23 Best Jobs for People Who Love to Travel

For many, the thirst to be a wanderlust is real. Whether it’s traveling to a sunny Caribbean beach, touring historic towns in Europe or hopscotching across America, many people would rather be “there” than home.

For these rabid travelers, there’s good news. You can work and travel at the same time.

There are many jobs that pay you to travel, including remote jobs. In addition to seeing the world, you might be able to earn more by traveling than working for a local business.

Top Travel Jobs

Here’s our picks for the best jobs for people that love to travel.

1. Airline Pilot

People choose to become airline pilots for many reasons. Some love flying, others want to visit different locales every day.

Scheduled commercial and cargo airline pilots can be sent anywhere in the world. Depending on the pilot scheduling system, their schedule can bring them home at the end of the day or put them in a two-day layover elsewhere.

At some airlines, pilots can bid for their favorite schedules based on seniority. At other airlines, it’s randomly assigned. Either way, not knowing where you’ll be that day or later that month is quite exhilarating.

For charter airline pilots, the assignment can be even more exotic. Charter pilots never have the same flying schedule. A customer may require a flight to Asia, then another customer may require the same plane to fly a European route.

Being a cargo pilot can also be an exciting opportunity and similar to being a charter pilot. You can fly cargo and freight instead of passengers with most flights happening in the evening or early morning hours.

Salary for airline pilots can vary wildly. But the average salary for airline pilots is $113,167, according to Glassdoor, as of February 5, 2021.

How to Become a Commercial Pilot

If you’re looking for a way to check out cities around the world while working, being an airline pilot is the best way to do it.

Just keep in mind that years of training to become a pilot stands between you and the left seat in the cockpit.

You may first decide to join the military to receive your pilot training and also help pay for college with a scholarship.

But you will also need to obtain a commercial pilot’s license and other advanced training.

2. Flight Attendant

Much like airline pilots, flight attendants enjoy the same sort of globetrotting lifestyle as their colleagues in the cockpit.

Most commercial flight attendants follow three types of scheduling systems:

• Based on seniority (Preferential Bid System)
• Bid on an already strung together group of shifts (line bidding)
• Random assignment without choice

Flight attendants could end up on multi-day itineraries with one or two-day layovers in exotic destinations. Or they could be set up with an out-and-back schedule that has them back in their own bed at the end of the day.

A layover means an opportunity to check out an exotic locale while the airline pays for your hotel. Although, you’ll have to work the flights to and from.

Both flight attendants and pilots are entitled to flight benefits. They can fly anywhere they want during their off-time, as long as there’s a seat available.

Flight attendants also enjoy a relatively high salary. According to Salary.com, the median annual flight attendant salary is $77,602, as of February 5, 2021.

How to Become a Flight Attendant

Becoming a flight attendant is a selective process.

For example, of the 150,000 people that applied to be a flight attendant at Delta Airlines, only 1% were actually selected to go on. That’s a worse acceptance rate than the Harvard class of 2021, according to Business Insider.

To get started as flight attendant, be sure to check an airline’s website for open recruiting season.

Note: Due to the pandemic, many commercial airlines have a hiring freeze for new flight attendants.

3. Travel Nurse

A subset of the nursing industry you may not be familiar with are traveling nurses. These nurses work on temporary contracts to ease nursing shortages and stick around for a few weeks or a few months at each hospital.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, traveling nurses have been helping at understaffed hospitals and administer the vaccine.

Staffing or travel agencies may offer housing or travel reimbursements. Hotels may also offer discounts but you can consider these hotel alternatives for more privacy.

One of the big allures is that traveling nurses get to pick where they go next and it may be a spontaneous decision.

Currently, 34 states participate in a Nurse Licensure Compact. The NLC allows nurses who reside in a participating state to be able to practice as a nurse in another participating state.

This compact makes being a traveling nurse within participating states much easier, as a nurses’ license is much more portable.

Travel nurses make $71,179 a year on average, according to Glassdoor.com.

Quite a handsome salary for being able to work and travel at the same time. But some COVID-19 traveling nurses are making as much as $10,000 per week, according to Nurse.org.

How to Become a Traveling Nurse

To become a travel nurse, you should look for placement/employment agencies and nurse staffing agencies.

These agencies may offer benefits to travel nurses that you would expect with full-time permanent nurses, such as 401(k) and health benefits.

The basic requirements to become a traveling nurse include having at least one or two years of nursing experience. Being a Registered Nurse (RN) is helpful too.

