15 High Paying Travel Jobs [2022]: Cruise Director, Airline Pilot, And Traveling Nurse

Everyone has their priorities in life. Some people want to make a million dollars before they turn 40. Others are more enticed by the possibility of having a bounty of experiences and exploring the farthest corners of the world. For people who consider money and travel to be the two most pertinent goals in their lives, there are many potential jobs that could suit their agenda.

15 High Paying Travel Jobs

Airline Pilot

Average Salary: $67,120
Job Openings: 1,098

Airline pilots carry people from place to place as they embark on family vacations, incredible adventures, and returning home. They operate aircraft to travel short and long distances safely and efficiently.

Their responsibilities include:
- Providing flight plans
- Going through maintenance checks and ensuring there is enough fuel before take-off
- Filing reports of any mechanical issues with aircrafts
- Communicating effectively with air traffic control, support staff, and passengers
- Using the equipment properly to fly planes and land them at their destinations on time
The daily journeys of an airline pilot will take them to a multitude of new cities and countries. Being an airline pilot is one of the few jobs that pay well and definitively requires traveling every time they clock in.

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Director Of Sales

Average Annual Salary: $127,012
Job Openings: 1,763

A director of sales is responsible for managing the sales operation of the team, ensuring that members comply with the sales strategies and procedures in meeting sales goals. This means traveling to clients and potential customers to close deals and keep sales coming in. Because of the importance of the role, a high salary is commanded. A sales director must have excellent leadership and decision-making skills to support and acknowledge the team’s best efforts.
Senior Product Manager

Average Annual Salary: $134,508
Job Openings: 3,713

A senior product manager oversees the workflow and workforce involved in product and service development, ensuring a high return for its investments. They are primarily responsible for assessing and providing recommendations, producing review and reference documents, and obtaining feedback from consumers and high-ranking company personnel. Furthermore, as a senior product manager, they must lead a group of product managers, motivating and supervising them in their joint effort to accomplish goals according to the company’s standards and policies.
Cruise Director

Average Annual Salary: $43,237
Job Openings: 5,103

After spending the year tediously working away, many vacation-goers choose to pack their travels into an organized cruise. It takes a lot of the planning out of exploring and adds an element of fun while staying on the massive boat out at sea.

A cruise director is an individual who runs the passenger entertainment and activities portion of the experience while on the boat. The cruise director will act as the liaison between happenings on the vessel and the passengers who are looking to let loose. They also do a lot of work to manage the safety of all passengers on board.

Being a cruise director is an interesting option for people who enjoy customer service interactions but don’t want to be tied to one location. While aboard the cruise ship, directors get to explore unique routes through the sea to tropical lands and alluring attractions.

It’s a great position for someone who wants to see the world and spend a lot of their professional time on the ocean.

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Event Planner

Average Annual Salary: $44,411
Job Openings: 15,981

An enormous amount of planning goes into spectacular events like weddings, product releases, and fundraising functions. Event planners conceptualize, coordinate and execute the ideal soirée for any occasion. The duties of an event planner demand advanced organizational skills and a knack for networking.

Oftentimes, this kind of work takes event planners to exciting places where their parties are set or the materials for their functions are located. Depending on their exact niche of event planning, these professionals can travel anywhere to both nearby cities and distant countries.

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Scout

Average Annual Salary: $47,112
Job Openings: 633

A trained location scout often seeks out the brilliant places that movies, television, and photographers manage to capture on film. Location scouts often start as production assistants before making their way up the ranks.

Finding the perfect place to shoot the commercial for a new beer product or the ideal location to secretly capture the authenticity of a proposal involves a decent amount of research.

There’s trial and error to the detective work that a location scout must do to discover the unique place they’re seeking. They must communicate effectively with other production team members to find what they’re looking for too.

As the name entails, the job of a location scout involves traveling to different places in search of an ideal spot. A scout will work on a wide variety of projects throughout their career, and each will take them to different types of locations.

Sometimes it might just bring them to an interesting location within their city, but occasionally, it can take them as far as different continents.

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ESL Teacher

Average Annual Salary: $48,320
Job Openings: 37,225

An ESL teacher is specially trained to build student’s knowledge of English when it is their second language. This involves preparing materials, assigning homework, and designing effective lessons that encourage fluency of English in non-native speakers.

ESL teachers must also evaluate students’ performance over time to ensure they’re hitting milestones that lead towards fluency.

While being an ESL teacher isn’t necessarily a job that requires travel, it’s very common for people in this occupation to teach abroad. Many professionals who go into a career as an ESL teacher find that their services are mainly required outside of the United States.

As of 2021, there are approximately 250,000 native English speakers who work abroad as ESL teachers. These teachers work at 40,000 language institutes and schools from around the globe [1].

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Truck Driver

Average Annual Salary: $51,066
Job Openings: 352,358

A truck driver is responsible for the safe and timely transport of goods to various locations. This requires strong communication with dispatchers, adhering to all traffic and driving laws, and paying attention to any potential mechanical issues that could arise during the journey.

