How to Get Paid to Travel in 2024 | 16 Methods

Influencers showing off their once-in-a-lifetime trips to all corners of the earth know how to get paid to travel. What do they do to get paid for these amazing vacations? How can you earn free trips and perks like that?

If you’re dreaming of a jetsetter lifestyle that leads you all over the world but don’t have the funds to finance the operation, this guide is for you. 

Check out a few methods you can use to get paid to travel to incredible destinations all around the world. 

Wondering How to Get Paid to Travel?

• Consider remote or travel work you can do anywhere
• Become a brand ambassador to get trips paid for
• Finance your travel with flexible side gigs that offset costs

Everyone wants to know how to get paid to travel, but not everyone follows through with the tips. If you think paid or free travel is something only well-known influencers get access to, think again! 

But let’s get the hard truth out of the way: It’s not easy to get paid to travel.

For most people, the process looks like finding a flexible position that covers the cost of travel instead of getting paid directly for their trips.

Becoming a digital nomad can definitely translate into earning enough money for travel and the freedom to work from anywhere in the world! 

It’s also possible to earn paid-for trips that are just a perk of the job when you know what roles to look for! In the end, it doesn’t matter how you finance your trip – just that your trip is financed and paid for. 

If you’re willing to put in a little work, you can get paid to travel to locations around the world. Take a look below to see the different methods you can use to have your travels covered! 

How to Get Paid to Travel: 16 Methods That Work

Getting paid to travel across the globe sounds like a dream, but consider this your pinchless wakeup call! You can score free and paid-for trips by using any of the following methods. 

Not every method will apply to you or be something you’re willing to do. That’s okay!

With 16 different ways the average person can get paid to travel, you’re sure to find something that strikes your fancy and ignites your wanderlust. 

1. Get a Fully Remote Job

Remote jobs don’t care where you’re working from, so you’re free to travel anywhere you’d like (in most cases). If you can line up a good remote job, you’ll be getting paid while you lounge on the beach, explore vibrant cities, or test your endurance. 

Remote jobs can be in almost any industry, so start with your current skillset and see what fits. From tech to beauty, it’s possible to telecommute for a wide range of work. 

The key here: Make sure you’re browsing positions that will give you paid time off each year so you can really soak up the locations you travel to.

Working from anywhere is nice, but enjoying a little time unencumbered by a laptop is better. 

2. Become a Travel Writer

Travel writers can get paid to travel in some cases. If you’re working for a company that values original content, you may be sent to other cities or countries with the task of writing about your experiences. 

Travel guides, in-depth area research, and curating lists of things to do and places to stay in different destinations are all on the table for travel writers. 

Best of all, your company will cover your travel expenses in full, from your flight and travel insurance to your daily stipend for food and accommodations. 

Companies that offer paid travel are looking for top-notch writers with strong skills and an impressive resume. If you think you can make the cut, start applying for travel writing jobs! 

3. Become a Brand Ambassador

Brand ambassadors represent, market, and act on behalf of a brand in exchange for money, free products, discounts, or other perks.

If you can link up and develop partnerships with the right companies, you may be able to travel for free or significantly offset your costs. 

To become a brand ambassador, start with companies you’re already familiar with and admire. You can reach out on social media, via email, or phone to get the ball rolling. 

Some brands let you apply to become a brand ambassador, like Red Bull or Sephora. Make sure you’ve got something to offer the brand in this role, like a big social media following or a relevant blog. 

4. Leverage Your Social Following

If you have a big following on social media, you can use it to your advantage and start earning free travel or money to cover it. 

Brands want their products and services in front of as many eyes as possible. If you’ve got hundreds of thousands or millions of followers, you have something brands want. 

Reaching out to brands with info on your follower count and general audience demographics can be enough to get free nights at a resort, discounts on food and services, and more.

Just be selective with the brands and companies you reach out to – resorts, hotels, restaurants, bars, rental car companies, and more can be enticed with the promise of recommendations to your many followers in exchange for travel freebies. 