4. Management Consultant

Friends and family members who work for companies like McKinsey & Company and Accenture are likely consultants. You’re most likely going to be self-employed and may not earn benefits unless you open a Solo 401k or a similar retirement plan.

While their expertise may differ, they’re likely working for a client in a distant town to solve a business problem.

A common schedule among consultants is a Sunday evening or Monday morning departure to the Client’s city. They’ll spend the next few days and nights there and then fly home on a Thursday evening.

They’ll continue doing this for as long as the client needs them. When the contract is concluded, they’ll spend time in the office until dispatched to another client’s project.

Due to the extensive flying involved in many projects, many consultants earn elite status in airline and hotel programs. That means when it comes time to travel for vacation, they enjoy the perks of their work.

However, the downside is the extensive travel to a destination that’s not of your own choosing. But you want to be on the go and have a knack for solving business problems, becoming a consultant may be a dream job.

The average pay for management consultants is about $87,805, according to PayScale. But large annual bonuses are typical in this industry.

How to Become a Management Consultant

There are many paths to becoming a consultant as a recent college graduate or a corporate professional.

Many consulting firms look to hire candidates with these traits:

• Have a university degree in business administration
• Obtain professional accreditations or industry certifications
• Possess in-depth research skills
• Have project management experience

You may have to first work for a consulting firm to gain experience. In time, you might be able to start your own business and consult your own clients.

5. Tour Guide/Tour Leader

You may be an excellent tour guide if your knowledgable about these facts:

• Culture
• History
• Architecture
• Landmarks

As a tour leader, you can lead sightseeing tours of countries, cities, and cultural treasures You can also lead guided experiences as an Airbnb host.

Due to the pandemic, providing online experiences is another portal to explore as people explore the world from their living room.

“There are jobs touring the general sights of countries, sailing the Nile in a dhow, guiding safaris, mountain biking, doing European cultural tours, riding horses, carrying out conservation work, driving overland trucks, walking and leading family trips,” says Wanderlust.

They also cite that while some leaders only work during peak season, many do it as a full time job.

“You will learn a lot about yourself and develop your interpersonal and leadership skills in ordinary and extraordinary situations,” says Nick Nikolsky, a full-time tour leader, told Wanderlust.

Of course, there is naturally a downside to this. You’re following a fixed itinerary set forth by the tour company, although this could change from tour to tour. You’re also living out of a backpack, which could be a pro or a con, depending on your disposition.

In addition, the average pay for tour leaders is $50,013, according to GlassDoor. Relying on tips is a must in this occupation if you only earn an hourly rate.

You can also use your tour guide experience to be a travel agent. It’s possible to help people visit your city or direct them to other great destinations.

How to Become a Tour Leader

If you have leadership and interpersonal skills, this may be the job for you.

Check out the websites for independent travel tour companies to see if they have openings available.

You can also create a host profile on Airbnb to provider local and online experiences.

6. Civil Servant

Working for the government may not seem like a well-traveled job, but it can be. You could be stationed elsewhere domestically or internationally.

Some of the most common civil service jobs include:

• U.S. State Department (i.e., career diplomat or embassy staff)
• FBI or IRS investigator
• Law enforcement
• Secret Service
• Military
• Public relations for a federal agency

You may not have much influence where you travel to, depending on the agency and its seniority structure.

Just remember that you will likely need to take a competency-based exam, like a civil service exam, in order to be considered.

In particular, with the federal government, the pay is known upfront. Your potential for advancement and future raises is well documented in publicized pay scales/pay grade.

The average civil servant earns $76,504 according to GlassDoor. However, pay rates can vary widely as the federal government has many employees in travel and non-travel fields.

How to Become a Civil Servant

A civil service job is a career path that is well documented and transparent. You will know your future potential income before you apply.

If you like the reassurance of that and you have the experience to qualify, a civil service job may be right for you. Check out usajobs.gov for more information.

7. International Aid Worker/NGO

Working as an international aid worker or for a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) can be very fulfilling. If you have a sense of purpose, social justice and compassion, it can be a very satisfying job.

International Aid Workers might perform these roles:

• Feed the poor
• Counsel refugees
• Provide medical care
• Offer microfinancing
• Teach children

NGO‘s can be found everywhere, even in industrialized countries. They all have various roles in improving the lives of the communities they serve.

In other words, being an international aid worker doesn’t mean you have to be off-the-grid in the middle of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Pay can range wildly. Humanitarian aid program directors can stand to make at least $52,000 to start, says internationalrelationsedu.org.