Truck drivers have been known to make stops closer to home, but most of their work is completed with long-haul drives. This involves driving to different states or even opposite coastlines to carry materials where they need to go.

While the travels required for a truck driving position aren’t as glamorous as other jobs, it still involves a great deal of exploration across the open roads.

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Executive Recruiter

Average Annual Salary: $57,170
Job Openings: 62,329

The process of hiring a new employee is incredibly expensive for companies to accomplish, and they want to make sure they get it right the first time. That’s why they entrust the services of executive recruiters to identify promising prospective hires and assess their skills.

This includes discussing in detail the organization’s hiring needs and customer base, conducting a lot of research into the industry, and tracking potential candidates through various ways.

While it might not seem like it has much to do with being an executive recruiter, the position often requires some level of travel. Potential employees for major companies aren’t always located conveniently in the same city.

Much of the time, an executive recruiter will be expected to travel to various locations to get familiar with promising candidates or sell them on a particular job.

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Environmental Scientist

Average Annual Salary: $58,036
Job Openings: 29,804

Environmental scientists conduct research that assists them in identifying potential hazards to humans and our home planet. Their job is also to help hypothesize solutions to imminent risks, like pollution. They usually work for the government or independent programs in pursuit of environmental knowledge.

Some of an environmental scientist’s duties include:
- Deciding on the proper way to collect data
- Analyzing samples of materials like soil
- Writing reports to detail findings
- Outlining plans to control environmental damage
Though they spend a decent percentage of their career in labs, they also conduct much fieldwork. To find the information that their job requires, many environmental scientists must travel for work to various types of locations.

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Travel Writer

Average Annual Salary: $59,197
Job Openings: 11,069

There is a huge audience of people who are curious about faraway places and attractions. Travel writers are the individuals who provide this sort of content on unique spots, restaurants, and sites.

Travel writers are often self-employed or freelancing professionals who write about the industry of travel in general and particular locations of interest that the public might want to know more about.

This could be anything from a detailed exposès about the quality of an upscale restaurant in Paris to information about the best natural wonders to visit in Vietnam.

Unsurprisingly, writing reviews and guidelines about incredible destinations does demand a lot of travel. Travel writers are commonly required to travel to various exciting locations that they write about to gather firsthand accounts and information.

Most writers in this niche are also full-time travelers to ensure that they always have a generous amount of material to work with.

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House Sitter

Average Annual Salary: $61,729
Job Openings: 6,811

When people leave their homes for an extended amount of time, it helps to have peace of mind knowing that it’s well taken care of. To gather this peace of mind, homeowners enlist the services of a trustworthy housesitter. An international house sitter travels around the globe to stay in people’s homes and take care of them.

International house sitters are masters of organization and communicating from a distance. They relay all information to homeowners to ensure that they can enjoy themselves without worrying while they’re away.

Some of their general professional tasks include:
- Maintaining proper security on the premises
- Household cleaning duties, lawn care, and pool maintenance
- Caring for plants and animals
- Forwarding phone calls and mail
- Contacting home service providers like plumbers when needed
There is a huge market for international house sitters who are willing and ready to travel abroad at a moment’s notice because it’s more difficult to find an abundance of clients when staying local. Many people who become international house sitters get into the industry for its perks of consistent travel opportunities.

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Marine Biologist

Average Annual Salary: $61,804
Job Openings: 1,767

There is an entire world of activity lurking under the surface of the ocean that humans know very little about. Marine biologists are the individuals who work towards building a greater understanding of the ocean and the creatures that reside in it.

There are many science-related activities that go into a career as a marine biologist, but there’s also a fair amount of exploration too.

The days of a marine biologist consist of:
- Researching the ocean and marine life
- Data collection
- Monitoring the populations of ocean animals
- Studying the impacts of humans on the ocean environment
- Examining the feature of marine animals
- Writing up research reports of findings
Travel is required for multiple facets of a marine biologist’s job. Marine biologists must travel to attend various conferences related to their studies and conduct their hands-on research. If you’re planning on a career as a marine biologist who mainly does field research, you’re likely in for a lifetime of traveling to exotic locations.

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Entertainer

Average Annual Salary: $61,892
Job Openings: 169

Another position that comes with its fair share of traveling is being an entertainer. Entertainers showcase their particular artistic talents like dancing, singing, or theatre to capture an audience’s attention.

The occupation requires a great deal of commitment to the craft and above-average teamwork skills. It is also common for the job of an entertainer to require traveling. Many entertainers go on tour to different cities or even counties for greater exposure. They’ll also often work in resorts or on cruises that take them to distant lands.

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Traveling Nurse

Average Annual Salary: $70,233
Job Openings: 265,800

A travel nurse fills the same role as one who stays in the same location, but their job also requires them to travel. This could involve traveling between various healthcare facilities to provide their services or acting in short-term roles because a particular location lacks staffing.

