Today we’re sharing some job inspiration for those who want to travel as a part of work! Whether that’s working in the tourism industry, being travel adjacent or traveling to fulfill your other job duties – we have options if you want to turn your passion for exploration into a career path.

This episode is brought to you by EPICKA Ultra-Lightweight Compression Packing Cubes (4pk) Use our 30% off discount code squad30off on Amazon or directly on their website EpickaTech.com

1. Flight attendant/Airline Industry
   1. Flight attendant- free/discounted/standby flights, travel often, overnight layovers, extended layovers 
   2. Najwa’s friend Caleb- free companion pass 
   3. Charlotte’s dad- manager for Delta- entire family can fly standby for free 

2. Travel Agent
   1. They plan the perfect trip for other people, so the have a lot of background knowledge of how the industry works 
   2. Discounts/perks for hotels, restaurants, activities
   3. Know insider information on the best rooms to book, discounted prices, etc 

3. Cruise worker
   1. Crew member 
   2. Work for a brand that operates on board or at port
   3. Work onboard as a hair stylist, spa services, cruise director 
   4. Ashley V
   5. Get to visit different ports 

4. Seasonal worker
   1. Seasonal workers take on temporary jobs aligned with specific times of the year, such as working at ski resorts in winter, guiding white-water rafting tours in summer, or supporting tourism in popular destinations during peak seasons. These roles offer flexibility, travel opportunities, and the chance to work in unique environments across various industries.
   2. Yachts, boats
   3. Ski resorts (Lake Tahoe, Mammoth, Vail, Telluride) 
   4. White water rafting- west virginia, 
   5. Alaska 
   6. Seasonal cities/areas- Bar Harbor Maine, Door County, WI, 
   7. Iceland

5. Tour guide
   1. Sharing their knowledge of the area while connecting with travelers from around the world.
   2. Tour Manager
   3. Local guide 
   4. Walking tours/free tours (some of them are paid, some are tip based)

6. Teach English abroad
   1. Commitment is usually for a school year-can travel in between holiday breaks or summer/winter breaks, but some contracts are up to 3 years long 

7. Travel Photographer/videographer
   1.  Travel photographers and videographers capture the essence of destinations, events, and experiences, often working with brands, tourism boards, or media outlets to showcase their work.

8. Event coordinator for travel events
   1. Event coordinators for travel events organize and manage various events such as travel expos, conferences, or festivals, combining logistical planning with a passion for travel.

9. Travel Blogger/Influencer/Podcaster/Vlogger
   1. These content creators share their travel experiences, tips, and recommendations through various online platforms, often earning income through sponsorships, partnerships, and affiliate marketing.

10. Destination wedding planner or destination wedding photographer:
    1. Destination wedding planners specialize in organizing weddings in exotic or remote locations, coordinating every detail from venues to guest accommodations to create unforgettable celebrations. 
    2. Destination wedding photographer: travel to the wedding destination to take wedding photographs 

10 Jobs in Travel – Episode Transcript

0:35

And get ready to embark on a new adventure with us around the globe.

Hey squaddies, Travel Squad Podcast is back with Just the Tip, our Friday mini episode series where we give you quick travel stories, hacks and recommendations to set you off into the weekend.

Right.

0:51

Today we’re sharing some job inspiration for those who want to travel as a part of work.

You know, one thing I kind of regret is not being more adventurous in my career, like when I was younger, maybe working on a cruise ship or being a flight attendant, because I feel like that would have just opened up opportunities to travel around the world even more.

1:12

And as we travel and we meet people in the travel industry, there are so many different types of jobs within travel that you may not even think about.

So I’m really excited to share this with you all and hopefully get you inspired.

So we’re going to share 10 travel related jobs, careers or even just a break from the normal corporate nine to five grind and say, hey, I’m going to take a year and do this or a little bit longer, maybe career switch, who knows.

1:40

But I agree with you, Brittany.

I look back and think, hey, I would love to work on a cruise ship.

I know somebody who has, they loved it.

Other travel related jobs.

I went to school with somebody who is a flight attendant as well.

They love it.

So we’re going to go over 10 here for you guys, give you that inspiration.

1:58

Britt, I was actually thinking of you when we interviewed Medjet and they were talking about the need for critical care nurses on their private jet ICU’s.

