#TravelJobs #InternationalJobs #CareerGoals
Hey there! So, I’ve been doing some soul searching lately about what I want in my career, and one thing that keeps coming up is the desire to travel. I realized that I didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to see the world during university and after graduation, and now I’m itching to make up for lost time.
I’m currently in the professional/financial services industry, and I’m curious to know – what jobs in this field offer the most travel opportunities, especially internationally? I’m not looking to become a full-time traveling merchant or anything, but I do want to strike a balance between a stable career and exploring different parts of the world.
I’m pretty new to the professional world, with less than a year of experience post-uni, and I graduated from a decent university in the UK. So, I’m wondering if there are any roles out there that could satisfy my wanderlust while still allowing me to grow in my career.
Have any insights, suggestions, or experiences to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s chat and figure out how we can make the best of both worlds – work and travel. 💼✈️ #JoinTheConversation
Flight attendants?
Multinationals, the larger the better, preferably ones with their head office abroad. Within those companies steer towards internal auditing or assurance activities.
Look into humanitarian NGOs, many of them bring travelling opportunities and pay pretty well, good luck!
Ever seen the movie War Dogs?
Working on cruise ships
Consulting is one option, I have a few family members and family that are consistently racking up tons of miles and points from travel.
And as more of an industry focus – pharmaceutical companies. Not saying all pharma jobs are like this, and it can be challenging to get into but depending on the company and the role, there may be a ton of travel. A few of my friends that got into lab management have helped with designing and opening multiple labs around the world for their respective companies. One friend spent lots of time in Singapore, then Ireland, and another friend with a different pharma company helped with labs in Brazil and now India. Both traveled to those locations very frequently, sometimes for longer durations. They had undergrad degrees in natural sciences (chemistry and biology) and both do have Masters as well, one with an MBA the other with an MS.
My uncle also works for a pharma but has an economics background. Tbh not sure exactly what his roles have been but definitely more on the finance/economic research side. He travels more to conventions and trade shows rather than the previous two that helped with lab installations so he doesn’t stay for long durations but he goes to many more locations.
My first job required a lot of state side travel. I role consisted of representing the organization I worked for at conferences and events. I would look into outreach, external affairs, or fundraising.
Massage therapy
Look into Internal Audit for an international corporation. They generally take people with a variety of educational backgrounds because it’s easily trainable and are always looking for people willing to travel (because as seasoned employees get older and start having families they aren’t as interested in international travel). I’ve been to India, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Ivory Coast, UK, and Norway.
Travel influencer is the one that lets you travel wherever you want. It takes time to gain a good enough audience to get sponsorships and deals, and you have to be a great content creator. But I’ve worked with several and the good ones can get free trips to almost anywhere.
Travel writers also can get free trips and hotel stays.
Also international sales, but you only get to go to the places where your customer base is located, and your trips are more focused on sales and conferences.
And some marketing roles in the travel industry. Here you’ll mostly be going to the destinations you sell, and again the trips will usually be work-focused.
A remote job that allows you to be a digital nomad?
Traveling for work is not a good way to travel. You have a few hours to yourself, aside from that you’re there to work. I think you should focus on finding a job with good vacation and then travel for fun anywhere your heart desires.
The Navy
IATA, ACI, IFALPA, ICAO, all aviation related international organizations
Concert touring….
really, really hard to get into though, especially on the international scale
The military
Travel nurse
Sales, and international sales. Medium to large companies will have openings. Find connections via a professional network to enable this to happen. Quite a bit easier, happy to help.
International airline pilot?
As a corporate guy who had periods with over 50 flights per year: traveling for work is shit: tremendously tiring with all the connections and early/late night flights while you just experience transportation hubs, meeting rooms with subpar coffee and food and soulless chain hotel rooms lost in some business districts. Typically the only moment you have to experience the places is the evening, that half the time are spent at dinner with colleagues / clients talking corporate bs while everyone just get progressively drunk and or bored to death waiting the moment they can crash into bed to repeat the same routine the day after. Bonus point: since you lose a lots of time transfering from one place to the other and your days are overcrowded with meetings (since you are there on the company dime and time is money) you are very often catchin up emails or reviewing presentations at 11 pm or 6 am.
But this is just my experience ofc.
Meeting planner for a global company
The guy I know who spends the most time traveling is an accountant (USA). He works his ass off during tax season, lives in a cheap but comfortable shared apartment, then travels the rest of the year. Right now he’s on a sailing trip around Antarctica for 3 months and then he’s going to Tazmania but he’s always going somewhere. Guy has been all over Denmark, Estonia, Bhutan, linked up with me in Thailand for a bit, spent most of Covid time in Bermuda diving. He seriously spends more of the year traveling than working. That said, he lives and breathes finances in his daily life.
He’s insanely good with money, always figuring out some hack like taking out credit with 0% interest for a year, parks that into a 5% interest savings account, then pays back the credit right before the interest hits on that and pockets the interest from the bank. Also does lots of stuff with credit card points, stocks, sells covered calls, etc. Sure as hell makes me want to be an accountant.
The US Military!
Chef/Hospitality industry in general if you know how to do it
Supplier Quality Engineer offers a ton (automotive space).
Systems integrations team for an international company. Doesn’t have to be IT related. Just need to be process related (Materials management, procurement, sales, quality, production, global trade). These groups will travel together implementing systems at other sites.
Problem here: These people are typically experienced
Large global consulting firms probably.
Working as a program manager overseeing multiple projects for big companies will make you travel all the time!
Consulting at a large firm. Many consultants are away Thurs-Monday.
My buddy is a data analyst for United airlines. He’s totally remote and that dude is in another country like 3 times a month. I think he still has to pay like 100$ for a roundtrip ticket. and its pulled from his check. If i could do it again, id follow that route. But at least he gives me buddy passes on standby. which is amazing when im in a pinch travel wise
Offshore Hydrographic Surveyor
DoD IT contractors have opening for pretty much any role in any country
Corporate event organizations (Hyve, Informa, CloserStill, etc). Not only will you travel to conferences the company organizes of course, but you’ll also go to competitive events. Keeping you going to nice destinations monthly all year.
Aerial refueling boom operator for the United States Air Force. You can be gone 365 days a year if you want.
Cabin crew, airline staff I would guess
The most travel I got from work was when I was working freelance. I’m a systems and procedures analyst, so I study how a company works and help eliminate inefficiencies (not very high level).
I travelled most of Europe and the US doing it. If you pick the right freelancing role where clients would benefit from having you on site it would greatly increase your chances of travel.
flight attendant
I am a regional sales manager for a usa machine tool company. I am in bangkok this week. Next week NZ. 4 weeks ago, sydney.
I’m a packaging engineer, I’ve flown 4,000,000 miles and I’ve been to 6 continents, 105 countries and 50 states. It’s not an easy life.
I traveled alot in the Army, for long periods of time sometimes.
Some sarcasm but the Navy would be cool too