7 of the best travel jobs that won’t even feel like work

As the rise of the side hustle transforms UK workplace culture, many are ditching the traditional 9-5 in favour of seeing the world while making money. If you’re inspired by the idea of jobs that involve travel, these eight travel jobs from CarBibles will be right up your street.

Got a love of travel and a passion for seeing a world? Becoming a trip leader with the likes of Topdeck or a skipper with MedSailors might be right up your street. Be paid to guide a group of tourists around new parts of the world, offering insights into its history and recommendations of what they should do while you’re there. You’re in charge of their safety as well as their enjoyment, though, so make sure you’re prepared!

Qualifications needed

While a hunger for exploration is no doubt necessary, the actual interview process is quite strenuous. For one Contiki tour leader, bagging the job involved a group interview, followed by an individual interview, followed by a 66-day European Training Programme for the successful candidates.

Pay

Glassdoor say tour guides can earn between £27k and upwards of £40,000, and considering you’ll be living out of a suitcase and your accommodation/travel and food is provided, that is pretty damn impressive.

If your career is in the digital realm, your employer might offer the opportunity to work remotely – meaning you can travel while you’re earning – as a digital momad. Alternatively, many freelance roles (we’re looking at you, graphic designers and writers!) can be done from anywhere, meaning you can pitch in over email and create the content from your laptop regardless of where you are.

Qualifications needed

Of course, the qualifications needed to be a digital nomad are entirely dependent on the work you’re wanting to do, and the things you’re commissioned to create. Treat being a digital nomad as you would treat working for the same company in an office – you’ll need just the same skill set as if you weren’t working remotely.

Pay

As with any freelance job, this can vary greatly depending on the commissions you’re taking and the hours you’re putting in. It’s worth bearing in mind that digital nomads without a fixed contract also don’t have paid sick or annual leave, so budgeting is key.

Perhaps the most obvious choice for those wanting a travel job, landing a role as a flight attendant allows you to see the globe while earning a regular income – and bagging discounted flights for your friends and family. Sometimes big commercial airlines even pay for their cabin crews’ accommodation during stop overs, and can award them additional income if they stop at destinations for two nights or more, meaning you can earn decent money while also enjoying new sights.

Qualifications needed

While you don’t need many formal qualifications to become a flight attendant, you do need to take an intense and highly competitive training course, put on by each of the airlines for their cabin crew.

Pay

Glassdoor say flight attendants earn between £16,000 and £34,000.

Teaching is a trade you can take across the world, regardless of whether you have a formal degree. And what could feel more fulfilling than teaching English while taking in the sights of a new culture? It’s not unusual for schools to recruit teaching assistants from different backgrounds for international schools, or for schools to look for people with the right experience to help teach a second language.

Qualifications needed

While experience is paramount, TEFL courses are recognised qualifications across the world that enable you to teach English as a foreign language, even if you don’t speak the language of the country you’re in.

Pay

Tefl say teaching English as a foreign language could net you a salary of anywhere in between £3,000 and £30,000 a year, depending on the hours you work, where you are and who you work for.

If you think about it, cruise ships are actually just like giant floating hotels, which means there are tonnes of hospitality roles that need to be filled. Whether you’re a beauty therapist or a chef; an entertainer or a waiter – rather than settling into your role on dry land, why not do it at sea while sailing around the sights? Shot gun landing a role on a cruise around the Caribbean.

Qualifications

It entirely depends on the role you’re after, in the same way it would if you were applying for that job in a normal hotel or holiday resort. Your prior experience will likely come in handy, as well as a history of taking on similar roles elsewhere. Oh, and a love of water!

Pay

Indeed say the pay for cruise ship workers can vary hugely depending on what sector you’re in, and your rank, but roles seem to start at around £24,000. Not bad considering your accommodation on the boat is covered.

If you love working with children but teaching has never appealed to you, how about being an Au Pair abroad? Accommodation is often covered as you tend to live with the families, who may even take you on their holidays to offer an extra pair of helping hands. That’s effectively the same as being paid to holiday (with, er, a bit of childcare involved), right?

Qualifications needed

There are no formal qualifications needed for au pairing, with nailing a role instead coming down to experience, personality and chemistry.

Pay

Gov.uk say au pairs are typically treated like a member of the family they live with, meaning the pay isn’t a huge amount – but considering you’re living rent-free and not having to pay for food, your outgoings aren’t huge either. They say it can be close to £280 a month, so close to £3,500 a year.

Personal trainer might not scream “HOW TO TRAVEL WHILE HAVING A JOB”, but you’d be surprised at the amount of five star hotels that are looking for fitness professionals to work in their resorts. Whether that’s as a personal trainer, a yoga instructor or even a tennis coach, enjoy the sunshine and luxury of a beautiful hotel, while helping people keep fit on their holidays.

Qualifications needed

A background in your chosen sport would definitely help, as would some proof that you’re qualified to coach. Sadly the amount of Instagram followers on your PT account doesn’t count as a reference!

Pay

This is totally dependent on where you’re working and what you’re doing, but Reed say the average pay for personal trainers is around £22,000 per year.