We’ve traveled around the world for years as digital nomads. On our first round the world adventure together, Charles worked in Australia in a greenhouse, and I edited academic essays and worked remotely as a technical writer. Years later, we started this site, and made our living as travel bloggers but it was a lot of years in the making and a lot of short and long contract work in the middle.

We’ve gotten a lot of emails from you all over the years about how to get a job teaching English overseas, but while we’ve worked remotely, we’ve never taught abroad. So we brought in Georgie Snape of Teacher’s Friend, who’s an expert on teaching overseas. In our chat, she shares some incredibly helpful tips on everything you need to know, from how to get your first teaching job, to choosing a TEFL course, to the best countries for teaching overseas.

The YouTube video of our interview with Georgie is live! Make sure you’re subscribed to our channel, and have notifications turned on so you don’t miss our videos!

Micki: So, how did you get into teaching?

Georgie: I don’t actually remember this, but when I eventually went to teach, my friends were like, ‘Oh, you’ve been going on about this since you were 14.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I have?’

So I think I wanted to learn to travel from a young age. I did a degree in community drama, so instead of being an actor on stage, I was running workshops within the community, helping marginalized groups. I naturally learned a lot of the skills I would need to be a teacher.

I knew teaching was a good way to travel, and I love teaching as well. I graduated and did my dissertation, which was project-based, at the same time as doing my TEFL course. In hindsight, that was a terrible idea, but it meant I was ready to go as soon as I finished my degree.

Micki: Where have you taught English?

I spent three months in Vietnam, traveling, and then I came back to teaching again in Vietnam.

Then I moved to Australia and New Zealand, which a lot of people don’t think of as destinations for teaching English abroad, but there are many local people who want to go to university abroad or move to an English-speaking country. So there’s actually a lot of teaching English in Australia and New Zealand as well.

I did that, then came back to Vietnam. Vietnam’s my baby. I taught in Vietnam and also in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and now I’m in Indonesia.

Well, my plan was to go teach for six months, and I’m still here 11 years later. So I’m not really sure what happened, but here I am.

Micki: What advice would you give to someone who’s interested in teaching abroad? How do you get started?

Georgie: Well, first you need to get qualified. You’d need a TEFL certificate. Choose a TEFL course that’s going to prepare you as best as possible.

I’ll keep it brief for now, but choosing the right TEFL course is definitely my first advice. When I was doing it, I asked myself what I wanted from teaching abroad. I came up with four criteria: to be well-paid, to have a lower cost of living because it makes it easier, to have friendly people, and to enjoy beautiful scenery. That sounds like a pretty good life.

I was a bit old school, so I bought the TEFL guide, which was an actual book, and I read through it. You can also do searches online and look at all the countries, weighing the pros and cons, and considering which countries offer the highest salaries.

After I did my TEFL, many TEFL providers helped with job assistance, but you can also pay for someone to help you with everything involved in moving abroad. It depends on what kind of person you are and whether you want someone to guide you through the process.

Micki: In terms of TEFL courses, are there any that you would recommend avoiding or ones that are better? Are online or in-person courses better?

Georgie: I always say to do an in-person TEFL, even if you’re already a teacher. Teaching English as a foreign language to non-native speakers is not the same as teaching English to people who speak English as their first language.

The biggest ‘oh my gosh‘ moment that students have is realizing they didn’t learn this in school because it’s a completely different way of thinking and learning. In-person courses give you access to the trainer and other people going through the same situation. These courses are often abroad, so you get to meet people and immerse yourself in the culture, plus you get real-time practice on your peers.

Most face-to-face courses include teaching practice, so you get to go into a classroom. It’s not the same when you do something with your peers who understand you versus real students who might struggle to understand you.

However, I understand that not everyone can afford a face-to-face TEFL. These courses are typically a month long, and you need money to sustain yourself. Face-to-face courses also cost more. If you’re close to having the budget, I’d say wait and save up. It’s definitely worth it. For those who can’t, your TEFL should be a minimum of 120 hours and include some kind of observed teaching practice. If not, you can do top-up courses abroad, which usually work out cheaper.

Look at who’s training you. Ideally, you want someone who has been teaching for a significant amount of time and has also trained teachers for a significant amount of time.

Accreditation is another factor. TEFL isn’t accredited like a degree, so many providers claim accreditation from various third parties. It’s important to choose a TEFL course that is at least accredited by someone, but be wary of super cheap courses.

If your TEFL costs less than $250, it’s probably not worth the paper it’s written on, and employers won’t accept it. Between $250 and $500 is more acceptable. I’ve taught on both government-accredited TEFLs that weren’t very good and non-accredited TEFLs that were excellent. So, focus more on the quality and price rather than the accreditation.

Micki: Is a university degree required to teach abroad?

Georgie For a lot of jobs, yes. But if you don’t have a degree, you can still teach abroad. It typically means you’re more limited to certain countries for working legally. However, especially in Southeast Asia, many people work cash in hand or under the table. So it’s definitely not a closed door.

Cambodia, Spain, and Costa Rica are three good countries if you don’t have a degree. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a degree and you’re a non-native speaker, it’s an extra barrier, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. There’s also the option to work for yourself, where it doesn’t matter whether you have a degree or not.

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Micki: That’s interesting. I hadn’t heard of Costa Rica for teaching.

Georgie: Oh, yeah. It’s not so much on the map because the wages tend to be lower, but you can definitely live there. It’s beautiful, and for people on the opposite side of the world, it means you don’t have to go so far from home. There are a lot of jobs there, and you don’t need a degree.

Micki: How have things changed since the pandemic?

Georgie: There’s been a big rise in people getting TEFLs with only an online course. It’s a catch-22 because it’s easier now, but employers are starting to realize that online TEFLs don’t provide as much practical training. Online TEFLs make it easier to get a job, but employers still favor face-to-face courses.

There are a lot more online jobs available now, but also more people teaching online. If you don’t have a degree or you’re a non-native speaker, the jobs are there, but you have to dig deeper to find them. Sometimes it’s better to be in the country to find those jobs. The market is still growing, and many people are doing it every year. For example, in Bali, they’re short of teachers because there aren’t enough.

Micki: What countries are best for first time teachers?

Georgie: Southeast Asia, definitely. That’s where I started. These countries are very safe and tourist-friendly. Most cities have some English, so the language barrier isn’t as challenging as in places like the middle of China. Compared to Japan and South Korea, Southeast Asia is built on tourism. You’re a bit of a novelty, and people are friendly with foreigners. In Japan and South Korea, they’re more ‘take it or leave it’ about foreigners.

Southeast Asia is cheap to live in, and the wages are pretty good. I probably earn less than a lot of my friends, but I have more disposable income because the cost of living is so low. The cost of living in North America has gone through the roof lately, so it makes sense. In Australia, the US, and the UK, the cost of living is high. What I live off is like their monthly bills without actually eating anything.

Micki: What kind of obstacles do first-time teachers face?

Georgie: A big one is lesson planning. It takes time to get good at it. You either don’t plan and realize in the lesson that you should have, or you plan too much and it takes over your life. Learning to plan the right amount is key, but it gets easier with practice, like learning to drive a car.

Culturally, especially in Southeast Asia, most people don’t struggle much because it’s very foreigner-friendly. Having the right support network, whether from a TEFL provider, a teacher abroad program, or someone you know who has done it, helps a lot. Accepting that it will be different goes a long way. Remember why you left home and try not to idealize going back.

Classroom management is another challenge, especially with small children. Different levels bring different issues. A quality TEFL course will give you practice and teach you how to manage a classroom. Non-verbal communication is crucial; no one wants to be the teacher constantly yelling for attention. We cover this extensively in our courses.

Another challenge can be the food. It’s very different and can be an adjustment.

Micki: . Tell me a bit about Teacher’s Friend. What do you do?

Georgie: The two main things I do are helping people get a TEFL course, whether online or face-to-face, and choosing the best option for them based on budget, country, and personal circumstances. The second is assisting people after they’ve got their TEFL. Many people get their TEFL and wonder, ‘Now what?’ They don’t know where to begin looking for a job or how to know if it’s legitimate. They worry about moving to a new country and starting to live there.

The Teacher’s Friend program helps with everything: logistics, social and cultural adjustment, and academic support. As a teacher trainer, I help people pass the TEFL course, assist with assignments, and offer lesson planning support. This bridges the gap between finishing TEFL and the first months of teaching when they need extra support.

Micki: Once someone comes to you, gets their TEFL, and you’ve helped them get a position, is there support after that?

Georgie: Yes, I really focus on active support. I’m still in touch with teachers from five or six years ago. They still come back to me for help with getting jobs or general life advice. I try to become a friend, hence ‘Teacher’s Friend.’ I love meeting new people.

Specifically, there’s lesson planning support for two months after they’ve started teaching. I also offer help with career progression. If they want to move to another country, I assist them in relocating.

Micki: How do people get in touch with you or learn more about what you do? What’s the best way for them to do that?

Georgie: If you want to have a look around, you can visit my website at https://teachers-friend.com/.

Check out my story where you can read about how I ended up here. I came through a Teach Abroad program but felt they did the bare minimum after I paid them. I found my feet, but I wanted to do a better job, which is one of the reasons I started Teacher’s Friend.

On my website, you’ll find information about the TEFL courses I offer, details about full relocation, and the different countries available. I’m also adding a list of online options for people who want the cheaper version, though I recommend face-to-face courses if possible. I understand budgets vary.

I also offer lesson planning assistance. Even if you’ve already done your TEFL or moved abroad and are struggling, you can buy lesson planning assistance separately. If you need help finding a job and don’t want the full package, I’m adding options for that too. All this information will be under packages on my website.

You can also book a call with me. I won’t hard sell you or push you to move somewhere you don’t want to be. Just book a call if you want to find out more information.

You can learn more about Georgie Snape and Teacher’s Friend on her website. You can also find her on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

As Kelowna residents for nearly a decade, we’ve called Kelowna home for a while now. While it seems we’re still discovering new things all the time, we’ve had the chance to experience both the highs and the lows that this city has to offer.

From gorgeous sunny days checking out vineyards in the morning and paddle boarding on the lake in the afternoon to preparing a last minute go bag as the nearby wildfires got a bit too close to our home, we’ve experienced it all.

While living in the Okanagan Valley has tons of positives, like any place in the world it also has a few negatives. So, whether you’re one of the few true locals who was born here or one of the many nomads from around the world now calling Kelowna home like us, let’s dive in and explore the pros and cons of living in Kelowna as we give you a local’s guide to the city.

Pros of Living in Kelowna

Thinking of moving to Kelowna?

Kelowna has plenty of positives. From some of the nicest weather in Canada to some of the nicest lakes and mountains found anywhere in the world. With nature literally on most people’s doorsteps, it’s easy to get outside and enjoy the area’s natural beauty.

Kelowna also has a vibrant arts scene plus hundreds of wineries, cideries and orchards that to us beat any of its Canadian equivalents. If you’re looking to move here or just thinking about taking an extended work vacation to the valley, there are plenty of work opportunities plus tons of friendly locals to help you get situated.

Not yet convinced? Here are some of Kelowna’s biggest positives to help make you consider making Kelowna your forever home.

Natural Beauty of the Okanagan

With its stunning vistas of Okanagan Lake and the surrounding mountains, Kelowna is a nature lover’s dream. From summer days on the beach to winter ski trips at nearby Big White (a 30 minute drive), there’s no shortage of outdoor activities here.

Whether you’re staying on one the many hills in town overlooking Okanagan Lake or staying in the valley with gorgeous views of the nearby hills, nature is a big draw for anyone living in this city. Truth be told, there’s not too many areas in the 140K populated metro that you can’t be away from people after a few minutes drive. If you’re sick of the crowds, there are tons of parks and local Kelowna hikes found throughout this city where you can at least feel like you’re getting away from it all.

