It’s time to show you guys that our travelling lifestyle isn’t a pipedream and that it’s totally possible for you too.

We get emails and messages every week from readers who want to work and travel, but don’t know where to start.

One of the most common questions we’re asked is how do we afford to just keep travelling the world.

Find our best tips to save cash for travels before you leave home. And don’t miss our 6 Best Travel Hacks to save you money.

Many of the jobs listed below have been the main source of income to support our travels.

Here are 20 Jobs that PAY YOU to Travel the World

1) Trip Leader/Tour Director

Energy, patience, and great organisational skills are some personal attributes you’ll need for this job. A trip leader or tour director accompanies a tour group for the entire itinerary. It’s your job to make the trip run as smoothly as possible and ensure that everyone is having a good time.

Some daily tasks include arranging bookings, leading walking tours in cities, answering passenger questions (often the same one many times each day), speaking about the history, and communicating with other crew members or the coach driver. When things don’t go to plan on the trip, it’s also your job to try and fix it.

This is a job that requires a lot of hard work, especially in the beginning or at least until you are used to the destination that you’re working in. Once you’ve got the hang of it, it gets much easier and more enjoyable. Generally, you’ll be working in one continent for a season (for example, Europe or South America), depending on the company you work for.

If you possess the above qualities and you think a life on the road might be for you, there are hundreds of tour companies always looking for new Trip Leaders and Tour Directors.

Did you know Marty and I worked as Trip Leaders/Road Crew in Europe and Australia?

It was seriously the best job we’ve ever had, and it gave us the experience to host our own Very Hungry Nomads Group Adventures worldwide!

Some of the tour companies we recommend applying for this job are listed below. Go to the Work with us page on their website and find out how to apply.

• Intrepid Travel
• G Adventures
• Topdeck Travel
• Contiki Tours
• Dragoman Overland
• Insight Vacations
• Trafalgar Tours

To find a range of other tour companies that you may be interested in, see Tourradar, a booking website to find and compare the best group tours around the world.

2) Tour Guide

This one is a little different to trip leaders and tour directors, as a tour guide will usually do shorter tours or commonly day tours. This may be a full day or half-day tour and often the guide is an expert in what he/she does.

It could be a full-day tour of a city talking about the history or it might be a half-day food adventure in Bangkok. I’ve listed our favourite companies below – check their websites for available positions.

• Viator
• Get Your Guide

3) Host

Want to earn money by hosting food tours, cooking classes, or creating dining experiences?

Eat With is a platform to share your passion for food with people from all over the world? You just need to sign up as an Eatwith host and earn money from working from any destination around the world.

Viator is one of our favourite sites for booking food tours, day tours, and attraction tickets. It’s so easy to just browse the tours on Viator, pay online, and immediately receive your tour voucher.

4) On-Road Chef

I worked as an on-Road Chef for Topdeck Travel for many years in Europe. It was honestly the best decision I ever made! It allowed me to travel Europe and cook for groups of up to 46 passengers. Between the cooking, I saw the most incredible parts of such a beautiful continent.

I’ve made some amazing friends with passengers and crew, and the best part was that I was getting paid to do so!

This job was seasonal work, so once the Summer season in Europe finished, I’d travel the world for the other six months of the year.

Check out the Topdeck Travel website.

5) Site Representative

A Site Representative is another option for seasonal work. You would be based in one location for a few weeks or months at a time. You might help out in the kitchen preparing food for tour groups passing through, perhaps work in the bar on-site, or clean rooms.

It’s common to be stationed in a gorgeous location elsewhere, too. Another bonus is that these random jobs can often include free accommodation.

This job is seasonal, so you could work the Summer season in Europe and then work in a ski chalet or village in the Wintertime. Either way, you’ll have plenty of activities to entertain you when you’re not working.

Check out www.seasonalworkers.com for real-time vacancies for Summer and Winter jobs worldwide.

Some companies I’d recommend contacting directly for these jobs are below.

• Topdeck Travel
• Contiki
• Adventure Tours Australia

6) Nanny/maintenance worker/ ski chalet host for a European Winter

Interested in working in a beautiful ski resort in France or Austria for the Winter and getting paid for it?

