Work-from-home is popular for a reason, but consider the work-from-anywhere ethos. There are numerous job opportunities that give you the flexibility to travel on your own terms. Read on for 14 jobs you can do remotely while traveling.
Travel advisor (a.k.a. travel agent)
Perhaps one of the most dynamic and fulfilling jobs one can do remotely while traveling is travel planning.
What does a travel agent do? They work with clients of all types to plan vacations or business trips with expert suggestions and access to VIP perks. Plus, advisors are there to handle issues if something goes awry. The hours are flexible and the pay is generally dictated by the amount of work put in (see our guide to Fora travel advisor salaries), and learn more about how to become a travel agent.
Travel advisors bring a degree of convenience to a process that can otherwise be cumbersome or outright overwhelming — especially if you throw international travel in the mix.
The best travel advisors build relationships with suppliers — hotels, venues, cruises and tour operators — often through experiencing their travel product firsthand. Traveling to various hotels and destinations is certainly not required to be a stellar travel advisor, but the more an agent develops their business, the more opportunities arise. And when you book with a Fora travel advisor, you’ll be able to take advantage of complimentary perks gained through our preferred partner programs.
Accountant / bookkeeper
Accountants, and especially freelance accountants who have multiple clients, can often work from anywhere. Fun fact: It’s actually common for freelance accountants to work from tropical destinations in the South Pacific or the Caribbean (hello, Grand Cayman resorts and Bahamas resorts).
Two potential downsides: You’ll need to have a CPA license to do business in the United States (some states may have additional requirements). And you’ll also need exceptional math skills, of course. Most remote accountants start off as employees of a specific firm before becoming freelancers.
Writers & content creators
Writing is another job you can do remotely while traveling. In fact, traveling may be a great way to broaden your perspective and boost your content, especially if you’re a travel writer. From covering the best places to stay in Colorado to visiting Spain with kids, travel writers and bloggers — slightly different jobs where you travel, as the former tends to work for publications, while the latter is usually self-employed — get to venture all over the world covering their experiences.
Copywriting can also be a great career path, and often involves a lot of proofreading. Copywriters craft various types of prose, often related to products and services. Copywriting tends to be shorter and more succinct than blogging, and that’s part of the challenge. (Short and efficient writing is a difficult skill to hone.) Some writers may also act as SEO — search-engine-optimization — consultants, helping websites gain traction on Google and other search engines.
Content creators and influencers generate social-media posts and written material (it depends on the role) for various outlets and businesses. These types of roles might be on a freelance basis, or can be in-house. Certain content-creation roles may also involve more nuanced skills, like graphic design.
Well-paying writing and content-related jobs can be difficult to find, however. The best writing jobs can be highly selective, requiring years of experience and deft skills. Experience requirements vary by publication. Some outlets look for degrees in fields like journalism or hospitality (to better understand the subject matter). Self-employed bloggers face a more difficult challenge: standing out from the crowd to earn a living. But anyone can start a travel blog, and it affords you the ability to exclusively write about what interests you.
IT jobs
IT jobs are also consistently among the most remote-friendly careers. There are also a ton of options you’ll come across during your job search, from programming, cybersecurity, networking, repair and more.
IT jobs tend to pay very well, and just about every large company in the world requires an IT team of some kind. But like accounting, IT jobs require a specific set of skills that aren’t learnable overnight. You can complete many certifiable courses within a few days to a few months, but the best-paying jobs may require a specialized degree.
Customer-support representative
Many small companies around the world outsource customer-service duties to remote workers or third-party call centers rather than in-house employees. Oftentimes, the companies require the remote representative to work set shifts. Customer-service jobs typically don’t require much education, with common requirements being proficiency in the language of the business, which is often English. However, niche services or products may call for some amount of technical expertise. The more technical the requirements, the better paying the job usually is.
Data entry clerks & similar administrative jobs
Just as most large companies have IT needs, they also have a need for administrative roles like data-entry clerks and similar positions. These jobs, while often described as mundane, also tend to require minimal training outside of whatever software a company likes to use. Most data-entry jobs are entry level.
Photographer
The best photographers regularly travel, regardless of the subject matter, because people and companies will pay top dollar for high-quality shots, be it wedding photos, listings, nature shoots… Of all the jobs where you travel, as a photographer, skill is arguably the most defining factor.
Truck driver
Traveling may not be the first choice you think of when it comes to jobs that allow you to travel, but it’s a vital role that supports everything from putting food on people’s tables to supplying the clothes people wear. The downside is that virtually all your travel is on the road — where you can’t typically get out and take in the sights — and for long stretches of time.
Au pair
Au pairs live with a host family in another country and help with childcare and/or housekeeping duties. Most are students who want to earn money to help fund their schooling. They typically earn a stipend, but the real draw is the opportunity to immerse oneself in a different culture. Becoming an au pair is an exciting choice for people with the right temperament. Admittedly, it isn’t the most lucrative job that allows you to travel. But the cultural experience is exceptional, can help you learn a new language and often results in lasting relationships.
Cruise staff
Cruise staff get to see the world without ever straying more than a few hundred yards from where they’re sleeping at night. Notably, not all cruise-ship jobs are glamorous. In fact, they’re among the most demanding jobs in the travel industry. For lower positions, the hours can be grueling and the lodgings less than glamorous. But the ability to enjoy occasional shore leave (free time without work responsibilities) in new places is exciting. On the other hand, higher-ranking cruise jobs such as engineers, navigational crews and event coordinators can be lucrative, if demanding, positions.
(If you like the idea of selling cruise itineraries rather than working on a ship, learn how to become a cruise travel agent.)
Flight attendant
Flight attendants spend most of their workday (or night) thousands of feet above the ground. But during their downtime, they get to see cities all over the world. Like cruise staff, flight attendants' responsibilities can be demanding. But if you’re looking for a career that takes you to numerous locales around the world, it’s another exciting choice.
Entertainers & set crews
Stardom isn’t achievable for everyone. But productions of any kind — movies, concerts, Broadway performances — require massive crews to keep things running smoothly. Oftentimes, that means traveling around the world creating new sets, organizing venues and so on. Requirements change with the role, but some positions require little or no prior experience or education.
Scientists
Not all scientists are stuck in a lab. From archeologists studying ancient ruins to biologists venturing deep into ecosystems, scientists of all kinds conduct field research. As far as jobs that allow you to travel, scientific roles are arguably among the most important. Pay varies by position and changes with experience. Many entry-level roles are reserved for grad assistants and students (and are often unpaid). Lead roles almost always require extensive education.
Construction manager
Construction managers at major developing firms travel from site to site to monitor progress and ensure proper protocols are followed. Admittedly, only the largest construction companies hire for jobs that allow you to travel long distances, and these often come with significant experience or education requirements. Even starting pay tends to be exceptional, though.
Can you really make a living while traveling and working remotely?
Certainly. The choices above are surefire ways to live comfortably while traveling the world. Plus, you’ll find remote jobs in just about every sector and income range. As the world continues its shift toward remote work, opportunities are only becoming more common.
How can you work remotely while traveling?
You only need three things to work remotely while traveling: equipment, approval and planning.
The right equipment & a good internet connection
Virtually all remote positions require a quality internet connection and a capable device, be it a smartphone, laptop, tablet or desktop. For the most part, this might mean your travels are relegated to cities, where you can set up your workspace in a chic café, and take Zoom meetings from there. On the other hand, more advanced satellite connections and cell-phone hotspots can make less-developed destinations more viable for working remotely.
Approval from your employer
This doesn’t apply to all employers that offer jobs you can do remotely while traveling, but it’s probably wise to let them know when you’re abroad, if only to account for time-zone differences and other factors that might affect communication. (It’s a bummer to get work calls at 4 am, when you’re halfway around the world, for example.) It’s also worth noting that some employers may expect team members to stay put for any number of (real or arbitrary) reasons. In cases like these, approval may be necessary to prevent termination, unjust or otherwise.
Proper travel planning
Finally, it’s important to plan well whenever you’re working remotely in a new place. You don’t want to book a hotel that’s not business friendly (no Wi-Fi, lacking coffee, etc.). Nor do you want to stay somewhere dull explicitly because the area is business friendly. Balance is key, and most metropolitan cities around the world cater to jobs you can do remotely while traveling. For example, the coolest hotels in Vegas, any hotels in Downtown NYC and the best hotels in San Francisco usually have business centers, excellent Wi-Fi, great lounges and other amenities to enjoy during your downtime — not to mention all the exciting things you can do in those cities when you’re off.
That being said, if you travel off the beaten path, you may find yourself unable to complete tasks if you don’t plan smartly ahead of time. (If you need help planning, a corporate travel agent excels at finding accommodations with professional amenities.)
“Work from home” doesn’t have to be literal
If it wasn’t obvious, most work-from-home jobs are actually work-from-anywhere jobs.
“As a travel advisor, my office is wherever there's Wi-Fi and a view worth dreaming about!” Elizabeth Kaczka, one of Fora’s top-earning agents, shared. “Working remotely in this role is like having a passport to the digital world. With emails, video calls and booking platforms at my fingertips, I can curate unforgettable experiences for clients from the comfort of my own home or while sipping a latte in a quaint café halfway across the globe.”
This applies to part-time work and full-time careers
Plenty of people enjoy full-time, remote jobs that pay well and enable traveling. And many travel while taking on part-time work. There’s no wrong answer.
There are some special skill requirements to work remotely while traveling
A degree of tech-savviness is helpful, especially if you run into technical issues while on the go. Great communication skills can also overcome potential hiccups. Otherwise, the desired skills will change with the position.
What sets travel planning apart from other jobs you can do remotely while traveling?
As a travel agent host agency, travel planning is our area of expertise. Here’s how being a travel advisor with Fora stacks up against other jobs you can do remotely (ideally while traveling).
Fora sets its advisors up for success
Some agencies require you to attend a travel agent school of some kind. But Fora provides its own travel agent training, covering everything from the basics of booking to how to promote your travel business. Fora Advisors are entrepreneurs, after all, and the business and relationship sides of the job are prominent in Fora’s curriculum. Plus, you can complete all the required courses at your leisure, meaning you can achieve your version of work-life balance with ease.
“I love that I can take my job with me anywhere. I have worked from a lovely little café in Vilnius, my hotel room in Cartagena, the lobby of a luxury hotel in Amsterdam and so many other places!” Fora travel advisor Diana Morales shared. “Fora makes it even easier because we have the Portal app, so I can literally work just by using my phone!”
Remote travel planning can enrich your own travels
Selling travel is one of the best ways to learn the industry inside and out, and you can put that knowledge to use for your own travels. In fact, you may even find yourself traveling in support of your business.
The earnings potential for Fora Advisors is unlimited
How much do travel agents make? It depends on how much you book, of course. But incomes in the six- to seven-figure range are very much possible.
(P.S. Luxury and corporate travel agents are especially lucrative niches.)
Yes, you really can travel as a Fora Advisor
Travel planning as a Fora Advisor is a true work-from-anywhere job. You don’t have set schedules, residency requirements or anything of that nature. As long as you have an internet connection, you can work as much or as little as you'd like, and from anywhere in the world.
Even better, Fora Advisors who surpass a certain booking threshold are eligible to attend familiarization trips (usually referred to as FAM trips), where they learn about a specific destination and its hotel options by experiencing it all themselves.
Want a job you can do remotely while traveling? Become a Fora Advisor
Want to learn more about our favorite job you can do remotely while traveling? Apply to become a Fora Advisor today (or check out all the reasons to become a Fora Advisor if you’re still on the fence).
You can also learn more about travel planning via these guides:
