Jobs that Require Travel

For the perma-vagabond or nomad at heart, finding a job that requires travel may not only be the only way to feel satisfied professionally, but also maybe the only way to hold down a job at all. For those that love to travel, always be on the move, see the country or the world, restlessness can call you away from that desk job. So, for those that love to travel, but are not fortunate enough to have a trust fund to live off as they jet-set around the globe, your best bet may just be to find a job that will pay you to travel.

Jobs that require travel vary from pharmaceutical representatives and regional sales positions to truck drivers and flight attendants to travel writer and reporters or athletic recruiters to bilingual high powered representatives for international companies. However, there are many jobs across a wide spectrum of industries that allow you to travel for work. For those like my uncle, an adventurous, restless and always on the move kind of guy who works as a millwright and constantly criss-crosses the globe fixing machines, finding a job that allows him to constantly be on the road is not just an added job perk, but a necessity.

As with all things, there are varying levels of kinds of jobs that allow you to travel. Depending on your skill set and which field you are looking to get into, there are a variety of different jobs that will not only let you take your work on the road, but may require that you do so.

100k + Job Market

If you are looking for a job in the 100k + job market that also requires travel, there are options across several industries, though as the salary increases, these jobs get more competitive. However, there are several multi-national and international companies that need people who can often speak more than one language to travel between offices in many different countries. For high powered executives, this means you could be jetting off to the Paris or Hong Kong office. Whether you work for a company like Nike or as ad firm with oversees offices, getting a high powered job in an international company is a sure way not only to secure a 100k + salary, but also be able to travel while you’re at it.

Regional Sales or Management Positions

If you are looking to get out on the road for work, but don’t want to be gone for hugely long periods of time or have a family you need to get back to, than getting a job that require regional travel may be the perfect match for you. Whether you are in pharmaceutical sales or oversee branches of various chains or franchises, regional sales and management positions will require you to travel extensively around a certain area.

Recruiting Positions

Another job that may take you on a road is an athletic or personnel recruiter. If you love both sports and being able to travel as a part of your job, then working as a college or professional athletic scout is sure to have you bouncing around the country and sometimes the world looking at potential players and recruits. Personnel recruiters also have travel components to their jobs sometimes. Especially in software industries or other positions that require highly skilled professionals, recruiting these specialized employees may take you out on the road to find the right person. Admissions representatives at Universities will also spend time in the spring and fall especially traveling around the country talking to perspective students and recruiting applicants and students for their school.

Travel Industry Positions

It seems obvious that if you are looking to travel as part of your job that getting a job in the travel industry is a good way to go. However, while it seems that any job having to do with travel would take you on the road; this is not always the case. In fact, many jobs within the travel industry have you traveling very little. While this is true, there are also many jobs that can have you not only out traveling for work, but also sharing your passion and love for travel. Flight attendants are constantly traveling for work, and even when they aren’t the ones pushing that drink cart down the aisle, flight attendants get great amazing travel benefits that allow them to fly for free during their time off. Pilots and desk agents for airlines also enjoy these travel benefits.

There are many tour companies that offer up adventure trips all over the globe, and there are a lucky few people who actually land jobs leading and directing these tours. If you are either a serious adventurer, outdoorsman or simply know how to party with the best of them (for STA tours and youth tours), than landing a job leading others on the travels may be the perfect job for you.

Working on a cruise ship can also be a good way to travel as part of your job. Depending on your experience and skill set, there are a wide variety of positions that always need to be filled on cruise ships—from activity directors to waiters to performers. If you want to spend a season island hopping while getting paid, this is a good way to go.

Of course, everyone always thinks of travel writers as having the ultimate job. However, as pointed out by travel writer Rolf Potts (author of Vagabonding and Marco Polo Didn’t Go There), travel writing can often be glamorized as a life of jet setting and adventurous escapades. The reality is that while this job does often offer up some fantastic opportunities to see the globe, it also involves a lot of time spent at a computer laboring over words.