Kelowna’s Wine Country

Known for its award-winning vineyards, Kelowna is the perfect spot for wine aficionados. The climate and soil combine to produce top-notch grapes. Spend your weekends touring local wineries, and don’t forget the wine festivals!

With over 300 wineries calling the Okanagan Valley home plus dozens of cideries, micro breweries and even small distilleries, you could go to a different place every day for a year and never hit the same place twice. That said, we have our own local favorites and always enjoy the chance to take visiting friends and family to a new place when the opportunity knocks. We’ve learnt that in Kelowna, your favorite place might just be down the street.

Kelowna’s Vibrant Arts and Musical Scene

Kelowna is a hub for culture, offering art galleries, theaters, and even a symphony. Whether you’re into visual arts or live performances, there’s always something happening in the cultural district.

Throughout the year, there are also dozens of festivals happening around town and it’s rare to have a weekend go by in summer without something major happening in the city. Between Kelowna and nearby Penticton, most large musical acts that hit Vancouver will also stop in town to perform as they head east. If an act or show doesn’t make it to the valley, Vancouver is only a 3 hour drive away with plenty of hotels to make your micro trip a fun one.

Moving to Kelowna? The Growing Job Market

With its booming tech industry and tourism sector, employment opportunities are on the rise in Kelowna. From startups to established companies, there’s a wide range of options for those looking to relocate here. While it didn’t make the list of best places for expats, it definitely isn’t a bad place to become an expat in Canada.

Nicknamed the little Silicon Valley of the North, Kelowna is well known for both its small startups as well as big tech companies who’ve chosen to call Kelowna home. While seasonal work brings in people from around the world, Kelowna also grew its fame as a nice retirement center for those in Canada who opted to stick around rather than head south in the winters. That original collection of young hospitality workers who helped put Kelowna on the map taking care of the retirees have now grown up and the city is booming on all fronts.

Friendly Communities in Kelowna

One thing you’ll notice is the warm and welcoming atmosphere in Kelowna. Community events, farmer’s markets, and neighborhood gatherings make it easy to meet people and feel part of the community. It seems there’s always something to do in Kelowna.

Since the vast majority of people now living in Kelowna have moved here from other locations in Canada and abroad, there is a welcoming feeling to the growing city. With a huge tourism industry, plenty of nature to explore and great weather, it’s easy to get out and meet new people.

Kelowna’s Mild Climate

Compared to other parts of Canada, Kelowna has a relatively mild climate and some of the nicest overall weather in Canada. If you hate wind, it’s also one of the least windy major cities in Canada. Though it experiences all four seasons, you definitely won’t have to deal with the harsh winters seen in other regions of Canada.

Long hot summers, mild winters (in comparison to most other Canadian Cities) and plenty of nice days in between means more opportunities to get out and explore the region. The best part is that with the mountains so close, there are tons of small micro climates you can experience depending on your location and elevation. It means that in spring you can ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon. Or, if you prefer, you can hike in the cool mornings and then bake on the beach in the afternoon all summer long.

Cons of Living in Kelowna

While it always hurts to gripe about things your city is lacking, the truth is that no city in the world is perfect on all fronts. High living costs, excessive tourism and Kelowna’s semi remote location (3.5 hours from Vancouver and 6 hours from Calgary) means that while things are relatively close in Canadian standards, the average traveler will find that Kelowna can be cut off from some of the larger centers. While that can be a huge plus for some people, others might not love it.

On that note, since we’ve already looked into some of Kelowna’s pros, let’s now dive into some of Kelowna’s cons.

Cost of Living in Kelowna

The truth of the matter is that Kelowna isn’t cheap to live in. Housing prices have soared in recent years, and day-to-day expenses like groceries and gas can also be high. Be prepared for a bit of sticker shock.

While this can be said for most places around the world these days, it’s more pronounced in Kelowna. Considered by many to be one of the most expensive cities to live in Canada, it means you can’t survive in this city if you’re only making minimum wage unless you are a large group all chipping in for the monthly rent.

Tourist Crowds in Kelowna

While tourism boosts the economy, it also means crowds, especially in the summer. This can lead to congestion, making it hard to enjoy some of the very attractions that drew you to Kelowna in the first place.

This can be easily seen when looking at traffic patterns over the course of the year. In summer, by far the busiest tourist season in Kelowna, any trip around town can easily be doubled and parking downtown or by one of the many beaches can be hard to come by. Bonus to Kelowna is that parking downtown is only around $1 an hour any time of the year with plenty of free parking outside of Monday 9 to 5 so there is that bright side.

Kelowna’s Limited Public Transport

Public transport options are limited in Kelowna, especially compared to larger cities in the country. Owning a car is almost a necessity if you plan on getting around without hassle. While plenty of University of BC students as well as Okanagan College students get to school daily via public transport buses, getting from one area of the city to another can be tough if you’re not planning on going through downtown first.

Though Uber and Uride are now available in the city, both ride sharing platforms have been slow to arrive in the city and are still lacking so you’ll often need to order a cab during the busiest times of the day if you can’t find a bus. You can also find both ebike and scooter rentals throughout the city however those aren’t ideal in the cooler winter months.

Seasonal Employment in Kelowna

While there are plenty of job opportunities, some industries in Kelowna are highly seasonal. This means job security can be a concern if you’re working in sectors like tourism. While late spring, summer and early fall can be busy, unless you’re heading to Big White for winter work, it might be harder to find something that pays the bills. That said, anyone working in the trades or for minimum wage should have zero problems finding something as jobs in those areas are always in demand here.

Kelowna’s Distance from Major Cities

Though it has plenty to offer including an international airport, a decent collection of large stores, a large shopping mall, a well ranked hockey team in the WHL, plus a thriving art scene, Kelowna is somewhat isolated from major cities like Vancouver or Calgary.

The drive to Vancouver takes around 3.5 hours and Calgary is pushing 6.5 hours provided the highways are open and clear. That’s something that isn’t always the case in the winter as both directions take you over some of Canada’s highest routes that are prone to crazy amounts of snow and even in the warmer months there are occasional rockslides to contend with. Either can severely hamper your ability to get to your farther destination easily or quickly.

Wildfires in Kelowna

In the last decade, the dry, hot summers come with a higher risk of wildfires, which can be a real concern. Smoke from nearby fires can also affect air quality during the summer months and ruin an otherwise perfect summer day in the city.

While July and August have always been Kelowna’s best months in terms of weather (with the highs in the lower 30’s every single day and not a cloud in sight), the changing climate landscape has made what were once idyllic summer days into an unknown quantity these last few years. We’ve gotten to a point where we now travel away more often in August just because there’s a good chance it will be smoky in the city.

Conclusion

Living in Kelowna offers a unique blend of natural beauty, a growing job market, and a vibrant community. However, it does come with its own set of challenges, like the high cost of living and seasonal crowds. Whether or not Kelowna is right for you will depend on what you’re looking for in a home base.

That said, we’ve loved our time in the city and both ourselves and our children have made friends here that will last our entire lives. There’s no denying that this Canadian gem has plenty to offer and if you can get past it’ negatives, it’s still a great place to live and work.

Imagine unlocking the secrets of how to travel the world for free.

Sounds enticing, doesn’t it?

If you’re here, it’s likely because the spirit of adventure tugs at your soul, but the strain on your wallet holds you back.

Fear not! This guide is your key to a world where free accommodation isn’t a dream, but your nightly reality, where transportation costs are a thing of the past, and where the global smorgasbord of food doesn’t come with a check.

Sounds like a fairy tale? Believe me, it’s not. Join us on this journey. After all, the joy of travel isn’t just in the destinations, but in the freedom of knowing that the essentials like food and a place to sleep are entirely taken care of, without costing you a dime.

Before we start, a word of to the wise – you know that old saying “there’s no such thing as a free lunch“? Well, for the most part, we have to agree that it’s true. While we give you plenty of hacks to get free travel here, there’s almost always a different price to pay, whether it’s time invested in research and preparation, hours spent working on an organic farm in exchange for a place to stay, or time spent working a job on the road.

Now that we’ve sparked your imagination, let’s delve into the nitty-gritty of making this free travel dream a reality.

How to Travel the World for Free

We’re going to explore the magic of credit card and rewards points, the potential of working on the road, and the rich experiences offered by volunteering.

We’ll outline ways to score free accommodation, transportation, entertainment, and food as you traverse the globe.

So buckle up, adventurers! It’s time to turn how to travel the world for free from a fanciful notion into your everyday life.

First up, let’s do a quick look at a few quick ways to get free flights, accommodation, meals, and entertainment on your travels: using points, volunteering, getting a job as you travel, and even an unusual tip we haven’t seen anywhere else.

Once that’s done, we’ll get into some real, practical tips for landing free meals, accommodation, flights and entertainment as you vacation around the globe.

Use your points

Let’s start with a tried and true technique of many travelers: redeeming points for travel.

There are two main ways to do this, by using either:

• credit card points, or
• rewards program points, like AIRMILES

Using points for travel works well if you have points that you’ve already earned, or if you’re traveling six or more months in the future, and can earn points by spending in the meantime. It doesn’t work especially well if you don’t have much money to spend, or if you’re traveling right away (and don’t have any points saved up).

Volunteer

I think one of the biggest myths in travel is that you can travel for almost free if you’re willing to volunteer. Unfortunately, it’s pretty darn hard to get a volunteer gig for free. Most volunteer placements require you to pay for your own airfare, and many require a fee for a volunteer placement. Some even require you to pay for your accommodation.

That said, there are a few ways to volunteer on a budget, including this one.

Do you belong to a local church or community association? Churches sometimes send volunteers abroad. You may get your expenses paid, but you’ll definitely need to spend a lot of time and effort to raise money and volunteer once you’re abroad.

That said, volunteering can be a very rewarding way to travel and give you an extended amount of time working closely with locals and learning what real day to day life can be like in some countries. It can also be a great way to learn a language since a lot of placements are far away from the tourist trail.

Learn more in our article Can You Volunteer Abroad Cheap or Free? The Real Cost of Volunteering Overseas.

Work Abroad

While working is often considered the opposite of free, the reality is that not every aspect of travel will always be paid for. So, get a job as you travel so you can pay for items that you can’t get for free.

While there are plenty of jobs, these are our top picks.

Working Holiday Visa

If you’re under 35 years of age, see if your destination country offers a youth working holiday visa.

Many countries (including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) have agreements that allow young people to work on a working holiday visa for up to one year. Check out Wikipedia’s list of working holiday visa programs.

Au Pair

An au pair or traveling nanny position is a well known way to get free accommodation as you travel, plus a wage. It’s only a great gig if you like kids, though, and if you manage to get a good host family.

Teach English overseas

Teaching English abroad is a great way to get spending cash, and many positions offer free accommodation as well.

It’s also a great way to meet locals (and fellow travelers). China, South Korea, and Middle Eastern countries are often the highest paying countries. Some schools even pay for your flight. You’ll likely need a TEFL certification, and you’ll want to research the differences in TEFL vs TESL vs TESOL.

Check out our article on the Best Countries to Teach English Abroad.

Looking for more great ideas for getting a job as you travel? Check out these articles for helpful tips:

• 45 Great Jobs You Can Do While Traveling The World And How To Get Them
• How to Get a Job Abroad Without Experience
• The Highest Paying Travel Jobs You Can Get Now

Enter contests

I don’t often hear anyone mention entering contests as a way to get free travel. While your chances of winning a major lottery are almost zero, you may actually have a chance to win a smaller contest on a brand’s social media page.

