Top 10 High-Paying Jobs That Involve Traveling

Top 10 travel jobs let you see the world while earning money.

Salary and benefits matter, but choosing a career is important too. If you love checking out new spots, jobs that let you travel could be the best deal for you.

While there are many careers with travel opportunities outside of the travel industry itself, professions like travel agent, cruise director, and pilot make excellent choices.

We've put together some of the best job descriptions for careers that let you hit the road for work, from sales to accounting.

Check out these 10 awesome jobs that let you travel!

1. Reporters and journalists
You don't have to be a war correspondent to explore the world as a journalist. Some folks stick to local and regional publications, keeping it close to home, while others hit the road, traveling all over for research on long-form articles and documentaries. Being a journalist entails gathering and disseminating information, which entails searching for unique and captivating stories from around the globe—ideal for individuals seeking employment opportunities that allow them to discover new locations.

What skills do you need? Great writing and research skills

Requirements: Usually, you need an undergrad degree or a media apprenticeship.

2. Sales representatives
While door-to-door sales are no longer common, corporate sales representatives still need to travel extensively. You might find yourself working for a pharmaceutical, manufacturing, or tech company in this kind of role. Your role will require you to showcase the latest products, respond to inquiries, and monitor their usage. It's not just about visiting sites in person; you really have to spend time with clients to seal those deals—sometimes a Zoom call just doesn't do the trick. Keeping positive relationships with your contacts is crucial for doing well in this kind of job.

What you need is good communication and people skills, along with some experience in customer service.
Qualifications: Sometimes, you might need a degree in sales, business, or marketing.

3. Consultant for management
Are you seeking a position that requires some travel and provides substantial compensation? Do you enjoy being your own boss? Think about giving consulting a shot. Management consultants hit the road, both in the country and abroad, to work right at their clients' locations. They mainly help out by advising and assisting other companies to smooth out their processes and make things run a bit more efficiently. You’ll be on the go, hopping from one client spot to another, coming up with and putting into action business solutions, all while keeping those crucial client connections strong.

• What skills do you need? Skills in analysis and planning
• Qualifications: A degree or some kind of advanced certification in areas like business studies, management, finance, or math.

4. A public relations officer
Just like consultants, PR folks often hit the road to meet up with clients and come up with cool PR strategies. Some officers are with big corporate brands, while others are with agencies or doing their own thing as independent reps. If you're into managing talent at cool product launches or fancy red carpet events, this could be a great gig for you. It's perfect for someone who enjoys traveling and can keep up with a busy work vibe.

• What skills do you need? Talking and getting along with others
• Qualifications: A college course in something creative or marketing-related, or a degree or postgraduate course in marketing and PR are required.

5. Event planner/manager
Are you into meeting new folks and checking out new spots? If you make parties fun, consider becoming an event manager. This job is all about handling corporate events from beginning to end, like big international conferences and fundraisers. You will inspect various locations, arrange for entertainment and food services, and monitor the planning process to ensure everything remains on schedule and within budget.

• You must maintain organization, monitor the budget, and manage multiple tasks while maintaining composure under pressure.
• Qualifications: A university degree isn't a must, but having some courses in hospitality management, events management, and marketing can definitely help.

6. A travel nurse
If you're looking for a gig that lets you hit the road in the healthcare field, think about becoming a travel nurse. You will have the opportunity to significantly impact people's lives while working and living in various countries. Travel nurses head out wherever they're needed, whether it's in developing countries or places hit by disasters.

• What you need: emotional smarts, handling stress like a champ, and being flexible.
• Qualifications: The Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK or a similar organization abroad must approve a healthcare course.

7. Diplomatic service officer
Joining the foreign service for your government can be a solid pick for those looking to travel and work overseas. Being a diplomat puts you right in the middle of another country, where you get to be a key player connecting different departments. If you're looking at careers that involve international travel, working in diplomatic services is definitely one of the cooler options to check out. Responsibilities cover a range of tasks, from dealing with visa applications to translating treaties. In addition to living abroad for your job, you may occasionally need to travel between embassies.

• What you need is some background in the Civil Service locally, along with a genuine interest and understanding of international affairs.
• Qualifications: A relevant university degree, such as in international relations, economics, or history, is required.

8. A retail buyer
Being a retail buyer means you’re always on the go, juggling work and travel. As a buyer, you might be checking out the markets in Morocco for textiles and color trends, swinging by Italian ateliers to see the latest couture, or hitting up local factories to connect with suppliers. Buyers are always looking for cool, new products to bring to consumers, which means they often hit up trade shows and marketplaces.

You should possess strong communication and negotiation skills, along with a solid understanding of data analytics and market research. As for qualifications, you should have taken courses in marketing, fashion buying, and retail business management, and ideally, completed a graduate scheme with a retail company.

