hi all - I'm a new poster to the site but have been a lurker for a while. Anyway, I LOVE to travel and have been trying to find a way to bring travel into a career. Other than being a travel agent, can you share any other careers that are travel-related? I love to write and do so as a part of my corporate job but have thought about travel writing on the side. Just not sure I could make a living @ it!
I think that having a "travel job" is probably a dream for most of the people who post (or lurk) here. And I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but "travel jobs" are the equivalent of "movie jobs". There are a few high paying stars and the rest are dirty dishwashing jobs.
Travel writing is an extremely hard field to break into. I was lucky enough to get a high powered NY literary agent look at some of my stuff (which he loved). But he basically said you need to get known in the industry. Well good luck with that. Even with a husband who works for a major metropolitan newspaper and being friends with one of the editors I can't crack that clique.
The problem with most "travel" jobs is they are extremely low paying. Even if you own a small hotel or B&B it can sometimes be extremely difficult to make a living. Just ask some of the other posters here. If you need to make enough to pay for things like college loans, mortgages, car loans and an occasional meal it is almost impossible to find a well paying "travel job".
I have looked at transferring to Italy with the government, purchasing a business in Italy, starting a business in Italy, just buying an apartment and renting it out for income 1/2 the year and living there 1/2 the year and so far all my efforts have been in vain. The problem with italian bureaucracy is you can go through all the hoops, do everything everyone requires and you still cannot get a permesso, or a license or whatever paperwork you need. Italians ignore some of this. You could go nuts dotting every I and crossing every T. As my friend says it is easier to ask forgiveness than permission. What is the government going to do with a business that is already open? Shut them down?
But as a non-italian believe me you can (and will) get shut down because they will see your business as taking away a job from an italian. Even if you employ 1/2 dozen italians in your business YOUR job is an italian's job and your income is an italian's income. It is one of the worst hurdles McDonalds, Burger King and any american franchise face, they have to find italian investors.
Why do you think Euro Disney is in France instead of Italy? The original plans called for it to be in Italy but even Disney leverage couldn't move that mountain.
You might have better luck in a different european country. But then you are once again married to your job. Only doubly so because now you have your life savings invested. And the figures are just as miserable for business success in the rest of the world as the US. Half of all businesses fail in the first 2 years.
Something else to consider. If you traveled 300 days a year as part of your job when does the joy go out of travel and it become a "job"? When do you start to think "Oh crap I gotta fly to Rome again next week?" Because believe me it happens. Anthony Bourdain talks about settling in Vietnam, other big names talk about pulling the plug. Even our own Queen Pauline eventually wore out and sold slow trav - and slow trav was her baby!!!
My advice would be to find some kind of income stream that does not tie you to a certain location or a certain employer or company. Whether it is retirement income, a web based business or just selling handcrafts you make and use that income to finance your travel.
Even travel agents get sick of their jobs. A friend runs a very successful Hawaiian Travel agency. She spends about 40% of the year in Hawaii. Hawaii is to her like Rome is to me. And she is sick of the "travel agent" part of her life.
May I suggest you frame the question a different way? Maybe the question should be what can I do that will allow me to make a good living and travel at will?
The Transitions Abroad website and magazine are great resources for people who want to turn their love of travel into jobs.
A friend of mine went through tour guide training at the International Tour Management Institute. While she enjoyed the FAM tours, she was never able to make a living at it.
There are a lot of travel bloggers out there, but I don't think (m)any of them have turned it into a full time (paying!) job. Women Travel Bloggers (Click on the "comments" for more.)
Good luck with your search!
Colleen
Posts: 16055 | Location: The Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 06 August 2001
My advice is to hone your writing skills. Search the internet and you are likely to find many companies, associations and authors offering writing workshops, usually located in lovely spots in the U.S. and abroad. Closer to home, check colleges for continuing education classes. In the travel writing biz, it's often essential to be a good photographer - you should be able to compose and frame a shot.
Approach the editor of your local paper and ask if he/she would be interested in reading your articles. You may receive a rejection but you could find a mentor willing to offer advice and critique. Look in the Yellow Pages, locate the area travel agencies and inquire about their need for newsletters or other forms of advertising copy. Offer a free service to get your foot in the door.
In this age of blogging and tweeting, lots of folks consider turning their communiques into a lucrative business venture. And there are editors perusing the web for talent, as evidenced by magazine and newspaper articles about worthwhile websites and bloggers. Improve your craft, find a niche, and get your work out there - talent, dedication and a business plan will get you places.
"I am a Southerner. I like the feel of these words. I could no more be otherwise than I could shed my outer skin or change the color of my eyes." Willie Morris
Posts: 1538 | Location: on the Alabama River | Registered: 22 July 2002
A couple, who are friends of mine here in NH have gotten jobs as instructors on cruise ships (not sure which specific cruise company) and teach computer-related application skills (graphics, or photographic handling, etc.) onboard. For this they get to see the world at no charge and get a reasonable stipend. If you have a skill that is in demand on cruise ships, it may work for you, too. I don't have any such skill.
Posts: 739 | Location: New Hampshire | Registered: 12 September 2006
I'd look for a job with the airlines so that you can fly for free but not have to work at the same time. Don't know though how far those benefits extend any more though.
Posts: 287 | Location: Cool, CA | Registered: 17 February 2003
Originally posted by NP: I'd look for a job with the airlines so that you can fly for free but not have to work at the same time. Don't know though how far those benefits extend any more though.