It’s like, Oh my God, that could be a job for Brittany.

I know, I know.

Unfortunately my job in nursing is on the opposite end of the spectrum, but had my career nurse path gone a little bit differently, might be thinking about that one.

2:20

I’m particularly excited about this episode because about a year ago I started really wanting a job that would send me on trips.

We’re going to talk about jobs that are more closely related to travel, but take me for example.

I started picking up event production jobs, experiential marketing jobs.

2:39

Those jobs occur in different destinations around the country or the world.

Conferences, trade shows, that kind of a thing.

So if you work in marketing, you could still have your corporate job, your 9:00 to 5:00, but as a part of your job, there’s some percentage of travel required for events.

2:56

That’s where I’m sitting right now.

Love it.

Well, let’s dive right into the 10 that we have here.

The first one right off the bat is something most people would probably think about, and that’s either flight attendant or something in the airline industry.

Flight attendants have so many perks outside of flying to destinations for free and getting to be put up in hotels for free during those waiting periods for your next flight, your next job, right?

3:21

But you also get perks with the job, like free discounted standby flights for you and your family.

Sometimes it’s an entire family, like Charlotte, her dad was the manager at Delta, and so her entire family can fly standby for free.

3:37

And sometimes you can fly with one individual.

Jamal’s sister Najwa, she actually has a friend who isn’t a flight attendant but he does work for an airline and he gets to add her on as like a free companion pass all the time, so she gets to fly for free with him.

That’s one I would love to change my career and go back to.

3:54

Flight attendant or just airline industry?

Flight attendants, you know, it’s a glamorous job, but I I know it’s hard work too.

What’s that movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, View from the top, that talks about her being a flight attendant and she wants to do it ’cause it’s all glamorous or that’s her idea of it.

4:11

And the goal is to get those big international long hauls versus short domestics.

I wonder if that’s a real thing.

So any flight attendants out there to let us know if that’s real?

That’s how you got to upgrade.

You want to get those big long haul flights be in business or first class.

That is the position.

4:26

That would make a good interview.

We need to find a travel agent to bring on someone that works in those high first class areas.

Well, Speaking of travel agent, that is the second travel related job that we have here for you guys.

I think a perk of being a travel agent, and Kim, you’ve mentioned this too, like when you went on your cruise, some of your family booked through a travel agent and they got some perks on the cruise that you didn’t book because you booked independently, even though you were able to find a little bit of a better price.

4:54

But I feel like it really balances out, like your family got free champagne and stuff like that.

So if you like travel agents, they know the perks and they have some background knowledge and hookups, so they can really elevate your experience and personalize it a little bit more.

And then use it for themselves.

5:11

Discounts on hotels and restaurants and activities.

That’s something that I was even thinking about doing for myself and I’ve had this conversation with Brittany is getting my travel agent certification or license or whatever it is for here in California.

And I don’t necessarily want to do it as a career or side gig, but we book so much travel that why would I not do it through my travel agency business?

5:36

Get those perks in the hotel on the cruise or whatever discounts.

Plus it’s no more expensive to go through a travel agent than book it direct.

But the travel agent gets a little bit of kickback, so why not make our trip even cheaper by getting the kickback on something that we were already going to buy?

5:54

So that is a thought roaming through my head, travel agent.

One other perk of travel agents are fam trips or familiarization trips, Tours and boards and different organizations will host travel agents in their destination, show them around, get them familiar with the hotels, restaurants, destination experiences, all of that hosted.

6:14

So they can speak to it better and sell it to their clients, right?

Oh OK, I really like this.

All three of us, let’s get our travel agent license credentialing.

Let’s do it.

Squattys, if you need a trip booked, reach out.

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6:35

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7:00

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7:21

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7:51

So we kind of talked about this one at the very beginning and the next job that we’re going to talk about is being a cruise worker.

You may think crew member right away, but there are so many different jobs aboard.

You can be a hair stylist, you can work in the spa, you could be the cruise director even if you have a great personality, but there’s so many shops on board that also work at port.

8:14

So you don’t just have to be a crew member working in a restaurant or taking care of like the rooms and doing rooms service and stuff like that.

If you are musically inclined, play an instrument, sing, dance.

