8 Ways to Get PAID For Traveling
Who doesn’t like traveling? Everyone wishes to travel the world. Traveling however remains to be out of reach for most people. Travel expanses make this to be impossible dream.
But imagine being able to travel and get paid for it too? Sounds almost too good to be true.
Travelling is not just about seeing a new place; it is about meeting new people, experiencing new food and culture, absorbing the breath taking scenery and making memories.
There are clever people who know how to live their dream and also get paid for that. Let us see how.
1. How about teaching?
Teaching. Yes a job as simple as teaching can be a way to travel. A lot of countries in Asia, Latin America and Middle East are always looking for English teachers. If you have a degree in English or certification for teaching English as a Foreign Language, chances are high that you can acquire a good job some place new, expand a year or two and explore the whole country!
2. Become a researcher
Research and writing is not going to be everyone’s forte. Usually the nerds are considered to be the ones crazy enough to sit behind computers and in libraries, noses deep into a pile of reading material. However, if traveling is your dream then you might be up for this one. Not lucrative travel guidebook jobs are plenty. Travel guidebooks hire people to research and write for them about different places. This is where the traveling comes in.
But the job is hectic and time consuming leaving little time for leisure travel.
3. Social media influencer is the IN thing
Social media is everything these days. People are earning through platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. But there is sweat involved. To be in a position to earn and travel, one has to build a number of followers which then makes you an ‘influencer’. Once you get recognition from the social media, brands and companies contact you for different contracts and marketing.
New face of modelling on social media allows for the not so glamorous people to also get the limelight and chance to travel.
There are quite a few travel bloggers with successful Instagram followers who earn thousands of dollars from a single post! Wow! With time social media influencers are hired by brands and companies to promote their content on their platforms ( Facebook, Instagram, Youtube videos).
4. Try the good old profession: flight attendant
You know gets to travel and then get paid for it? Yes, pilots and flight attendants. However, the work hours are long of course but it isn’t that bad a deal. Depending on where you live, what companies you apply to will determine the amount you will earn per year. Nonetheless, this job guarantees travel.
5. Work with a publication
For people who love to read and write, a job with New York Times is a dream job. Last year New York Times announced a new position of travel correspondent. The job description was to write about an assigned place where you also get to live for a week!
This year the position got bagged by a veteran journalist Jada Yaun who already worked with New York Times.
But there was overwhelming number of applicants this year. So keep your eyes peeled for The New York Times travel correspondent position when it opens next year.
6. Freelance work that you can take anywhere
If you have a laptop, the internet and some skills, there are tons of side-gigs you could pick up to earn cash while you travel. Sites like Fiverr and Upwork are built to make it easy for freelancers to pick up work anywhere, whenever they need it.
Freelance work is something that attracts a lot of people. The idea of sitting home and earning a few bucks sounds cool but it is more than just that. Not that simple. Freelance means you need a lot of self discipline to reach deadlines. But there is plenty of freelance available only a click away on the internet. So go explore, talk to people and also put up your resume on LinkedIn.
Wait but how does it let me travel and get paid? It is a long road, a slow process. In once you get the hang of getting good freelance jobs based on your skills (coding, writing, editing, programming etc) you can take your online work where ever you go.
Traveling opportunity may come quite later but with a freelance job you won’t have to fuss over getting off from work or stress about getting back to work.
7. Start your own website/blog
Start a blog or better a travel blog. It will be a business of your own if you stay consistent. Blogging isn’t easy especially if you want to generate revenues and travel. Of course you need to have some savings to be able to travel and also keep the blog working.
Initially bloggers, or specifically travel bloggers spend at least a year developing their site, building a following, managing content and also spending money to reach out to maximum audience.
But if you know a thing or two about commitment and not looking back, running a travel blog may turn out to be something you enjoy while being able to travel and writing about different places.
8. Wedding photographer
If there is one profession dominating other freelance work that is wedding photography. New photographers are mushrooming every other way and earning quite a good sum of money. All you need to do is invest in a good camera, a lens and of course some photography and editing skills. Make a Facebook and Instagram page and there you go. Nothing is easy so this too takes time like anything else in life.
But once you have made your place, marketed yourself, covered a few local weddings, you could try promoting yourself to clients outside of Pakistan.
In this day and age of internet, reaching a lot more people is easier than ever before. Traveling opportunities will come in due time, by which time one should have developed work portfolio to draw in clients from abroad.
