Work and travel is the proverbial carrot at the end of any stick in our modern society where self-sufficiency and economic freedom is valued above all else. Yet, is this just a fanciful idea dreamt up by the few lucky Instagram influencers or is it an actual way to live your life? The concept of work and travel is an interesting one.
One the one hand, you will have to find the time to put in the hard work necessary to support yourself, but on the other, you will be able to do this in a fresh and unique setting, giving you the opportunity to fill the off-work hours with entirely new experiences.
How feasible is it, though, working and traveling, and can you cope with the dynamic of constantly being on the go and still managing to meet your firm’s expectations? There seem to be some meaningful jobs that would allow you to do just that.
Programming and IT Specialists
Most IT specialists today used to be the object of stereotypes if the IT Crowd is anything to go by. However, in the 21st century, IT reigns supreme and there is perhaps no other profession that feels as free and unrestricted as does the IT branch.
Now, this is not to say that programming comes easy or that it is a life of frivolities, lacking all discipline, and doing pretty much whatever you like.
It’s not that, but the good news is that if you are a programmer, you are most likely free to choose your workplace as long as you show up to work – even remotely – and makes sure you have a stable Internet connection.
Thanks to their high earning potential, paired with flexibility in their work schedule, IT specialists are the most skilled workers who can afford to be out of the office and pretty much anywhere in the world, adding the same value to their companies.
IT specialists are usually known as ‘digital nomads,’ but here is the kicker. While IT is clearly the most sought-after skill, it’s far from the only profession that can exercise its trade from virtually anywhere in the world.
Yet, if you do have an aptitude for coding and wish to work and travel, IT should probably be up on your list.
Journalist and Photo Reporter
Now, when we said work and travel, we didn’t mean travel just for the sake of leisure. If you want to be the first to break big stories from around the world, a job as a foreign correspondent may be just what you need.
In an era when news stories are broke by people with smartphones and people are able to report from the ground of events, it’s definitely hard to be a journalist, let alone a foreign correspondent.
Yet, good journalism requires dedication and sacrifices, and foreign correspondents are definitely in for the opportunity to make a difference, and they get to work and travel alright.
Admittedly, a journalist who travels to hot zones is doing so less about leisure and more about work, but it’s an option for you if you have a knack for writing and a true appreciation of the written word.
SEO Experts from Afar
The family of digital nomads features at least one more branch and that are Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts. These jacks-of-all-trades are individuals who study and try to understand the subtle ways in which search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing determine what to display to consumers.
Now, you may be asking yourself – what’s worthwhile about this profession? Well, for starters, it allows you to work from anywhere you wish. You hardly have to be in an office to participate in a meeting or pitch great ideas.
What’s more important, SEO experts are in high demand all across the world, so the more accomplished you become, the more sought after candidate you would be. There will come a time when you would not need to send in your resumes anymore, as clients will simply find you and reach out to you.
Either way, being good at SEO means you will be able to work and travel and pick all the destinations you have always wanted to visit, so long as they have high-speed Internet, that is.
Being a Poker Player or Sports Bettor
Now, while you probably won’t see many people choosing a career path as professional sports bettors or poker players, it’s still possible to travel and practice any of these two trades.
So long that you have some financial stability, you will be able to play in various tournaments all over the world, and perhaps even place a sports bet on the local markets.
The downside is that a poker player would usually travel only to those destinations where the worthwhile tournaments are. However, if you don’t mind traveling to play, you will definitely have the opportunity to visit a few destinations where poker events take place.
Not only that, but while travelling you will also get the chance to watch at lot of the local sports events live in person while making bets on any offshore sportsbook.
Life as a professional gambler, whether you are a sports bettor or a poker pro, isn’t too stable, but once you break into the top-tier, you will be enjoying the dolce vita and there is no doubt about that.
Writing for the Internet
The term “writer” today is definitely a little stretched. Go back a few decades and a writer was a teller of stories, stories that usually had to go in a book or a magazine. With the advent of the Internet, the term writer has been somewhat diluted, with so many people clamoring for the title.
There are good and bad writers today. In fact, the term has evolved and now features “ghostwriters” and “copywriter”. Both are quite popular today and copywriters are hired to breathe life into company websites, blogs, and even media outlets.
The terms is used a little frivolously, granted, but if you do love writing and always wanted to have the economic freedom to travel and work, being a copywriter is definitely one of the activities that you will want to consider in the first place. Is becoming a copywriter necessarily difficult? We don’t think so.
However, just like with any profession, determination and a love for what you do would be the underpinning reason whether you make it or break it.
Consulting on the Go
After spending a stint at a corporation, you have probably realized that you can pretty much do everything a company does as a freelance consultant. Of course, when you are trying to tread back into the corporate world – just after you have left it – you may find yourself faced with one challenge too many, but the bottom line is, if you have the skillset, it shouldn’t be too difficult at all.
However, corporate usually means a slightly more time-sensitive type of work where jumping time zones might be a problem. Still, working and traveling as a consultant should be completely doable.
