Flights of Fancy: What Jobs Would You Take to be a World-Traveling Gypsy?

Yesterday I wrote about all the cities I have lived in and all the odd jobs I took to work my way around the world, hopefully inspiring some of you who haven't caught the travel bug to start dreaming of where you would want to go or what you would want to do to live like a gypsy, especially if you are young and single.

There are two ways to travel: Fast, in one to three week spurts, or slow, taking a month or longer to really live in some part of the world and get to know the culture. I've always preferred the second method, but it has always presented the problem: 

"How do I pay for it?!?"

Well, darlings, I am here to re-assure you that travel does NOT have to be expensive. In fact, the slower you travel, the less expensive it is. And the best way to travel slowly is to work your way around the world. You don't need a degree or special skills to get work all over the world. You don't even need to get a work visa for many jobs available! There are so many things that you can do---that all you really need is the GUTS to do it! 

Here are some ideas to get you into a day-dreaming frenzy:

Au Pair

If you don't think little kids are assholes like Maiki and I do (we started calling them that after seeing Owen Wilson's character exclaim it in the movie The Darjeerling Limited when he sees little kids playing in a dangerous river in India, "Look at these assholes!"), you can become an international nanny and work any place in the world where little kids live. I knew an au pair who worked in Jakarta, Indonesia, and partied on Indonesian beaches for six years and developed a cocaine habit while there but--er, I digress...

 The pay is not fantastic but you will live and eat with the host family, so it is one of the best ways to get to know a culture and practice new language skills. With travel jobs, its not about the pay, it's about being able to live and work there and make enough to get to the next destination. Poor in the pocket, rich in life! Contact an au pair agency to get started--pedophiles need not apply. 

Kitzbuhel, Austria

Ice Chalets

Like the snow and cold-weather sports? Working in a ski resort might be for you! Many ski resorts in Canada, the U.S., Switzerland and Austria among other places take backpackers for hospitality positions. Imagine living and working in a beautiful chalet, skiing and snowboarding on your days off, and perhaps cuddling by a big fire each night with some rich handsome gentleman you met on the slopes! Contact an international youth work agency to get started--they can arrange your work visas and liaison with the resort staff.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Cruise Ships

If the sun and sand is more your thing, island hop around the world on a luxury cruise ship! These huge ships are like cities on the sea, and they need hundreds of staff members to accommodate all those blue-haired ladies and gentlemen. Hospitality, spa, massage, entertainment work and more is available to hard workers in exchange for berth, meals, and your ticket to countless destinations around the world. Short-term work is also available on private yachts and charters. I worked as a cocktail waitress on private yachts around Perth when I first arrived in Australia. Contact a cruise company to apply.

Winery in the Bordeaux, southern France

Produce Picker

All around the world farmers need an army of workers to pick their produce, and in many countries backpackers are the ideal candidates. In youth hostels all over Australia you will find the billboards covered with ads for workers for wineries, for example, though many other types of produce-picking jobs are available depending upon what time of year it is. Some are easier or more pleasant than others; I heard from one couple who picked all over Australia that picking cabbages can be a little back-breaking. The money, however, can be quite good if you work fast. I picked grapes on my uncle's family winery south of Perth and loved it, despite the sun, sweat, and insects. There is definitely a romantic appeal to working on bucolic farmlands, and I have heard many backpackers say they really enjoyed the work despite the strenuousness. One guy worked all over France picking grapes among real gypsies, enjoying evenings around bonfires drinking wine and playing guitar. Best of all, you can find work as a picker without having a work visa or having to go through agencies. Just check out the billboards at local youth hostels to find farmers' ads. Often farmers will pick up backpackers directly from the hostel and take you back when the days work is done.

Scene from 24-Eyes

English Teacher

By far the most widely available work around the world is teaching English. Native English speakers are extremely fortunate to speak the language our modern world requires most, and for travelers it means work opportunities around the world. I taught English on a rural island in Japan that was famous for  being the setting for  a movie about a teacher, 24 Eyes, with the movie village still there for tourists to visit. Teaching English is a great job for Japan-lovers like myself, and it can be an excellent way to save money for travel and get to know the culture--so long as you don't live in the big cities, where there are too many ways to spend money and too many other foreigners to prevent you from having an authentic Japanese cultural experience. I loved that I was among only 3 other foreigners on an island of 30,000. It was great for my Japanese language skills, whereas many foreigners I met in larger cities tended to hang out with other foreigners or Japanese who wanted to practice English---great if you have no interest in learning the language, but frustrating if you really want to stop teaching when you're not working!

You don't always need a degree to teach at the smaller schools and agencies in Japan and elsewhere; native fluency in English and good communication skills are all you need some places, though CELTA certification may be required in some countries. I also taught ESL in Boston and New York for GEOS, one of the big English language companies in Japan. They have branches all over the world--even in Melbourne. I taught high-school French and Portuguese students for summer programs, and got paid to take my students to beaches, museums, historical spots, or even just out to play soccer. Teaching can be extremely rewarding but requires patience and people skills, as it can get extremely boring in basic level classes repeating, "This is a pen. What is it? It is a pen!" 

So then, what if you don't want to work while you travel slowly?

I have two solutions:

• Travel to cheaper parts of the world. Many people in developing countries have no idea just how cheaply you can travel in some parts of the world. I travelled for three whole months around south east asia for a mere $3,500---and I wasn't roughing it! I had private rooms, three nice meals, lots of beer, and plenty of tours and souvenir-shopping. The thing was that in some countries, as in Laos or Thailand, for example, you can get basic rooms for as little as $4 a night! Even nice 'luxury' rooms with en suites and meals on the beach in Ko Samui cost a mere $8 a night. I love seeing eyes pop when I tell people that I averaged only $25 a day for five weeks throughout Thailand! After seeing what hotel rooms cost with direct booking, I advise travellers to be super cautious with packaged tours--often booking the same flights and the same hotels yourself can save you hundreds!

Ko Samui beach huts, Thailand

• Plan your trip as far ahead as possible and split the cost three ways. This has been my method for almost every single trip I have ever taken: 

1. Purchase and pay for the airfare first, as far ahead as possible, getting the lowest fare available, with the most connections if it means saving more. Booking the ticket is the single most important step in making a trip real and possible, as you will spend the whole year in anticipation and you'll be motivated to save. Pay the ticket off first, then...
2. Save the spending money, bit by bit over the year, then more aggressively as the weeks draw near your departure date. Ask for money for your trip for your birthday and for Christmas, or put all of your tax-return into savings. I have a mantra when I save: "This could be a cup of coffee in (place somewhere exotic)" that prevents me from frivoling my money away.
3. Have credit cleared on your credit card or extend your credit before you leave. That way, you'll have back-up in case of emergencies, or extra spending money that you can pay back after the trip. Though I'm a big believer in paying for cash for everything and in living within your means, I also think that you should make the most of your travel experiences and be prepared for the unexpected costs of travel--like landing in Tokyo in the middle of the night due to flight delays and having to book the only hotel available, even if it's 5 times over the nightly hotel budget--happened to me after a long flight, and there was no way I was going to just sleep in the airport!

Finally, get yourself a copy of the modern nomad's bible: Work Your Way Around the World by James Penrith. I owned four different editions of this book and have given every copy away to wide-eyed and travel-hungry friends. It helped me get started on a two-year journey and will one day help me on another epic journey when I am ready to set off again. 

What have you done or would do to work your way around the world?

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