I think we all have an embedded bug of travel within us, only problem is some of you haven’t come to realise it just yet. I dont know too many who have set of travelling and hated it or thought the relatively free lifestyle that comes hand in hand with travel wasn’t for them.
I have spent five years living what i would class a relatively free life, i dabbled in jobs i thought i might fancy as careers and i left them when when i felt a sense of boredom or unfulfillment coming over me. I dont think i believe in this nine to five slog most people face daily. That is not saying i am ruling it out in the future, i just dont feel i have found that career that makes me tick yet in order to give it my all(by my all i mean years of dedication).
After meeting a very inspirational travel blogger recently and yes i am slightly biased due to his Irish roots, who is living a fully free travel life going to be the first Irish to travel to all the countries in the world(yep by the end of the summer he will have reached the goal of 197 countries). I am bitter with jealously, in my eyes that is the fecking life and that kicks ass in terms of any career achievement. Johnny ya fecking hero!
While i am turning 26 in May(presents are always welcome of course) and yes i do most certainly have days when i freak the hell out and think “i am one broke ass bitch” with nothing to show in financial terms from the day i left home until now. Instead what i do have is the unforgettable memories and now i am always aware of what is out there in terms of worldly opportunities. Travelling has made me more ambitious that ever to strive for things in life that are important to me.
So today my post will concentrate on those jobs that will help you keep the money rolling in while being able to see the world too. So if you dont have the funds to get up and go now….no worries. Here are just some ways to get paid as you go!
Teaching English as a foreign language
I feel like this one is a no brainer. TEFL teaching has got to be one of the easier jobs to help you move freely around the world. I feel like most avid long term travellers have done their fair share of teaching over the years. Whether its Asia, America or Europe that takes your fancy you can find English teaching jobs dotted all over the world. The rate of pay will vary from country to country and the benefits that come along side them. Some of the more higher paying jobs can be found in South Korea and China but at the end of the day i would still recommend Thailand where i have spent a year teaching. With the option to do extra teaching at private institutes here you can build up a nice salary for yourself , only thing i can promise is you will definitely blow it on and beach and party weekend getaways. Ah classic Asia! So if you fancy yourself standing at the top of a classroom with forty foreign little faces staring back at you chanting grammer and verbs, then this is the job for you! Having a degree to your name(doesn’t matter what area the degree is in) and having completed a TEFL or CELTA course will get you in the door and mean you are pretty much good to go!
Become a TV extra
Think you have a face more for TV than radio? Then securing a TV extra job could be a winner for you! Many countries are often on the look out for fresh and often foreign face to star in maybe a movie or TV series. I have got to experience a snippet of this kind of work in Australia, having been an extra for an Australian TV series. Basically i had to get dressed up as if i was going for a night on the town, pretend drink a glass of champagne and party in the background of the gay nightclub scene. Sounds easy right? It most certainly was. Aside from that, money is great for these roles and you get to meet tonnes of different people. The downside to this type of work is of course the lack of security as in you could have lots of shifts one week and none the next. This is the kind of job that is ideal to have alongside another part time job.
Agency work
If you can get in working for an agency while travelling i would highly recommended it. There is a lot of freedom connected to agency work with having the novelty of choosing your own working hours and days. I have worked for social care agencies and event specialist agencies in Australia and had the time of my life travelling around to different parts of the country for work. This is the exciting thing about agencies, one day your here next day you can find yourself in a completely different location. The money for agency work is amazing which just is another bonus onto your freedom scale. If you a qualified nurse, there is lots of agency work opportunities abroad for you guys too.
WWOOfing
WWOOfing?? Strange name i know. And no it has nothing to do with dogs. Whats even stranger is the work opportunity. I did some WWOOfing work in Australia where i stayed in a Farmers house located on a Vineyard and helped him out on the Vines pruning and in the cellar door doing wine sampling. This work is usually unpaid but accommodation is free and often home cooked meals included. Its a random way to work but does help saving the pennies when your stuck. WWOOfing opportunities are available in over 100 countries worldwide
Bar Work/Promotions
If you can pull a pint, or can russell up a mean cocktail mix then getting a job in a bar worldwide should be no problem, once there is no language barrier. Being Irish i know its quite easy to get bar work due to the mountain of Irish bars all over the world. For me though i have only ever worked in bar when i lived back home, surprisingly i prefer to be sat at the other end ordering the rounds not actually serving. Another option is promotion work for maybe a beach bar/restaurant. One day you could be handing out leaflets for upcoming events, or forcing people into the bars/nightclubs. Maybe forcing is not the right use of words, but having worked a promotional position in Greece before i know all about kindly “persuading” party goers into beach bars. It is a good laugh, no denying that. These type of jobs are obviously super social as well which can be a nice integration when moving to a new country.
Freelance Writing
Have you got a way with words? Is creative writing your forte? Then landing some freelance writing gigs could be for you. While the demand for these jobs has become more and more high, dont let that be daunting or steer you away. Everybody has a voice after all. I have done some voluntary writing while in Thailand and sometimes that can be the best way to start off and get your foot in the door. I started off writing for the magazine in the beauty section even though that’s not really what i enjoy writing about now but after three published articles, i find myself writing the travel section(right where i want to be). Yes this work for me is unpaid but getting published is a privilege, pay or no pay. I am hoping for a career in travel public relations so this type gig will stand to me in the future. If you are a passionate writer getting into this line can open many doors.
Online work
The internet is literally exploding with the amount of work you can do online. From teaching and tutoring online from anywhere in the world, to selling on eBay to doing temping jobs. Online work means you dont need a base. Once you have a working laptop and good internet connection , you die
hard travel fans can work from almost anywhere.
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Au Pair
Love working with kids? Love the idea of living in with a host family? Then you are perfect for an au pair role. There can be many a responsibility associated with this role not only childcare, but household chores too. Often you get to travel with the family at their holiday time or sometimes if the family are going away on a business trip. I worked in this line in Vienna and it can be a nice way to experience a home away from home feel.
Here are some other ways to save a penny or two while on the road……
Couchsurfing
I have heard about couchsurfing ages ago and only signed up to it recently. Why only now i have no idea as i could have been hosting fellow travellers in my pretty house in Thailand all along. Oh well better late than never i guess. Couch-surfers open their homes to fellow travellers and share experiences, whether its showing you around their native city or just giving you a place to kip on their couch. I am off to Bangkok next week for Paddy’s day hoolie and think i might try it out for the first time. So Irish in Bangkok if you fancy having two rowdy Irish girls stay for two nights, let me know? I have also a few solo European trips coming up where i plan to hopefully do some surfing there too to meet local people and of course i will keep you updated on how that goes.
House-sitting
Think you could cut it as a professional house sitter or pet sitter? Isn’t there literally a job for everything theses days? Well yes its quite the possibility that you can sit your way round the globe. I am yet to try this but its on my list for sure along with a bizillion other things. I think watching peoples houses while they are away in exchange for free accommodation is a wonderful idea and sure to be a great and trusting experience. There are many different house sitting websites but be aware there is sign up costs and annual fees.
So there you have it, there can be no excuses for not getting off your butts and seeing this crazy beautiful world anymore..can there? This is only a small sample of some of the ways you can make money or save it alongside your travels. I have done many other jobs from Reception work, stylist for a fashion brand, modelling and call center work. The CV is overloaded and never ending! So as you can see getting on the road, is a lot easier than you might have expected!!
Have you worked any random jobs on your travels? I would love to hear your stories!
Orla xxx
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