One Friday night during my years waiting tables, I picked up a shift for a co-worker.
I usually didn't work Fridays because they were amateur nights — lots and lots of people who only go out once or twice a year.
I was about 30 minutes into my shift when I was triple sat with two 4-tops and a 6-top.
I got the drink orders from one of the 4s and the 6 and told the other 4 that I would be right back to get theirs.
As I was coming back from the bar with a tray full of drinks, this lady sitting in another section grabbed me by my sleeve and pulled me back to her table, almost spilling all the drinks in the process.
I don't know about the rest of you, but my pet peeve is "YOU DON'T TOUCH ME," so I'm already starting to see red. I ask the lady "Yes ma'am, what can I do for you?" and she says, in a very loud voice,
"MY CHICKEN IS BAD!"
I calmly looked at her, looked down at her chicken, looked back at her, set the tray of drinks on a table next to them, reached onto her plate, picked up the chicken, spanked it twice, and yelled "BAD CHICKEN!"
Then I put the chicken back on her plate, walked through the wait station, threw my ticket book against the register and walked out the back door, never to wait tables again.
- Rick Garcia.
Many of us dream of leaving our jobs, telling our boss or someone else where to shove it, and traveling the world. But it's one thing to dream it and another thing altogether to be able to afford to actually do it.
Having said that, there are other options. Great options, many of us are working our way around the world with incredibly unique and interesting jobs - here are the top 5 travel jobs that I can recommend to you:
Beautiful Mykonos island in Greece. |
Work On A Yacht
How about cruising around the Greek Islands / Mediterranean on a million dollar super yacht AND getting paid for it?
Does that sound better than a boring lifeless job stuck behind a desk all day stuck in routine?
What if you never had to write a report again?
What would that feel like?
What if instead of that, you woke up every morning to a beautiful sunrise, breathing in the fresh air of the open sea and getting ready for your morning swim?
Followed by a fresh, mouth watering Mediterranean breakfast?
Does that kind of freedom sound like a better life to you?
If so, working on a yacht might be just what you're looking for.
In the good old days you could walk along a marina and pick up an awesome gig.
These days it is a little bit more regulated, but here are some great yachting agencies that will help you get started:
These days it is a little bit more regulated, but here are some great yachting agencies that will help you get started:
· Crew unlimited
· Blue Water Yachting
· Recrewt
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· Blue Water Yachting
· Recrewt
Are you enjoying the article? If so, how about giving me a thumbs up? Thanks!
Beautiful sunrise on the Greek island of Mykonos, Greece. Budget flights to the island starting from just €20 |
Ever thought about how awesome your travel photos are? Why not sell some of them online to help fund your travels?
There are many companies like Dreamstime which accept amateur photographs (minimum of 3 megapixels) and sell them to companies that design magazines and websites and then share the profits with you.
The better they are and the sooner you submit them, the more cash you will make! Easy and fun!
There are many companies like Dreamstime which accept amateur photographs (minimum of 3 megapixels) and sell them to companies that design magazines and websites and then share the profits with you.
The better they are and the sooner you submit them, the more cash you will make! Easy and fun!
Who would have thought that selling a few copies of the same photo will allow you to buy a night in a beautiful paradise like Patong Beach in Thailand, with hostel beds as little as US$8 per night.
Don't you spend more on that on rent? (Imagine being there and seeing the photo below with your own eyes)
Also, I wanted to mention that occasionally I send out a unique newsletter with my secret and unique money saving tips, great deals on flights, and special locations unknown to the average tourist (at bargain prices). You really can travel on a super small budget to exotic locations if you have all the information the travel companies don't want you to know about!
SIGN UP FOR FREE!
SIGN UP FOR FREE!
A Paradise Like no Other - Patong Beach in Thailand Flickr melenama
So since you probably spend more than US$10 on rent every day, ask yourself - where would you enjoy spending it more - where you are - or waking up to the above experience every morning? Hostel beds on Patong Beach, Thailand starting from just US$10
What do you suppose they are feeling to all be watching the sunset like that? This is Mykonos island in Greece. You can take a budget flight this beautiful island starting from just €20 |
Discovering Your Muse
This is easily the most awesome, inspiring and practical book I've ever read - the fact that it was #1 on the New York Times best-seller list for ages says something about its uniqueness but doesn't do it justice.
This is the book that inspired me first and showed me second (with exact steps and detailed information) how to leave my safe, well paying, but ultimately lifeless job, and travel around the world. Something I began in 2009 and I am still doing.
It is a really unique approach in what the author (Tim Ferriss) calls "Lifestyle Design", it shows you exactly how to genuinely think outside the box and to question your assumptions on what certain kinds of holidays will cost you and also your beliefs about the necessity of a 9-5 work "life".
How amazing would you feel eating lunch with this awesome view? You can take a budget flight this beautiful island starting from just €20 |
Tim even goes beyond that, he teaches you not only how to question your assumptions about travel being expensive but also your assumptions about the 9-5 job and how to make money. His very detailed methods truly allow you to travel long term
He explains it best in this paragraph:
Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times.
Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more
and working less, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.
Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more
and working less, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.
Another day in paradise (Mykonos island, Greece) awaits you. You can take a budget flight this beautiful island starting from just €20 |
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This is an old cliche, but it is old and a cliche because so many people have been doing it for such a long time.
It is one of the ways I make most of my money whilst living abroad.
To give you a taste of some of the things you might have to learn to expect though, I have to share a couple of things with you:
And here is an interesting one from Russia for the ladies to be careful of:
If you're still game, basically teaching English overseas is pretty simple and works as follows:
It is one of the ways I make most of my money whilst living abroad.
