Traveling is a lot of fun. The world is like a book, you are reading one chapter again and again. You do not move to the other. It is the same as living in the same country and area and spend your entire life theirs without exploring the other areas of life. Because each chapter of this book has numerous messages and it is different from the previous one.
Each has its story and history. You are a human and a person living in another area is also a human like you then what makes you apart from each other. What culture they follow and priority? Why is the lack of communication between people of two continents? If you missed the “young person still figuring stuff out” boat, you can still travel!
Many adults who have burned out in their empty corporate careers decide to leave the cubicle and embark on a journey into the unknown. People in this group often are on less of a budget, especially if they have been financially prudent in their early working years. This can be a great way to recover from burnout, open your mind, and explore in an unfettered way while you look for the next step.
What are the things which make you two different when you both belong to the same genre THE HUMAN! And here's the list!
1. Teach language
If you are in a different language speaking country then you can teach your native language to them or you can also join language teaching websites and be a good language teacher. Traveling is a pretty great time for self-discovery. If you still haven’t found your passion in college or in the workplace, this is a great time to reinvent yourself and try new things.
If anything – you probably are going to have more time on your hands than usual! While traveling – try to think about new areas that you’d like to explore career-wise. You can learn skills online or take courses abroad while you’re traveling which is a great excuse to develop your skill set while experiencing a new culture. You can become a Spanish Auxiliar in Spain or a Dutch Teacher in St. Maarten or even end up teaching in Grand Cayman.
Language learning can be a perfect part of this. When you’re abroad it's the perfect time to immerse yourself in a culture and learn the language. Which can also serve as a great way to open new doors of opportunity with your newfound language skills. For instance, if an English speaker learns Spanish, they’ll suddenly have the possibility of working in the dozens of Spanish speaking countries across the world!
Now, there are some places where you’ll be able to get an English teaching gig in a heartbeat. A number of countries in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, continuously recruit and hire English teachers. Places like Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, and Korea have well-established expat networks, which will be incredibly helpful while you transition into your life as a world traveler.
If Asia isn’t your thing, there’s still plenty of other options. There’s certainly demand for English teachers in South America, Central America, parts of Europe, and parts of Africa. The primary requirement for this path is that you will more than likely need a bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate (TEFL, TESOL, CELTA, DELTA, etc.).
If you have a university degree, then don't worry about the teaching certificate. They're incredibly easy-to-get, and you can almost always find a coupon or discount to get a course at a very affordable rate.
2. Work as a Freelancer
Yes, it’s more or less true that you can successfully work and travel. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. But that’s okay. It’s never too late to build a network or community. You’d be surprised how easy it is to get going, even while traveling. Think about reaching out to university staff, fellow alumni, former coworkers, family, and friends to get started.
You can also attend networking events, career fairs, or simply send your resume to recruiters while you’re abroad. This is effective: recruiters are there to get you a job. You’d be surprised at the opportunities they’ll send your way. It’s also important to network wherever you are in the world. International friendships can lead to international volunteering, work experience, and community opportunities.
You’d be surprised at the power of social media on top of this. Take advantage of platforms such as LinkedIn to connect with employers and recruiters. Try Facebook groups to connect with employers and like-minded job seeker groups. Try Twitter to connect with job alerts and opportunities. Even platforms such as Quora and Reddit can be useful for asking questions to fellow professionals who are in the same industry.
If you are an engineer, designer, marketer, there are countless freelance jobs. If you have a different skill set, there are still many freelance jobs. There has been a proliferation of platforms that connect freelancers with clients that need help. They make finding jobs and getting paid easy, so you just need to do good work.
Freelancers work on project basis, usually with multiple clients. They can be paid a fixed price or on an hourly basis based on the project and preference of the client/freelancer. Writing, translation, web and software development, digital design, and digital marketing are some of the most popular online freelancing options.
There are also multiple freelance platforms such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr where you can find freelancing jobs that are entirely remote. For freelancers: Websites like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiver are the easiest to start with. These platforms connect employers with freelancers.
You have to make an account, fill your profile mentioning your experience and expertise and send proposals to relevant projects writing why you should be picked. If your work doesn’t require you to be physically at your office, you can request your employer to allow you to work remotely. The number of companies in favour of hiring remote employees is on a rise.
There are tons of ways to target potential clients but none of them is easy. LinkedIn, cold-emailing, recommendations, networking events, word-of-mouth publicity, cold-calling, Facebook groups, Twitter hashtags are some of them.
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3. Volunteer
This is a great way to build up your resume while making a difference in some small way across the world. Plus, it’s a great way to travel in an affordable way! You’d be surprised how much this can develop your character as a person. According to research, 63% of HR professionals say that volunteer experience is a positive resume boost.
It’s also amazing how volunteering can open your eyes to new passions and skills. For example, many people who choose to teach on their year-off or gap year realize a passion for teaching and chose to take up the profession upon their return to their country.
Have you heard of the non-profit charity: water? Their founder was a nightclub promoter who was unsatisfied with his occupation. Upon volunteering with a healthcare charity in west Africa, he realized the need for clean water in developing countries. The rest is history and charity: water is one of the most recognizable non-profits in the world.
There are hundreds of NGOs working in Humla. They understand that if they don’t work for the development and upliftment of Humla, nobody will. These NGOs provide great FREE volunteering programs. They will pay for your accommodation and food (maybe not international travel) but pretty much you won’t have to spend a dollar if you come and work here.
Humla is one of the most heavenly destinations in Nepal, it is as though the mountains offer themselves as a dwelling place for spiritual practices. It will detox your body of all negativity, the wholesome and welcoming people will fill you up with joy, and the meaningful impact you will be bringing while volunteering in Humla will not only increase your self-esteem, confidence, improve your health but also help a ton in your career ahead.
4. Study
If you're traveling long-term it's a great chance to study for upcoming exams, qualifications, job positions, and everything else! You can also take the time to update your resume and send it to potential jobs, colleges, recruiters, or programs.
If you’re doing some sort of work-stay arrangement (where you work in exchange for room and board) you'll only need to work up to 5 hours a day. That's at least an extra 3 hours to yourself. Ample time for developing a new skill or studying for the next big exam.
As an example, if you are planning to go to nursing school and would like to work as a hospital nurse, an online test prep can help you prepare for what's to come. Nursing programs frequently use entrance exams to test the overall cognitive ability of their applicants.
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5. Get work experience
Employers always want candidates with work experience, right? It can be frustrating especially if you're new within a field. While you're traveling it's a great time to take up part-time, full-time, and volunteer opportunities that you might not have access at home.
Take this example: you’re looking to be a bartender when you come back from a trip. Unfortunately, most bars only accept barmen with previous bartending experience. Perhaps you can volunteer and work part-time as a bartender in a hostel – giving you the experience you need for a gig back home.
This can be academic also. If you’re working as an English teacher abroad, this is great for people who want to get into education when they get back home. It can help land them a job or likewise onto a teaching credential program. The sky is the limit!
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Happy travels and safe winds!