Depends totally on the airline. With fewer flights and the flights full of paying passengers you end up flying the off season or leaving early from your vacation spot. Some airlines are better than others with this perk. But I have seen senior pilots get bumped flying as a non-rev (airline speak for non-revenue) passenger. Flight privileges are determined by your status in the company (vice president versus mechanic) and years service. Mechanic versus mechanic will be determined by service dates.
Passes no longer exist on any airline that I am aware of. If someone has a pass it is because it is a reward for something like perfect attendance, cost savings, etc.
I think there are ways to make a living out of travel, but it would require more creativity than the typical tour guide, airline employee, travel agent, etc. routes.
It also depends on how you define "making a living". If you don't have big financial constraints and can afford an entrepreneurial route, many other options become possible.
Think about where the money is. Who can afford to travel, and what is important to them? Is there a segment of the market that is not served, or is underserved?
The group that comes to mind for me is baby boomers. While the economy has had an impact, everyone wasn't hurt equally. There are people with money to spend and a desire to travel. So what products or services might you deliver to a segment of this group that would be valuable to them?
ellen
Posts: 3678 | Location: mahwah, new jersey, usa | Registered: 10 December 2003
You say that you have a corporate job. Is there any possibility of finding a job with a company that might have an overseas office where you could be posted? If you are located in Europe, it is a lot easier to make trips to other countries for weekends and holidays.
We have met a few Americans who had such jobs in European cities. Since their work was in US-based companies, they did not even need language skills, as their business inside the office was all conducted in English. Even business schools in Europe mostly have their curricula in English, since it has become the universal language of business.
I have no idea how you go about finding such jobs, but I think it is, as others have said, pretty hard to find full-time work based on travel that would let you support yourself. And of course in this economy, any new jobs are hard to come by, but I guess it doesn't hurt to look around.
One inexpensive way to research the writing aspect is to take an on-line travel writing course. I have been taking computer courses through Ed2Go. They are affiliated with many local community colleges. I've been very happy with the classes that I've taken. They have a class on travel writing which includes a little bit about selling and working as a writer. There is also a travel writer conference in Northern California in August.
Travel writing is, for 98 percent of people, a beer money, "paid for part of the plane ticket" proposition.
It's a creative outlet that defrays SOME of the costs of the trip, and IF you earn a substantial part of your living through writing and editing, you MAY be able to write PARTS of the trip off on your taxes.
As other posters have said, it may fall down to your definition of earning a living. If you have some income and this is a retirement career, or you do this part of the year (like you are a teacher and do this during the summer) and you live simply, and travel IS your life, then it may work. But trying to pay a mortgage and live the average middle class life on freelance travel writing -- not happening.
(For the record, most papers and magazines I know are cutting their freelance travel budgets. And for those of you who just want to get published, union papers are not allowed to publish people work without paying for it. It's a rule that protects writers from being undercut and assures a fair wage for everyone.)
And, apart from some corporate travel writing (which is essentially PR) there essentially aren't any staff travel writing jobs anymore. And they get told where to go, and it's a business trip -- they fly in, visit a hotel or a resort, fly out. They say it's travel, and it beats sitting in a cubicle, but it's definitely work. They don't get to do what they want to do, and go out to museums and stuff, or decide on the restaurant. It's straight corporate.
And, as someone said, if you want to to this, the key is specialization. EVERYONE has a travel blog these days. Logging your various travels isn't enough. Having a specialization, a passion, whether in a specific geographic area, or a type of travel (with children, by kayak, with disabilities, etc.)
It's not that you need a "gimmick" it's just that people can get general information anywhere -- for a media outlet to buy your story, or people to come back to your blog you need to take them past information they can get anywhere to SOMETHING they can only get from you.
That being said, there are many interesting jobs that involve travel. Scientists travel a lot. Nurses and people in the medical field have opportunities to volunteer on projects around the world, and do a lot of good. You could work in international development or banking. Large construction companies have projects in many countries. Churches have missions in every country. Look at the government's civilian employee Web site for ideas about careers abroad.
Some people just pick up and go, and figure it out later.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned import/export business. Of course I have absolutely no idea what this requires, but it seems like an ideal opportunity to mix travel with business. I suspect one needs to find an import that has yet to be "discovered" (i.e., no olive oil or wine from Italy). Once on a flight to Portugal I met a young man who imported Spanish and Portuguese wine to the US and heard him talking on the phone -- even with my limited Spanish I could tell his accent was terrible, AND he was flying in economy. But, I thought, if he could do it, why couldn't I?
Just my two cents ...
ddtripper
Posts: 27 | Location: Oakland, CA | Registered: 04 October 2007
Hmm...building on the previous post, I guess it depends on where you want to travel and how you define a "travel job".
Consider, for example, that most of the products we purchase here in the US are not made here, even if they are branded and sold by American companies. Someone has to source all of those products which means, depending on what products they are, travel to most of the "third world" countries. If that's what you have in mind for a travel job, there are lots of them out there. However, it means that much of your workday is in factories or agents offices in Southeast Asia, India, Africa, or South America, so it may not be what the OP thought of as a travel job.
I guess my point is that there's a big difference between a job for which one travels (I've had several of those) and a travel job.
ellen
Posts: 3678 | Location: mahwah, new jersey, usa | Registered: 10 December 2003
No matter what career path you decide to take in the travel business, it is very important to have a niche. 
