4 career paths for those who love to travel

We’ve convinced ourselves countless times that there’s always time to travel, that we’ll take time off work for it. Even if we do successfully make time for it, the truth is, we’re all tethered to our jobs. It gives us the money to travel, after all. But there are some who’re drawn to a travel lifestyle more than others and for them, travelling occasionally is not satisfying enough. If you’re one of them, then here’s a list of professions that have travel as the job description.

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Teaching

Teaching provides many opportunities to travel considering you’re not looking to find tenure in an institution as a lecturer. Such a teaching profession will require you to be anchored to one place. For someone who likes to teach but also wants to travel, the best option is to work for NGOs that impart education to children in rural areas. Organisations like Teach For India and iTeach are good places to start as they offer one to two-year fellowships. Not only will you have job satisfaction, you will also get to visit otherwise unexplored places and become a part of their culture. One can also travel internationally to teach in countries whose native language is not English.

Formal education is not the only option for a ‘teacher’. Dance or yoga instructors too count as teachers and they too get to travel on their job – possibly more. Instructors travel to different cities to conduct workshops and promote their school or studio.

Photography and filmmaking

The primary job description for these professions is exploration. Photographers and filmmakers present stories to people of unseen and unknown cultures, and as a result, need to travel a lot for it. Different kinds of photography, however, offer different opportunities to travel. A wedding or a fashion photographer may not travel as much as a wildlife photographer but gets to explore more city cultures than the latter.

Filmmaking involves collaboration with many artists, engineers, designers, and other professions for which filmmakers are constantly on the move. Other than commercial films, documentary filmmaking is also an option that involves less collaboration but no less travelling. Videography for tourism companies is another profession that lets you travel on the job. The tourism business is booming and therefore, this door will always be open for exploration – literally and figuratively.

Writing

Journalism can provide many opportunities to travel depending on the line of journalism you head into. Journalists that cover local news don’t get to travel much on the job, other than for conferences. If travelling is all you want to do, then travel journalism is the job for you. There are many national and international travel magazines for which one could work, and there’s also the option of authoring travel books. An investigative journalist is also constantly on the move, but it’s necessary to understand that this line of work is considerably graver than the rest.

Travel blogging is another way to support your travels. In terms of income however, it’s not the softest cushion to fall on. A blogger needs to have a significantly good following with recognitions like ‘travel blog of the year’ awards to get sponsorships.

Freelance writing is one of the best options to work remotely. Many blogs and companies are on the lookout for writers to generate content, so there really isn’t a better time for writers. So long as you have an internet connection, you can make as many travel plans as you want.

Travel industry

Lastly, why not dive into the travel industry itself? Startups that provide services like bookings and accommodations need to explore destinations as part of their research. This is where you could jump in. Many travel companies also organise treks and tours as part of their travel packages and require people to guide and head groups of travellers into these destinations. Working for small travel companies that organise weekend trips or even Himalayan treks will give you an opportunity to make your job description purely travel.

While all of these professions can be exciting and a big change from the corporate setting, it is important to understand that one needs to be of a certain personality type to enjoy them. You will have to be spontaneous, willing to forego routines and a steady roof over your head, and be satisfied with irregular incomes. They are not the easiest of professions, but if travel is your priority, then you are possibly prepared for them already.