HOW TO CREATE A WORK + TRAVEL LIFESTYLE
The Ultimate Guide to making the world your office and getting paid to travel the world (yes, for real)
HOW TO CREATE A WORK + TRAVEL LIFESTYLE
Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to making the world your office and getting paid to travel the world (yes, for real)!
This guide will cover what a work + travel lifestyle is, how to decide whether you'd like to make the world your office, and link to every resource I have on Go Seek Explore - all 50+ articles I've written on travel job searching, budgeting for travel, moving abroad, sustaining the motivation to travel, and working online. Get ready!
What is a Work + Travel Lifestyle?
A work + travel lifestyle is where you are working for a paycheck and/or travel amenities (such as housing, food, travel costs, etc.) in exchange for work.
You can work for a company that includes travel as part of the job, move abroad and be based in a foreign location, or be location-independent by working online while you travel.
What type of work + travel opportunity is right for you?
Well, it's really up to you, your preferences, goals, and situation! The resources in this guide will help you decide which route to take and streamline the process on making this a reality.
Most of this is covered in my free guide + email series, though I'll outline some of the basics in this guide.
Why Would You Want to Create a Work + Travel Lifestyle?
One of the best, meaningful, and most financially stable ways to travel is to live a work + travel lifestyle.
This is a lifestyle where you are able to both work (make money and/or have amenities covered in exchange for work) and travel (to those really awesome places all over the world).
Some of the benefits of living a work + travel lifestyle may include:
Having travel expenses covered or reduced in exchange for work
Having travel be part of your job
Moving to a new country for work and getting a visa
Being location-independent so you can live wherever, work whenever
The freedom and flexibility to travel without restricted vacation time from work
Not having to always choose between working or traveling; breaking the "work-save-travel-repeat" model
Some of the drawbacks of living a work + travel lifestyle may include:
Potentially leaving the "corporate ladder" for a short time, if this is important to you
Often having to figure out how to get your own health insurance/benefits (to be honest this was much easier for me than I thought when I started working for myself)
It usually isn't easy - hate to break it to you, but there is hardly instant gratification with landing a travel job or creating an online work opportunity. However, if you put in the time and work toward your greater goal - working + traveling - then the rewards can be pretty awesome :)
My Story: How I Created a Work + Travel Lifestyle by Working in 26 of the 30 Countries I've Traveled To
Back when I was about to graduate college, all I could think about was traveling the world. I would submit job application after job application, though eventually my thoughts turned into daydreams where I was back in Europe where I studied abroad two years prior, experiencing the world...instead of sitting in a grey cubicle for 8-10 hours a day earning entry-level pay.
My parents laughed at me and said, "No, you just graduated college and need a job. You don't have the money to travel. Don't even ask us to pay for it. Now if you got a job that allowed you to travel, then you could go off and get the travel bug out of your system."
Their offhand, not-even-serious comment of finding a job that allowed me to travel turned into an obsession.
That was what I was going to do. Find something where traveling was part of the job.
It wasn't an easy task. There was hardly any information on the internet about it. Most travel blogs were constricted to budget travel or felt like an online version of a Lonely Planet guidebook. Hardly anyone was talking about finding creative ways to work around the world.
At one point, something clicked: when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, I remembered the names of a few tour operators based out there.
Tour operators must have people working for them to lead the trips, right?
Immediately I Googled all the ones I could remember, applied to them all, then sat back and waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Eventually, one of them wrote me back for an interview...to be held a month later. For a position that started in August.
I jumped at the chance.
Graduation was looming and everyone was asking each other what their post-graduation plans were.
I was starting to feel like a "failure" for not having a job lined up. In college, I was that girl involved in everything from internships and leadership roles to dance team and clubs. Everyone said I'd have a job, like, a year in advance.
Didn't happen.
And looking back, now I know why.
That summer I turned down full-time job offers in cities I didn't even want to live in and accepted a summer role working as a Faculty Advisor at high school leadership conferences in Washington, DC and New York City. I had done a similar conference in high school and it was life-changing.
It was serendipitous. The summer role ended just weeks before I would need to be in Europe (if I got the job offer with the tour company).
Everyone told me to accept the full-time job offers I didn't want instead of the summer role on the east coast. "You haven't even interviewed for that job in Europe. Put your head down, work for 2-5 years, and then save up for a vacation. Nobody likes their first job out of college. It's just how things are."
Well, I'm not someone who likes to settle for just how things are.
Long story long (yes, I know how long my stories are haha), I landed the job in Italy and have sought after unique work + travel opportunities since - including working conferences around the world, traveling with limited vacation time, and now working online so I can be location-independent and work while I travel.
here is a quick outline of how I've created a work + travel lifestyle:
I followed my intuition and decided to not accept full-time jobs in cities I didn't want to live in after college
A summer job opportunity working leadership conferences in DC came up, I took it
The timing aligned well with a potential travel job in Italy
I was offered the Italy job; lived there and traveled for six months
Came home and worked at an 8-5 office job for two years
Used vacation days strategically to work + travel when I had a full-time job
Worked multiple other leadership conferences in DC, Europe, China, San Francisco, New York, Connecticut
Continued blogging on the side
Quit the office job to move to California, now I do online freelance work, traveling, and blogging
How to Get Started
I also mention this over on my Start Here page.
STEP 1: SIGN UP TO GET MY FREE 10-PAGE GUIDE ON GETTING PAID TO TRAVEL.
It goes over the basics, how to get started, and an overview of the three main types of travel jobs with plenty of examples. There is a free email series you'll get after the guide for a week that goes over more super helpful information as well.