Years ago I won a short haul flight with Flair Airlines (then called New Leaf Airlines) on a contest through their email list.

To find contests with travel prizes, check out Instagram and Facebook, or you can look into contest promoting websites. While bigger companies often have bigger contests, the odds of winning are often much lower so look for smaller run contests with less people signing up to increase your odds.

How to get free accommodation when you travel

Ready to turn your dreams of free accommodation into reality?

As an experienced traveler, I can tell you it’s not as elusive as it might seem. In this section, we share practical tips and tricks to help you secure the coziest corners of the world without loosening your purse strings.

From swapping homes to surfing couches, and from volunteering at local communities to working in exchange for a bed, we’ve got you covered.

Stay with us, as we navigate the exciting landscape of free accommodation, making how to travel the world for free your new normal. It’s not just about the journey or the destination – it’s also about finding a home wherever you go, without it costing you a dime.

Here arr our top ideas for getting a free place to stay as you travel.

Housesitting

Sites like Trusted Housesitters let you swap housesitting for free accommodation. Most housesits involve taking care of pets and plants, in addition to maintaining the house and property so make sure you factor that into your timeline when agreeing to any stay.

House swap

Home Exchange and Love Home Swap are great choices if you happen to have a home already. These sites let you swap a stay at your home with someone else in a different area. If your home is in a desirable area, you’ll have better luck finding a house you find equally appealing.

Couchsurfing

This is something we’ve never done, because we like to be more … comfortable as a family.

As a female traveler, crashing at a stranger’s house just makes me uneasy, however there are thousands of people who swear by couchsurfing. We’ve also stayed at friends and have friends and family stay with us so we imagine it’s something like that.

Free accommodation in exchange for work

Worldpackers, Workaway, or WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) all offer time-tested ways to get free accommodation in exchange for time helping your host. Food is often included as well and, since you’re often working with produce daily, you know it will be freshly picked.

Use your personal connections

Looking for someplace free to stay? Go old school, and crash on a relative or friend’s (or friend of a friend’s) couch. Have extended family you barely know? Maybe it’s time to reach out. We’ve heard great stories of people meeting family from generations back that were welcomed in with open arms.

Exchange work for accommodation

Sometimes, you can luck in on a way to make money as you travel, by doing an odd job for a hostel or small hotel. We helped clean a hostel for a couple of weeks in exchange for a free double room in Adelaide, Australia and it was only a few hours a day of work. Saved us a few dollars and gave us a reason to get up earlier than we would have so helped keep our nightly expenses down too.

Camp for free

Camping on Crown land in Canada is free, and camping on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in the USA is free, but there are limits on how long you can stay in one spot. There are similar laws you can find around the globe. You can also use apps like iOverlander to find free spots outside of free public land.

Take advantage of free nights while flying or driving

Take advantage of overnight ferries, night buses and red-eye flights to get a free night’s accommodation. While you might not get the best nights sleep, it’s a good way to save versus having to pay for 1 more nights stay.

Press trips or free nights at a hotel through blogging or influencing

This one’s not for everyone. To get free accommodation as a YouTuber, blogger or influencer, you’ll need a sizeable number of followers, or a great organic engagement in a specific niche, to qualify for press trips or free nights accommodation. Just be warned that press trips involve a lot of work writing and posting on social media, and you’ll need to stick to the organizers (often exhausting) schedule.

The Best Travel Vloggers on YouTube in 2022

Always be polite here, and make sure you truly offer a benefit to the company you’re reaching out to, as a lot of companies are (rightfully) tired of being hit up for free stuff.

University or high school student exchange programs

University, college, and high school student exchange programs can let you visit another country, live with a local family, and get your education at the same time.

Language Exchanges

Look into sites like Lingoo, that offer language exchange holidays and homestays or stay with a teacher.

How to get free food when you travel

It’s time to embark on the tastiest part of our journey – the quest for free food.

As an experienced traveler, I can assure you that dining out doesn’t always mean digging into your savings.

In this section, we feed your wanderlust with a buffet of strategies (see what I did there, lol) to eat for free.

From hunting down free samples in bustling local markets to celebrating your birthday with a feast on the house, we’ve got your plate full. We’ll delve into the world of zero-waste apps and supermarkets where you can fill your bag without emptying your wallet, and explore discount food apps that make dining out a delight rather than a drain on your budget.

Tip: Most of these ideas work better in the USA and Canada, but your mileage may vary in Europe or other parts of the world.

Free samples

Supermarkets often offer free samples in the supermarket aisles, and Costco still offers samples (even after slowing down a bit after the pandemic). You can find free samples in local coffee shops, bakeries, delis and more. While you won’t get full, they do make a great free snack.

Free food on your birthday

Many restaurants still offer free food on your birthday (you usually have to show ID here, but it’ll help for 1 out of 365 days). Some chains and restaurants also offer a discount that can work for the week or even the month of your birthday so it’s not a bad way to save.

Sign up for a delivery app

Sign up for a food delivery app to get the introductory coupon. If you’re careful, you can get a $15 coupon, and order $15 of food, making your meal free. Just don’t be an a$$hole, and spend a couple of bucks to tip the hard-working driver.

Free food for downloading a restaurant’s app or rewards programs

Look for apps that offer a free food bonus just for downloading the app. This is actually pretty common to get a small food item like a free donut (thanks Krispy Kreme) or free Blizzard (thanks Dairy Queen) if you download the app or sign up for their rewards program.

Forage

Another option is to forage for food on public land, or politely ask homeowners or farmers if you can harvest extra fruit or veggies from their property. Offering to just grab the fallen fruit or the too overripe to sell produce is your best bet. Just don’t steal and always ask for permission first.

Become a mystery diner

These are competitive gigs, and you’ll often need to pay out of pocket for your meal, write the review, and get reimbursed later.

Look for zero-waste supermarkets and apps

Many of these work with pay-what-you-feel distribution centers, which often let you volunteer to work in the warehouse as payment instead of cash.

You can also look for zero-waste apps to find free food. Apps like Olio connect you to see who has excess food items.

Pancake breakfasts

Looking for a free breakfast? Depending on the time of year, and where you’re located, pancake breakfasts at churches and during some events (like the Calgary Stampede) may be a good option. Look for festivals and upcoming events at the place where you’re heading to see what’s on the menu.

Dumpster diving

This is a pretty extreme option, to be sure, but better than going without food. I haven’t tried this myself, but I’m guessing the best time to do this would be at closing time. Some bakeries and produce centers even offer them out free to closing customers.

Free hotel breakfasts

If you have to pay for a hostel or hotel, look for one that offers free food. Some only offer free cookies and coffee, but others offer a full breakfast, and still others offer manager’s happy hours with plenty of great food to be had.

Check your receipts

Check your receipts for surveys that offer a free food bonus for taking a customer satisfaction survey.

Discounted food apps

Download a discounted food app like Flashfood.

Food isn’t free on these apps, but it is heavily discounted. Flashfood is free to download – check out this helpful Flashfood review here.

Exchange work for food

Not having much luck? Consider exchanging work for food, by working in a restaurant or supermarket that gives you some meals for free as a perk of your employment.

How to get free transportation when you travel

This is a tough one. Transportation might just be the hardest travel cost to get for free.

In this section, we’ll rev up your travel game with a few ways to hit the road, sail the seven seas, or fly the skies for free.

Whether you’re a student looking for the best discounts, an airline employee ready to take advantage of those well-deserved perks, or a social butterfly who loves the idea of carpooling, we’ve got the tickets to your next adventure.

After all, the joy of travel isn’t just in the destination, but also in the thrill of getting there without breaking the bank.

Get a job with an airline

We have a friend who used to work with Air Canada well over a decade ago. He still has several friends and family passes that let him and a guest travel anywhere in the world Air Canada flies for free. I’m not sure if all airlines offer this perk to employees, or even if it’s still available at Air Canada, but it’s one of the best ways to get free flights I’ve ever heard of.

Get free transit passes as a child, student, senior, or if you have a low income

Depending on where you’re visiting, and for how long, you may be able to get discounted or free public transportation. You may also be eligible if you have a disability.

Bicycle (or e-bike)

While you’ll need to pay the upfront cost for a bike (or e-bike), you’ll get plenty of exercise, and never have to pay for gas if you travel by bike.

Working as a yacht crew

We volunteered as yacht crew for evening cruises at the yacht club in Brisbane and found the club and captains to be friendly and open to our help.

Depending on where you volunteer, you may be able to get a ride around the harbor for an afternoon, or embark on a sailing trip around the world.

Carpool

Have a friend who’s traveling? Ask them if you can exchange some driving time for a ride. Make sure you clarify who’s paying for gas here – many people will expect carpoolers to split the cost of gas (or at least pitch in).

Share your ride sharing refer-a-friend code

Several ride sharing apps (Uber and Lyft) offer a refer-a-friend bonus if you refer someone who creates an account, and uses the service, with your refer-a-friend code.

Transport a vehicle to its final destination

There are sites where you can sign up as a driver and get a gig delivering a car to its destination. Car and RV dealerships or car rental companies sometimes hire people to drive cars to a different destination.

There are no guarantees with these, but you just may luck out with sites like Canada DriveAway, Cars to Florida, or HitTheRoad.ca.

Work on a cruise ship

There are plenty of jobs available on cruise ships, from entertainers, to cooks, to housekeepers, to almost anything you can imagine.

These jobs are better suited to single people, as you’ll be on the road a bit.

You’ll also travel to exotic ports of call, but you’ll likely only stay for less than a day, and return to the same port. The one exception here are repositioning cruises, where you’ll crew a ship on a one way trip to a new destination port.

Work on a cargo or container ship

While not as glamorous as working on a luxury cruise liner, working on a container ship can be a more leisurely way to see the world. Workers often act as lookouts and perform maintenance like painting and maintaining containers. You’ll need a high school diploma and many deckhands have training through industry or labor union schools.

How to get free entertainment when you travel

Let’s set the stage for the most fun part of your journey – scoring free entertainment.

Whether you’re a student in search of cultural enrichment, an airline employee seizing those extra perks, or a savvy traveler ready to tap into the local scene, we have the keys to unlock a world of entertainment. After all, travel isn’t merely about moving—it’s about creating memories, and they are every bit as precious when they come without a price tag.

Volunteer at Events

I’m surprised how rarely I see this tip, but most festivals and events offer their volunteers free tickets (and sometimes extra perks) in exchange for volunteering. Sure, you have to do some work to get the free tickets, but it’s still a pretty sweet deal. You’ll have better luck with smaller local events, and less luck with huge festivals like Coachella or Burning Man but even those positions need to get filled somehow.

Attend free events

Most cities have plenty of free events, which are just an internet search away. Some are surprisingly high quality, ranging from free yoga classes, to theater and late night movies on the lawn events, to festivals, to free sporting matches!

Take advantage of free nights

Many museums and art galleries offer free nights for admission. They’re usually evenings or weekends (though not always). We’ve visited museums around the world on their free entry days. Most weren’t that expensive but when traveling with 4 of us those costs can quickly add up.

Do free things

Luckily, there are plenty of free things to do for fun when you travel. You could wander through the city center (or take a free walking tour), visit local parks or the beach, go to the library, hike, take in the architecture, or people watch.

How to travel the world for free

Are you ready to transform your adventures into priceless moments, all while on a tight budget?

Remember, the world is your oyster and it’s full of treasures that are there for the taking.

The next step? Take the plunge, let go of those financial reins, and embark on your journey to travel the world for free. After all, the greatest adventures you ever take might just be those that cost you nothing, but enrich you in ways beyond measure.

