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If I asked you to describe your dream job or dream career, I’m pretty certain it would go something like this:

“A career that allows me to make all the rules. I don’t want a boss”.

Or…

Any job that affords me freedom – working hours that suit me, an office of my choice – anything that cuts out a morning commute in traffic”.

Or…

“A job that makes me money while I sip cocktails and soak up the sun, on an exotic island”. (I feel like this is all of us – even if we haven’t completely admitted this to ourselves).

While there are many careers that will not afford you a care-free lifestyle, or give you the option to work from the comfort of a hammock, in Bali – there are plenty that do (cue the ‘OH. MY. GOSH, no WAY!’)

Check out our list, and maybe quit your job to follow your dreams.

Are These the Best Jobs in the World? Jobs That Allow You to Travel (Some With No Experience)

Freelance Social Media Manager

The title of Social Media Manager speaks for itself – a person that manages the social media accounts of a company/companies.

This job title was, of course, only created in the last few years since social media has, for many companies and industries, become a massive contributing factor in terms of advertising and marketing.

Organisations big and small throughout the world have recognised the power of social media – a space that is continuously evolving. While many companies employ full-time social media managers, there are plenty who prefer to use freelancers, especially if they are still in start-up phase.

Freelancing means you can take on as many clients as you please, and expose yourself to many different niches. And, possibly the best part about it, is you can travel while earning!

Social media, as we know, only requires some internet access, a smart device and some knowledge of posting pics and tweets – and we’ve sure got a PhD in that!

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Writer

The term ‘writer’, is rather broad. You may make money writing a book, or you may make money copywriting for companies’ websites, advertisements, radio adverts – any medium that requires copy.

The beauty of writing is that it can be done from anywhere and it earns you a fair share of cash … even if you work remotely as an essay writer on essay services like EssayPro.

This certainly requires skill, though – writing has nothing to do with your social media love, and everything to do with the way you work your talent of putting pen to paper – or should I say, fingertips to keyboard!

Travel Photographer

Photography is the great phenomenon of the 21st Century, just take a look at Instagram and Snapchat. People love seeing pictures of places that are unique and destinations that are off the beaten track.

Travel photographers gain a massive following on their social networks, as well as bag some cool jobs which require them to snap pictures, for a living!

Hotel chains, travel agencies and tourism sectors, require photographers to capture pictures of destinations and hotels for use on their websites and advertising mediums.

There’s no other way to do this job, but to jet-set around the world with your camera in tow. Wow, terrible, just terrible.

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Social Media Influencer

In a digital world, one needs to be prepared to familiarise themselves with new, trendy job titles which have come to be through the evolution of technology. One of those titles is the ‘Social Media Influencer’.

Influencers are people who have an incredibly strong following on social media platforms and are able to reach many people within a specific niche or target audience. For the purpose of advertising – increasing traffic and improving sales, brands source people who have a strong presence online and get them to endorse their products and services.

These influencers are able to reach a target audience, with a click of a button – and many brands have caught wind of this – so much so, that one could make a full-time job out of it.

You’ll need an incredible following on social media, and be open to advertising brands (even if you don’t necessarily use them). Just don’t forget to add the hashtag #ad, at the end of your endorsement post.

Venice sightseeing

Blogger

Bloggers are the old school influencers, even though blogging is another fairly new, trendy term. Some bloggers write for the fun of it, but most of them are blogging as a form of income – while doing what they love; which is travelling, shopping and eating avo on toast.

Bloggers earn through advertising companies and brands, posting guest posts (usually with links), and sometimes through selling things on their blog.

The bloggers that make money are ones that have a strong following – just like the social media influencers. Blogging requires you to set-up a blog (obviously), be fairly good at writing, photography – and you’ll need a laptop, too!

Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant is an online PA, in simple terms. A virtual assistant makes appointments, attends to emails and does everything a usual PA would do.

Most businessmen find it easier, and cheaper to hire a virtual assistant – especially if they don’t have office space and don’t need a full-time assistant -so there are many benefits of hiring a virtual assistant, but even more benefits of being one.

This job can be done from anywhere – hence the name ‘virtual’ assistant!

entrepreneur computer laptop

Online Teaching

Teaching online has become rather popular, especially with online studying becoming the norm – and with the world being a global village, people can connect to a conference, or in this case a lesson from anywhere in the world.

Many people are turning to online studying, as it’s easier and cheaper, and allows them to learn from wherever they are. Now, you could earn from wherever you are, if you’re skilled in a certain niche, and have the knowledge, to pass onto others.

You could start your own courses, or you could work for an online ‘university’, and run courses, for them. There’s plenty of ways to make money on the web – and this sure is one!

Manage an Online Store

As it stands, the global E-commerce market is worth a staggering $1.8 trillion! It’s safe to say that online shopping is the preferred way to shop these days – there are millions of stores and even more buyers.

There are E-commerce empires, and then there are small online stores that have a specific range, for a specific type of customer. Smaller online stores usually outsource the management of the store, by getting in contact with freelancers.

You may need to have some knowledge of how E-commerce, and a website, works but there’s nothing that can’t be learnt! And, if you’re brave enough, you may want to start your very own online store and manage it from the comfort of the beach. Doesn’t sound like a bad idea! (Just don’t get sand in your laptop).

Flight Attendant

This is probably the easiest way to see the world and make a fair share of money for yourself.

Flight attendants spend their lives travelling, and you’d be surprised to know that they get plenty of free time to actually see the places that they touchdown in.

Yes, they spend most of their time in the sky, but they also spend a lot of time exploring new territory. In a job you currently hate? Find your nearest exit and apply to become a flight attendant!