5. Start Freelancing

Writing, coding, videography, and photography skills are just a few examples of freelance gigs you can get to start earning money for travel without being chained to one location. 

Freelance work, like remote work, gives you the freedom to work from anywhere with internet access.

And without the requirements of a full-time gig, you’ll have a lot more time to enjoy the places you visit! 

Freelancing isn’t hard to break into, but earning good pay can take a while and some experience. Start with your strongest skills and see if there’s a way to offer them on a freelance basis. 

6. Develop a Side Gig

Side gigs up your earning potential and most don’t require you to be in a single location. They’re one of the best answers to how to get paid to travel! 

If you can handle dog walking, pet sitting, detailing cars, babysitting, grocery shopping/deliveries, or food deliveries, you can work almost anywhere in the world. 

The gig economy puts a lot more power in your hands as far as the days/times you’ll work, the work assignments you’ll accept or decline, and how much you can charge for your work. 

If you develop a strong side gig, you can do it anywhere – even while you travel to cover more expenses!

7. Teach English in a Foreign Country

English teachers are highly sought after in foreign countries, making this a great way to get paid to travel.

If you don’t mind picking up and moving to another country to teach English to kids, teens, or adults, you might get your accommodations paid for along with daily stipends for food and extras. 

Other English teaching positions abroad will pay you directly and let you cover your own living expenses on your own. You’ll need a Bachelor’s degree (doesn’t have to be in English) and a teaching certification to do it. 

Either way, if you’re earning enough to travel and get basic needs taken care of, you’re living the dream! 

8. Become a Flight Attendant

Flight attendants get to see the world one city at a time. If you’re a travel lover and are looking for a line of work that literally pays you to travel, this is the gig. 

The pay isn’t amazing, but at somewhere around $50K/year with free travel all over and tons of flight perks, it might be perfect for you. 

Becoming a flight attendant means you’ll see tons of different cities and countries all over the world.

But the job doesn’t give you the kind of access traveling for pleasure does – after all, when you travel as a flight attendant, you’re on the clock. Keep this in mind! 

9. Work on a Cruise Ship

Cruise ships, like airlines, can be great companies to work for if you love to travel and want to get paid to do it.

Cruise ships employ a variety of workers from retail and restaurants to entertainment and housekeeping. That means there’s a position for everyone onboard! 

Expect 8-12 hours days while you’re working on the open seas. Look for openings with major cruise lines, like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian. 

Cruise ship workers say these gigs aren’t for everyone, but if you’d like to open up your options and see some of the world’s beautiful destinations, it’s a great way to do it. 

10. Volunteer Your Time

Wondering how to get paid to travel while doing a little good in the world? Try volunteering abroad. 

Volunteering your time can be an excellent way to give back and earn free room and board, food, and more during your stay. 

Traveling to volunteer won’t be glamorous – don’t expect to stay in 5-star hotels or have access to an open bar. Instead, it’s a great way to experience a destination in its true form. 

Try sites like Workaway, WWOOF, and HelpX to find volunteer and cultural exchange opportunities that will bring you to faraway cities and countries all over the world. 

From farming and construction to accounting and housekeeping, there are tons of ways to volunteer your time in exchange for free stays in distant places. 

11. Create and Sell Online Courses

What’s something you know well, have studied in-depth, or really have a knack for? Maybe you can turn it into a popular online course. 

If you consider yourself an expert on something (and let’s face it, even if you don’t) there are people who are willing to pay to get a taste of your expertise. It’s all in how you package and market your course! 

Online courses are a great way to get paid to travel because they’re a source of passive income. You can “set and forget” your course, then take the earnings and travel with them! 

Once you create and start selling your course, your job is mostly done – people can sign up and take the course without further input from you. 

Check out this guide from Wix to learn more about creating and pricing your own online course. Beware of many scammy sites that want to sell you a course or two…to learn how to create and sell a course. 

12. Try House Sitting

House sitting may not be as glamorous as getting paid by major brands to visit exotic locales, but it’s an easy way to get paid to travel and stay somewhere different. 

