Some people love travel so much, they make it their full-time job or move abroad to have more opportunities to hit the road. Pilots and hotel general managers are among the highest-profile occupations within the tourism sector, but there are other travel-intensive gigs that don’t fall squarely within the industry, including such dream jobs as polar scientists or wildlife photographers and with Doctors Without Borders. Other ways to merge work with travel include becoming a traveling nurse or finding a job as a tour guide, yoga teacher, or scuba instructor. Here, we look at eight common travel jobs—including the ups, the downs, and resources for pursuing them.
1. Flight attendant
If this is the first job that springs to mind when you picture a career in travel, you’re not alone. But a life in perpetual motion is not as glamorous as it seems; junior flight attendants don’t always make great money and may find it difficult to date, start a family, or spend time with loved ones. Still, their schedules are flexible, and the perks of the job—such as unlimited free or deeply discounted flights—outweigh the negatives for some people.
So how do you become a flight attendant? U.S. airlines provide on-the-job training programs that last four to seven weeks. To be accepted, you must have at least a high school diploma or GED equivalent, although preference is often given to applicants with a college degree and work experience in hospitality or customer service. Applicants must also meet certain physical requirements for height, vision, and overall health (e.g., the ability to push a beverage cart that can weigh 250 pounds). Background and criminal history checks are de rigueur.
To learn more about flight attendant training programs and how they play into the travel industry, visit the career sites of major U.S. carriers like Delta, United, JetBlue, and Alaska Airlines.
2. English teacher
Teaching English can be a fine way to start living abroad. To land a job at a reputable school or language institute, you usually need a four-year bachelor’s degree in any subject area and an English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching qualification from an accredited program. A TEFL, TESOL, or Cambridge-backed CELTA certification is commonly requested by private language schools and government recruitment agencies because they cover 100 hours of coursework and up to 20 hours of real-world practicum.
Once you earn your certificate, you can apply for placement practically anywhere in the world through a specific program or scout job listings on sites like Go Overseas, Teach Away, Transitions Abroad, ESL Base, and Dave’s ESL Cafe. There’s a high demand for native English-speaking teachers in China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Czechia, Germany, and the UAE. Certain ESL and TESOL certifications can also qualify you to teach English as a second language in public schools across the United States and online.
One of the key tenets of being an influencer? Good photos.
Courtesy of Pexels.com
3. Social media influencer
Ask anyone who has built a serious Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or Facebook following, and they’ll often credit their success to a dash of luck and a lot of hard work. Kiersten “Kiki” Rich, aka the Blonde Abroad, did not amass her 515,000 Instagram followers and 220,000 Facebook fans overnight. “The struggle was definitely real,” Rich says. “I hustled like crazy. I started [by] making contacts and soft-pitching a travel blog I had started. All of my trips in the first year or two were budget or volunteer endeavors.”
Nearly 16 years later, Rich runs a multi-platform business with several revenue streams, but the grind is still “every day, all day long,” and it’s not just about being a good travel photographer, understanding the elements of graphic design, or having Instagram or TikTok know-how. In an oversaturated market of aspiring digital nomads, people driven to earn money as a travel blogger or social media star need to invest in professional camera equipment, develop strategic advertising and marketing campaigns, and, first and foremost, find an untapped niche where they can create original content from their travel experiences.
Many travel content creators do at least a bit of part-time remote work to keep themselves going—think virtual assistant, freelance writing, or travel agent.
Most deep-water captains start their career in an elite maritime academy.
Photo by Grigory Galantnyy/Shutterstock
4. Cruise ship captain
The aquaphile who can imagine nothing more satisfying than piloting their own ship should consider a job on the high seas. Most deep-water captains start their career in an elite maritime academy pursuing a four-year degree (e.g., a bachelor’s or master’s degree in marine science or marine engineering). Later, they gather real-world experience by interning on boats, shadowing officers on watch, and slowly climbing the ranks—from third mate to second officer to first officer, and eventually to ship captain. But this isn’t the only way to get on the water. Captains of riverboats and other inland waterway vessels may learn the ropes as “deckhands” (crew members and cruise ship workers who perform the day-to-day duties that keep the vessel clean and running) and gather on-the-job training.
To get a marine captain’s license, you must obtain multiple certifications, including a Transportation Worker Identification Credential and a Merchant Mariner Credential, and pass a test issued by the U.S. Coast Guard.