So, here’s to free travel and the endless memories it will bring! Safe journeys fellow nomads​.

But what if you could combine your passion for travel with your dream job? Yes, it’s possible!

From freelance writing to international diplomacy, there are plenty of jobs out there that not only include a bit of travel but that require you to travel to keep it.

The Best Jobs That Require You To Travel

So, sit back as we list some of the best jobs that require you to travel and let your future career take root today.

Travel Blogger

It’s no surprise that a travel blogger travels, but what may surprise you is the revenue potential. With sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and paid advertisements, you can make a decent income. However, this isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. Building a successful blog takes time, effort, and both business and networking skills.

Flight Attendant

The life of a flight attendant is not all glamor and glitz, but it does offer the chance to travel frequently. Usually, flight attendants receive benefits like discounted flights for themselves and their families. It’s a demanding job with irregular hours, but if you love flying and customer service, it’s perfect for you.

Pilot

The career of a pilot is synonymous with travel, offering the chance to fly to various destinations, sometimes crossing multiple time zones in a single day.

Whether you’re a commercial pilot for a major airline or a charter pilot for private flights, the job inherently involves seeing different parts of the world. Benefits often include free or discounted flights for you and your family, allowing for personal travel as well.

The training and certification process is rigorous and costly, but the payoff is a fulfilling career with a bird’s-eye view of the world. The job can also be demanding, requiring meticulous attention to safety protocols and a commitment to continuous learning.

International Sales

Companies with a global market often require their sales team to travel internationally to meet potential clients and close deals. This career usually involves attending trade shows, client meetings, and networking events around the world. It’s a job that rewards those with strong communication and negotiation skills plus it doesn’t hurt to know an extra language or two.

ESL Teacher

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) offers a golden opportunity to live and work in different countries. Many schools offer accommodation and a reasonable salary, allowing you to explore the local area in your free time. Countries like South Korea, China, and Japan have high demand for ESL teachers.

There’s also a growing demand for a business English tutor as companies realize that global demand is pushing their products into more and more markets. With English as the de facto language for business, there’s a need to be understood right across the world and companies are hiring English tutors to get their employees playing on the global scale.

Travel Nurse

Nurses with a sense of adventure can opt for short-term contracts in various locations. These roles are often in high demand, especially in remote or crisis-hit areas, offering competitive salaries and benefits. A background in nursing and the necessary certifications are a must.

Scuba diving instructor

Fancy diving in Tahiti for a living? Yeah, me too!

While becoming a diving instructor isn’t the easiest thing in the world, it is achievable, especially if you’re already an experienced diver. Expect an absolute minimum of six months time once you’ve become a PADI DIvemaster, before you can even enroll in the PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC). You’ll also need to complete a minimum number of dives, and a medical statement signed by a physician within the last 12 months.

Cruise Ship Employee

From entertainment coordinators to chefs, jobs on a cruise ship are numerous and varied. It’s hard work, often requiring long hours, but your “office” travels to multiple countries. Accommodation and meals are usually included, and you get to enjoy some off-time exploring ports of call. If you love the sea and constantly being on the move, this might be a great fit for you.

Digital Nomad Roles

In our connected world, many jobs can be done from anywhere with a good internet connection. Web developers, graphic designers, and even accountants are adopting a location-independent lifestyle, thanks to remote work arrangements.

While these jobs are more geared to stay at home workers, there are some companies that like to have their employees on site occasionally. What this means is that you might need to “travel to work” once in a while. If this is in a different country, all the better to tag in some sight seeing time while you’re there!

Field Service Engineer

In sectors like telecom, energy, and machinery, field service engineers are often required to travel to client sites to troubleshoot and resolve issues. The role not only offers the opportunity to travel but also challenges your problem-solving skills.

These types of jobs could entail everything from working in a remote jungle surveilling new pipeline expansions to setting up some high tech plant in a large metropolis so the options are as diverse as you can imagine and the pay can be astronomical depending on your specialty.

Translator

For those fluent in multiple languages, a career as a translator can offer extensive travel opportunities. Translators are often required on-site for international business meetings, legal proceedings, and diplomatic conversations. Some jobs involve traveling with a delegation to provide real-time translation, while others might require you to relocate temporarily for a project.

Specialized translators, such as those in medical or legal fields, are in particularly high demand. This job not only lets you explore different corners of the world but also allows you to immerse yourself in diverse cultures, providing a deeper understanding that goes beyond mere tourism.

Photojournalist

For those skilled in photography and storytelling, a career as a photojournalist can be both fulfilling and globe-trotting. Often hired by media agencies or as freelancers, photojournalists travel to cover stories, events, and crises worldwide. The best part is that the locations can be just as varied as the stories you’re covering.

Adventure Tour Guide

If you have a love for the outdoors and enjoy sharing your enthusiasm with others, becoming an adventure tour guide could be your calling. These guides lead groups on various activities like hiking, kayaking, and even diving in some of the world’s most breathtaking locations.

Whether it’s guiding tourists through the Amazon rainforest or leading a scuba diving excursion in the Maldives, this job allows you to travel extensively while also being physically active. Certification and safety training are generally required, but the rewards include a dynamic work environment and the chance to meet people from all over the globe.

Diplomat

Representing your country abroad as a diplomat is a job role that inherently requires international travel. It involves a range of responsibilities including negotiations, trade relationships, and cultural exchange programs. It’s a prestigious role but comes with its set of challenges, including language barriers and cultural differences.

Jobs That Let You See the World: Your Ticket to a Life on the Move

Having a job that requires you to travel can be fulfilling on several levels. Apart from seeing new places and experiencing new things, the best jobs not only require you to travel but can also be quite lucrative if you have both the skillset to go with it as well as the proper mindset to make it work for you and your situation.

While having a job that requires travel can sound appealing, it comes with challenges like work-life balance and potential burnout. Being away from loved ones, handling jet lag, and adapting to different cultures can take a toll. Therefore, it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons before diving in.

While we realize that having a job that lets you travel isn’t for everyone, if the idea of staying in one place bores you to death, know that you have options. Whether it’s capturing the world through a lens, teaching English to students in foreign lands, or selling products on a global scale, there’s a job out there that will let you combine your career with your love for travel.

So, go ahead, update that resume, and embark on a journey like no other!

Looking for more fantastic travel job articles? Check out these:

• 45 Great Jobs You Can Do While Traveling The World And How To Get Them
• How to Quit Your Job to Travel the World

Thankfully, from emailing to social media to online banking and even working remotely as we travel, connecting to the online world is just a button press away. That said, these days we all know that with digital convenience comes cyber risk.

10 Essential Cybersecurity Tips for Stress-Free Travel Adventures

Today, let’s dive into the top 10 cybersecurity tips to keep your digital life secure and stress-free while you explore the world.

1. Strong Passwords: Your First Line of Defense

Your accounts are only as secure as your passwords. Use a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Better yet, let a password manager generate and store complex passwords for you. This way, you won’t have to memorize the password for every online shop or booking site you use and if one site gets compromised, the rest of your accounts stay safe.

At the very least, make sure that any password to a primary site, such as your email, remains unique. Since email is often the fallback method to resetting every other sites password, it’s vital that your email account stays protected. Of course, keeping your bank passwords unique needs not be reminded, right?

2. Safe Online Transactions: Be Payment Smart

Whether you’re surfing the web or checking your account balances, use a VPN when making online transactions or when dealing with sensitive information.

A VPN creates a secured connection between your device and the site you’re dealing with. It means that neither your provider nor any of the devices between you and the site can see what information is being passed. Whether it’s personal pictures, banking data or your daily news clips, no one knows what’s being passed except you and the site you’re pulling it from.

Looking for travel insurance that actually makes sense for nomads?

SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance is one of the top options. It’s affordable, flexible, and built for travelers who live and work on the road. You can buy it while abroad, cancel anytime, and pick a plan that fits your needs.

 It’s designed for people living and working on the road, whether you’re bouncing between countries or settling into one place for a bit.

Get a Quick quote here to see if it’s for you.

3. Keep Your Software Updated: Don’t Ignore Those Update Alerts

Yes, those update notifications can be annoying, but they’re crucial for your security. Software updates often include patches for security vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. While it can be tedious, realize that most of them are for your protection.

4. Mindful Social Media Sharing: Don’t Give Away Too Much

We know it’s tempting to share every moment of your tropical getaway, but oversharing can make you a target for burglars or scammers. Consider sharing after you return, and always review your privacy settings.

This is where some of the biggest dangers of social media can be had. Adding “friends” who aren’t friends or posting information a bit too private such as house address and whatnot to public sites can lead to robbery after you’ve just posted you’re gone. While thankfully it isn’t that common, online scammers are looking for every possible way to profit themselves and they don’t care if you get hurt in the process. If you value your safety, keep private things private.

5. Secure Your Devices: Lock It Up

A simple PIN or fingerprint lock on your phone or tablet can deter thieves. Also, consider using/enabling tracking software to locate lost or stolen devices. Most devices come with it and just need it to be enabled.

Thinking that setting a complicated pin is too much work, I know dozens of people with 0000 or 1111 as their phone pin. All it takes is one pickpocket, a phone left on the table while you momentarily look the other way or a phone left in your bag on the beach while you snooze beside it for it to fall into someone else’s hand.

Those who prey on others misfortune know the most common pins and will try those first. While you rush to lock the phone down (once you notice it’s gone) or try to locate it, the thief is already surfing your phone, copying your pics, stealing your emails, ruining your social media and gathering your information. Don’t let something as simple as setting 4 random (to them) numbers make their job so much easier.

6. Phishing Scams: Stay Alert

Be skeptical of unsolicited emails or messages asking for personal information, even if they seem legit. When in doubt, contact the company directly through official channels and never respond directly to unsolicited messages in either email or SMS (text) format.

It’s often hard to discern if a message has come from a trusted source. Phone numbers can be spoofed and return addresses can appear legit. However, the only truth in cybersecurity is that it’s a continually evolving landscape and the rules of today might not apply tomorrow.

The easiest way to verify if something is legit is to call the number for the bank or company that’s appearing to make the inquiry and never respond directly to the number or email in question. Even going directly to the site gives you options such as online chat or a callback number to make your life easier.

2. Two-Factor Authentication: Double the Security

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security. Even if someone cracks your password, they still need a second code (usually sent to your phone) to access your account. Activate 2FA on critical accounts like email and banking as well as sites that store your credit card information.

An extra bit of wisdom is to ensure that if you’re leaving the country and don’t have access to SMS text codes that you have an alternate method of 2FA verification such as email or an authenticator app. We use both Google Authenticator and the Microsoft Authenticator apps as they’re free, easy to use and work with most sites.

8. Data Loggers: Don’t Get Tapped

Avoid using public computers for any financial business or anything that you consider needs to remain secure. While a VPN keeps your online connection safe, it’s also good to know that the computer itself you’re using hasn’t been compromised.

We’ve heard of several people over the years who have fallen prey to this scam. You enter an Internet Café, pay for your hour and sit down to use their computer. It even features a VPN so you think you’re safe. After your hour-long session, you get up, ensure you’ve logged out of any sites you logged into and shut down the computer.

The problem is that there was a keylogger plugged into the device or installed in software that has captured every keystroke you’ve just typed. With a bit of work, the hacker can now trace everywhere you’ve been, what you’ve typed in (passwords and IDs as well) and can now use the information to get back in at will. Hopefully you’ve set up 2FA so that when that happens, you get notified but if the device was granted permission, it might still be on the permitted list. Best to avoid that scenario fully and avoid using public computers for anything important.