9. Construction manager
When you think about jobs that involve traveling, construction management doesn’t usually come to mind first. Construction managers handle residential and commercial projects everywhere, plus energy projects and mining adventures. Especially for commercial projects, these can be pretty huge, with locations spread across different cities and countries. A construction manager keeps an eye on building sites, checking in on how things are going and making sure the budget is on track, which means they need to be there in person quite a bit. Additionally, if you're looking for a job that involves travel and offers good pay, becoming an international construction manager is definitely a good fit.

Leadership, risk management, business management know-how, and a good grasp of the building and construction scene. Qualifications: An apprenticeship, some hands-on training, and a diploma or degree in areas like building studies, surveying, construction site management, or estimating. 

10. Financial Auditor 

Another unexpected job that sometimes involves travel is accounting or auditing. Corporate and financial auditors must thoroughly prepare all necessary investigative paperwork. Auditors spend days, weeks, or even months on-site to thoroughly examine company spending and prepare financial statements, ensuring that internal fraud controls are adequately implemented. Clients are totally on board with covering expenses since these services are vital for corporate travel management.

• What you need are good analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and a solid understanding of accounting and economics.
• Requirements: A degree in accounting, economics, IT and computing, or business and finance.

Which travel job has the highest pay?
It's difficult to pinpoint a specific overseas travel job with the highest salary, but generally, jobs that involve travel and offer good pay tend to be in the consulting or enterprise fields. Out of the jobs mentioned, being a management consultant will probably get you the best paycheck. You might also want to keep an eye on similar positions, like business analyst, management analyst, business systems analyst, strategy consultant, and others.

Tips for working while traveling
These days, with the proliferation of corporate productivity apps and the widespread availability of the internet, an increasing number of individuals are adopting a digital nomad lifestyle. Are you interested in exploring this trend? Let’s dive into a type of job that lets you work from just about anywhere, anytime: remote work.

Working from home
Numerous remote employees unwind at home; however, it is feasible to access work platforms from any location with Wi-Fi. More and more countries are rolling out remote working visas to attract long-term visitors. This includes places in Europe like Estonia, Germany, and Portugal, along with Caribbean spots like Bermuda and Barbados.

This lets you work and travel like never before, allowing you to earn cash while exploring the globe. Of course, this lifestyle is best for independent people without home responsibilities.

Common remote jobs include things like graphic design, copywriting, and web development. Online teachers and virtual assistants offer their services on digital platforms, keeping clients in touch via video chats.

What kind of jobs can you find in aviation or travel?
Simultaneously, many overseas travel jobs are industry-specific. Being in the aviation, travel, and tourism scene has its perks, like getting to travel for free with friends and family and even for yourself.

Airline crew member
Few jobs offer the opportunity to accumulate air miles as much as being a member of an airline crew. Flight attendants really get to see what business flights are all about. They can hop around to different cities in a day, offering outstanding customer service while keeping safety in check on each flight.

Travel planner
Since flight comparison sites and booking engines have made business travel a breeze to handle, do we still really need travel agents? Some travelers still like the personal touch that an agent offers, especially for unique experiences like cruises and safaris. Plus, many agents check out popular spots to give the best tips.

Travel writer
Travel writers are just like journalists, sharing their own adventures through storytelling. They visit unique or lesser-known locations to discover hidden treasures and create captivating itineraries for magazines, newspapers, and online travel websites.

Here are some tips for finding jobs that allow travel.
If you're looking into remote work or corporate gigs that let you travel, here are some tips to help your CV catch some attention.

1. Make your job search better.
Instead of just looking for certain job titles, check out companies that often post jobs with business travel and see how your skills fit in. So, make your search better by using keywords like ‘flexible’, ‘work from anywhere’, ‘travel required’, and ‘freelance’.

2. Take advantage of networking chances.
If there's a specific industry you're into, go ahead and sign up for some networking events. Going to a marketing or tech conference in person lets you get a sense of what the job is really like, plus you’ll meet some important new people that can help you get ahead of the competition. Check out social networks like LinkedIn to keep in touch and share what you're aiming for. If your network isn’t aware that you’re into a travel career, they won’t be able to hit you up with that awesome opportunity!

3. Customize your applications for jobs that involve travel.
If you have a passion for travel, it's important to start off positively, as not everyone shares your enthusiasm. Make sure to showcase your travel experiences in your cover letter and CV, especially highlighting any overseas jobs and remote work you've done. If you haven't had the chance to do any formal business travel yet, just point out the challenges you face outside the office.

Juggling travel and work while abroad

Those days of sticking to one spot are over—travel enthusiasts have tons of chances now in our connected world. There are plenty of jobs out there that let you travel, whether you're into retail, event planning, or even pharmaceutical sales. There's definitely something that’ll catch your interest!

Indeed, amidst the numerous benefits of business travel, it's crucial to maintain a close watch on expenses, bookings, and itineraries. That's where a solid corporate travel management system really helps out. Using a platform like Booking.com and Expedia for Business lets you handle all the little things in one spot, so you can kick back and enjoy all the cool experiences that come with international travel for work.