Working while travelling is something that more and more people are now researching and trying out. Slower, longer-term travel is becoming a new norm around the world and, working while travelling, is a fast-growing component in this style of tourism. I remember when I was living, working and travelling in Latin America for 2 years – it was quite a unique thing – but now, it seems, every man and his dog is giving it a go, so why shouldn’t you?!
Great tools, such as Jetsetter Jobs, are now making the idea that you can work while you travel even easier. Indeed finding a job somewhere on the other side of the globe has never been easier. Nor is it restricted to the more traditional routes of teaching English or working in a hostel. Although these are still 2 great options to consider if you’re looking to work while you travel, the sorts of possibilities for jobs you can now undertake while you’re on the road are vast and growing. Be it redesigning business logos, menus or brands to becoming the resident backpacker hairdresser, tour guide or divemaster, the scope and calibre of work you can find when travelling is ever increasing.
So why not jump on the bandwagon and consider working as part of your next global adventure too? Here are 4 great reasons why we think you should definitely consider working while you travel.
It Allows you to Travel Longer
There’s no doubt that working while you travel always allows you to extend the amount of time you’re away from home. If you’re earning money while you’re abroad, then you’re going to have more funds and this is certainly going to help you travel for longer. Every little helps, as they say, so even if you don’t earn as much as you would working at home, working while abroad is still going to help you prolong your adventure.
The fact that working while travelling will help you extend your holiday is probably the most common reason travellers look to find work while they’re away, at least I know it’s certainly mine. When I found myself falling in love with the country of Nicaragua, for example, I knew I was going to have to find some source of income to help me stay there. Despite only earning the local wage of $10 a day, my job in a café covered my living expenses, including rent, food and drink, and meant I could save my other money for when the time came to leave Nicaragua and travel south.
It Teaches you Different Skills
There’s no doubt that much of the work you’ll find while travelling is likely to be different from the type of work you do at home. That’s because the opportunities are different elsewhere in the world and so is the demand.
As a traveller, it is perhaps most likely that you’ll come across work in the tourist industry, such as within a hostel, restaurant, tour company or activities centre. Saying that however work on farms, in schools, nannying and on building projects is also common. Some, or all of the stuff you might find yourself doing while away, could be different very to the work you normally undertake at home. My advice however, is to embrace this difference and treat work while you’re travelling as a key opportunity to learn some different skills. See it as a chance to experience something new and you never know what you might learn or discover you enjoy.
When I first started wwoofing in New Zealand, I knew very little about farming or growing food. By the time I reached Australia however, I was amazed by how much knowledge I’d picked up and by how much I actually enjoyed the physical work outside. Now I’m an avid gardener and love nothing more than being outside and working up a good sweat!
It Leads to some Great Friendships
Working while you travelling is also a super way to make some great friends … trust me! This is particularly beneficial if you are travelling solo and looking to find some fun people to hang out with or adventure with later. Working while you’re away can immediately bring you into close contact with people that are likely to have similar interests or be on similar paths to you. And believe me, there’s nothing like working a 7 hour shift behind a reception desk together when it comes to getting to know someone!
I’m delighted to say that I’ve met some of the most amazing people through working when I’ve been travelling – people that I’m still in contact with years later. Being thrust together when you are often both foreigners in a strange land is a great bonding situation and, more than likely, you’ll quickly move to spending time outside of work together too.
When I worked in Colombia, I also got the opportunity to work alongside people who weren’t just foreigners, but locals too. Working there was a great pre-curser to some awesome friendships, some of which would perhaps never have occurred had we not been doing the same job together. That’s because working while travelling can also throw you into shared situations with people who are very different to you, who come from a different part of the globe and view the world very differently. Working alongside them, operating as a team, is a great way to cross-cultural boundaries and learn more about the lives of everyday people in the place where you’re travelling. This leads me onto my 4th and final reason.
It Really Lets you Engage with a Place
Working while you travel will necessarily keep you in a single destination for a longer period of time than were you just passing through as a tourist. At the most basic level, this will allow you to engage more with a place, to get to know it better and to glean a deeper understanding of life here for local people than most tourists. Add into this equation the notion that you’ll probably be making some great friendships with local people, be they business owners or colleagues, and your sense of a destination, you’re engagement with local people and their culture, will certainly increase.
This is certainly one of the biggest benefits to working while travelling, indeed it’s one of the great benefits of travelling full stop. Working while you’re abroad presents you with a key opportunity to see how other people around the world live and operate on a day-to-day basis. It will give you an insight into a place, not just as a tourist passing through, but as someone who has a deeper understanding of the way life operates there based on personal experience. Now if that isn’t a reason why you should work while you travel, then I don’t know what is!
Steph from Big World Small Pockets
Thank you for reading 4 Reasons you Should Work While you Travel! Do you have experience in this field? What benefits did you gain? Let’s us know in the comments section below, we’d love to hear from you.
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