9. Backup Your Data: Don’t Lose Those Precious Memories

Regular backups ensure you won’t lose important documents or precious travel photos, even if your device gets lost, stolen or corrupt. We’ve always used our rule of 3 for anything precious from pictures to documents to emails.

The first is the device itself, whether it be our phone, a laptop or a camera. If it originated there, it stays there. The second is an online backup solution. They’re quick and easy to set up on nearly any device and as long as you have a Wifi connection, they can be uploaded to the cloud within minutes of being generated.

The third and final is always a hard coded offsite backup. This happens when we return from an extended trip or enough time has passed that we feel it’s necessary. Offsite ensures that it survives anything from a fire to a theft and while online backups are easy, an extra measure of security never hurts either.

10. Research Local Scams: Know Before You Go

Each destination has its unique digital dangers. It never hurts to do a quick search on common scams in the area you’re visiting. This can include everything from credit card skimming (the process of setting up an additional scanner on a bank machine or gas pump that copies the info) to the use of fake Wi-Fi zones with the intent of stealing your data as it passes through their device (that’s why VPNs are essential when traveling.)

Stay Cyber Safe!

Remember, staying secure online is a continuous journey, just like your travels. By following these tips, you can focus more on enjoying your trips and less on digital woes.

Stay safe and happy exploring!

Working as you travel the world is one of the best ways to solve this problem. Not only do you get to explore the globe, but you can also get paid as you go plus you get to experience a different side to a country than just what the tourists typically experience.

The best travel jobs that don’t require experience can still let you earn a good income while you travel the world. Some of these are even jobs abroad with accommodation with no experience required.

How to Get a Job Abroad Without Experience

Not having any experience does make finding a travel job a bit more challenging however, the good news is that there really are plenty of overseas jobs that don’t require experience and also travel jobs that don’t require a college degree.

Whether you’re looking for a chance to work in exchange for accommodation, searching for a job that lets you travel to different countries, seeking work as a digital nomad online, or wanting to become a long-term expat overseas, there are options for you.

What are the easiest jobs to get with no experience?

Here’s a gentle reminder: while these jobs don’t necessarily require experience, that doesn’t mean all of them are easy to get. For some, you may need to be in the right place at the right time, and for others you may need training or natural talent (but no direct experience).

Even for jobs that don’t require experience, you may have an easier time getting the job if you’ve actually had some prior experience, even in a non direct sort of way. That doesn’t mean they’re impossible to get without previous experience, but you may be fighting a bit of an uphill battle, especially if you’re competing with people who’ve worked in that field a time or two.

How can I start working abroad?

There are plenty of different paths to working overseas and earning a living.

Some people buy a ticket, take the flight, and hope for the best. Others don’t want to budget on an irregular income, so they take a more structured approach. These travelers typically line up a job, get an apartment, and organize visas and tickets before they leave.

Your approach to finding a job overseas jobs with no experience really depends on your risk tolerance, the amount of money currently in your bank account, and your ability to deal with uncertainty.

Getting a Visa

While finding a job with no experience is possible, you also need to consider visa requirements when working overseas.

In many countries, you can work illegally (under the table), but there are risks. Working illegally can make you vulnerable to exploitation by your employer, and you also run the risk of immediate deportation if you’re caught.

Some countries are also incredibly strict with their labor laws, meaning that receiving lodging or a stipend for volunteering may fall within the category of working under the table. Definitely find out before you accept any new job overseas if a work visa is necessary and plan your next steps accordingly.

Working Holiday Visa

Many working holiday visa jobs don’t require work experience, or a degree. The working holiday visas are best known for jobs like waiting tables or fruit picking.

If you’re under 35 years of age, your destination country may offer a youth working holiday visa. The working holiday visa is an arrangement between countries that lets youth work on a working holiday visa for up to one year. Check out Wikipedia’s list of working holiday visa programs.

The Best Jobs that Allow You to Work Overseas with No Experience

Do you wish you could travel more, but you’re worried that you won’t be able to work overseas with no experience?

Many of these are jobs that you can get on your own, meaning you can work abroad without experience and no placement fee from a recruiter.

Wait Staff, Bartender, or Cook

In many countries, there’s a huge vacuum in the service industry, as restaurants and hotels struggle to find staff.

Here in Canada, there are help wanted signs in almost every restaurant and shop window. Most of these jobs are at minimum wage, but the lack of staff is forcing some companies to pay higher wages. The bonus with any service job is the chance to make good tips depending on which country you’re working in. It can often help offset the lower per hour wage they tend to offer and if it’s a cash economy, you’re not having a few weeks to wait until payday to have some extra spending money in your pocket.

Housecleaner

Like waiting tables, working as a housekeeper generally pays close to minimum wage. However, housekeepers get minimal tips, while wait staff and bartenders can often substantially increase their take home pay.

The bonus is that housekeeping hours are pretty consistent and if you like your evenings free, housekeepers typically work days.

Field Worker or Fruit and Vegetable Picker

Numerous countries around the world need seasonal field workers and often they hire these people from other countries. From grape picking to coconut harvesting, the available jobs depend on both the country and the season in which you’re travelling. These jobs can be anything from fully sponsored (the hiring company sets up the working visa and provides full room and board plus wage) to daily jobs paid under the table.

Even if it’s not harvest season, plenty of farms and orchards have year round work from pulling weeds to mending fences to planting, transporting and selling their products. No previous experience is often needed however you definitely can’t be afraid of getting your hands dirty. If you’re lucky, there will also be bonuses on top of wage for minimum quantities you process. This is especially true when tree planting where the faster you work, the more you often take home.

Volunteering

The large majority of volunteer jobs, by definition, don’t offer any form of payment, but some do offer basic accommodation and/or meals.

However, the danger here is that many volunteer placements actually charge you, the volunteer, a significant amount of money to volunteer. In fact, some volunteer placements are shockingly expensive.

While even the best volunteer jobs by nature don’t pay, some will provide (often very basic) accommodation or meals, or both. 

Peace Corps

The Peace Corps is one option that covers all expenses. However, you’ll most likely need to be a recent university or college graduate, and be willing to sign up for a two year time commitment, though there are limited six month or one year commitments.

While there can be a bit of danger involved, most often they are sent where work needs to be done. Whether that’s helping out in disaster areas or just helping out those in need, it can be a very rewarding experience for some people and will definitely give you a chance to see another country from a different angle.

WWOOF (Volunteering on Organic Farms)

A more realistic option for volunteering abroad is with WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms). Volunteers with WWOOF get room and board covered, in exchange for a set number of hours working on an organic farm. No previous farming experience is required.

The bonus with WWOOF is that once your set work hours are done, you can often enjoy your time as you see fit hanging with like minded people.

Food Delivery or Ride Share Driver

Getting a job with food delivery (like SkipTheDishes) or ride share services like Uber or Lyft may be an option as a travel job, if you have a driver’s license. You don’t need experience to work as a driver, but you will need insurance, a vehicle, a driver’s license, and proof of ability to work in a country. Your vehicle will likely also need to meet certain criteria, like being under a certain age, and having four doors.

Get $7 off your first SkipTheDishes order!

Caregiver / Personal Care Aide

Working as a caregiver overseas can mean taking care of children as an Au Pair, or caring for elderly or disabled clients. Many countries, including Canada and Australia, offer specialized work visas for caregivers. You may not need previous experience, but you’ll likely need a criminal records check, and letters of reference.

If you get lucky with your placement, you might even get in with a family or group that also enjoys travel thereby giving even more chances to see another country.

Mover

If you’re willing to take on some challenging physical labor, getting a job as a mover may suit you. Generally, little to no experience is required for movers, but a strong back is a solid requirement.

Busking

You don’t necessarily need experience to work as a busker, but talent (or at least an entertaining skill) and a comfort putting yourself out there is definitely a prerequisite for success.

Interpreter or Translator

You don’t necessarily need experience to work as a translator (written language) or interpreter (spoken language). However, you do need to be fluent in two or more languages, and be prepared to prove your skills through a test or on-the-spot assessment.

Many employers want a university degree in linguistics, but some part time and casual gigs don’t require this. Many of these jobs can be a predetermined set of time (for example, until a certain project, book or site is completed) and many can even turn into remote jobs letting you continue your travels in a country while still working.

Tour Guide

If you’re capable of talking about the sights and managing groups of people, working as a tour guide may work for you. Tour guides don’t necessarily require experience, but speaking more than one language is an asset. Tour guides work everywhere from tourist attractions, to wilderness tours, to museums. If you’re an outgoing people person with great communication skills and a flair for spectacle, you might make a great tour guide.

International Resort Worker

International resorts like Club Med offer many jobs, many of which don’t require experience. While many resort workers are locals, resorts often hire overseas workers as well. Speaking several languages can be a huge bonus as well and often food and accommodation can be included.

Transport a Car or RV

Transporting a car or RV may not pay the bills, but it’s a good way to cover transportation across regions. It may also cover accommodation if you luck out and get to transport an RV.

Car rental companies, car dealerships, RV and trailer rental companies and occasionally movers hire people to drive cars to different locations. You likely won’t need experience, but you will need a drivers license.

The bonus with this job is that fuel and often a small stipend for food are included. Occasionally they will also let you take a passenger for free. The bad part is that you often don’t get a huge selection of locations they’ll send you to and sometimes those aren’t the places you’re hoping to see.

Jobs Abroad with Accommodation, No Experience Required

Jobs that offer accommodation range from cruise ship work, to work camping, to yacht crew, to housesitting, and beyond.

Cruise Ship Work

Cruise ship jobs generally top the lists of jobs abroad with accommodation that require no experience.

Cruise ships hire massive numbers of people, with jobs from cooks, to housekeepers, to entertainers and many of these don’t need previous experience to get. Cruise ship work is best for single people without kids however there have been numerous couples who managed to get posted to the same ship.

Earl from Wandering Earl has used cruise ship work to fund a large part of his many years on the road, and wrote a great book called How to Get a Job on a Cruise Ship.

Click here check out his book on getting a job on a cruise line.

Sailing Assistant / Yacht Crew

Getting a job as a yachtie can be surprisingly easy, as long as you’re persistent, and have a little luck. Many jobs working on a yacht don’t require any experience; just a great attitude and a willingness to work.

We volunteered as yacht crew for evening cruises at the yacht club in Brisbane, where the captains and club were friendly and easy to work with.

You can find jobs through Find a Crew or Crew Seekers online, or ask directly at a local yacht club. Darwin, Phuket, San Diego and Panama are great places to start.

Work for Your Accommodation

When we were staying at a hostel in Adelaide, we exchanged a few hours of cleaning each day for a cozy, clean double room.

Many hostels may let you stay in exchange for light work, ranging from housekeeping, to small repairs to grounds work. Ask at the front desk if they need any help.

House Sitter or Caretaker

While house sitting may not pay all of your bills, having accommodation for free goes a long way to making travel affordable.

Check Trusted Housesitters job listings here.

If you’re looking for a longer stay, look into caretaking jobs, which often last longer, and have more responsibility. Caretaking jobs often pay a salary in addition to free accommodation. 

Work camping is also an option in Canada or the USA, in private campgrounds and some national parks. Some work camping jobs aren’t paid, but offer only a place to stay, and some offer both a stipend and a place to stay.

Home Swap

You may be able to get accommodation costs covered overseas if you own an apartment or house. All you’ll need to do is swap a stay at your home in exchange for a place at your destination. While you need to be comfortable with someone staying in your home when you’re gone, the bonus is that your new accommodation isn’t costing you anything more that staying at home would.

Best Online Jobs for Travel that Don’t Require Experience

The best online jobs for travelers pay well, don’t require experience, and are flexible. Not all of these jobs hit all of those criteria, but there are some interesting choices below.

