The traditional 9-5 is often seen as boring and inflexible, making people tired of their working life and eager to seek new opportunities that will excite them. Stepping away from the office environment and choosing a career that pays you to travel the world can be the most rewarding, as you get to experience new locations while gaining a steady income for your work. There’s no real downfall to this with there being several careers to choose from.
Thanks to the rise of specialized tourism and global connectivity, several unique career paths offer a genuine escape that can transform your wanderlust into a reliable income. This guide will highlight these for you and give you inspiration to take the leap for yourself, so you can find the perfect career path. Continue reading to find out more.
Jobs That Pay You to Travel
HGV Driver
Heavy Good Vehicle (HGV) drivers are paid to travel across a country and sometimes a whole continent, as they transport heavy goods from one location to another as part of the supply chain. One day they could be exploring the countryside of the UK and the next, they could be cruising along the roads of the French Alps as they carry important packages and materials. Drivers can also pick their own shifts, so they don’t have to fall victim to the 9-5 status quo.
The wages are great too with drivers who have HGV ADR training getting significantly better payments due to carrying hazardous goods. They will have to drive specialised routes that command a high hourly rate, as well as great overtime potential.
International Consultant
Large global companies will often need experts to implement new systems, train teams and analyse regional markets. This makes the need for international consultants very high, so it’s definitely a fulfilling career to get into if you want to visit different countries around the world. You will get the chance to fly overseas on a regular basis to not only offer your expertise, but also take in all the amenities of the location during your non-working hours.
An International Consultant’s salary varies wildly, from roughly £30,000 to over £100,000 annually, depending on experience, location and specialisation. Senior roles and top firms pay significantly more, potentially reaching £140k+ for senior managers.
Medical Professional
While you often associate medical professionals with staying in one hospital, usually in their local area, there’s always the opportunity to become a travel nurse who takes short-term contracts at different hospitals across the country. These contracts will usually be for around 8-13 weeks, giving you plenty of time to check out everything the area has to offer before moving on to a new location. If you’re multilingual, you could even travel to a range of different countries for this.
You’ll need a professional license, several years of experience in a specialty and the ability to quickly integrate into a new medical team to become a travel nurse. The average salary for a travel nurse in the UK is approximately £34,000 to £52,000 per year, with exact earnings varying significantly based on location, experience and the specific assignment.
Photographer
While competitive, those who excel at visual storytelling can secure contracts with tourism boards, luxury hotels or travel magazines to snap shots of the area and create high-quality visual content that markets different experiences. Photographers can take trips to stunning locations with the goal of capturing a specific brief, so the world is pretty much their oyster as they have the ability to go wherever they want.
There’s usually no fixed hourly rate for photographers, as they are often freelance which makes getting a steady income tricky for beginners. It’s definitely a job that has to start as a hobby before making it your only source of income.
Cruise Ship Crew Member
Working on a major cruise liner provides non-stop international travel with zero cost of living, making it an excellent way to save money while seeing the world. Crew members are given their own dormitory on the cruise ship, so once their shift is done they can go there to rest and recuperate. They often get the chance to explore the drop off location, so they can experience some of the sights while they wait for the ship to leave again.
Skills relevant to the hospitality or maritime industry are required to become a cruise ship crew member. You’ll also need the ability to work long hours and be comfortable with confined living spaces for months at a time.
Event Planner
An event planner gets paid to travel by embedding mobility into the core of their job function. They must source venues for potential event locations to ensure they meet the client’s needs. The planner and their team also need to travel to the destination weeks in advance and stay for the duration of the program to manage vendors. This gives them the perfect chance to experience everything that each location has to offer.
An event planner’s salary in the UK varies significantly, with averages around £24,000 – £30,000 per year, giving them a steady long-term income. Senior event planners can even earn over £40,000, making it a very good opportunity to earn while travelling.