VIP Ski is a good website for available jobs to be a nanny, (looking after children) a chalet host, or a maintenance worker. These jobs are suited to enthusiastic and dedicated individuals, with a good sense of humour and a hard-working attitude.

Whether you’re passionate about food, qualified in childcare, or want to put your handy fix-it skills to good use, this might just be the opportunity for you.

• 🔥 Hot Tip: Book accommodation on Booking.com
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7) Tour Coach Driver/Overland Driver Mechanic

Do you love to drive? You could be in charge of the wheel, driving through some of the most amazing parts of the world and getting paid to do it. This job is much easier if you’re licensed to drive heavy vehicles or trucks.

Depending on what part of the world appeals to you, this job can pay some very good money. The options below are for companies always looking for good drivers with positive attitudes and personalities.

• Topdeck Travel
• Dragoman Overland
• Contiki
• Insight Vacations
• Expat Explore (Get 5% off any Expat tour, just quote code VERYHUNGRYNOMADS to your Expat reservation agent)

8) Travel Reservation Agent

Are you thinking about moving to London or Canada but still want to have a 9-5 job in the travel industry?

This job is perfect for those who like routine and creature comforts but still want the perks of working in the travel industry.

These companies are often hiring reservation agents in major cities around the world.

• Contiki
• On the Go Tours
• Topdeck Travel
• Intrepid Travel
• GAdventures

9) Bartending Jobs

Bars, restaurants, and clubs are located worldwide and are some of the most accessible jobs to score. If you pour a beer and wait tables, you can earn money quickly abroad. My tip is to work in tourist towns or cities during the peak season of whichever country you’re visiting.

The best way to find this type of work is to wear something smart, walk around bars and restaurants, and ask if they have any positions available.

TIP: Apply for hostel work – You can often pick up bar work in hostels. A bonus to this is that the job will often include staff accommodation. This is a real win, as paying for accommodation is one of the biggest expenses when travelling or living abroad.

Alternatively, read our post about How to Become a House Sitter and Travel the World for Free!

10) Construction Work

If you’ve already got experience in construction work, you can pick up some decent-paying work in New Zealand and Australia. Check out Backpacker Job Board for details about work in these two countries.

Some other helpful websites to search for are Workaway, HelpX, and WWOOF.

These sites advertise jobs for qualified travellers and work on farms, in hostels, or anywhere else. You can pick up work that includes your accommodation and food, too.

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11) Seasonal Work/Winter Jobs

Are you a keen snowboarder or love to ski? Want to score a free lift pass for a season to some of the best mountains and powder worldwide? These jobs are great, seasonal, and provide some great perks.

Sure, you probably won’t be paid very much, but you’ll have a fantastic time; what really counts?

Winter jobs are available everywhere, but I worked in Canada and had a blast. Some of the most popular jobs to apply for are Ski Lift Operator, Ski Instructor, Ski Shop Clerk, Chalet Chef, Ticket office, etc.

You’ll often find that some mountains work by providing super cheap accommodation in hostels for those who work on the mountain. Check out my suggestions below;

Sunshine Ski Village in Banff, Canada – Find all job vacancies here.

Winter jobs in Whistler, Canada – Find all job vacancies here.

Job Monkey offers the widest range of ski jobs in Japan, Sweden, France, Switzerland, and elsewhere in the world.

12) Work at a Backpackers Hostel

Hostels frequently hire travellers to do random jobs on a short-term basis in exchange for free accommodation and sometimes some meals. Easy jobs that don’t require any skills are common, such as working in the hostel laundry, housekeeping, or washing dishes in the hostel restaurant.

You would typically work for around 3-4 hours each day. The hours are often negotiable, so you might do your job at a time you choose and still manage to fit your full-time job in, too.

A great way to avoid paying for board, and you’ll be able to travel more with all that extra cash you’re saving!