Online Customer Service Representative

Online customer service representatives talk with customers on behalf of a company. They answer questions about products and services, respond to customer comments, and process returns.

You won’t necessarily need experience, but you will need a clear speaking voice, and be able to speak the client’s language fluently.

Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant (VA) is essentially an online assistant who helps clients with tasks like accounting, managing email, personal errands, scheduling, research, and even planning travel.

In the past we’ve hired different online VAs to do research, social media scheduling, marketing, and create graphics for us.

Website or App Testing

While many website or app testing jobs require special skills like CSS or database management, others require no experience at all.

Website or app testing is generally best for earning extra money on the side, rather than as a full time job, but it may fit the bill if you need to supplement your income, or if you’re without work for a short time.

You can find jobs with companies like User Testing or TryMyUI.

Digital Nomad / Online Freelancer

Digital nomads essentially bring their job with them wherever they go. Some digital nomads work a regular 9-to-5 job, but remotely, while others work as freelancers, and still others own their own business.

What’s interesting is that many countries now offer digital nomad visas. Many require that you show proof of income, but others, like Bermuda, don’t require any minimum income.

While there are plenty of jobs around the world for people with zero experience, it’s always easier to show the person hiring you that you did something similar enough that you know their job would be a good fit for you.

If you’re planning to travel in the future and work as you go, now is not a bad time to look into a similar job at home. While no one wants to work 2 jobs, taking an occasional shift doing something you like or think you would be a good fit for isn’t a terrible idea. At the minimum it will give you an idea of what working abroad could entail and maybe help you figure out that maybe you need to look elsewhere in the future.

Work Abroad Articles You Might Like

• The Highest Paying Travel Jobs You Can Get Now
• Our Heymondo Review – Why We Always Get Travel Insurance
• Can You Volunteer Abroad Cheap or Free? The Real Cost of Volunteering Overseas
• How to Travel with a Full-Time Job

Maybe earn enough to recoup your costs and even a little extra to put away for the next leg of your trip? This post lists some of the highest paying travel jobs you’re likely to find while you travel the world.

While many jobs still require you to be in the host country, remote work is at an all time high. From keeping your existing job, to working for other online friendly companies, the ability to work from your living room or from a beach in Tahiti has never looked so promising.

Also, as borders open and close, COVID-19 guidelines change, and the cost of goods increases, much traditional migratory positions, from fruit pickers to farmhands are in short supply. That means you may have an opportunity to work with your hands for higher than traditional pay, especially when you factor in that many of these jobs include room and board.

The Highest Paying Travel Jobs

So enough chitchat, let’s get to work and take a look at some of the highest paying travel jobs you can have as you travel the world.

English as a Second Language

While travel has been down the past few years, the need for English speaking workers, especially in overseas businesses, has never been higher. With remote work continually gaining traction, the need for global communication has also increased.

What this means for you is that teaching English abroad is as hot as ever. While teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) might involve a bit more online work, that might not be a bad thing and might give you even more opportunities to travel while you work.

The same applies for other educators as well. As people find themselves with more hours in a day (less time spent commuting and traveling less for holidays), there has never been such a huge opportunity to learn another language or skillset.

The result is that there are various teaching jobs available around the world for all skillsets. With many going to an online format, the ability to teach from anywhere is constantly growing. What’s really nice is that many ESL schools also offer accommodation, which means choosing a place to live is no longer a problem.

Remote Work

While ever changing travel rules and border closures have definitely played havoc for some travelers, it has also increased some opportunities.

Namely, one of the best things to come out of the pandemic is that remote work has hit an all time high. The amount of opportunities for work from home employees has skyrocketed and people that had to beg to work from home a day or two here or there only a few short years ago have often been working from home continually for the past two years with no intention of going back into the office once the world returns to its new normal.

Jobs fill your pocket. Adventures fill your soul.

Anonymous

What this means to fellow travel lovers is that since you’re already not going into an office, there’s no reason you can’t do it from another country. While it will often mean you need to alter your work hours to better match your home business hours (especially if you deal with a lot of clients or fellow workers), a lot of companies allow you to work at your own schedule and give you some flexibility in start and end times.

While some travel jobs can be hugely satisfying, the reality is that your current position, the one you’ve worked for, have been promoted to and maybe went to university to obtain, is quite likely one of the highest paying travel jobs you’re likely to find. If you can make it happen, or make a lateral change to a company that’s more lenient in your work schedule, you can have your cake (rewarding higher paying job) and the icing too (travel).

Just be smart and make sure to use a personal VPN to both protect yourself and your company’s information while on the go. The one thing you don’t want to do is be a security risk with other people’s information.

Thus, a Virtual Private Network should be a great help during your next adventure. After all, a VPN encrypts traffic and hides your IP, meaning that you can safeguard your activities from snooping. A VPN’s IP masking also lets you access services or websites back at home.

Seasonal Fruit or Vegetable Picker

While there are hundreds of remote jobs you can do, nothing says will work for food quite like actually working for food.

One of the reason food prices have increased over the past few years is that migratory pickers haven’t been able to get to harvest at the opportune time. With no cheap pickers, that means that farms and orchards are forced to raise their pay to attract more local workers. That works well in your favor, since many of these opportunities include room and board as well.

While the work can be tough, some places pay bonuses for higher quotas so the harder you work, the higher you can often earn and the quicker you can get back to your travels.

Fitness Guru

Have a penchant for working out? These days most of us find life a little bit harder, and while some have decided to increase their dietary intake, others have taken this opportunity to get into shape. While lots of gyms have closed intermittently due to the pandemic, the need for personal trainers has actually increased.

Rather than working from a gym, many trainers have opted for a more natural setting. We’ve seen outdoor training areas pop up in several parks lately, with a healthy number of people doing stairs or CrossFit along the walking paths. If you love the outdoors and healthy living, then this might be worth perusing.

Food Delivery Driver

These days, places like Uber Eats, DoorDash, SkipTheDishes, GrubHub and your local equivalent have made food delivery universal. With hundreds of restaurants in many cities and food deliveries around the globe at an all time high, all it often takes is a good driving record, a license and a vehicle and you have a job you can work as much at or as little at as you want.

When working abroad you work pretty hard, but with time off, this is the greatest job in the world. You drive. You explore Memphis, or wherever you’ve landed, or go and see Dr John, or the Californian landscape. And yes, I’ve had a few good meals.

Toby Jones

Since you get to set your hours, you can work whenever the mood strikes. Of course this requires you to own a vehicle (or rent one, but make sure to verify you’re insured for it). That said, food delivery is a unique opportunity that didn’t exist up until a few years ago.

While the money can be decent, depending on the options you have to work with ($20 to $25 USD per hour), just make sure you’re factoring in wear and tear on the vehicle and the cost of gas in your earnings.

Food not your thing? Consider making some money with one of the many ride-hailing apps, or a shopping service like Instacart.

Real Estate Agent

Real estate prices have increased ridiculously in many areas around the world the past few years.

Working from home, many have decided they don’t need to live so close to work anymore, while others see this time as an opportunity to get into the big cities so that when the time comes to swap jobs they’ll have more opportunities. Others have decided that having a second home somewhere they feel safe in another country is the way to go forward.

If you really want to learn about a country, work there.

Charles Kuralt

Regardless of the reason, most real estate agents are paid a commission based on the value of the sale or rent, so as real estate prices move upwards, so do the commissions. While some countries require licenses, others don’t. If you know the area, speak the language or have the inside track on people looking for property, becoming an agent could be profitable.

Trades or Handyperson

If you have a skill in a trade, you can likely pick up a job anywhere that pays its tradespeople well.

It seems the more people work from home, the more they want to fix up their living spaces. What this leaves is a glut of tradespeople to get the job done. From plumbing to construction and electrical, there is always a need for a professional tradesperson.

Even if you don’t have a learned trade, contractors are continually looking for reliable people to give an extra hand. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty and are willing to put in a solid day’s work, the options for building laborers in many countries is staggering.

Day Trader

While not for the faint of heart, we’ve met a few moderately successful day traders during our travels. The bonus here is that you aren’t dependent on anyone besides for yourself and can pretty much set your own schedule. From cryptos to the stock markets, there have been some pretty crazy trends these past few years. If you have a solid understanding of the risks and feel you can safely stay ahead of the curve then being a day trader can potentially be profitable.

Personal Shopper

Have great taste, love to shop, but don’t have any money?

Well, how about if I told you that you could shop to your hearts content on someone else’s dime. The only catch is that they get to keep your great finds!

With many people opting to stay out of the stores, those of you with no such qualms have half of what it takes to becoming a personal shopper. From picking out fashionable clothes to picking up the groceries, people are spending big bucks to send others in their stay and according to a recent poll from LinkedIn, Personal Shopper has made the top ten list of the most in demand jobs recently.

Chef, Waiter or Bartender

While many restaurants have had to shut down or reduce hours due the pandemic, many in the service industry decided it was time to find a more stable paycheque. What this has done is left a huge vacuum in the service industry and restaurants and hotels scrabbling to find staff as everything reopens.

This means that people staying in the industry have seen 8 to 20% wage increases over the past two years, which makes it the pay lucrative if you find the right setting. With a help wanted sign in nearly every store window, picking up a few extra hours probably isn’t that hard if you’re willing to work a little longer to help get you back on the road again sooner.

More of The Highest Paying Travel Jobs

While the majority of the above jobs are for the casual travel worker, if you want to make the most money while you travel these days you’re probably better off working online.

From data analyst, to customer service, to blogger, to technical writer there are many online jobs available to those with the proper skills. Whatever you decide to do, from high level academic editing, to scientific writing, make sure that you do your research on the company you work for.

Not only are they some of the highest paying travel jobs, they can also allow you to jump over borders and stay wherever you want as long as you have good Wi-Fi and accommodating work hours.

Need more inspiration?

Feel free to check out our popular post of 45 travel jobs that includes a bunch of handy links to sites where you can find more information on applying to some of these positions, plus tips on some of the best countries to find these jobs.

Good luck in your job search and safe travels!

If you found any great travel jobs we’ve missed we’d love to hear about them below.

Impossible you say? Well, we know from first hand experience that not only is it possible but it can also be rewarding and even profitable!

It’s a common trope – a would be traveler quits their job, travels the world, and finds love, fame, and/or fortune. I’m sure you’ve all seen a movie or read a book about it but the reality is that in real life that doesn’t usually happen.

While as tempting as quitting your job and taking a long vacation is, it’s just not realistic for a lot of people, who are (understandably) too practical to take that enormous leap, or who have commitments that simply won’t let them quit their job and sail the seven seas.

While being able to work remotely is undoubtedly the easiest way to work while traveling (have laptop, will travel), there are some jobs that you just can’t phone in while on the road and times when just flat out quitting might not be the best answer.

Here’s the good news: You don’t have to quit your full-time job to see the world. It definitely takes a can-do attitude, some creative problem solving, and even some occasional slight of hand, but for many people it’s possible to both work full time and also scratch that travel itch.

How to travel while working

When we first started traveling together almost 20 years ago, my husband Charles and I had full time jobs. We started out taking weekends off to travel, then two week vacations, working remotely while spending months in Mexico, and eventually a year long trip through Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Not all of these tips will work for everyone, but with some creative thinking, hopefully at least one of these will apply to your situation!

I know that many people believe that travel and work are an impossible mix! Whether you are part of a working couple, a single would be traveler, or even a traveling family, there are so many ways you can travel while still keeping your full-time job.

Here are our top tips for how to travel with a full-time job.

We start with what should be the easiest solutions for most people, getting more creative as we go down the list.