Those are all positions on a cruise ship.

A comedian for example, they always have that as some of the late night shows, comedy they have, dancing, all sorts of stuff.

8:36

If you have some sort of craft, believe it or not, I’m sure you can apply on a cruise ship for any sort of position.

We had a beautiful lady named Ashley V on our podcast a couple of times.

The first one she talked all about the several years that she spent working on a cruise ship.

8:52

And she’s back on working on a cruise ship.

Yes, she is the lady that gets to wear the diamonds and give you the presentation about jewelry.

Like what an amazing job and to do it in these exotic destinations too.

And you always get a day off.

Usually in the cruise industry, you work 6 out of seven days, but you get a day off.

9:10

And so you get to explore different ports and so you’re traveling while you’re working and you’re not paying for.

Lodging or.

Food or lodging or anything like that, so it’s great. #4 on our list is going to be a seasonal worker.

9:26

Now you may be thinking seasonal worker, what does that mean?

But if you like winter sports, you could work at a ski or snowboard lodge.

When we were in Iceland, I was so shocked to see how many people with the tours that we did were not even from Iceland or Icelandic.

9:42

They were from other countries, the US or Europe.

When we did the Silfra snorkel in the fissure, it was different type of guides who have those certifications to do that and take you in.

So there are a lot of seasonal jobs that you can just travel to and do what you like.

9:57

Yachts and boats are also on deck for seasonal jobs, right?

A lot of them take place during warmer months.

And there’s a lot of different positions on yachts and boats too, from the servers to people that help with actually tying ropes and guiding boats, you know, doing boat things.

10:16

I don’t know exactly what they do, but those are all jobs if you are boat inclined.

And you know, you guys mentioned actual jobs within like seasonal workers, but there are seasonal cities or areas even like Alaska’s a huge summer destination for seasonal workers.

10:32

So was Bar Harbor, ME, or even Door County, Wisconsin when?

We were up in Jasper, Canada.

They had those cabins for the seasonal workers to stay there because there wasn’t a lot of nearby hotels and whatnot, and the people would come in for the season, work and then leave.

So there’s a lot of opportunities to jump and bounce around.

10:50

And I feel like once you get into a seasonal working type job, there are other people that know of other spots.

And so it’s very easy to jump around and you know, do something in the summer or do something in the spring, do something in the fall or winter and just have a year round job.

11:06

But it’s going to be different based off of what area you are and what kind of seasonal work you’re doing.

It’s kind of a cool one too, because say the Jasper example, you’re living there, you’re working nonstop essentially during the season.

When you’re offseason, you probably have a lot of money stacked up, which you can then take to travel.

11:27

I wish we would have done this like let’s do.

It Let’s quit our jobs.

What would be your seasonal working craft?

What would you do?

Yacht life, baby yacht life.

You know.

Anything about boats, Kim, or would you just be serving?

People, I’ll just make the beds.

OK.

All right, fair.

Enough I can make a mean bed.

I would love to be like a tour guide or operator in like Alaska and take people on like guided hikes and things like that kayak.

11:50

I think that would be really fun.

I can see you out there with your bear spray.

Stay close.

What about you, Jamal, would be your job of choice in?

The oh gosh, I would find a cool city that I really like to talk about that had some very interesting history and maybe do some walking tours.

I think that would.

Be fun walking tours.

12:07

I know what you’re trying to get into.

Oddly enough, that happens to be the next thing on our list is a tour guide.

I guess you could do walking tour guides or any other type of tours.

With a tour guide, there’s different levels that you can be.

You could be The Walking tour guide who spends a couple hours with a Group A couple times a day, or you can go all out and be something like a tour manager for a gate One trip where you’re with this group of 30 people for like a week straight.

12:35

I know you love tour guides, Kim.

What’s your preferred tour guide?

Someone you just see for a few hours.

Yeah, you know, I like to see as many tour guides as I can.

So a couple hours here with this one, move on to the next.

You know, we’re making an inside joke.

If you go back and listen to our Cusco, Peru episode, you may go ahead and get it.

12:53

There’s no need to talk about it on this mini.

But we are specifically talking about walking tours then at this point.

But our first one was in Cusco, Peru.

We really loved it, these walking you usually, you know, don’t even have to pay for.