Check out these websites for more information: Worldpackers and Hostel Travel Jobs

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13) Build a Profile on Fiverr

Do you have any skills at all to offer an online marketplace? Maybe you’re a graphic designer, copywriter or social media guru. All you need to do is set up a new profile on the Fiverr website and start selling yourself.

This job is great because you earn anywhere from $5 – $500 selling your services on Fiverr. You can get hired to do anything, from translation, copywriting, and dictation to design, photo editing and social media marketing.

There are so many opportunities to find or create a job on Fiverr.com.

14) Work in Antarctica

Many jobs are available in Antarctica if you enjoy a challenge and love the cold weather.

Check this website for a wide range of jobs available in Antarctica. The British Antarctic Survey and the Australian Antarctic Program are good sources of information on vacancies and what to expect if you work in this part of the world.

Suppose you’re more interested in working on larger ships that take passengers on expeditions to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands. In that case, the following companies may have job vacancies onboard. 

Working in Antarctica is high on my list of jobs that pay you to travel. I bet this would be a fantastic experience.

• Quark Expeditions
• Oceanwide Expeditions
• Poseidon Expeditions
• Aurora Expeditions

15) WWOOFING

WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) has long been a popular website for many backpackers and budget travellers.

It’s handy if you’re keen to live in a particular country, perhaps practice the language and immerse yourself into the culture. For many international travellers who come to Australia on a working holiday visa, these are their go-to jobs that pay you to travel.

To put it simply, you work on an organic farm for 20-30 hours each week and receive free food and accommodation in return.

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16) House sitting

Ok, this one isn’t a job – but it’s a brilliant way to travel around the world and avoid paying for accommodation. This means more savings in the bank for you to continue travelling between house-sits.

Essentially, you would house-sit for a pre-arranged amount of time and, in return, be provided with a whole house, villa, apartment, or other type of residence.

House sitting gigs are fantastic! In addition to receiving free accommodation with a real kitchen, laundry facilities, and often free wifi, you can really immerse yourself in the culture of the country you’re house-sitting in.

Sometimes, as part of the deal, you may have to look after some pets. However, I think this is a huge bonus, and I love looking after a new furry friend.

The best way to get into housesitting worldwide is to sign up with TrustedHousesitters. 

And if you use this link to sign up now, you’ll get 25% off your membership! Create a profile about yourself that tells potential homeowners why you would be the top choice to mind their place and get out there!

If you’re unsure what Housesitting is all about and whether it’s for you, read my post on how and why you should become a housesitter and get free accommodation worldwide!

If you’re travelling in Australia and would like free accommodation while you work, check out Aussie House Sitters. At only A$84 to join up, this is a really good deal!

Use our Referral Code VMYBJ5 to join up with Aussie House Sitters and you’ll receive a $10 discount on your membership!

17) TEFL – Teach English Abroad & Travel the World

For those looking to move abroad and stay in the same place for at least 12 months, English teaching jobs are one of the best ways to earn some great money.

This is one of those jobs that allows you to travel from country to country whilst earning enough money to see the best parts of the destination you’re teaching yourself. If you want even more flexibility, you can teach English online. So many options are available with this job.

Being a native English speaker will give you an advantage in scoring a teaching job, but non-native speakers can also get work teaching English.  The best advice I can give you is to take an online TEFL course first.

This will get you accredited, get you a foot in the door, and guide you in the right direction to becoming a good teacher and scoring some of the best-paying jobs around.

If you’ve ever dreamed of living in Japan, Thailand, or Vietnam, this job is for you! Enrol now!

Make sure you get Travel Insurance before hitting the road. We recommend Heymondo & SafetyWing

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18) Brand Ambassador / Party person

Looking to work, party, and travel through Europe? Stoke Travel generally has positions available ranging from logistics and trip planning to event promotions, surf instructing, bartending, kitchen jobs, video production, and everything in between.

You could sign up to intern or festival staff with these guys and be employed for up to 5 weeks. These gigs come with free time between summer festivals to do some of your travels. As a Stoke ambassador, you can earn commissions, get free accommodation, and meet hundreds of like-minded people.

Don’t forget that ambassadors also get three meals per day and as much booze as you can handle. Understandably, these jobs that pay you to travel don’t last too long.

