I’ve had a long vacation this year, a world-wind tour of cities throughout Italy, France and Great Britain. In addition to the great historic and artistic sites, I’ve peeked in the windows of businesses and made it my business to understand what our counterparts here do for a living.
I won’t bore you with the obvious careers and jobs, the ones that you’d expect in any country–garbage collectors, politicians (same), waiters, etc. Instead, I want to focus on the interesting jobs that you might consider if you happen to possess a specialized skill set, and are itching to travel.
Here’s a brief list of the most interesting. I’ll give some of these careers the full treatment, a full profile, a little later.
Destination Artist - An artist who paints, draws, photographs or otherwise creates art based on subjects that are virtually exclusive to a destination (Think Christian Lassen, the guy who only paints the Hawaiian scenes on canvas, on Ferrari’s on pianos. Or, if you’ve ever been to Paris, you’ve seen the droves of artists selling the same watercolors of the bridges over the Seine.)
Art Restorer - Professional artists, historians, anthropologists who also understand art conservation and preservation techniques (If you happen to intimately understand the tools and pigments used to paint ancient cave paintings or frescoes, grab your gear and head off to Europe! I’d make Italy my first stop. They’ve got lots of restoration work underway.)
Hotel/Lounge Performer - Singer, musician or other performer willing to trade his/her skills for a meager fee, but plenty of perks–free room and board (and drinks from the bar) during your stay, maybe even a little down-time to enjoy the spa and the beach (I particularly enjoyed the singer/pianist in the Hotel Martinez in Cannes, an older gentleman with one red and one yellow shoe and a two-toned suit to match. He was thrilled to belt out his cover tunes in the evening and sop up rays on the deck of the spa by day). Call a few resorts in your chosen destination. Focus on the those with bars/restaurants.
A few variations on the hotel/lounge performer gig (same deal, different travel vehicle/venue):
Performing Arts Troupe Performer - Ever watched bands of acrobats or mimes while sipping your afternoon coffee at a sidewalk cafe? Ok. What about a dance troupe making a one-night appearance at your local theatre? Well, joining a performing arts troupe–whether it’s a professional dance company or the Blue Man Group or Cirque du Soleil, is a great way to see the world. These groups usually post their openings on their websites, but don’t be afraid to give them a call. You’ll certainly have to audition.
Festival/Conference Performers - Plenty of conferences and festivals go on in beautiful sun-drenched places during the summer season, allowing the working stiffs to combine a little work and play. Conference, festival and meeting planners are always looking for interesting (cheap) entertainment, especially stuff that fits their selected themes (I’ve attended too many Island-themed sales meetings, but there are plenty of others with themes that are sure to work for your brand of entertainment).
Cruise Ship Performer - Hundreds of folks are trapped on board a big boat on the high seas for weeks. Entertainment is a must. That’s where you come in. If you can sing and dance, or if you’ve authored a great self-help book and want to talk about it to a few hundred depressed people on a singles cruise, this is perfect for you. You get to travel to exotic locales along with the paying public.
Dinner Theatre - Think Tony and Tina’s Wedding. London and NYC tend to have a lot more dinner theatre than most parts of the world, though I know it exists in farflung corners of Boulder, CO and Greensboro, NC. If you can act, sing, dance and stand watching folks eat and laugh at the same time, this might be for you. Look up “dinner theatre” and give ‘em a call.
Wedding Performer - Summer is wedding season, and weddings aren’t the local-church-and-reception-hall affairs they used to be. Nope. Brides-to-be are demanding destination weddings–from the Sandals Resort in Jamaica to fabulous Tuscan villas–and, by strategically partnering with an in-demand wedding planner, a convention and tourism department, a wedding palace or a beachside resort, you can be there to entertain the happy wedding guests…and Bridezilla.
Event Planner - Somebody’s got to plan and manage those destination weddings, meetings and conferences. That’s where you come in. Either take a job at a resort or other venue, or at an event planning firm, or go it alone.
Roadie - This is a great career for someone who wants to closely approximate the rock star lifestyle. Okay. Okay. So, the fans are not yours, and your name won’t be up in lights. But, assuming you latch on to a fairly popular star’s tour, you’ll get to see the world, one tour date at a time, as part of the road crew. Your job will be to set up and take down the stage and sound system, and just about anything else required to make the performance go smoothly.
Don’t worry if you can’t set up an amp. There are plenty of other gigs on a concert tour. There’s touring engineer, production manager, tour manager, hair stylist, stylist (clothing), dancer, catering manager, even bus driver.
To get started, check out the websites for your favorite bands, look for the name of the production company that’s producing their tours.
On to other travel career opportunities.
Look-Alikes - Do you bare an uncanny resemblance to Angelina or Brad? How about Jennifer Aniston? Paris Hilton? If so, you could snag work mugging for cameras at festivals and events (and probably in a few tabloid photos). I mistakenly stumbled through a red carpet interview with the faux Brangelina while attending an advertising festival. It was…odd, but apparently reasonably lucrative. There are actually agencies that represent these folks and book them for events. There’s even ABC’s lovely show, The Next Best Thing.
Lest you think I am only focused on the creative or genetically blessed, here are a few career opportunities that don’t involve song, dance or producing any works of art.