So squaddies just recommend you do a walking tour as a patron, let alone maybe go into this as a side gig or anything like that for travel.

13:17

But they are free.

You learn a lot.

First one was Cusco like I mentioned, but we’ve done it in Salzburg, Austria.

In New Orleans we did a free walking ghost tour, Voodoo tour.

It’s a great way to get familiar with a city, get the lay of the land and then do your own thing after to the fact.

13:35

I really love that.

But I wonder what really goes into being a tour guide for something like a gate one or a travel company with when you’re with a large group for a week.

Like what do you have to do to get to that level?

I also wanted to be a safari guide.

One time after we came back from our safari, I told Brittany I said I would learn so much about the animals here and I would love to do that.

13:56

But I think that would be very hard to get into just driving safari vehicles in Africa, but really awesome nevertheless.

And then there’s the level kind of in between where you’re a local guide.

So on a lot of the gate one tours, for example, you’ll go to a city, you’ll pair up with a local guide and they’ll share the knowledge about the area.

14:12

Usually they’re from that area or have lived in that area for a long time, learn about the history, the cuisine, see some things unique to the area and they really just specialize in that area Versus like the tour manager who organizes and make sure people gets to every destination on time and kind of just like has general knowledge, but the local guide has more specific knowledge.

14:35

Squatty’s This is a good time to mention tour guides slash itineraries.

So we have downloadable itineraries on our website travelsquadpodcast.com and it’s essentially like APDF download tour guide.

It has your entire flight of your trip in order, how long it takes to get to each place, how long you need in each destination, the prices for things, information about it, squad tips along the way, photos to really entice you to go.

15:03

Tons of other resources on the on the website too.

But if you’re going to do anything, go to travelsquadpodcast.com and check those out.

Some of them are free.

So the next job we’re going to talk about in travel is being a teacher abroad.

Typically, teachers are needed to teach English abroad.

15:19

And we’ve actually interviewed someone.

We had a guest named Matt.

He is the host of Making Moves with Matt podcast, and he’s lived in Spain, South Korea and even Turkey teaching English.

That episode was so interesting because I always thought if you’re going to teach English and say Korea, you have to know Korean and English, but that’s not the case.

15:41

So Squatty’s, if you’re listening and maybe this one is drawing your attention, go back and listen to that episode with Matt.

It’s very enlightening, very inspiring.

I almost took a second job over there.

We even have a squatty named Lauren, and she moved to Japan to teach English as well.

15:59

And being able to watch her adventures and stories and stuff, it’s so interesting, like how much you learn of a culture by like living there and really immersing yourself there.

Usually the commitment to teach English abroad is for a full school year, but when that school has a break, you can travel on their holiday breaks.

16:19

And then there’s summer and winter breaks as well.

So if you’re already in, let’s say, Asia, you can get to A to a lot of other countries in Asia and it’s a great way to travel.

But some contracts are up to three years long.

So just keep that in mind when you’re looking for a job.

16:35

One for the creatives is travel photographer or travel videographer where you can actually be paid to go to destinations and capture landscape photos, culture photos, people photos and videos to be used in publications for brands own websites.

16:52

Could be an in house job or a gig work job where you’re sent off on different assignments.

Yeah, if you are artistically inclined, I think this would actually be really cool.

When we were in Uganda, as a matter of fact, we kept running into two guys.

17:08

I believe they were from where Denmark or I can’t remember, probably Denmark, right?

And they just had big cameras, different types of attachment and lenses.

And we finally asked them after seeing them so many times in the same spots, like, hey, what are you guys doing?

17:24

Oh, we work for a magazine publication in our country.

We’re getting wildlife photos.

I’m like, these guys are getting awesome safari action all for free, being paid.

You’re going out here having this great time travel photography or videography would be an amazing career.

17:40

I wish I was more into photography and videography.

I do want to get a camera, but I feel like if I get one I’m really not going to put in the effort that I think I will.

Not with that attitude.

I know, I know, I need to change that.

I believe it or not.

I started reading a lot about aperture and light entering the lens and how you’re supposed to do stuff.

17:58

But there was a lot of confusing terminology for me.

But I just need to really get back into it.

