11 Travel Jobs That Got Me Here
People ask me all the time how I’ve managed to live abroad since 2011.
The honest answer? I worked. A lot! And not at one magical dream job either.
It took 11 very different travel jobs to get me here. Some paid really well. Some paid in free rent. One involved packing salt in the mountains of Thailand.
If you’re trying to figure out how to work abroad and travel longer, this is proof you don’t need a perfect plan. You just need to start somewhere. Here’s every job that kept me on the road, in order over the year.
1. English Teacher (Thailand)
This is how it all started.
I was desperate to get abroad, but I didn’t want a vacation. I wanted a life. And I was TERRIFIED of running out of money.
Sound familiar? That’s the fear that keeps most people home. Teaching English abroad was my answer, and honestly, it’s still one of the best answers out there.
I got my TEFL online, bought a one-way ticket, and started teaching in Thailand three days after landing. I’d never been to Asia. I was scared, alone, and had no clue what I was doing. I made it work anyway.
Teaching is the reason I’m able to do what I do today. It’s the easiest way in, you make money right away, and it can lead to all kinds of other things. It did for me.
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2. Online English Teacher (Everywhere)
This is where everything changed.
When I first researched working abroad, teaching English online basically didn’t exist. A few months into teaching in Thailand, I stumbled onto an online teaching job. I had no idea what I was getting into, got hired, and never looked back.
Classroom teaching was fun, but exhausting. Online teaching meant I could work from anywhere with Wi-Fi. For someone who wanted to keep moving, that was a no-brainer.
It also opened my eyes. If I could teach online, what else could I do online?
— 👉 TIP —
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3. Packager (South Africa)
Probably the most random one on this list.
After traveling around Southeast Asia, I spent a few months in South Africa. A friend’s family ran a small health tonic business, so I helped them package it in exchange for room, board, and some cash.
Not exactly a career move. But it’s a good example of how travel works once you’re out there. The more people you meet, the more little opportunities like this pop up. I was still teaching English online at the time, too.
4. Writer (Everywhere)
While teaching online, I went hunting for more ways to earn from my laptop. Digital nomad jobs were just starting to blow up, and I searched every single day for gigs. Anything that paid for another Pad Thai or another night somewhere new.
By then, I had over a year of travel stories. And people were willing to PAY me to write them. I started writing for other blogs and publications, and I was over the moon.
Read more: How to become a freelance content writer
5. Freelancer (Everywhere)
Writing led to more freelance work. Lots of it. Too much to list separately, so here’s the highlight reel: editing, developing English learning games and apps, data entry, transcription, and whatever else paid.
I tried anything that kept me on the road. I was even an extra in a German movie filmed in Thailand. Not joking.
Read more: How to start freelancing as a beginner
6. Work Exchanges (Numerous)
These didn’t pay in cash. They paid in free rent, which is honestly just as good.
In Pai, Thailand, I packed salt for about two months through HelpX. In exchange, I got to live in an amazing house in the hills for free. It was magical.
Years later, I did a couple of Worldpackers exchanges in Guatemala. In Xela, I helped a local woman practice her English. At Lake Atitlan, I did photography for a lodge right on the water. I kept doing my own online work during both.
Work exchanges keep costs way down, and you make local friends instantly. Just remember they’re volunteering in exchange for a bed, not paid jobs, and rules vary by country. Check the visa situation for wherever you’re going.
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Resources:
7. Retail Worker (Australia)
I folded clothes, reorganized the floor, and told people they looked great in bikinis all day.
I worked at a little surf shop in Darwin for six months and banked while doing it. Easily one of the easiest jobs I’ve ever had.
8. Waitress and Bartender (Australia)
On top of retail, I waitressed and bartended.
This was all on the Australian Working Holiday Visa. The jobs were easy. Saving was the hard part. I worked long hours, spent very little, and barely went out.
Worth it? Totally! I saved over $20K USD in less than a year, and half of it paid for a five-month van life trip around New Zealand.
Resources:
- How I saved over $20K in 10 months in Australia
- How to live and work abroad in Australia
- Working holiday visas for Americans
9. Pet Sitter (Everywhere)
I fell into this one by accident. Garrett and I booked an Airbnb in Portugal and became friends with the owner. Next time we visited, she needed someone to watch her two dogs. Free place to stay plus dogs all day? Yes, please.
Then I found out this is a whole thing. There are platforms built for it, and I’ve since pet sat in London, Berlin, Oregon, and more.
I still do it all the time. It’s the best way to save on accommodation, and I get my dog and cat fix without owning a pet.
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Read more: My honest TrustedHousesitters review
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10. Virtual Assistant (Everywhere)
I helped another blogger with backend work, outreach, and management. I already knew how to do it all from running my own site, so why not earn extra cash doing it for someone else?
VA work is a great travel job, and it’s not hard to get into.
11. Content Creator (Everywhere)
This is the one that stuck, and it’s what I do now.
It ran in the background the whole time. Throughout every job you just read about above, I was blogging and creating content the whole time.
I started blogging almost as soon as I left, years before it ever paid me a cent. Today I run several websites, including this one and a handful of niche sites. Garrett and I also run our business together. I handle the content side, and he handles our client work.
“Content creator” sounds vague, so here’s what it actually means. My income comes in from a bunch of different directions:
- Display ads on my websites
- Affiliate partnerships for the travel tools and bookings I actually recommend
- Brand partnerships and sponsored content on my blog and social media
- UGC creation: short videos and photos brands pay me to make for their own ads and social accounts
- My own guides and products, like my move abroad guide
- Consults with people planning their own move abroad
No single stream pays for everything. Together, they do. That’s the real secret of making money online.
One of my steadiest affiliate earners is Stay22. When you click a hotel link on one of my sites and book a stay, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
It’s quiet, it adds up, and it’s a big part of what keeps this site free for you to read. If you run a travel site of your own, it’s one of the easiest tools I’ve ever set up.
Check out more info in my Stay 22 review.
Is it glamorous? Sometimes. Is it a crazy amount of work? Always. I wouldn’t change it, though. A big reason I do this is to help people like you find work online or abroad so you can support yourself while you explore. And no, I’m not “lucky.” I worked really hard for it.
Want the full breakdown? Here’s how I really afford to travel and live abroad.
A Quick Timeline
- 2011: Moved to Thailand to teach English. Started a blog at the end of the year.
- 2012: Discovered online work and dove in. Taught online, started writing, packaged tonic in South Africa, kept blogging.
- 2013 to 2015: Online teaching, freelancing, writing, a work exchange in Pai, blogging. Quit online teaching in 2015 once freelancing paid enough.
- 2016: Moved to Australia to save money. Waitressing, bartending, retail, and yes, still blogging.
- 2017: Pet sitting, freelancing, VA work, and blogging (finally making some money, just not enough yet).
- 2018: VA work for extra cash while the blog started making real money.
- 2019 onward: Full-time content creator, running multiple sites and a business with Garrett.
Which Travel Job Should You Start With?
Not blogging. Seriously.
Most blogs never make real money, and the ones that do usually take years. Also, you can’t JUST blog for a living these days, but that’s a whole other thing.
If you want to get abroad and earn right away, start with something that pays from day one:
- Teaching English abroad or online
- Virtual assistant work
- Social media management
- Anything in IT or tech
- A working holiday visa if you’re still young enough to qualify
This lifestyle takes work to maintain. There’s a learning curve. But it’s 100% possible if you’re willing to put in the effort. I’m living proof.
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This guide gives you the *exact* steps, visa options, and decision tools to pick the best country for *you*.
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