Use your weekends and time off

Everyone gets time off at some point, and how you use that time is yours!

If you have vacation days and weekends off, take those days to travel around the world. You can make a bunch of four-day weekends for more extended travel, or you can take a short weekend trip somewhere. If you are really pressed for time, look into flights instead of long drives to maximize your time at the destination rather than in the car.

Be flexible with your dates

If you want to travel while you have a full time job, sometimes you need to be flexible with your dates.

Taking off in the middle of summer might not work if your busy season at work is during the summer or, for instance, in the middle of tax season if you’re an accountant. Instead, consider taking a few extra days off before a big holiday break or a four day weekend to maximize your vacation days and allow more travel time. Get creative and be flexible if you want to see and do more.

Travel in the off season

While this ties into the previous segment, if you can schedule time off during the shoulder season like late Spring/early Fall, you can better maximize your time away from home. While most people love to travel in the summer, the reality is that’s often peak times so going in Fall or Spring can not only save you hour long lineups but also allow you to travel for much cheaper.

Work extra hours

Does your employer let you bank time? Some employers let you take time off in lieu of overtime pay.

If you can bank time, try working extra hours during busy periods, and then taking those days off to add to your vacation time. Just make sure that your employer is accurately recording any extra time that you work and you’re being paid fully when you’re not there.

Take advantage of travel opportunities at work

Ask your boss if there are any travel opportunities at your work. You may be shocked to find that they offer travel to warehouses, conferences, and other work opportunities if you just ask. While you won’t be able to do them all, you may be able to snag one or two extra trips!

Since most of the work stuff happens during the day, this often means you can enjoy entire nights off in a new city and if you can plan those dates around a weekend, it can often give you a few extra days to enjoy wherever you happen to be.

Work during your vacation

While this seems the opposite of what we’re trying to do here, many employers won’t even consider allowing employees to work remotely. Yet, these same employers will be happy to let you work right through your vacation time.

Sure, it sucks to have to do work while you’re on vacation. However, if you absolutely can’t afford to take time off and you have a backlog of work that keeps piling up, working during a vacation may be an option that doesn’t break the bank.

To make this work, you’ll either need to convince your boss to let you work remotely as you travel, or you’ll need to make the slog into work, and have a staycation. If you can afford it, get a hotel or somewhere nice to stay for part of your vacay, or stay at home and splurge on fun activities during your off hours. While it might not seem like travel, if you do some local activities outside your norm, that can go a long way to making your vacation at least memorable.

Take unpaid time off

For a lot of readers, I’m sure that I lost you at the word unpaid, but hear me out. If you can manage to save enough for a vacation, taking unpaid time off can be a way to free up some time for a trip, while still keeping your job.

I’ve used the technique of asking for unpaid time off a few times, when I was in a situation where I could afford to travel, but just didn’t have the time or vacation hours available to me.

While it’s true that companies love having you on premise, if they’re not having to pay you, they often don’t mind you taking a few weeks or, sometimes even a few months off for a mini sabbatical. If work is quiet at your company, your employer may actually appreciate having to spend less on payroll for a while.

Unfortunately, if your job is especially busy, or your expertise is essential to your employer, this strategy might not work but it never hurts to ask. Most people never even think to ask but their response might surprise you, especially if the company can gain something in the process such as a new skill or language learned or even just having better mental health when you return.

Ask your current employer if you can work remotely

This one’s a little risky: If you have a really uptight or vindictive boss, you risk showing them your hand that you want to travel.

However, you may be surprised. Many employers don’t want to lose a good employee, so if you’re trusted and your work is valued, and you can successfully do your job at home, being able to work remotely may be as simple as just asking.

I’ve successfully used this technique in the past. I started out with a technical writing job that was full time, and on site. Over my first few months, I worked hard to get my immediate supervisors to trust my work ethic, and to value my work.

About three months in, I asked if I could work remotely a day a week. They said yes, and I made sure to show them that I was productive, and working hard at home.

A couple of months later, I asked if I could work two days remotely a week. They said yes, and I kept up the hard work.

After another couple of months, I asked if I could work remotely full time, and made a case that working remotely would save them money by freeing up my office space, and they wouldn’t lose any productive time at all. They said yes, and I was off to Mexico in a few weeks’ time.

If you have a job that could be done from anywhere, consider asking your boss if you can work some of your time from home. This will give you more flexibility to travel as you can work from anywhere at that point.

Find a job that lets you work remotely

This one might seem impossible, but there are a lot of jobs that allow you to work from home from the start.

This is one good thing we can thank the pandemic for. The amount of remote workers has increased right around the world and so many companies have discovered that having remote workers is a viable proposition moving forward. It’s opened the door to so many more possibilities.

Editing and writing jobs are probably the most familiar of remote jobs. You don’t even need to take a cheap custom writings job – there are writing jobs that pay well, especially if you have a skill like technical or medical writing, academic editing, or copywriting.

Check out our list of 45 best travel jobs for some more great ideas for jobs that let you work as you travel.

Take contract work instead of a permanent 9 to 5

We spent years using the downtime from our contract IT jobs to travel. We’d work for six months or a year at a contract job, and then travel in between contracts.

The major downside of this approach is that you need to earn enough doing contract work to afford to take time off. You also need to be able to save money and budget well however the good news is that contract workers are often paid more. You can also often save on income taxes since you’d be working for yourself. Between tax breaks and company write-offs, doing contract work can be quite lucrative in the right market and is worth looking into.

Take a sabbatical

Not everyone can take a sabbatical leave; we get that.

However, if you’re lucky enough to be in a profession that commonly allow sabbaticals, like academics, definitely look into it.

It may not be common knowledge, but many companies allow sabbaticals, including Patagonia and even McDonalds. You may have to discreetly ask your HR department, or browse around your company website to find out if you qualify for a sabbatical but they can be a great way to keep your job but allow you the free time to follow your passions.

The crazy part is that some companies even pay for your sabbatical time off! This really depends on your company, their philosophy about work and life as well as the country you live in.

Regardless, even if your sabbatical may not offer paid time off, the beauty of a sabbatical is that you’ll have a job to return to after you travel. Just make sure you start saving up.

Be your own boss

If you run your own business, you have a lot more say in the days you work and the hours. We started working for ourselves about 10 years ago, and it gave us a lot more flexibility to travel.

Working for yourself means that you may be able to take more time to travel and even give yourself the flexibility to work from different time zones.

Being your own boss can mean starting your own business by blogging, selling on Etsy, or even becoming a virtual assistant! There are so many different options that offer flexibility, which will help you get some more travel time while still working full-time for yourself.

Working for yourself also means that you’ll need to become better at budgeting for time off, and allowing for unexpected expenses. It may also mean that you end up working more hours in total than you ever did when working for someone else but while it’s not always easy, it can be quite rewarding and allow you to see the world on your schedule, rather that someone elses.

You don’t have to quit your job to see the world.

While taking time off to travel is nice, it’s also nice to not worry about how you’re going to pay the bills when you return from your long trip.

No matter how you do it, don’t be fooled into thinking it will be easy or just work out. If you want to keep your job but still step out and see the world you’ll have to work twice as hard to make sure you keep the work/travel balance in check.

While it won’t be simple, it can be even more rewarding by not only keeping your bank account in the black and your career moving forward but also allowing you to see all the amazing things this world can offer.

There are even a lot of jobs that you can do while you’re on the road. There are plenty of students searching for editors, so jobs in academic editing and writing can be relatively easy to pick up.

Have a tip about work and travel? We’d love to hear about it.

The Best Travel Jobs

We’ve found some of the best ideas to get paid as you travel the world, with some help on how to land each job.

Tip! While house sitting may not pay all of your travel bills, it can take a huge bite out of accommodation costs. Trusted Housesitters is a great place to start. Check Trusted Housesitters job listings here.

Yacht Crew

You should know the basics of sailing for this gig, although some jobs only require a keen willingness to learn and a great attitude. Check out Find a Crew or Crew Seekers online or ask directly at a local yacht club. Well known jumping off points include Darwin, Phuket, San Diego and Panama. We volunteered as yacht crew for evening cruises at the yacht club in Brisbane and found the club and captains to be friendly and open to our help.

Freelance Travel Writing

Traditional freelance travel writing is a tough gig. The competition is stiff, and the life of a freelance travel writer usually doesn’t pay well (or reliably). Even if you’ve got stellar contacts, don’t expect to get much pay in the first year or so. Even irritatingly talented writers struggle as travel writers.

One of the best places to start looking for freelance writing jobs, and that includes freelance travel writing, is FlexJobs.

FlexJobs screens employers for you. FlexJobs comes with a small, flat monthly fee, but they also vet all of the job opportunities, meaning that there’s a lot less spam to wade through.

FlexJobs is one of the top job boards for remote work, but there is a monthly fee (about $14.95 USD a month).

Check out FlexJobs here.

Check out Virtual Vocations job listings here for freelance writing and plenty of other online jobs. You can try it out for free, but there’s also a paid version.

Cruise Ship Work

Cruise ships hire all sorts of folks, from entertainers to waiters to cooks. This type of gig is best for those without kids or a spouse. It may also not be great long term for a digital nomad who needs reliable internet access, since WiFi at sea can be spotty.

Earl from Wandering Earl has used cruise ship work to fund a large part of his 12 years on the road, and wrote a book called How to Get a Job on a Cruise Ship.

Click here check out his book on getting a job on a cruise line.

Royal Caribbean even hires horticulturalists and cupcake supervisors (now that’s a job I could handle). Check out careers at Royal Caribbean or Carnival Cruise Lines.

Travel Blogging

If you’re the enterprising sort, you can start your own travel blog. You’ll be putting in a lot of work (trust us on this) as you build your blog. Even if your blog becomes well known, you’ll need great business sense and a way to stand out from the crowd before you start bringing in any income. We’d estimate it takes about a year of hard work blogging before you can start to make any real income here (and by real, we mean around $1,000 per month).

Volunteer

While volunteer jobs by nature don’t pay, some will provide (often very basic) accommodation or meals, or both. Conservation Volunteers provides basic accommodation, but not meals, in exchange for help on conservation projects. Be careful with this strategy, as many voluntourism placements charge you a significant amount of money to volunteer. This helpful article from Wisebread will point you in the right direction.

WWoofing

If you’ve ever been interested in volunteering on an organic farm, this might be the gig for you. WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) brings together volunteers and farmers. You’ll work a set number of hours in exchange for room and board.

Flight Attendant

This is one of those jobs that require travel as part of the career. Flight attendants wages vary depending on the airline, and new employees don’t have a great choice of shifts or destinations. That said, you can still score some great flights while being paid. Airline employees often get substantial discounts on airfare for themselves and their family. Some airlines even allow you to pass on discounts to specified friends.

We always get travel insurance when we travel.

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance covers nearly every country on the planet.

Pilot

While this is out of the reach of most of us, those with flight experience can score great flights. To become a pilot, you’ll need over 250 hours of flight experience, decent vision, a clear criminal record and good health.

Technical Writer or Editor

If you’re technically (or scientifically) inclined, and have great writing skills, technical writing and editing can be a great gig on the road. Technical writers write everything from website text to software user manuals to detailed computer hardware specifications. I’ve worked as technical writer for the past ten years, both remotely and in cubicle nation. I’d suggest getting a certificate in technical writing and a few clients under your belt before you hit the road. Starting pay is about $25/hour for North American gigs for native English speakers, but experienced writers and editors can earn $60 an hour or more.

Academic Editor or Writer

Academic editors and writers are often in big demand. English is a second language for plenty of students, so

Academic editors and writers are often in big demand. English is a second language for plenty of students, so getting an editor to proofread academic papers is common.