How to Become an International Aid Worker

To get started working as an International Aid Worker or for an NGO, check out organizations that do work in your area of interest.

Then inquire about careers and jobs with the NGO that interests you.

If you’re not sold on being an Aid Worker as a permanent job, many NGO’s offer temporary or contract positions. Or you could also volunteer as a service project.

8. Peace Corps

If want to serve communities in a structured environment, working in the Peace Corps might be a good fit.

Run by the U.S. Government, this volunteer organization has over 7,000 volunteers currently in the program.

They’re responsible for partnering “…with communities abroad to develop sustainable solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges by sharing America’s most precious resource—its people,” says the Peace Corps.

They do this by carrying out “…people-to-people public service and citizen diplomacy at the grassroots level.”

In the Peace Corps, you’ll train for three months and then serve two years in the country of assignment.

The most common placement for volunteers is in Africa, with 46% of the volunteer force located there in 2017. You’ll receive a living allowance, along with medical and dental care.

The most common job for volunteers involves education and in health.

Being a Peace Corps volunteer is also one way to pay off student loans quickly.

How to Become a Peace Corps Volunteer

To find out if being a volunteer in the Peace Corps is right for you, visit peacecorps.gov. You will need to be a U.S. Citizen over the age of 18 to apply.

9. English Teacher

A popular job for those in their 20’s is to become an English Teacher in a foreign country.

The most notable need for these teachers is in countries where both the written alphabet and spoken words are not rooted in Germanic language, such as South Korean, Japan, China and other Asian countries.

For English as a Second Language (ESL) students, they strive to learn English to advance their career, broaden their horizons, and possibly travel or work internationally.

As an English Teacher, you’re providing their communication lifeline and the opportunity for upward mobility through language education for foreign students.

The average pay for English teachers abroad vary wildly. In Japan, the pay is about $1,700 to $5,000 a month, according to gooverseas.com.

One teacher even documented her journey to making $100,000 a year teaching overseas.

How to Teach English Overseas

English teachers abroad often work through placement agencies, who provide salary and sometimes housing and other assistance.

One thing to note, English teachers in foreign countries are foreign workers and subject to visa restrictions set forth by those countries.

There have been reports of placement agencies and schools taking advantage of English teachers who are unfamiliar with local laws and customs. Conduct your due diligence.

Due to travel restrictions, you can also teach English online. This opportunity lets you connect with students across the world. You can also gain teaching experience.

10. Field Service Technician

If you’re a tradesman, being a field service technician may be a good career move if you want to travel for work.

Every industry relies on machines and components to function properly in order for workers to do their job. Technicians travel to repair and maintain equipment for clients.

You might work on these machines and components:

• Generators for electrical utilities
• Cell phone towers
• IT-related setups (i.e., computer systems, headsets)

All of these jobs require service technicians to go into the field to work on these machines. We’re not talking about fixing refrigerators in your own town.

But rather, machines that are installed hundreds of miles from the nearest town.

When those machines go down, Field Service Technicians go to work. On their own or as a team, they drive to wherever they’re needed.

They setup their own work site, figure out how to fix the problem, and then report back to the home office.

They may stay on the road for days or weeks at a time, visiting distant client offices or rural equipment installations.

These technicians never know where they’ll be, but they know they’ll be touring around their assigned territory to ensure that their company’s machines are always working.

The average pay for field service technicians is 52,984, according to Glassdoor.

How to Become a Field Service Technician

To get started, check out companies that make equipment for the industry you’re interested in. Then investigate how those machines are serviced.

11. Professional Yacht Crew

A professional yacht crew ensures a yacht is always functional, ready and mechanically sound on a moment’s notice.

Their clients, the yacht owner, is most likely very discerning. Whether for work or play, the owner wants the very best crew for their big investment.

Professional yacht crew live on the yacht itself. Each member of the crew has an essential function, but they must work together to keep the yacht in tip-top shape.

A professional yacht crew has the following roles:

• Captain: steering the yacht
• Chief Stewart: caring for the guests and staff
• Engineer: managing all onboard systems
• Deckhand: assisting superiors, loading cargo and performing maintenance

Some people may think of working on a yacht as an extended vacation. It is, most definitely, not.

However, most all of your living expenses are taken care of while working on a yacht. You are provided housing, a uniform and anything you could need by the owner.

Your salary goes straight into your bank account.

