22 Ways to Get Paid to Travel (2026)
If ways get paid travel is on your radar, this short guide cuts through the noise. Here is what is worth knowing, and how to put it to work today.
Key Takeaways
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- There are more opportunities to get paid to travel than most people realize.
There are more opportunities to get paid to travel than most people realize. While numerous online jobs let you work from anywhere, this article focuses specifically on jobs where travel is integral.
Below you’ll find 22 options, broken down into the following categories to help you find the ideal travel job:
- Freelancer/digital nomad jobs: Work on your own terms, whenever and wherever you want.
- Short-term jobs: Get paid to travel for a few weeks or a season, although the long-term potential is minimal.
- Career track travel jobs: Make travel a key part of your professional development and long-term career goals.
- Free or nearly-free travel opportunities: These are temporary and volunteer jobs that offer compensation for travel, room and board, or some combination of the two.
You can also click the menu button below to see a list of all the opportunities in this article and jump to the ones that you’re most interested in.
Table of Contents
ToggleFreelancer/Digital Nomad Jobs
The jobs in this section aren’t traditional jobs that involve working for an employer. In most cases you’ll be freelancing or running your own online business. If you’re looking for adventure and you want some control over your schedule, these jobs could be perfect for you.
#1. Travel Writer
Summary: As a travel writer, you’ll write articles, reports and reviews related to travel and tourism. Naturally, your work will involve visiting a lot of different locations in order to gain the experience needed for your writing.
How much it pays: According to Glassdoor, the average travel writer makes $52,930.
How to get started: We’ll look at two different options below. If you want to start your own blog, you can refer to our guide “How to Start a Blog And Make Money.” If you want to get hired by other publications, refer to our guide on how to become a freelance writer.
Freelance Travel WriterFreelance writers work for a variety of different publications. Travel writers are hired by websites, blogs, magazines, guidebooks and other publications to produce articles and reports helpful to travelers.
You might be assigned to review a particular resort or hotel, verify details of things to do in a specific city, or any number of different things.
In most cases, you’ll be assigned to specific tasks and destinations, so you probably won’t be able to choose your own itinerary. You may be hired for a one-off assignment to write a specific article, or you might be hired for an ongoing assignment, like writing a new article each month.
Travel BloggerIf you want the freedom to travel wherever you want, whenever you want, start a travel blog. Instead of writing for clients, you’ll be writing for your own website, so you get to make all of the decisions.
Having a profitable travel blog is a excellent way to earn a living, but it will take some time and effort to reach the point where your blog income is enough to sustain you. Most blogs don’t make very much money the first year, so you’ll need some patience to make it through those first few months without giving up.
Potential avenues for revenue include brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, public speaking and creating your own digital products to sell to your audience.
Where to learn more: If you want to see what it’s like to work as a travel writer, these two articles provide a lot of insight:
Marc Andre
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