How many times have you yearned to just pack your bags and head out on a jaunt to some exotic place, but you’ve had to hold back because of insufficient funds for your holiday? That’s a predicament many of us find ourselves in, always having to give priority to more important things in life than travel. And more often than not, we resort to giving up on the notion of that holiday we’ve wanted to take for the longest time.
But what if you had the chance to fund your holiday while you travel? What if you could use a skillset you possess to practically fund your vacation? Wouldn’t that be ideal… you get to earn on the go and fund your travels, not having to be dependent on savings or money you’ve saved up say to buy your first house or car! And yes, travel of this kind does exist, and it is a reality! More and more travelers are taking this route of travel.
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Fund your travels by earning on the go
Do your research! Where do I find a job that pays while I travel?
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Research every detail of your trip
This kind of travel requires a lot of research and planning. To begin with, you need to figure out where you want to travel to, and find out about local opportunities in that place. Many small destinations that thrive on service are open to hiring people short term or even long term. There are tons of websites that offer job opportunities in the most amazing locations like mountain resorts, national parks, beaches, ski resorts, retreat centers, golfing resorts and the like. Keep in mind that this kind of travel is budget travel, and you should be open to some amount of ‘roughing it out’. Once you’ve zeroed in where you want to travel to, and what kind of opportunities are available, get in touch with the job providers and share your availability and skillset. Usually the websites connect you to available jobs, making it a pretty straightforward process.
What should you know before agreeing to a job?
Before agreeing to any job, make sure you’re absolutely clear about the kind of work you’re taking up, the duration of the job, the number of hours you’ll be engaged in a day, how much free time you’ll be entitled to, days off during the week, what the job exactly entails, what pay you’ll be eligible for and so on. Generally, jobs that are service oriented, say at a resort, usually provide a very basic pay, but take care of your accommodation and meals for the duration you work there. Other jobs may offer you discounted rates to sightseeing locations, or tours or activities like sky-diving, scuba diving, bungee jumping and so on. But again, each job differs, and it’s important for you to figure out what you will be entitled to in return for the services you’ll be providing. This is where it helps to turn your negotiating charm on. When you agree to a job, and you actually get there and realize there is more you can offer, try and negotiate for a better deal in terms of what you can get in return for the work you do.
Who can opt for travels of this kind?
It’s important for you to know what kind of traveler is best suited for this kind of travel. For starters, if you have a full time job with little scope of getting more than a week’s worth of leave, then such kind of travel opportunities are not for you. If you’re into freelance work and it doesn’t really matter where in the world you work from, this could be an ideal travel option for you, keeping in mind that you choose a job that allows you enough time to do your freelance work, travel and work the job you’ve taken up to sustain your travels, otherwise it defeats the whole purpose if you’re not left with any time to enjoy the place you’re visiting. If you’re not employed and you don’t have restrictions on being away from home for long periods of time, then you’re the ideal fit for this kind of travel. Also, if you can take a sabbatical from work, or a leave of absence, then this is a pretty good option too. It also helps to select a job that you enjoy doing to fund your travel – that way it seems less like work, you get to travel and you get to earn by doing what you like! Most places usually employ travelers on a short term or long term basis, ranging anywhere from a fortnight to even as long as six months.
Make use of your skillset
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Earn money doing something you love!
All of us come with some special skills, and if you can put these skills to use while you travel and earn some money on the way, there’s nothing like it. If you’re a musician or a yoga teacher, if you are good at building stuff or teaching or cooking, if you’re a masseuse or you’re a palm reader or tarot card reader, you can put these skills to use wherever you travel. And if you don’t have anything extraordinary, just a pair of hands and legs that work fine, that too is plenty for you to get work!
The cons
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Be clear about the work expected of you
Before you embark on travel of this kind, know that there are restrictions. It always helps to make things very clear with your employer so that there aren’t any ugly surprises awaiting you on your arrival. Its important that both of you are on the same page. When there is a mismatch of expectations, problems arise. Be prepared for budget travel; be prepared to miss out on certain experiences owing to a shortage of time; be prepared to deal with unexpected scenarios that could be beyond your control. And always, always keep a stash of money for contingency; in the event that things don’t work out with your employer or you cant handle the work you’re being offered, at least you should have enough to get you back home, should the need arise.
