Hey guys – as promised, I will finally answer the great question today: What is the great secret of perpetual travelers?
What do they know that other people don’t? How can they afford to go on what seems to be a never-ending vacation, when everybody else can hardly even pay the bills back home, slaving away in an office building or a factory for decades?
This is really a good question, and it’s one that had me stumped for years. Before I hit the road, I had no idea how I was even going to afford my own car, leave alone the gasoline and the car insurance… how could I ever hope to travel very far from my home town for a long time, leave alone roam the entire planet for years on end? It seemed impossible.
On the other hand, now that I know how to do it, I sometimes wonder why isn’t everybody doing this? And even though in all honesty, I’m not going to tell you that it is the easiest thing in the world, it is definitely very doable and there are a million ways to pull it off. I’m going to share some of these ways with you today.
1. English Teacher
I’m going to start with the most obvious job you can do abroad, especially given that you’re studying this website and fluent enough to read my articles, this might be a very viable option for you. In most countries in the world, there is a very high demand for English teachers.
Of course that’s not a job you can do in places like Australia or Singapore, where English is the official language, but it’s always an option in 90% of countries in the world and in some cases, it pays VERY well.
2. Cruise Ship Work
This is one of my favorite ways to travel the world and get paid for it – can you imagine cruising around the five oceans, sunbathing on the deck of a luxurious ocean liner, and hopping off at every paradise beach you can think of. All while getting paid for it?
It’s really amazing, but I have to give you a fair warning – some jobs on cruise ships are better than others. Waiters, mechanics and chamber maids usually work 12 to 13 hours a day… entertainers, musicians, librarians, dancers and photographers, on the other hand, have a lot of free time.
3. Hotel and Restaurant Industry
Just about any place you might want to visit on your travels is bound to have hotels and restaurants and those kinds of venues always need staff. Just like teaching English, this one is pretty much a guaranteed job anywhere in the world if you’re willing to do the work.
Jobs include waiter, cook, barman, doorman, concierge, bell boy, receptionist and many, many more. If you speak languages, you will find a job in this industry without any further qualifications.
4. Club Promoter
This is one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had in my life. It essentially consists in partying all night, getting your drinks for free and talking to as many people as possible to get them into your club.
This is also another job where it’s very helpful to speak languages, but if you’re the extroverted type and like meeting new people, it’s a great way to get paid – not only to travel, but you actually get paid to party. Simply talk to club managers and ask if they need someone to promote.
5. Flight Attendant
Similar to work on a cruise ship, you don’t just make money at your destination, but you actually get paid to move from place to place. I have friends who have seen the whole world working in this job, and while they said that it can be stressful sometimes with layovers and over-night flights, it always sounds like it is a blast when they describe it.
6. Carpentry and other Crafts
This is going to sound crazy, but – in the first world, blue collar work can often pay very well. One of the highest paying jobs I’ve ever had was working the assembly line in a car factory. I’ve also met many travelers who made a fortune working as carpenters or brick layers in Australia, New Zealand and Canada and if you’re really up for some rough physical work, you can join an oil rig or a fishing boat. It’s tough labor and not for the faint of heart, but the cash makes it all worth it.
7. Diving Instructor
This is one of the most popular jobs in the most beautiful destinations in the world. Places like South East Asia, Egypt, the Caribbean and thePacificIslands have dive spots like right out of National Geographic magazine. If you get your PADI qualification as a Dive Instructor, you can live there and get paid to dive.
The above are some of the most popular ways to make money on the road, but there are many, many more – these are just to give you some ideas and inspiration. In future articles, I will talk about each one of these jobs in more detail, and explain where you can find them, how much they pay and what countries offer the best opportunities in each of these fields.
Thanks for reading guys; I hope I was able to shed some light on some of the secrets of Perpetual Travelers and modern-day nomads… And as always, feel free to join the discussion on the forum or leave me a comment below if you have any questions.
Always the best and happy travels,
Comentários (35)
Hi! congratulations for all you send and teach for us.Thank for share your knowledge.God bless your life around the world
You’re welcome Andréia, and thanks for your comment! :)
Always the best,
Frank
Hi Frank,
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I would like to know what ” right out of ” mean. I didnt find a meaning that could match up with the rest of the sentence.
Thank you in advance and congrutulation for your sucessful life.
Hey Deni, you’re welcome! “dive spots like right out of National Geographic magazine” means that the places you can explore as a PADI diver are as beautiful as their famous pictures… you know National Geographic has some of the world’s best photographers and some of the most famous images originated in their publication. I’m not sure what the best Portuguese expression would be to express the same idea, but maybe somebody on the forum knows? Feel free to post your question here: http://www.englishexperts.com.br/forum/traducao-de-textos-f13.html
Cheers,
~ Frank Florida ~
Hi Frank and everyone,
I just want to add one more way to earn money in a trip:
To work as a translator in a tour or sightseeing. More than once, people asked me to help to understand the guide or the exhibitor. I never charged, because it wasn´t my target, but I think it could work if you need to support your perpetual trip.
cheers
Sandro
Excellent idea Sandro, thanks for your comment!
very very good tip!!
Thanks! :)
If I had had the chance to hear those tips 40 years ago…. Life would have been sooooo different… Going back to those days, I can see now how insecure I was. I was so inexperient. Now that I am 58, I feel frustrated and wish I could have experimented life more.
Sometimes I ask myself how useful speaking English could have been if I had tried living in an English speaking country. Nowadays I am retired and have a husband who love travelling and we would love to spend 2 our 3 months abroad and rent a flat to have the experience we did not have when we were young. Any tips or possibilities for us?
Hello Fátima, you know what they say in the commercials… it’s never too late and rarely too early. :) Your English is obviously pretty good now, so that’s going to help a lot… and since you’re already retired, you have TIME… the most precious resource in the world!
I think you’re in a very good position to make your dreams come true… where do you want to go? Feel free to let me know on the forum and I’ll share some advice, just click here:
http://www.englishexperts.com.br/forum/around-the-world-in-80-years-travel-journal-t25866.html
Cheers :)
~ Frank Florida ~
Thanks very much again, Frank, for your interest and answer. That´s very kind of you! I don´t know what I´ll be able to do, for while I´m studying English in Dublin and I have a Brazilian insurance. I´ll check out those you told me. Thanks for while, I´m looking forwards to reading your next post. Hugs!!
You’re most welcome mate, if you have any further questions, just let me know… always glad to help. :) Cheers!
Hi frank!
First foremost, Thank’s to share your experience with us!
Now I have a question, how do you do with you work visa? I imagine that you
have a period to work in this countries, but after some months you need go out to another country, or some countryes you can stay working long period without problen? For exemple, in my case, I just can get a work visa in Canada or Australia if I study there first, I now that it depends where you are from, but do you know How it works?
Thank’s ever so much!
Hey Denis, I just saw your reply, sorry for the delay! I don’t know if you’ve seen it already, but I discuss the visa question in the 5th edition of the series… but feel free to drop by on the forum if you still have any questions after that, I’m always happy to help.
Cheers,
~ Frank Florida ~
Caro leitor,
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