Get paid to travel

It is everyone's dream to travel the world. But how about getting paid to travel. Now that to me is a dream lifestyle.

Here are a few ideas on how to travel and get paid to do so.

1. Start a Travel Blog.
There are many successful individuals and couples who fund their travel by blogging. There are many avid readers of such blogs including myself who are looking for travel tips and recommendations.

Many travel companies, airlines, and hotel chains are willing to pay good money to advertise on popular blogs. So if you can write about your travels and engage your audience you can create a successful business that can fund your travels. See example blog here


2. Travel Jobs
There are many jobs available that allow you to work and travel such as airline crews, working on cruise ship etc. Other jobs which allow you to travel include working in the diplomatic service or in the armed forces. Although the latter may not be to everyone's taste.


3. Teaching English as a foreign language.
This is something almost anybody can do and there are lots of teaching posts available all over the world. Simply complete the course on Teaching English as a foreign language and decide where you want to go.

4. Travel as an Au Pair
Au Pair jobs involve travelling to another country and living with a local family. You will be expected to take care of children and do some housework but you will have free meals and accommodation and get a small salary.


5. Volunteer
NGO's are always seeking volunteers to work all over the world in areas such as health care, education, and agriculture etc. It's a great opportunity to travel for free and get to know other cultures as well. Some NGO's will pay you a small allowance as well.


5. House sitting.
House sitting is a great opportunity to travel to different parts of the world and stay in luxury houses and apartments for free. While not exactly free as you have to pay to get there, but offers tremendous savings on accommodation. You may have to look after a cat or dog while there but that is it.


So as you can see, you do not have to be rich to travel the world. What are you waiting for?

My latest trip and how I financed it.

I got the opportunity to travel to Chiang Mai in Thailand a few months ago but almost did not make it due to a lack of money. After my last trip to Spain, I was broke and in debt to the tune of a few thousand dollars.

Now in the past I have not been very good with money, spending more than I was earning and when
it came to travel I tend to max out my credit cards. While many can travel in Asia for $20 - £30 a day I tend to spend $100 or more as I like to stay in nice hotels and eat in fancy restaurants.

Now my credit score is low as a result of late payments etc. But I am learning and paying off my credit cards before I take my next trip, usually!

But a friend offered me his apartment for free in Thailand for a month in February and I managed to get a great price on airfares so I could not turn it down as I had always wanted to visit Chiang Mai and the Golden Triangle in northern Thailand.

So I have to borrow the cash for the trip and I had difficulty raising the $1500 from my bank that I needed so I had to opt instead for an unsecured personal loan here. The interest rate is high but I am
committed to paying it back and clearing my credit card balances before my next trip.

By the way, Chiang Mai is awesome.

My Top 5 Must See Travel Destinations

Here are my 5 top travel destination I plan to visit over the next few years. Of course, I have to get the finances in place first. Even though I will be travelling as cheaply as possible I will still need a considerable amount of cash.

Giza Pyramids & Sphinx - Egypt

The Grand Canyon

Angkor Wat - Cambodia

Machu Picchu - Peru

The Taj Mahal 

So there you have it, but it's going to take a lot of cash to visit all the above sites. So I need to get my finances in order right now.