Tour Guides - I’ve waited in line behind what seemed like small countries on tour to see everything from the Eiffel Tower to the Sistene Chapel. Leading every delegation was a smiling and astute tour guide with encyclopedic knowledge on whatever and everything. If you are dying to impress a gaggle of seniors from Jersey with your knowledge of Roman cities, call up one of the many tour companies and apply. You must serve as tour guide, entertainment director and miracle worker to a few dozen folks who want an American breakfast even in a foreign country, but in exchange to you get free airfare, room and board to some of the most desirable destinations in the world. Only the patient, forgiving and knowledgeable need apply (Shout out to my friend Marisa who knows this work firsthand).
Naturalists - A variation on the generic tour guide, but required to have a deeper knowledge of the great outdoors, from indigenous plants and animals to natural phenomena. Naturalists are usually folks who’ve studied and earned a degree in botany, zoology, or biology. In addition to knowing the history of an area, a naturalist must be able to introduce and explain what happens in nature. They usually work with tour companies focused on whale watching, nature hikes, safaris, bird-watching or other outdoor experiences. Best job options here go to those with a deep knowledge of the animals or plants of a specific region, someone who can explain migration patterns and mating behaviors, etc. Start by searching for “Nature tours”.
Travel Host - Another variation on the tour guide, but instead of leading a large group on tour, you show one or two people or a small group around the city as you might your own family or friends. The other big distinction between this and your garden variety tour guide is that travel hosts are most often used in countries where the cultural learning curve may be great i.e. China or the Middle East. You show them not only the touristy stuff and the local haunts, but show them how to maneuver the tricky cultural bits like interacting with the locals, avoiding ending up in a foreign prison.
Adventure Guides - Adventure vacations are trendy and booming right now as many folks seek an experience they can’t get while visiting museums and chapels. This is an awesome opportunity for anyone who loves to push the limits (safely). Adventure guides must be able to not only take thrill-seekers out on in class 5 rapids, diving with sharks or zip-lining across a rain forest, but also get them back safely. Look up “adventure vacations” to find tour companies. You’ll find that the adventure vacation packages range from whitewater rafting to motorcycle tours and mountain climbing.
Export/Trade Office - After the adventure guide gig, this one seems a little pedestrian. But, rest assured, it isn’t. I just spoke to a friend of mine who works with the Music Export Office in Louisiana. She is off to an international music festival in Sevilla, Spain. Nice, right? The purpose of the trade or export offices in many states is to promote its products to other states and countries the world over, and to build a trade relationship with corresponding offices in those countries. Someone’s got to go over and shake the hands and sip the drinks. Why not you? You can start with the U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA). There you’ll find contact info for your local trade/export offices.
Clandestine Service - This is “007″ stuff! Join the CIA’s Clandestine Service Trainee Program and become an Operations Officer or a Collection Management Officer. These undercover operatives spend about 40 percent of their careers overseas gathering foreign intelligence. So, if you have a clean criminal history, a college degree (and at least a 3.0 GPA), foreign language proficiency, military experience and maybe prior foreign residency, you might be the perfect Bond, Jane Bond. As you might expect, the CIA has some pretty stiff requirements, but it’s a cool career.
State Department Careers - Similar to the CIA careers, the State Department offers great career options for highly skilled folks who want to work for Uncle Sam and to see the world on our tax dollars. State department careers include foreign service officers who work overseas in high profile positions. Foreign service officer careers include Economic officers (Decision-making, policy-making and advocating American business interests abroad), Political officers (analyzing political events in the country or region of his or her post), Consular officers (solve problems for Americans abroad), Public Diplomacy officers (broadens understanding of American values and interests in foreign countries), Management officers, Diplomatic Security Officers (protect diplomats and their families while they work), and Diplomatic Couriers (carry sensitive documents from the U.S. to foreign countries).
Travel Reporter/Writer - This is just what it sounds like. A writer who writes about travel. This is a nice career, especially if you can get a magazine publisher to pay for your expenses. You take the trip, enjoy the spas, test out the resorts and then their readers can read all about it.
Reviewer/Mystery Shopper - Get paid to stay in hotels, take tours, eat in restaurants and shop. Oh yeah. You also have to write an objective, detailed review that will help other travelers decide where to stay, eat or shop and what to do. There are a billion travel sites, travel guides, travel agents, tour operators, magazines, etc. that will pay for current, accurate reviews. Any resource you use for travel info might be a good source of employment (Think hotels.com, Frommer’s, Planet Out).
Pilot - No one clicks their heels together and ends up on a tropical island; they fly or take the bus, train or boat. Somebody’s got to drive.
Peace Corp/Relief Worker - This is a serious job, and an awesome responsibility. The pay is low. The accommodations can be Spartan to scary. But, the benefits are invaluable. What other job allows you to save the world? Start with the Peace Corps, then check out the U.S. Agency for International Development. Nonprofit organizations like Room to Read are also fertile job sources.
Teacher - You’ve seen the ads inviting you to “Teach English in Japan (or wherever)”. Most of these ads are from reputable organizations and/or governments who will pay you a stipend, plus room and board to teach children to speak English for a summer or a year.
Well, that’ll do it for this installment. I’m sure there are plenty of other travel career opportunities you might pursue, but I hope this post gets you off to a good start.
Start your travel careers search now!
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