These types of nurses will also be dispatched to other countries that are in need of medical services to provide a helping hand.

Depending on the location that they’re working in, a travel nurse must have special training. For example, if they’re headed to a foreign country to assist with a disease that’s wreaking havoc, they’ll need to be trained in the treatment of this affliction.

While being a travel nurse is a time-consuming and difficult job, it’s extremely rewarding and gives you the chance to make a difference in various places while traveling.

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Jobs That Require Travel And Pay Well FAQ

How do I get paid to travel?

To get paid to travel, you’ll need to find a job that requires you to travel. People often immediately think of corporate jobs that require employees to take regular business trips when they think of jobs that require you to travel, but there are some occupations that are actually designed around travel instead of just needing you to take a trip every once in a while.

For example, a position as a cruise director, truck driver, or airline pilot has traveling in the job description. You might not get a lot of choice in where you go, how long you stay, or what you do there, but you will get the opportunity to see more of the country and the world than the average person does, and you’ll get paid to do it.

If you care more about quality than quantity, a career as a travel writer, a travel nurse, an ESL teacher, or a news reporter might be enjoyable for you. Yes, you’ll have to go where you’re assigned, but you’ll usually get to spend a significant amount of time in the location rather than a day or two at a time.

There are a number of other careers that involve a lot of travel as well. Working in a scientific research field such as marine biology or environmental science, for example, will also often come with a significant amount of travel as you conduct research, meet with other scientists, and attend conferences.

These excursions will often be a bit more like a business trip in nature, but often they’ll take you to more exotic places than the average sales or recruiting business trip would, and they’ll allow you to get to see them up-close and personal. You may even get the opportunity to do research in an interesting corner of the world for an extended period of time.
How do I live a travel lifestyle?

You live a travel lifestyle by making travel a priority. That means choosing a job that either requires you to travel or gives you the resources to travel, and it means keeping travel as a priority as you choose how to allocate your time, money, and energy.

One of the first steps to doing this is by setting up a travel fund that you add to each month. This may mean giving up some other non-essential items you’d like to purchase, but it’ll be worth it, and you’ll be surprised by how fast those little expenses add up in your travel fund.

Many people also choose to downsize their homes so that they have less to worry about while they’re on the road and more money to put towards travel, and others work to build reward points by using just one airline and one hotel chain.

To live a travel lifestyle, you’ll also need to be creative about how you travel and take opportunities as they come to you. You likely won’t be able to take elaborate, month-long trips regularly, but you can take advantage of your three-day weekends by planning a quick trip to the mountains or nearby city.

Make your travel funds stretch farther by looking for opportunities to visit friends who live in interesting places and visiting places during their off-seasons. Subscribe to email lists that send out travel deals, and keep an eye on flights as they go on sale throughout the year.

Living a travel lifestyle isn’t just about visiting exotic and glamorous locations: It’s also about having a travel mindset everywhere you go. Work to see the beautiful, interesting, and unique parts of every location you find yourself in, whether that’s your hometown, a road trip pit stop, or a remote village across the world.
What job allows you to travel the world?

A job as an airline pilot, cruise director, or flight attendant allows you to travel the world. In these jobs, your workplace is moving you from one location to another, so you’ll by default get to travel the world.

You won’t necessarily get to choose your destination or have an extended, leisurely stay at each place you visit, but you’ll be exposed to a wide variety of locations across the globe. In addition, these jobs usually come with perks such as deeply discounted airfare or cruises, allowing you to travel where you want to go on your off time.

If none of these roles interests you, there are other jobs that allow you to travel the world as well. A role as an ESL teacher, for example, can give you the opportunity to work in other countries teaching English to students.

If you’re more interested in short stays in a variety of places than in teaching somewhere exotic full-time, working in a role such as a travel agent or writer will also require you to travel for work.

These occupations will often send you to locations that are off the beaten path so that you can preview them for your readers and clients. Your trips won’t necessarily be vacations, but getting paid to test restaurants, excursions, and hotels in beautiful locales can’t be beaten.
Do travel agents travel?

Yes, travel agents travel. In order to be able to give their clients good advice, travel agents need to be familiar with the properties and locations they’re recommending, so they often go on “familiarization trips” to accomplish this.

On these trips, travel agents will visit and test hotels, restaurants, and activities so that they can confidently make recommendations and itineraries that their clients will enjoy. This makes for a trip full of long, busy workdays rather than a leisurely vacation, but it will allow you to explore the nooks and crannies of some of the most beautiful places in the world.

Many new hotels and resorts will even ask travel agents to come to stay with them for free so that you can recommend them to future guests – this can be a glamorous and fun perk, especially since you can sometimes invite a guest as well.

You will still have to be “on” professionally, but these trips can give you the opportunity to stay at beautiful properties you might not be able to otherwise.

Resources:

https://www.internationalteflacademy.com/blog/how-large-is-the-job-market-for-english-teachers-abroad

Author

Sky Ariella

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

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