How To Find a Career That Involves Traveling

Last week, one of my readers, emailed me after reading my article “How to Travel the World in Your 20s“, and asked if I could elaborate on how to find a job that involves travel, and give some more insight on my own career. Her name is Erin and she sent me the following email:

After sitting down and writing a much longer response than I originally intended, I realized how much this advice may help other travelers out there that were working a 9-5.  So, thanks to Erin, here is my advice for finding a full time career that involves travel (and that doesn’t involve being a flight attendant, taking a job on a cruise ship, joining a circus, etc.)…

I don’t have a step by step process on how to find a job that involves travel, but I can tell you what has worked for me:

1. Being in the Right Field

Marketing and sales jobs allow you to travel more, especially outside sales which will give you the opportunity to visit clients in other regions of the United States, or even the world. If you can find a company that attends trade shows, that is also really beneficial, since trade shows are usually held in great locations.

There are obviously other jobs that you could be fit for depending on your degree, I just work in marketing/sales so I know more about that field. For example, if you’re in accounting, a lot of companies offer sabbatical programs or have offices all over the world (that you could move or travel to).  If you have a nursing degree, you can become a traveling nurse.

During a conference in Lisbon

2. Finding the Right Size Company

I find that it’s better to work for a smaller company. If you do sales for a large company, you are usually given a territory, which means you will be constricted to a certain region of the US. I work for a company thats around 45 people, we only have 2 marketing/sales people, so when we have a tradeshow or clients to visit, I have to be the one going.

Visiting clients in Shanghai

3. Make it Known

Make it known that you want to travel. When you interview for jobs, let them know that you are more than willing to attend conferences, trade shows, visit clients, etc. Be outgoing, and be the person they will want to send out to represent the company.

Visiting clients in Brussels

4. Use Travel as a Keyword

When looking for jobs in search engines, search for the keyword “travel”. A lot of jobs will state in the job description that a job requires traveling, to weed out the people that don’t want to travel a lot (they do exist).

5. Work From Home

Find a marketing/sales role where you can work from home. I used to work in an office, then in February I offered to move to the west coast for my company in order to grow our sales out there. They surprisingly went for it, and now I live in San Diego and am working from home. I meet a lot of people doing sales/marketing out here that work for sales offices. Usually their jobs involve calling/emailing clients and visiting their offices. This would give you more time to travel. Don’t be afraid to ask your company if you have a good idea that will benefit you both. Use the method above to find jobs where you can work from home, or try sites like https://weworkremotely.com/.

During a conference in San Diego (before moving)

6. Find Out Where Potential Employers Do Business

Find a company thats involved in international business. Look at their websites and see if they potentially have business in other countries, or ask them where their clients are located in the interview. During my first interview, my interviewer asked if I had a passport, and the rest was history.

During a conference in Berlin

As for the rest of Erin’s questions…

For my trip to Thailand, Cambodia, & Singapore, I actually used my own vacation days (and actually went a little over). If you’re willing, ask your company if you are allowed to go over your vacation days (without extra pay). For my month in Asia (China, Japan, South Korea), I attended a conference in Beijing and then visited clients in China, Japan, and South Korea. My road trip across the US was when my company allowed me to move out to California. I asked if I could drive my belongings out there myself which was actually cheaper than a moving van (saving my company money and allowing me to go on a road trip).

The trick is to find situations that will benefit you and the company you work for. Employers appreciate people with good ideas, don’t be afraid to share yours.

And don’t be afraid to reach out if you have any questions or want advice on traveling or planning a trip. I love to hear from our readers and your questions give me great ideas for new posts that will be helpful to others!