We’ve written many articles about how to make money as a side hustle while traveling the world, but what if you landed a full time job that actually required it?

What if, you not only got to travel the world for free, but actually got paid a salary while doing it? A gig that covers your travel expenses, salary, retirement, healthcare, and lets you build a career?

Sounds pretty amazing right!

The following careers aren’t for everyone, as these aren’t jobs that send you away on little two week stints every now and then; you’ll spend long periods of time away from home, because they actually require full time travel!

… it’s actually in the job description!

Jobs That Require Full Time Travel – See the World and Be Paid to Do it!

Airline Pilot

Becoming an airline pilot is by no means easy; it takes a lot of dedication, training, as well as education. But, if you’re dedicated and committed to the long term goal, you’ll be traveling full time before you know it (training is typically 18 – 24 months).

This line of work requires you to work weekends, nights, and even holidays, so when we say you’re traveling full time we mean it! And of course, there are excellent benefits and additional perks that come with the job.

Apart from an excellent salary, the job presents you with an opportunity to have the best view from the aeroplane as you travel the world. In addition, most airlines offer their pilots massive discounts on airline tickets, and you’re commonly upgraded when traveling on your free time.

While on the topic of aeroplanes, becoming a steward / flight attendant is another career you can pursue if you wish to travel the world in a similar fashion.

Cruise Staff

If you’re not keen on training for 24 months before you’re able to travel the world, you might consider working on a cruise ship. Not only does it mean more opportunities to explore every location you visit, there are plenty more employment opportunities on a cruise ship.

Apart from cruise staff, you can work on a cruise ship as a musician, bartender, cosmetologist, dancer, lifeguard, magician, or a part of the restaurant or engine room staff, you name it.

Customer service skills are a must, and a background in hospitality is usually required, but there’s pretty much every role imaginable that needs to be filled on a cruise ship, from reception staff, to cleaners, to ship doctors and electricians.

You can wait tables, give lectures; even if your experience is in dealing poker – one of the biggest attractions on any cruise ship is undoubtedly the built in luxurious casinos.

Photo Journalist / Travel Photographer

Becoming a professional travel photographer is an excellent opportunity for anyone that wants to combine their passion for photography, travel, animals, and nature. And this is a gig these days that is wide open for any-one who’s talented.

Now that we’re living in the age of the smart phone, where almost anyone can snap photos in their local area, there are admittedly less and less opportunities for full time photography jobs / photo journalists, so most people in this industry end up working as freelancers, and running their own business, as their own boss.

But, build up a solid enough client base and jumping between jobs will have you traveling full time! There’s the added bonus of being your own boss in that you can pick and choose the jobs you take, and the locations you visit.

Doctors Without Borders

Did you know that two billion people around the world lack access to basic medicines needed for day-to-day health care? Many more suffer for want of simple surgical procedures – for instance, by losing their sight because no one nearby has the skill to remove cataracts.

Like becoming a pilot, you’ll have to undertake a considerable amount of education and training to become a doctor, but if your passion is both traveling the world, and making a difference through medicine, there are a huge range of charities and international organizations screaming for doctors.

The pay isn’t usually great (you’re looking at around $1,700 USD a month), but taking a job in a developing country where your skills are desperately needed could be incredibly rewarding. And, if you stick with an NGO like Doctors Without Borders, you’ll find there are a lot of countries in need of your services.

Image: Staff Sgt. Kaily Brown for DVIDSHUB / CC BY 2.0 / via Flickr

Lights, Camera, Action!

If you prefer to traverse the world while being on the other side of the camera lens, you might decide to choose a career in cinematography.

While, technically, you won’t have a lot of control when it comes to the destinations that you want to visit, small screen and movie stars get to travel whenever the movie sets change location.

Depending on the type of acting job you land, you might be able to travel across your country, while sometimes you might even end up on a different continent.

Granted, it is not the best option when it comes to travelling the world for free since there are a lot of variables, but it is still an option for anyone that wants to combine their passion for acting and travelling.