Editors can work on articles all the way from high school to PhD level, depending on their experience. Writers are also in demand with paper writing and editing services, which offer work in fields as diverse as English, biology, and physics.

Busking

Busking can be great if you have a skill in some sort of performance art, from singing to drumming or juggling. Pick a busy area to maximize your tips, and be careful not to run afoul of local city ordinances for street performers. Check out the video below of talented electric violinist Ed Alleyne-Johnson doing some busking work to get you motivated. Amazingly, all the music you hear is coming from his violin!

Bartender or Waiter

Depending on the country you’re visiting, you may be able to score a job waiting tables under the table. As you’ll be working illegally, you face a few risks, including being nabbed by the tax man, or even deported. That said, if you’re looking to work in a restaurant or bar, try to find a place where tips are good, as most of your income will come in the form of tips. There’s some helpful info here on traveling and working as a bartender.

Work for Your Accommodation

Many hostels will let you stay for free in exchange for light work around the hostel. While we were in Adelaide, Australia, we exchanged a couple of hours cleaning the hostel each day for a comfy double room with shared bath. All in all, it wasn’t a bad deal, as rooms were going for about $50. You research hostels before you leave on sites like Hostelworld.com.

Peace Corps Volunteer

The Peace Corps is serious business. Only apply if you’re able to commit to a long engagement in what might be a difficult environment. The application process is stringent, and usually includes an interview. The Peace Corps doesn’t pay a lot, but does cover health insurance and deferrals of student loans (for US Citizens), plus a bonus at the end of your term.

Run an Import/Export Business

The premise is simple: Find a product in one country, and sell it for a tidy profit somewhere else. This is perfect if you have a strong entrepreneurial bent, as you’ll have to dig up the product, the market and the suppliers all on your own.

Interpreter or Translator

You’ll need to be fluent in either written (a translator) or spoken (interpreter) two languages or more, and many employers want a university degree in linguistics.

Tour Guide

If you can herd groups of confused people, and enjoy talking about the sights, this job might be for you. Tour guides don’t just schlep people around museums; you might even score a job as a wilderness guide. Speaking multiple languages isn’t a must but would be a definite asset.

Tour Organizer

If you can build trip itineraries, plan visas and stay arrangements, group tour organizing might be for you.

Seasonal Fruit or Vegetable Picker

The work is long and hard, but demand is often high for seasonal farm labor in Australia and many other countries in the world. If you’re staying in a New Zealand or Australian city with outlying farms, you should be able to find some work picking crops or shearing sheep.

Because the jobs depend on the harvest, timing can be a bit tricky. Here’s a tip from a backpacker we met in Cairns: Don’t pick watermelons, they weigh a ton and you’ll be exhausted within the first hour. Anywork Anywhere is a good place to start looking for jobs.

Ethnomusicologist

I have to admit to being a little skeptical when I first ran across this job. Ethnomusicologists are involved in the anthropology of music and study how music and culture relate. The Society for Ethnomusicology is a good place to start. Grant competition is fierce, and an academic background is highly recommended.

Online Poker Player

While this requires mad poker skills (obviously), the good news is that it’s open to anyone with a good internet connection and a small bankroll to start. According to the FBI, online gambling is illegal in the United States.

Day Trader

Day traders buy and sell stocks and other financial securities online, usually within the space of a day. A word of warning: You really need to know what you’re doing here, as this is a risky job for those without solid experience and knowledge. The large majority of day traders actually lose money.

Scuba Instructor

You’ll need a minimum of a PADI Open Water Scuba instructor course (or a similar accreditation). The more qualifications and specialized courses you take, the more marketable you’ll become. Instructors don’t make a lot of money, but the great perk of this job is that you get to teach in some of the world’s most beautiful locations.

Massage Therapist

While you don’t technically need an accreditation to be a massage therapist in certain countries, it may help you land clients and gigs. There are probably hundreds of styles of massage, ranging from deep tissue to Thai. Pay depends on the country you’re in, but the job can extremely flexible if you work as a freelance massage therapist.

Skiing Instructor

In most parts of the world, ski instructors must take courses and become accredited. Canadian ski instructors earn about $12 an hour to start.

Freelance Photographer

With the advent of digital cameras and the Internet, freelance photography has gotten a lot more competitive. That said, if you have great photography skills and a keen business sense, you may be able to sell some of your travel photos.

Travel Agent

Years ago, being a travel agent was one of the dream jobs for would-be travelers, who dreamed of perks and discounted fares. Today, travel agents are a rarer breed, as commissions have been cut and the internet has allowed consumers to book more of their own trips. You can work as a home based travel agent through a web-based travel agency. Successful travel agents today often offer specialized services that don’t compete with discounted web fares. Commissions and wages these days are low and perks are hard to come by.

Au Pair

An au pair is a nanny who may also be expected to do light housework. A large proportion of au pairs are female, and tend to work in Europe, the US and Canada, and Australia and New Zealand. If you’re looking to cover a lot of ground, this arrangement may not work well, as au pair contracts range from six months and up. Check out the International Au Pair Organization to start.

House Sitter

While house sitting may not pay all of your travel bills, it can take a huge bite out of accommodation costs. Trusted Housesitters is a great places to start.

Check Trusted Housesitters job listings here.

Also check for caretaking jobs, which generally involve a longer time commitment and increased responsibilities (like taking care of someone’s motel while they’re on vacation). Caretaking jobs often pay a stipend in addition to free accommodation. You can find caretaker jobs through the Caretaker Gazette. There’s a small membership fee for most sites.

Check Caretaker jobs listings here.

Home Swap

If you own an apartment or house, consider swapping for a place at your destination. You can save a fortune in accommodation costs, and often live much better than you would in a hotel.

International Resort Worker

International resorts like Club Med hire a wide variety of people, from electricians to bakers to activities coordinators. Check out Club Med jobs for information.

Time Share Salesperson

The bane of resort goers everywhere, time share salespeople make a commission by convincing vacationers to purchase a partial ownership of a vacation property (or multiple properties). For a set amount of money, the vacationer gets access to a vacation property for one or two weeks per year. Timeshares have taken a beating in the press for scamming vacationers out of their money. Even timeshares on the up and up are often sold with restrictive dates for access, hidden fees and taxes. Check out RCI.com to get an idea of what kind of time shares are available worldwide.

Work at a Campsite

If you’re the outdoorsy type, you may be able to combine camping and work in Canada and the US. Work camping involves either hooking up your own RV or on-site housing and working as a camp host, desk clerk or even a tour guide. Private campgrounds and national parks like Yellowstone offer seasonal employees RV hookups or onsite housing.

Real Estate Agent

You’ll need to pick a specific area, become knowledgeable in the local real estate market, but many expats make good money as real estate agents, especially specializing in selling to other expats.

Location Independent Businesses

You can take many businesses with you on the road. These are usually computer-based business like website development or computer programming. All you’ll need is a laptop, internet connection, and a mad set of skills and you can work anywhere in the world. Sites like Freelancer.com let you bid on jobs from all over the globe, while Fiverr gigs are set at a $5 (though you can add on extra services for extra $$).

Check out our article on the best online jobs for travelers for some ideas.

Deckhand on a Cargo Ship

While not as glamorous as working on a luxury cruise liner, working on a container ship can be a more leisurely way to see the world. Workers often acts as lookouts and perform maintenance like painting and maintaining containers. You’ll need a high school diploma and many deckhands have training through industry or labor union schools.

Courier

Back in the day, legit international businesses would pay couriers to fly packages as carry on between select destinations. Cheaper and faster international shipping, increased security and transporting docs electronically have made these jobs almost non-existent. Use a lot of caution with courier sites, as most seem to be trying to sell a membership, a supposedly discounted airfare or an outdated e-book written 10 years ago. Courier List, once one of the biggest names in the business, suspended subscriptions because of decreased opportunities.

Transport a Car or RV

Car and RV dealerships or car rental companies sometimes hire people to drive cars to a different destination. Car rental companies sometimes find themselves with too many cars in one destination and want to move them to an area where rentals are more in demand. Car dealerships may need a specific car, with specific options or colors that they arrange to get from another dealer. While most companies work with full time, professional drivers, there may be some opportunities for one time trips. The trick with these jobs is getting a car that’s going where you want to go at the right time. You’ll need a clean driver’s license and may need a specialty license to drive RVs. Transport companies like DAS Auto Shippers hire drivers. HitTheRoad.ca is a well known Canadian company that offers mostly long distance, one way, one trip driving contracts for cars, while AutoDriveAway has listings for the USA.

Camp Counselor

Countries as diverse as Canada, the USA, Croatia and even Russia hire camp counselors. Check out Bitten By the Travel Bug’s helpful articles on camp counseling.

ESL Teacher

Teaching English as a second language is a well worn staple for travelers, and for good reason. Some countries, like Japan, China and Korea are well traversed by ESL teachers, though there are opportunities around the world. Japan and Korea pay reasonably well, while countries in South and Central America generally pay less. Depending on the country, accommodation may be included in your pay. Many teachers also tutor after hours for extra cash. An English as a Second Language (ESL) Certificate helps, as does a Bachelor’s degree, though with persistence it’s possible to get a job without either if you have the right connections. If you can figure out a way to break into the field, teaching business English to adults is reputed to pay better. There’s a helpful guide to teaching English abroad here.

Online Teacher or Tutor

Many universities and colleges are moving to online learning. While this is great for students, it’s also a fantastic perk for teachers or tutors, who can work from almost anywhere to teach their online students. An advanced degree is helpful for teaching, but it is possible to teach for a trade or technology school with experience and good connections.

Check out Teaching Traveling for a profile of a web and mobile design instructor who worked remotely for nine months while traveling from US to Argentina. The best part of this gig? You’re paid as well as if you were working at home. To find work, browse the teaching listings at university like the University of Phoenix, community colleges, and even technology and trade schools.

Geologist

Geologists often travel as a requirement of their work. They can work in fields as diverse as oil and gas exploration, climate change and mining. You’ll need a minimum of a four year undergraduate degree .

Join the Military

Joining the military simply to travel seems like a bad idea, given the chance that you could be permanently stationed in your home town, or … well… killed. That said, military service can lead to opportunities to work overseas, though there may be little time for recreation.

Personal or Virtual Assistant

A personal assistant wears a thousand hats, depending on the needs of their employer. Personal connections seem to be critical.

Virtual Assistants offer administrative services to clients from a remote location. Virtual assistant services include scheduling appointments, managing email accounts, managing social media accounts, and more.

Marine or Wildlife Biologist

For nature lovers, the great perk of working as a marine or wildlife biologist can be location. Marine biologists can be stationed in fantastic locations like Hawaii and Costa Rica, while wildlife biologists can be found anywhere on the globe. Biologists need a minimum of a four year undergraduate degree, though researchers who work with universities usually require a PhD.

Internet Affiliate Marketer

Internet affiliate marketers create websites that sell other people’s products and then take a percentage of the sales. While the industry has a smarmy reputation, it is possible to make money through affiliate programs. No formal education is required, but a strong entrepreneurial bent and tech savvy is needed.

Working Holiday and other Visas

If you’re under 35, see if your destination country offers a youth working holiday visa. Many countries have agreements that allow youth to work on a working holiday visa for up to one year. Check out Wikipedia’s list of working holiday visa programs.

When planning to work in a foreign country, check into visa requirements first. In many countries it’s possible to work illegally (under the table), but be aware that there can be consequences that include immediate deportation. Receiving lodging or a stipend for volunteering may fall within the category of working under the table, depending on the country.

We hope we’ve inspired you that there are a lot of ways to make money on your travels. Now get out there and get one of these best travel jobs!