The best jobs you can do while travelling
Ever wanted to work from a beach in Thailand or under a canopy in the wilds of Africa? With these jobs, you can work from just about anywhere. Allow us introduce you to someone who does just that.
Whether the travel bug bit you long ago, or you’ve been planning your first overseas venture for years, the pull of far-off places is hard to resist.
If the idea of working while roaming the globe appeals to you, you may be wondering ‘what career should I have if I want to travel?’
Here are some of the best jobs you can do while travelling.
5 great jobs you can do while travelling
Writer
When you work as a writer, all you really need is a laptop and an internet connection. A career as a writer can take many forms, from running your own copywriting business to freelance journalism, technical writing for businesses to ghost writing people’s memoirs.
UX designer
UX designers are responsible for a digital product’s user experience. They focus on all facets of a product’s development (be that an app or a website, for instance) to improve how it is used and interacted with, for maximum user-satisfaction. As most of the work is digital or online, UX designers don’t have to be on-site to collaborate, freeing them to ensure user satisfaction from wherever they choose.
Accountant
Think an accountant is bound to their desk, crunching numbers from within a cubicle? These days, you’re more likely to find an accountant working from home—or better yet, from a resort in Fiji. Much of an accountant’s work is digitised, so as long as there’s a computer and Wi-Fi involved, accountants can take their work with them wherever they go.
SEO specialist
With digital marketing one of Australia’s biggest growth sectors, SEO specialists are in demand and the role is perfectly suited to freelance work. As an SEO specialist the digital world is your domain. And you can monitor daily performance metrics, research relevant keywords, and consider Google analytics from Lapland if your travel bug demands it.
Photographer
While travel photography is likely the first thing to pop into your head, it’s by no means the only path. Wedding photographers can shoot destination weddings or offer their services in different countries to coincide with their travels. Portrait photographers are in demand to capture travellers in exotic locations around the world. And fine art photographers can set up an online print store and sell images from anywhere.
Sounds good on paper. But what does working on the road really look like?
We asked photographer Lisa Michelle Burns, founder of The Wandering Lens, who’s made travel her career.
Travel photographer Lisa Michelle Burns
A love of far-flung places has been part of Lisa’s makeup for as long as she can remember. So, when it came time to choose a career path in high school, Lisa told her career counsellor she wanted to travel.
“You can imagine the reply I got, but I’m so proud that I managed to make it a reality and believe that it’s completely possible for anyone keen to merge their skills with travel experiences,” Lisa says.
Since then, Lisa has made travel her career, taking a dream role as a freelancer with Lonely Planet, based out of Europe before starting her own travel website, The Wandering Lens.
Lisa’s portfolio of clients is as varied as the destinations her work has taken her to (think Africa, Cook Islands, Japan, Greenland and Canada). She’s worked with world-class hotels and resorts, tour operators, and tourism boards while also offering travel guides and creative resources for fellow photographers. She’s also an Olympus OM SYSTEM ambassador—a credible advocate for the Olympus camera brand as proudly featured on their website.
How do you find work while travelling?
This is highly dependent on the career path you choose. Jobs like accounting and digital marketing may allow you to be employed by contract remotely, while others—like writing and photography, are perfectly suited to freelance work.
If the latter appeals, it’s good advice to get comfortable with putting yourself out there, pitching ideas to digital outlets, magazines, and other clients.
Lisa says after close to two decades working while travelling, about half of her work comes from past clients or website enquiries, but the other half still requires some pitching.
However, when your job is your passion, even the leg work seems less hard.
“I really enjoy planning and mapping out a photo-shoot or adventure and then researching which clients or brands align with the purpose of the imagery,” Lisa says.
The highs and lows of working from anywhere
Although more common now, it can sometimes be difficult to find an in-house role as an accountant or UX designer where your employer is okay with fully remote work. And for freelancers, the balancing act of finding work while fulfilling your commitments can be an art form.
“As most of my work is considered freelance, I need to continually balance having adventures, with ensuring there’s enough work coming in,” Lisa says.
But the pros? For those who live to explore new places, they make it all worthwhile.
Lisa says she thrives on the variety of her work. And when she’s in her element, camera in-hand? “Being in the moment, feeling the chilly air hit your face as you’re waiting to photograph sunrise somewhere spectacular is always such a high.”
Do you see yourself working while travelling? An online course can give you the qualifications you need to set sail. Explore thousands of courses from leading universities through Open Universities Australia.
Browse thousands of courses from leading Australian universities.
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