According to crewfinder.com, assistant engineers can make $42,000-$72,000 a year, a chef can make $36,000-$55,000 a year, while a Captain can make a whopping $65,000-$200,000 a year.

How much you can earn depends on your experience level and the vessel size.

How to Join a Professional Yacht Crew

If you’d like to be considered for a job on a yacht crew, be sure to check out various yacht crew employment agency websites for more information.

12. Cruise Ship Staff

If being on a small yacht isn’t your thing, but you want to be on a boat, working on a cruise ship may be a more interesting job for you.

There are hundreds of positions to fill on a cruise ship.

The more obvious cruise ship positions include:

• Captain
• Engineer
• Social director
• Chef
• Expedition leader
• Medical staff
• Entertainer

But there are many more postions that many don’t think of.

Modern cruise ships are basically floating cities. Every function you can imagine in a city is contained on a boat.

But every job is oriented to making a customer’s vacation pleasant and enjoyable.

Cruise ship staff members typically sign contracts to work on a ship for a set duration of time. You’ll be provided with housing, food, health care and a salary.

How to Join a Cruise Ship Staff

If you’re interested in working on a cruise ship, be sure to check out the cruise line websites for career prospects.

13. Au Pairs

Being an Au Pair is a job of trust. Families are relying on you to help raise their children.  You’ll run errands involving the children (i.e. picking up kids from school) and attend to the child’s need.

One night, you may be tasked with helping the child with their homework. On another night, you may spend hours playing with the children.

No two days are the same, as the position is multifaceted.

But being an Au Pair is different from being a Nanny in one very fundamental way. Au Pairs are often from another country.

Au Pairs live with the host family, learning about their culture and language. In exchange for the lodging, food, and the experience, the Au Pair provides childcare and associated services.

Au Pair’s stipends typically average just under $200 a week, or $800 a month, according to Glassdoor.

How to Become an Au Pair

It’s often a leap of faith to become an Au Pair, as you’re also putting your trust in the host family.

Many Au Pairs use a placement agency, which requires interviews, references, and screening.

Au Pairs must also obtain a visa or satisfy any other entry requirements to be in that country, which is normally disclosed by the placement agency.

If you’re interested in becoming an Au Pair, visit any one of the numerous recruiting agency websites.

14. Teacher (of any kind)

If you have a knack for teaching others a skill, you may be able to be a teacher and travel at the same time. Teachers are always in demand.

You can teach these subjects:

• Substitute K-12 teacher
• Computer programming
• Ski instructor
• Yoga

Your skills are in demand somewhere in the world and oftentimes schools have term-limited contracts to fill. Either during peak seasons or as an ongoing need throughout the year.

You can hop around to different schools in different locations teaching what you love.

And if you can’t find a school that offers a position in a field you are an expert in, you could set up your own class.

As an entrepreneur, you could rent out a yoga studio to teach your own yoga classes, for example. Or you could teach the teacher, providing training services to those who teach other students.

At the most basic, you could also be a substitute teacher for a K-12 school. The assignments change daily, and you’re often paid a substantial daily rate, sometimes $100 a day or more.

Salaries can vary wildly as a traveling teacher and the subject field you’re in.

How to Become a Traveling Teacher

The best thing to do is to first identify a need in your field and then go from there.

Some teach jobs require certification, so be sure to see if you need to pursue additional certificates before being a traveling teacher.

Your employer may not pay your relocation expenses. But using a discount travel website can reduce your moving costs.

15. Bartending

Wherever you go in the world, there’s a neighborhood bar to keep the locals happy. Every one of those bars requires a skilled bartender to recommend drinks, serve customers, and build a robust beer, wine, and cocktails list.

But being a service industry job, bartending jobs are often high turnover jobs.

Chances are, if you’re skilled at bartending, you’ll be able to snag a job anywhere you go.

Furthermore, elite bartenders (mixologists) often compete in cocktail making competitions, making them very desirable in major metropolitan cities.

These mixologists can command a salary premium working behind the bar. But they can also make great money consulting for bars as well.

According to jobshadow.com, a mixologist can make $200-$400 a shift. As a consultant, they could earn $100-$500 a recipe.

Either way, bartenders rely on tips to keep their occupation sustainable. Tips in the hundreds of dollars are not unheard of during every shift.

How to Become a Bartender

To become a bartender, you’ll need to study up on drinks. You may be able to get a foot in the door by becoming a barback first.

As with any job, you’ll need to work your way up and demonstrate to the bar owner that you have the chops to interact with his or her customers.