5. Foreign Service officer
Diplomats and other officials working in the U.S. Foreign Service don’t get nearly as much TV love as their counterparts in the FBI and CIA, but their jobs are hugely important. An applicant to the Foreign Service must pass a rigorous exam that tests their knowledge of a wide variety of subjects, including world history and geography, U.S. government and economics, and U.S. culture. After the Foreign Service Officer Test comes an oral assessment—a mix of interviews and role-playing that tests an applicant’s diplomacy skills. (Foreign language proficiency is a plus.) Medical exams and security clearances are also conducted. After a candidate passes the exam, the Foreign Service officer selection process can take anywhere from six months to two years.
Once accepted into the Service, officers may be placed at any of the 270-plus U.S. embassies or consulates around the world. (Some officers choose to specialize in fields like information technology, engineering, or public diplomacy, which may determine where they are placed.) The constant moving can be difficult if the officer has a partner and/or children, but potential benefits of the job include overseas housing, transportation and security detail, tuition coverage for kids in grades K–12, foreign language training, and, above all, the chance for adventure.
To learn more about preparing for the Foreign Service Officer Test and what to expect from a career in diplomacy, start with this comprehensive Foreign Service PDF issued by the State Department.
6. Au pair
A gig as an au pair can be ideal for someone who wants to give in to wanderlust and find a job abroad without having to commit to one specific, long-term career path. Think of an au pair as a professional babysitter, often hopping to different countries.
In the typical arrangement, the hiring family covers the babysitter’s room and board and provides a weekly or monthly stipend. This is in exchange for 25–30 hours of childcare per week, picking up after the kids, and sometimes English lessons for the family’s brood. Most au pairs fall between the ages of 18 and 30, are single, and have no kids of their own.
Au Pair World has been connecting would-be au pairs to families in need since 1999 (7,000 currently on the platform), with placement opportunities in 21 foreign countries, including Finland, Switzerland, and Australia.
Ski instructors can work at mountain resorts in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Chile, France, Japan, and beyond.
Photo by Microgen/Shutterstock
7. Ski instructor
The majority of ski instructor positions are seasonal, and the outdoor enthusiasts who work them often pick up another physically demanding job (such as a mountain guide or whitewater rafting guide) during the summer months. But some diehard skiers will follow the snow, traveling around the world from lodge to lodge and mountain to mountain to pursue their passion year-round.
You can work as a ski instructor across the United States or abroad in places such as New Zealand, Chile, and France. The minimum standards for ski instruction certification, determined by the International Ski Instructors Association (ISIA), vary by country.
In the United States, a Level I instructor (considered entry-level) is permitted to teach newbies the basics of alpine or cross-country skiing on well-groomed runs. A Level II instructor works with more experienced skiers, focusing on technique. Only the best skiers can obtain the highest level of certification (Level III), as tested through an exhaustive four-day exam. Note that Level I may only be recognized in the awarding country, so you should aim to reach Level II certification in the USA or get your certification abroad.
When it comes to travel careers, ski instructors aren’t particularly well-compensated, but most don’t do it for the money. Instead, free and discounted lift tickets and reporting daily to the slopes is payment enough, and many jobs include housing.
To see what kind of ski instructor positions are currently available at resorts around the world, comb through country-specific job boards like Cool Works (for the United States) and the New Zealand Snowsports Instructors Alliance. Résumé boosters to help you stand out include first aid training and avalanche safety training.
8. Scuba diving instructor
Similar to being a ski instructor, teaching others how to scuba dive can be great fun. There are so many places around the world to dive; you can teach anywhere from Mexico to Indonesia. You need to be a diver for at least six months to start, according to the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). Then, there are six courses every instructor needs to complete: Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver, Emergency First Response, Divemaster, and Instructor Development Course (IDC). In addition, those looking to complete the IDC also need to meet a few prerequisites: hold a PADI Divemaster certification (or qualifying certification), have at least 60 logged dives, hold a current CPR and First Aid certification, and have an in-date medical approval to scuba dive. To receive an instructor credential, you need 100 dives under your belt.
Divers will be able to take the PADI Instructor Exam after all of the classes are completed. If you’re hoping to make a quick career transition, some locations offer intensive courses over a few days, but there’s also an option to spread out the courses over several weekends. And once you’ve been at it awhile, you might even consider launching your own scuba diving school.
Related: A Scuba Diver’s Guide to the Best Places in the World to Explore Underwater
This article was originally published in 2019 and most recently updated on March 26, 2025 with current information