But I would love to really get a good camera and take amazing high quality photos. #8 would be someone who works in event coordination or I mentioned the beginning event marketing even this could be specifically for travel events like conferences, travel Expos, festivals, even.

18:22

There’s a lot that goes into event planning where there’s people that coordinate on the front end.

They plan the logistics, the layout, the vendors that are coming in, and then of course they travel to the event to manage and make sure everything that they plan is brought to life.

18:39

It doesn’t have to be just travel events.

So like I said earlier, this could be experiential marketing, pop ups, music festivals, conferences, or trade shows for industries completely outside of travel.

But say you have to go to Lisbon, Portugal to run a financial advisor conference.

18:56

Well, you are in Lisbon, Portugal and then on your off time, you get to explore that destination on the company’s dime.

We’re looking to do a travel conference in this upcoming year and the one that we’re looking at is going to in Quebec.

And before the conference starts, there are two days of day trips.

19:14

And so being able to like actually host that event and take people on day trips and then organize the conference like that would be super cool to do.

And you’d meet a ton of people in the travel industry and travel brands.

And it’s just a huge marketing opportunity as well.

I think what you just mentioned, Brittany also really leads into #9 on our list, which is being a travel Blogger, influencer, podcaster, Blogger, etcetera, whatever you want to be, that can be something that you do because that’s why we are going to that event in Quebec.

19:45

So get out there.

I mean, you see so many people these days just with big large social media followings and all they’re doing is really travelling, posting, telling you about stuff.

And what better way to get into the travel industry and career than doing this and sharing information with.

People, if you’re already someone that likes travel and then you’re creating content out of it and you can turn it into a business opportunity.

20:07

You’re able to write off your travel expenses, so you created your own business where technically you’re paying for your own travel.

But in a way, some of it comes back to you.

And then it starts to just have a ripple effect that gains momentum, right?

20:23

Maybe you get some comped experiences, like at the TEABEX conference in Quebec, or maybe you start getting contacted by tourism boards who want to bring you out to their destination to show you around on one of those.

Yeah, there’s a lot of different ways to monetize travel blogging, influencing podcasting in their sponsorship partnerships, affiliate marketing.

20:46

So you dip into a little bit of each of that and eventually it starts to really add up.

So definitely look into it if you’re interested.

Last one, number 10 is for not the faint of heart someone who is a destination wedding planner or even a destination wedding photographer working in the wedding business.

21:07

I think that destination weddings, they’ve always been around right, But I I’m hearing about them a lot more.

I know someone that’s getting married in Italy this November.

I know another couple friend of mine that got married in Italy and even my Co worker got married in Portugal a year ago.

21:26

So it’s happening.

They all have photographers there.

They’re bringing their photographers from the US and they need someone in that destination or that’s familiar with planning destination weddings to help them coordinate all the details and the location and the wedding certificate and the legal processes.

21:47

We actually have a squatty.

Her name is Audrey, and she is a wedding photographer.

And you pay for the travel expenses.

And so she gets to enjoy a destination.

And she could probably add on some other days after the wedding, before the wedding to, you know, just enjoy herself.

22:04

But I think this would be a great way to travel and see other amazing locations because people don’t get married and just like.

Well, actually I have a story about that.

Oh, OK.

So a friend of mine was going to get married here in San Diego, and this happened to be during COVID.

22:20

They had to change it and they ended up getting married in Sandpoint, ID which is very close to Spokane, WA.

I know where Sandpoint.

Is I’m.

Actually driven through Sandpoint.

Coeur d’Alene, yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

It’s a beautiful area, but there’s not much out there.

22:35

Right.

OK.

And this was kind of a last minute change and they already had a photographer picked out here in San Diego.

Well they paid for her travel to come to Sandpoint ID for the weekend to take the photos and I’m sure she got to explore the area.

But there wasn’t much to explore.

22:51

Well, it might be really beautiful and off the grid.

Little fishing.

You know, get to decompress a little bit, got to spin it the right.

Way.

But the great thing is you can pick and choose your assignment.

That is very true.

As we head into the new year, hopefully this has inspired some possible career changes, maybe a little side gig action.

23:13

So thank you so much, Squattys, for tuning into this week’s Just the Tip.

Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on all the socials at Travel Squad Podcast.

And have fun travelling this weekend.