16. Busking/Street Performer

Believe it or not, there are a lot of people who make a living busking around the world.

Whether they’re performing a musical instrument or putting on another type of performance for the crowd, busking can be lucrative for those who can put on a unique show or demonstrate unsurpassed talent.

For performers, busking also gives them a chance to either break into the industry or try out new projects. And busking also allows them to hone their craft and build a following.

According to Mentalfloss, many celebrities first got their start busking, including:

• Rod Stewart
• Tracy Chapman
• Robbin Williams
• B.B. King

While salaries vary wildly for buskers, Time magazine interviewed one successful busker who made $21.22 an hour.

How to Become a Street Performer

This occupation isn’t for the faint of heart.

It takes hard work, dedication and time dedicated to honing your craft. But if you build a following and catch a good opportunity, the upside potential is very high.

17. Freelance Graphic/Website Designer

If there’s a most obvious occupation that could be completely location-independent, it’s freelance graphic and website designers.

The work is one part creative and one part analytical. But the only thing you need to get the job done is a laptop, software, and an internet connection.

This is an online job with no investment necessary to start. As your skills improve, you can upgrade to better software and marketing tools.

As long as you can market yourself and find new clients, you can complete the work anywhere you want.

Freelance graphic and website designers need to stay abreast of software and design developments in the industry.

That means constant re-training and re-familiarization with new software. And being a freelancer, you’re also responsible for health care, taxes, and the like.

On the flip side, you could take your job to a low-cost country, raking in pay at the rate of a higher-wage country. Your clients will never know the difference if you’re at home or on a beach in the Caribbean.

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for these kinds of freelancers is about $56,000-$60,000 a year.

How to Become a Website Designer

If you’d like to become a freelance graphic or website designer, it’s useful to have some experience working at an office-based design job or design agency first.

Once you’ve got the foundational skills down pat, you’ll need to learn how to strike out on your own and build up a clientele.

There are many books and resources available on how to become a freelancer. Many freelancers also write about their experience online through their own personal blog.

Also consider starting a blog to display your prior work and tell clients how to contact you.

18. Truck Driver

Many Americans tend to ignore the logistics of how items get to a store for purchase. It normally involves truck drivers as the essential link between a distribution warehouse and the local store, bringing products to customers in need.

In fact, according to Time magazine, “…80% of U.S. communities depend on truck drivers for the delivery of everyday goods.”

Truck drivers traverse America and sometimes across land borders into Canada and Mexico as well as well.

Long-distance truckers may haul these items:

• Products for sale
• Chemicals
• Postal mail
• Heavy equipment
• Livestock
• Anything else you can think of

The arrangement between the truck driver and its employer can vary wildly.

Some truck drivers are sub-contracted, meaning they use a company’s truck to deliver the company’s goods. You may earn less but can enjoy benefits like cheap health insurance.

Others are owner-operators, which means they own and operate their own truck, picking up assignments and contracts along the way.

Whatever the arrangement, being a truck driver puts you on the road for hours and days at a time. While you are away from your family, you get to see all of America and maybe more.

The average salary in 2015 for a truck driver that works for a private fleet is $73,000 a year, according to CNN Money.

How to Become a Truck Driver

To become a truck driver, you’ll need to obtain the appropriate licenses to drive a truck. You’ll also need to attend truck driving school.

Given the shortage of truck drivers in America, some trucking companies offer guaranteed schedules or high base pay to get you in the door.

If you’re interested in becoming a truck driver, be sure to check out job posting for companies that run their own fleet and also trucking businesses for openings.

19. Railroad Worker

While this is a pretty broad label, railroad workers can travel along the tracks to complete their jobs. Some work on the track itself, others operate the trains.

The most common railroad positions that require travel are the train crews and operations supervisors.

Every one of these jobs is essential to ensure that goods and passengers flow across our vast nationwide network of railroads.

It’s more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly to ship by rail than truck in many instances.

Whatever the job, rail aficionados will be well served to consider a job in the railroad industry. The median pay for railroad workers is $65,020 and there are about 105,500 Americans working in the industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How to Start Working for the Railroad

To become a railroad worker, you’ll need to have a high school diploma to start. You’ll often start with on-the-job training for your career field.

Being an operations supervisor can require a four-year degree or relevant work experience if you don’t start as a non-supervisory employee.

Jobs can be found by visiting the major railroad company websites.

Many openings for for freight railroads. However, you can also look for opening at Amtrak and other passenger rail carriers.