To give you a taste of some of the things you might have to learn to expect though, I have to share a couple of things with you:
I teach English at several different elementary schools in Japan, and my students' pronunciation is less than brilliant.
One class, a Japanese teacher suggested that we do a cooking demonstration so that my 7 year old students could learn what American kids eat.
I figured it would be easy -- peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When I got to the class, the Japanese teacher proudly announced to everybody that we would be eating "penis-butter."
It caught me so off guard that I didn't correct him.
The next thing I knew, all my 7 year olds were shouting things like, "Mmm, yummy penis-butter!"
I didn't have it in me to correct everybody at that point, so for the 50 minute period, I just sat there laughing my ass off.
- Amanda, Japan
And here is an interesting one from Russia for the ladies to be careful of:
I am an ESL teacher but this happened to me in Russia.
I was at a busstop and a man offered me to smoke-- which in Russian sounds like "Kurish?" and to which I responded "Nyet, Ya ne Kuritsa"
Which means, "No, I am not a chicken.
-Heather Denton, Oregon, USA
If you're still game, basically teaching English overseas is pretty simple and works as follows:
1) You sign up for a weekend course or an online course where the TEFL school teaches you how to teach.
2) You get your certificate / qualification.
3) You can either find a school in the country you are going, or the TEFL school sets you up with a job in the country of your choice.
It is open to anyone who has English as their first or only language.
Additionally, there are many charities that are happy to pay for your food and accommodation worldwide in exchange for you teaching English. You can extend your trip for years doing this!
TEFL jobs usually pay well above the average wage of the country you are in, which means that if you take up a job in Venice or Milan for example, it is easy to go for a weekend trip to Paris, where beautiful hostels are as cheap as US$20 per night (at time of posting).
Something about the energy on Mykonos island in Greece makes it one Europe's most famous paradises. Experience it for yourself. You can take a budget flight this beautiful island starting from just €20 |
Working in hostels will literally let you travel forever (if that's what you want!). When you get sick of one hostel, you just move onto the next.
But before I give you the site, I'd like to share a hostel story with you that I think you'll enjoy:
I hope that made you laugh!
This hostel jobs website is the one I was talking about earlier. It is especially awesome in that it's really easy to find jobs in the region/country you want to live and work in.
But before I give you the site, I'd like to share a hostel story with you that I think you'll enjoy:
I stayed at a hostel in Kathmandu, Nepal for a few nights before heading out to the mountains.
It was my third time going to Nepal, so I figured I would try staying in a different part of the city then I usually did.
I found this place close to Swayambunath; also known as the monkey temple.
When I arrived, I met my roommates and settled into my bed.
My bed was closest to the window, which I noticed had a massive piece of wood jammed in to prevent it from opening.
When I asked one of my roommates, she told me she had bought it earlier in the day to prevent monkeys from getting inside!
Apparently people in another room had woken the previous night to find a monkey had opened the window and was standing in their room!
Sure enough, later that night as I laid in bed, TONS of monkeys pounded on the windows, trying to get inside.
When they couldn’t, they jumped on the tin roof, making it sound like it was thundering outside.
I slept with headphones on the two nights I was there, curled into a ball.
Every time I woke up that night there was at least one monkey at the window, staring me down. – runrunrunningg13
I hope that made you laugh!
This hostel jobs website is the one I was talking about earlier. It is especially awesome in that it's really easy to find jobs in the region/country you want to live and work in.
Are you enjoying the article? If so, how about giving me a thumbs up? Thanks!
Also, I wanted to mention that occasionally I send out a
unique newsletter with my secret and unique money saving tips, great deals on flights, and special locations unknown to the average tourist (at bargain prices).
You really can travel on a super small budget to exotic locations if
you have all the information the travel companies don't want you to know
about!
SIGN UP FOR FREE!
SIGN UP FOR FREE!
Mykonos island, Greece. |
NEW BONUS TIP: Become a Humanitarian Banker
With all the evil coming out of Wall Street and the Banks these days, you could be forgiven for thinking that banks and bankers are only good at doing bad things
to people.
to people.
Forget the pathetic and greedy 1% interest rates the banks in the US give you for your savings. Now you can invest your money in helping people and get up to 4%
interest on your savings!
interest on your savings!
Mykonos island, Greece. |
There is a really awesome microfinance organisation that has been around for many years called Zidisha Microfinance. Basically it works like this -
small business owners from around the world need small loans to expand their business.
You the lender, look through their profiles and their track record in paying back loans.
IfIf they have a good record, you loan them some money at an interest rate which is good for you and fair for them (If the interest you demand is too high, they do not accept your loan).
The loan is repaid in monthly installments.
small business owners from around the world need small loans to expand their business.
You the lender, look through their profiles and their track record in paying back loans.
Mykonos island, Greece. |
IfIf they have a good record, you loan them some money at an interest rate which is good for you and fair for them (If the interest you demand is too high, they do not accept your loan).
The loan is repaid in monthly installments.
An American friend I met in Spain got me on to this - he has loaned money to several people and always had the money repaid with interest.
This one guy he has loaned money to 28 times and been repaid each time with interest.
Following my friend's lead I've also begun lending. It's not just a great way to make money for your travels, you are doing something genuinely good in the world to help people become self sufficient. Just make sure you invest in people with good track records :)
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Images used under a creative commons agreement sources: oneA, one two three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve
This one guy he has loaned money to 28 times and been repaid each time with interest.
Following my friend's lead I've also begun lending. It's not just a great way to make money for your travels, you are doing something genuinely good in the world to help people become self sufficient. Just make sure you invest in people with good track records :)
Did you enjoy this article? Why not join me on Facebook
Images used under a creative commons agreement sources: oneA, one two three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve