Traveling… ahh, yes, doesn’t everyone love to travel? Well, My General, I know, I know… the pains of connecting flights, delays, cancellations, dragging luggage a mile across terminals… the hassle of renting cars, fighting traffic in a foreign country (and figuring out which side of the road to drive) and trying to figure out what the guy is telling you when all’s you asked
was “where is the bathroom?”… Aside from all of that, is it not the greatest feeling when you can step away from the normal routine, take a few deep breaths and realize you have nothing to do but sit on the beach… your hardest decision is if you’re going to have steak or lobster that night… and your biggest worry is if you have enough sunscreen? That’s what
traveling is all about… when it transposes us from our everyday lives and places us in a completely new culture… seeing, breathing, eating, and dancing to what people 10,000 miles away from you are doing and thinking to yourself, “this is the kind of stuff you see on TV.” That’s when it’s all worth it… that’s why traveling is so amazing.
But, one of – if not “THE” – biggest obstacles in traveling is that little green piece (or many pieces) of paper called MONEY. Whether you’re trying to visit a friend in Dallas or take your wife to Bora-Bora, it all costs Money-and a lot. The days of those Southwest “$49.00” fares are long gone, and even the little weekend getaways whack a dent in your pocketbook.
There are ways to shave off a few dollars here and there, but traveling is expensive no matter how you slice it. Not everyone has a cush, six or 7-figure salary that allows them to take off six-day weekends or weeks to party in Ibiza. So, is there a way to travel? I mean, travel either gets paid or travel for “free”??
The travel industry is an $8 TRILLION INDUSTRY. Yes, you read that right… that’s a Trillion with a capital “T.” So, besides the hotels, airlines, and luggage manufacturers, how can you get involved? Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can earn a living traveling across the world: Flight Attendant: This is a great way to visit many places-FAST. The average flight attendant makes $37,000.00 a year, with the higher level salaries hovering in the $75,000.00-$90,000.00 range. It’s an advantage if you know more than
one (1) language. Flight attendants receive a daily per Diem for meals, flexible work schedules, discounts on flights, hotels, and travel expenses for vacation. The downside is that when you are working, the flight schedule can be traveling to multiple cities in a 12, 18, or 24-hour time frame. When you finally stop to rest, the urge to go sightseeing or check out the town is replaced with the simple need to sleep in a bed. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention… have you ever NOT seen a few angry, annoyed, or upset people on your plane?
Yep, be prepared to deal with those rude customers during your 12-24 hour shift! Commercial Airline Pilot: Same deal with flight attendants, in terms of work schedule, but the pay is much better depending on the size of the jet and company; you can be making $121,000.00 a year. If you want to attend flight school and pass your minimum 250 hours of flight experience, go for it! Just make sure
you have perfect vision and hearing. Again, suppose you want to make this a career. In that case, you will visit cities all over the country (and the world), but be prepared to deal with thousands of customers, weather and equipment problems, grueling schedules, and the stress that comes along with the responsibility of flying so many people to different places.
Travel Agent: As you may already know, travel agents know all about the best places to visit. They are the middlemen between the hotels, airlines, tourism bureaus, and travelers. More than likely, they have an opportunity to visit some of these places so that they can see everything for themselves. That’s a pretty sweet perk, eh? Typical salaries are anywhere from $25,000.00 to $35,000.00, and most likely, you will be required to enroll in some training, typically with the Travel Institute.
Freelance Writer or Photographer: What a cool job this would be… traveling all over the world… spending time with various cultures, and observing how people communicate, eat, sleep, and worship. You truly are “free,” relaying what you see and experience to the people sitting on their couch thousands of miles away. The only catch… well, it’s that one thing
we discussed earlier: MONEY. You will not get paid before you get to these places, so be sure to plan this out a little, stock up some green in your checking account, and pick up some pointers on how to express yourself with pen & paper or with the camera. Try to develop some sort of
“following” so you have a good base of people reading and viewing your content. Do not try to fly to India with a thousand bucks and an iPad, expecting to start a travel blog that generates cash, allowing you to wander the world for the next few years. You might as well go to your nearest casino and play blackjack. If you can pull off this occupation (and to those that currently do this), I tip my hat to you-great work!
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