20. Be a “Rental Foreigner” in China

Renting a foreigner is a phenomenon in China that may regain in popularity once international travel restrictions relent.

Chinese companies often hire White or foreign looking individuals to stand in as a pretend CEO or other important figure to lend credibility.

This could be a mainland Chinese company looking to gain traction on the international stage or a local real estate development looking to woo new buyers into their community.

From an outsider’s perspective, it could be seen as a deceitful occupation. But for Chinese businesses, it’s business as usual. Especially in a country where creating a fantasy world of pomp-and-circumstance is important.

CNN interviewed a few of these actors. One pretended to be an “architect from New York…giv[ing] design plans for a new museum to local officials.”

Another actor “was paid 2,000 yuan (about $300) to fly, along with a couple of Russian models, to a small city in the central province of Henan where he delivered a speech for the grand opening ceremony of a jewelry store there.”

Bottom line, being a foreign actor in China is a good way to make some extra cash while learning all about a new country. If you can put aside your moral scruples, then the work may also prove to be interesting as well.

21. Roadies

Often the invisible hands behind a concert, roadies have the job of working with famous bands to make sure their tours go off without a hitch.

As the band visits city after city, roadies move equipment and set up the stage.

Roadie jobs include:

• Sound engineering
• Stage hands
• Lighting technicians
• Guitar technicians
• Pyrotechnician

But more likely than not, you’ll start out your roadie career moving equipment. This role is the bottom of the roadie totem pole but you make money traveling.

You’ll need the appropriate skills to work each job as a roadie. Especially when it comes to technical positions like sound engineer.

Pay can vary wildly. According to careersinmusic.com, roadies can expect to be paid $80 to $400 a show. According to a Wall Street Journal story, roadies average $57,000 a year, with some cases making up to $200,000 a year for larger name celebrities.

How to Become a Roadie

If you’d like to be a roadie, be prepared for a long ride.

You’ll need to start with smaller, no-name bands and then work your way up by networking. Check out sites like Careers in Music for more information.

22. Travel Videographer/Photographer

Being a traveling creative professional can be lucrative. Especially when that job involves being a videographer or photographer focused on the world of travel.

If your job is to document the art of traveling, you must travel to do the work.

A travel videographer or photographer should not be confused with a traveling videographer or traveling photographer.

Being able to transport yourself to a shoot is not a unique skillset. However, appropriately capturing the beauty of a locale is a unique skill.

Jobs in this area can vary wildly.

You could work for production company that’s responsible for producing a show about traveling. Or you could actually be hired by a tourism agency to be a capture their country in the best light.

Another possibility is traveling and selling photos and videos to various outlets for money.

Whatever the deal is, having a good creative eye is essential in a job like this.

You’ll never know where you’ll end up, but you need to make sure you capture that locale in the best light.

How to Become a Travel Photographer

Finding a job as a travel videographer or photographer is not for the faint of heart.

You may want to build up a portfolio of work to show to potential clients.

Or, you may want to work at a travel marketing or tourism agency first to develop contacts in the industry while honing your skills on the side.

23. Athletic Scout

How did the most famous sports players become famous? By having their talent recognized by a scout.

Athletic scouts travel the country year-round to find the newest talent playing in the field or on the court. It takes a keen eye, sharp intuition and a good understanding of sports and player performance stats to be a good scout.

Of course, all of this traveling means you’ll be watching hundreds of local sports games. Which means a lot of sitting for the traveling and game watching portion of the job. But you’ll be handsomely rewarded for doing so.

The average salary of a professional sports scout is $58,971 a year, according to payscale.com.

How to Become an Athletic Scout

To become an athletic scout, it takes one-part skill and one-part luck. You’ll need to start with a college degree and have extensive experience playing sports yourself, along with proper certifications.

Then, you’ll need to find a job as a part-time talent scouter. Sometimes, that means working independently or with a team. You’ll cultivate a relationship with the team itself and build trust with them that you can identify good potential talent.

Next, you’ll need to build your contact list as you travel. Coaches want to trust that a scout has a good eye and great reach within a pool of talent.

Being an independent scout may require extensive travel at your own expense. Being able to book cheap flights can help you attend more games.

Summary

No matter which of these jobs you choose, you can rest assured that you’ll get to travel as a part of your job.  That means you’ll get to see the country, or the world, while getting paid. 

Some jobs involve much more labor than others, but either way, you won’t be stuck in a dimly lit cubical farm again.