TOOLS WHICH WILL HELP YOU IN THE ABOVE CAREERS↓

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INSPIRED? PIN THIS TO YOUR TRAVEL PINTEREST BOARDS ↓

Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; a website dedicated to opening your eyes to the wild & natural world.

Committed to bringing you the best in adventure travel from all around the globe, there is no mountain too high, and no fete too extreme! They haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on their list.

If you enjoy getting social, you can follow their journey on FacebookTwitterYouTubePinterest and Instagram.

    23 Comments

  1. I’m old enough to consider flight attendants to be the most likely choice. After all, what’s REALLY the likelihood you’d make enough money (unless you’ve been doing so since its advent) being a social media advisor or influencer? I’d add in the free-lance writer to the list, because so many (potential) clients blanche at the reasonable fees truly qualified professionals demand.

    • I’ve always thought it would be a blast to be a flight attendant, I was in hospitality for a long time, so figured it would be very similar re dealing with people, but add in the perk of the flights!

      Breaking into success as a social media influencer is a lot more difficult now that the field is so saturated, but it can be done, especially if you’re engaging and unique. A social media advisor is quite the mainstream job now though, and many marketing companies incorporate this into their departments.

      You’re right on the freelance writing – there are huge amounts of opportunities for beginners to the industry as many, many clients don’t seem to have the budget to pay professional fees.

      Definitely some ideas there!

  2. Happiness is doing what you love for a living. Traveling would no be my choice only because I have a family that needs to be taken care of.

    • Totally agree that it’s what you love doing :) even if travel is not your thing, some of these ideas, like freelance writing, would give you the freedom to work from home and set your own schedule so you have time with your family.

      Happy holidays!

    • i agree

  3. I would love to be all of these apart from the flight attendant, I hate flying as it is so don’t want to be doing it on a daily basis although if I am getting paid it might make it more bareable.

    • True that getting paid would probably make flying more bearable – and I think that flight attendents have their own quarters where they can lie down etc if you’re on a long haul flight. Who knows, maybe if you’re busy enough dealing with annoying passengers the time will fly lol!

  4. Oh yes these ways of making money sound really amazing. I am also exploring online teaching and investing. :) Hope it works out well for both of us!

    • Wishing you the best in your online endeavors Chloe!

  5. Blogging is really hard work. I think that’s because you are probably doing at least a 1/2 dozen of the jobs that are on this list:
    Freelance social media manager – probably
    Writer – definitely
    Travel Photographer – Hopefully
    Social Media Influencer – Absolutely if you want any traffic
    Virtual Assistant – Do you know how much logistics are involved with travel.
    Manage online store – Coming soon
    Online Teaching – I have been seeing a lot of adds for learn to blog here…
    Flight Attendant – maybe not, if those bags come down I’m putting mine on first.

    There is also SEO Wizard and Web Guru that weren’t on the list.

    Yup, blogging is hard work but the promise is so alluring. There is nothing in the world like world travel.

    • Absolutely Jenn – you wear many different hats as a blogger, and I think a lot of people are surprised when they realize what they got themselves into – it’s not as easy as just “starting a blog” – have to put the hard work in!

      But I totally agree that it’s a very rewarding experience if you decide to pursue it. “Nothing in the world like world travel” – I love that phrase! Might just steal it :D

  6. Thanks for the ideas, and especially so many “virtual” positions are now opened up and now I realize these jobs actually eliminate the boundaries for the employee to be wherever they want to be! Great tips! @ knycx.journeying

    • You’re welcome Knycx – yes, it’s quite incredible to think about the changes the world of technology has brought with it, especially when it comes to smashing the traditional definition of employment. So much freedom and opportunity these days for those willing to break from the old mold.

  7. Flight attendants definitely get an opportunity to see places. Hard job to get though. I wouldn’t mind being someones social media manager. May look into that in the new year.

    • I’ve heard that it’s a pretty difficult process too actually, but what an amazing gig if you enjoy customer service and enjoy traveling the world :D I’ve heard their flight discounts are amazing :D!

  8. Great post! I still get the urge to try and sort a remote career now and again, but weirdly enough this is the year that I’ve decided that I’m actually pretty happy working travel around the daily grind (it helps that I work in a job which pays for me to travel for weeks every year). Wait – maybe my ‘being happy in one place’ is actually not that at all!

    • Thanks Anf! Nothing wrong with being happy in one place – we’ve recently bought a house to settle into a permanent base ourselves after a couple of years of jumping around. There’s no right or wrong way to travel, as long as you’re happy that’s the main thing!

      Happy new year!

  9. Fortunately, ever since I retired at 54 fifteen years ago, I have not needed additional income. Because we are traveling a lot, blogging has become my hobby. Often I drift into dreaming I am still in a career as social media influencer, writer, and photographer, all rolled into one! And dreaming that I am successful at it!

    • Ultimately, I think being retired is the career we all aspire to!! So you’re living the dream! But it is always fun to day dream after careers you might like – I often imagine myself in different jobs just for fun!

  10. Do what you love and everything will just follow… Some people are just lucky that they can do what they wanted and some aren’t that much lucky. BUT at the end of the day, as long as you are happy, that counts:)

    Flight Attendant was my 1st career choice BUT glad I didnt… LOL… Can’t take “flying all the time for work.

    • Amen to that! Yes, as long as you’re happy that’s really all that matters.

      Being a flight attendant sounds like a really fabulous job, though I’m sure (as with anything in life) that there would be downsides, like all the time you spend away from home, or spend flying if planes aren’t your cup of tea.

      Happy travels in 2018!

  11. I would think to be sitting in Bali socking the sun on top of that earing money, all the above will suite.

    • Totally agree!

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