures, becoming an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teacher could be your path to travelling to different countries. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and China often have high demand for ESL teachers. Other destinations to consider are Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
So what kind of skills and qualities do you need to have as an ESL teacher? Your job can include teaching grammar, so you’ll want to brush up on your grammar skills. Developing lesson plans including vocab, conversational, and written elements could also be part of your role.
Some ESL teachers provide only conversational practice to students; others teach in a formal classroom environment. You’ll be dealing with people in a learning environment every day, so great communication is a must, along with patience, flexibility, and a positive attitude. Getting a qualification in the field can help fast track your career and let you stand out when you’re applying for jobs.
7. Nanny
If you enjoy working with children, becoming a nanny could be your passport to travel. Live-in nanny jobs can include accommodation, so you don’t need to worry about finding a place to live in a new country. You could have a day or two off each week, so you’ll have plenty of time to explore and sightsee. Your role might include only taking care of the children, or it could include educational components like teaching. Other duties can include feeding, playing, dressing, and bathing.
So what skills and qualities should nannies have? You’re taking care of (little) people, so you need to be responsible and diligent. Working with kids takes patience and a sense of humour, but the upside is you could end up with an extra family on the other side of the world.
If you have an extra language or great teaching skills, your employing family might ask you to teach their kids – in which case you can ask for higher pay. A formal qualification in child care looks great on your job application, while giving you the grounding you need to succeed.
8. Fashion stylist and image consultant
If you love fashion and travel, you can combine your passions with a career as a fashion stylist and image consultant. In this role you assist celebrities and other people in the public eye with everything from clothing and makeup to hair and accessories. The travel element comes in when you’re travelling to your clients (as well as with them). You could be working on sites like fashion shoots, performances, major award shows, advertising campaigns, and film or TV productions.
So what skills do you need to succeed in this field? Stylists are usually creative people with an ability to work long hours. You’ll usually be working with other professionals like fashion designers, photographers, and makeup artists, so you need to have great people skills. An eye for trends and style is a must, along with attention to detail, and communication skills.
Being highly organised with an ability to juggle multiple tasks is also important. Getting started in the industry can take persistence, but a formal qualification in fashion styling can help you get your feet in the door.
9. Sales
Are you persuasive and determined? If so, a career in sales could be the right career path for you. Whether it’s shoes, subscriptions, pharmaceuticals, or other products, working in sales can be fulfilling both mentally and salary-wise. In some roles you’ll have plenty of opportunity to travel to client sites and deliver your pitch.
So what are the qualities you need to succeed in the field? Well, great salespeople are versatile and adaptable. They can change their approach instantly from persuasive to gentle to suit the client’s personality. You’re attuned to people’s reactions and can quickly shift your behaviour to match. Good communication skills are also important, along with an ability to think quickly on your feet.
You’ll need to understand the sales process and be able to set sales targets, develop pricing strategies, and establish forecasts and budgets. A formal qualification in sales training could help you fast-track your career and give you an edge in job applications.
10. Journalism
If travelling to different locations every week to cover exciting stories interests you, consider a career in journalism. Journalists work in fast-paced environments covering everything from business to entertainment. As a journalist, you can specialise in a field or focus on general news.
So what are the skills and qualities you’ll need to succeed in this field? You should know the basics of researching and reporting. Journalists need to be aware of legal and ethical pitfalls, and have strong interviewing skills. You’ll be familiar with different content formats, from editorials to news bulletins. It almost goes without saying you’ll need to be an awesome researcher and writer with impeccable grammar, syntax, and punctuation!
Strong attention to detail, an ability to work to tight deadlines, and excellent research skills are also vital for journalists in the digital age. Completing a formal qualification in journalism gives you a solid grounding in the area, and could also let you stand out in job applications.
Do what you love and travel with work
Whether you like working with children or hanging around with celebrities, as a keen traveller you have a wide range of career opportunities to choose from. If you take your strengths into account and put in the time to gain a suitable qualification, you’ll have a better chance of finding a travel-rich job you enjoy.
International Career Institute is an accredited course provider offering distance courses in a variety of areas. If you have any questions about how our courses can help propel you into an exciting, fulfilling career, contact us today for a discussion.