Sites like MindMyHouse, Trusted Housesitters, and Nomador to link up with people going out of town who need someone to watch their home or pets while they’re away. 

You can choose locations as near and far as you’re comfortable with. Most of these sites let you set up alerts to see when someone needs a house sitter in the area(s) you’re interested in. 

While you’re house sitting, you’ll have free time to check out the neighborhood and city. With your room and board covered, you may only need to pay for food and travel arrangements to and from the home. 

13. Teach Local Classes

Just like creating an online course can be a great source of income to fuel your travels, so can teaching local classes. It can be a little more complicated than starting and selling an online course, however. 

Teaching local classes will enable you to travel and work from anywhere, provided your class topic is of interest to the locals. 

You decide how much you charge for each class, and the money you make can help fund your current and future travels! 

You’ll need something to teach (consider your top interests and skills for this), somewhere to teach the class (check community centers, gyms, and churches), and a way to market the class to locals. 

Successful class ideas include fitness classes, writer’s workshops, local foraging, sewing, canning, meal prep, art classes, and more. 

14. Become a Nanny

If you want to travel and get paid to do it, consider becoming a live-in nanny. You can choose the area you’re interested in visiting and find locals looking for nanny childcare online. 

Nannies may need to meet specific requirements that differ for each family or organization. You’ll definitely need a high school diploma and good references at minimum. 

As a live-in nanny, your room and board will be covered in addition to payments you’ll receive. Some families cover food costs and more! 

After working in one area for a while, you might branch out and apply to become a nanny somewhere else for a change of scenery and surroundings. 

15. Start a Blog

One of the top responses you’ll hear to how to get paid to travel is “start a blog.” It’s not as simple as it sounds, but it is an effective way to travel for free or cheap. 

If your blog is on a relevant topic, gets lots of monthly views, and sees a lot of engagement on social networks, it’s a valuable marketing tool for companies. 

Reaching out to companies with the idea of a collaboration or partnership with your blog can potentially unlock travel freebies.

For example, if you’d love to stay in a charming bed and breakfast in a city you want to travel to, tell them you want to do a write up and see if you can get accommodations taken care of. 

If you do this in conjunction with tip #4 and leverage your social following, you’ll have even more chances at success.

Brands love working with influencers who have a large following and can do a write-up on their (free) stay at a resort, visit to an attraction, or attendance at an event in the blog afterward. 

16. Transfer to Another Location at Your Company

It’s so simple that it’s frustrating, but many don’t consider the possibility of getting paid to travel just by switching to a different job location. 

If you love your job and don’t want to leave but have been bitten by the wanderlust bug, this is a great option for you. Ask to be transferred to a location that excites you! 

You might ask for a short-term transfer or to be considered for training/conference opportunities abroad. It’s a great way to stay with a company you like while exploring more of what the world has to offer. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Still wondering how to get paid to travel? Take a look at the most frequently asked questions on the subject to learn more about it! 

You Know How to Get Paid to Travel. What’s Next?

With so many ways to get paid to travel, the question isn’t whether or not you can do it (you can). It’s which method will work best for you! 

We’re not all social media masters with follower counts in the millions, so brand ambassador roles may not be a fit for everyone.

But if that sounds like you, it’s a great way to get paid to travel and earn lots of freebies and perks along the way! 

If you take your skills, experience, and travel dreams into account, it’s easy to narrow things down! 

The easiest option is applying for fully remote jobs that allow you to work from anywhere in the world. Take time zones and internet connectivity into account, but this affords you freedom to travel and pays you while you’re at it. 

Don’t sleep on ideas like creating and selling an online course for passive income while you travel, becoming a flight attendant (free flight perks!), or becoming a cruise ship employee. 

Volunteering your time, house sitting, and becoming a nanny or English teacher abroad are other great options that pay for your travel or make it very cheap. 

Start thinking of locations across the world that excite you and get to brainstorming.

Whether you’re looking for a job that pays for travel you do off-the-clock or literally includes free travel in the job description, it’s out there – you’ve just got to find it.