If this sounds like your kind of thing, signing up as an ambassador for Stoke Travel might be perfect for you!

These guys run tours/events in Prague, Ibiza, and Budapest, along with many other cities across Europe and beyond.

They also need ambassadors to help run awesome festivals around the world, such as La Tomatina, Oktoberfest, and Running of the Bulls.

19) Work on a Cruise Ship – Popular jobs that pay you to travel

Travelling the world while working on large cruise ships is an excellent way to see some epic destinations. Accommodation, transportation, food, and insurance are covered too. This job allows you to save some good cash for future travels.

Depending on your job, a typical monthly salary is around USD 2,000+. This is one of the most popular jobs that pay you to travel. Get paid to travel to different regions and continents around the world.

Many cruise jobs also provide plenty of holiday time to travel outside the busy cruise season.

There are different types of positions available. Tour managers, housekeeping, cooks, ship entertainment, engineers, shop assistants, hairdressers, and more are the most common jobs.

I’d recommend checking the vacancies available with these companies below;

Uniworld – For jobs available with this boutique river cruise company.

All Cruise Ship Jobs –  A range of over 1500 vacancies are available on different cruise lines worldwide.

You can also apply for jobs directly with these cruise companies – Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruises, and Carnival Cruises.

20) Work on Private Yachts

If you love the sun and the water and possess great people skills, working on private yachts could be your job. Some of these gigs pay good money; depending on which part of the world you are sailing in, your wage could be entirely tax-free! Yes!

I have friends who’ve worked on bigger yachts (superyachts) sailing around the Mediterranean and those who’ve worked for private wealthy families on smaller yachts.

Ship hands, hosts, mechanics, housekeepers, chefs, and many more positions are available. The Caribbean is another popular destination for finding these kinds of jobs that pay to travel.

What is life like living and working on a private yacht?

Working on a yacht provides a completely different lifestyle; sometimes, you might get to mix with celebrities. Sure, you’re not living the life of the wealthy guests on board, but you can experience the lifestyle.

Many owners will let you access the equipment and luxury facilities onboard when guests are not on board. Depending on the yacht’s itinerary, you can also explore some of the world’s most beautiful destinations.

I’d recommend these websites below if you’re interested in these jobs that pay you to travel.

• YaCrew
• Superyacht Crew Academy

I hope this article has inspired you to expand your horizons, leave your comfort zones behind, and dream big.

And if you need a little more inspiration, our 100 Best Travel Quotes to inspire you (with photos) should do the trick!

It’s true what they say…the world is your oyster! It’s up to you to get out there and start making your travel dreams come true.

There are so many jobs that pay you to travel the world. Good luck!

After reading about these jobs that pay you to travel, what job could you do next?

More Travel Tips

We have so many tips to help you travel more!

These 21 cheapest countries to visit will help you stretch your hard-earned dollars further.

Read our top 6 travel hacks to save money and the 20 best travel apps to make travel easier! 

For food lovers, don’t miss our top 10 best countries for foodies. And, if history is your thing, these 30 amazing historical places worldwide will fascinate you!

We have many tips to save money for travel and consider these 20 jobs that PAY YOU to travel the world to help you travel longer.

If you become a trusted housesitter, you can also get FREE accommodation worldwide. Read more about how this works.

Check out our ultimate packing list for travellers, and remember to pack travel insurance! We recommend these two travel insurance companies for excellent coverage.

Our 12 essential tips for safe travel in any country are worth a read. 

You’ll need to stay connected while travelling the world. We recommend eSIM. It’s easy, reliable and affordable. View eSIMs for individual countries, or consider a Global eSIM if you travel to multiple countries or regions. This eSIM connects you in 124 countries, offering data-only eSIM and data/call/text eSIM.

The Global eSIM has been a game-changer; we couldn’t imagine travelling without it now.

If you want to travel with like-minded travellers, consider joining a group tour.

Check our Group Tours first for any upcoming trips you may be interested to join, or view these deals on worldwide group tours with Tourradar.

Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.