Thousands of people have gone through this guide and I get emails from people all the time saying they've landed travel jobs or started their online business because of this...So make sure to grab your free guide now!
Step 2: DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT TO:
Work + travel for a company based in a different country/location (example: working full-time for a company in a different country and traveling on your time off)
Do a work-while-you-travel job that has you traveling for work (example: this is what I did when I worked as a tour guide in Europe!
Work online - as a location-independent digital nomad, you can live wherever and travel whenever (example: running an online business where all you need is a wifi connection)
Step 3: TAKE ACTION.
Go through the free guide and get organized...and then take action.
Travel, especially creating a work + travel lifestyle, is not easy.
However, when you're getting paid to travel the world, living life on your own terms, traveling internationally at least once per year...it's worth the work it takes.
Best Articles for Creating a Work + Travel Lifestyle
Every single article posted on Go Seek Explore related to creating a work + travel lifestyle!
The Ultimate List of Jobs That Pay You to Travel
32 job ideas - both offline and online. At 28,000+ shares, this is the most popular post on Go Seek Explore!
A short quiz to help you determine which type of travel opportunity works best for you.
5 Mindset Shifts That Took Me from Wanderluster to Traveler & Digital Nomad
I've said it before, I'll say it again: making this happen isn't always easy. You have to shift your mindset and be persistent and patient. Here's what helped me.
The 15 Best Jobs for People Who Love to Travel
More work + travel ideas for all you wanderlusters.
Is Tour Guiding the Right Job for You? 6 Tips
One of my most frequently asked questions is how to get the type of job I had in Italy, but you first want to consider if this type of role is something you'd actually be good at and enjoy!
MORE ARTICLES ON CREATING A WORK + TRAVEL LIFESTYLE
Creating a Work + Travel Lifestyle, Top Tips, Job Searching, etc.
Working Abroad: Your Guide to a Work + Travel Lifestyle
11 Ways To Make Money While You Travel
Work Experience That Will Help You Get a Job Abroad
How To Stay Organized When Searching For Travel Jobs + Free Workbook
Traveling The World After College: What You Need To Know
How Traveling & Moving to New Cities Shaped My Life in the Best Way - So Far (2015)
The Secrets of Working Abroad (That No One Talks About)
3 Types of Travel Jobs (And Which One is Best For You)
#TravelGoals Series Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 (Recap)
Why Working Abroad is One of the Most Financially Stable Ways to Travel
The Top 4 Mistakes People Make When Searching for Travel Jobs
How You Can Travel the World (Sooner Than You Think)
4 Ways To Turn "I Can't Travel" into "I CAN Travel!"
Answering the 18 Most Common Questions on Getting Paid to Travel
4 Steps To Take Now to Land a Travel Job
How I Traveled to 11 Countries by Working Abroad
On Having a Work + Travel Lifestyle with Other Commitments
Sometimes life, jobs, or other commitments are your priority - and that's okay. Here are a few tips on fitting travel into a packed schedule.
How I Traveled to 8 Places in 2015 (While Working Full-Time)
I Have a Full-Time Job and Still Travel the World - And You Can Too
Use "Vacation Hacking" To Maximize Your Travel
4 Tips for Traveling While Working Full-time
DIGITAL NOMAD LIFESTYLE
How to Start, Grow, and Earn Money from a Travel Blog
How to Plan Travel as a Digital Nomad: 3 Quick Tips
I Quit My Job & Moved To California - Key Takeaways (+ vlog)
How to Brand Yourself Online So You Can Get More Travel Opportunities
How to Side Hustle Your Way to a Digital Nomad Lifestyle
How I Edit Photos for Instagram & Blogging
Living Abroad
Articles on moving and living in a foreign country. Inspiration & logistics.
5 Ways To Beat the Blahs of Living Abroad
How to Make Friends in a Foreign Country: 7 Ways to Meet People Abroad
What Should I Pack For Year-Long Travel?
Travel Visas: Do You Need One to Work Abroad?
Money and Working Abroad
Budgeting and tips based on how I've personally funded my travels by working abroad.
Is Working While You Travel Actually Worth It?
Exactly How I Stretched Only $1,400 Over Six Months Traveling Europe
How I've Paid For My Travels So Far (2014)
3 Unique Ways to Travel Long-Term and Not Go Broke
Inspirational Articles
Ahh, both new articles and old ones.
Hint: the old ones have ALL the #feels from being in my early 20s, when I was aching to see the world and inspire others who also wanted to do the same. ;)
You Only Get 10 Years To Be in Your 20s
Travel is Your Teacher: Why Working Abroad is One of the Best Ways to Travel as a Millennial
9 Reasons For 20-somethings to Travel Now Instead of Later
Don't Let Your Dreams Be Dreams
I Wasn't Running Away From Life, I Was Running Toward It
Exactly How a Work + Travel Lifestyle Changed My Life (2016)
The Real World Doesn't Have to Suck: 9 Reasons You Should Get a Travel Job After College
The Only Travel Advice You'll Ever Need
5 Things I've Learned from 5 Years of Living a Work + Travel Lifestyle
10 Signs You Need to Travel Again, ASAP
Best Gear for Travelers, Digital Nomads, and Working Abroad
Here's what I use and recommend for those working abroad, who travel often, and especially for those who work online at home or on the road!
My all-time favorite luggage
AWAY Carry-on luggage (I am absolutely obsessed with my AWAY bag)
Tumi carry-on duffel for under the seat
"Mobile" Office
Nice to Have
Wireless noise-cancelling headphones
External hard drive (to back up photos/videos and other files)
Favorite travel clothing & accessories:
Found this guide for working abroad useful?
Pin it for later on Pinterest:
