Have you been bitten by the travel bug? Would your dream job see you globe-trotting around the world? Perhaps you would like a career that allows you more corporate travel to enjoy opportunities to connect with other industry professionals, share ideas, and get inspired! Maybe you would prefer the option to be based in another country or the flexibility and freedom to work from different locations throughout the year?Perhaps you speak a second language you would like to put to good use or wanderlust has you desiring to experience a different way of life? Whatever your reasons for wanting more business travel there are a variety of career options that can make this a reality.
What are the best business career options that require travel?
Sales Representative
2020 taught many companies that face-to-face interaction cannot be beaten. Whilst virtual sales meetings dominated last year, lots of industries have learned the hard way that product demonstrations and business negotiations are often best conducted in person.If you enjoy connecting with people and solving problems, a career in sales could be just the ticket.
Retail Buyer
Whether it’s food, fashion, or furniture, brands need to travel to select their product range. Larger companies will have at least one designated retail buyer. Their job is to meet manufacturers across the country or travel internationally to find the best merchandise for their target audience.Retail is one of the career paths that will fare the strongest after COVID-19. In February of this year, our data demonstrated that retail has the second-fastest recovery rate of all the industries we surveyed.
Event Planner
The hospitality industry undoubtedly took a big hit in 2020, but under normal circumstances working as an events planner will often require lots of business travel. Whether they are accompanying clients or colleagues, events planners will need to coordinate arrangements on the ground to ensure everything runs smoothly.While some events will move online, many conferences and other business events will return to being held in real life. The technology to meet and speak online has existed for years but there are significant benefits to meeting in person that businesses will be keen to take advantage of again.In some organizations, event planning can be the responsibility of the marketing team so don't rule out these positions when conducting your job searches.
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Consultant
Whether you work for an agency or your own business, working as a consultant can involve both national and international travel to assist companies in solving their issues. Being a consultant relies on building strong relationships with your clients and getting to know their organization in detail.This requires lots of site visits and face-to-face meetings which can mean extensive travel arrangements, especially if you are working with international businesses.
Traveling Nurse
If you are a registered nurse your profession could see you exploring cities across the country or even further afield by signing up with recruiters to be a traveling nurse. This role will have you stepping in to resolve staff shortages with temporary contracts in different locations throughout the year.Alternatively, if you opt to work as a travel nurse internationally, you could be flown out to support aid workers after humanitarian crises. Having a bachelor's degree in nursing is a benefit, but not essential. It's also a plus if you are looking to work as a travel nurse internationally to speak a foreign language.
International Aid Worker
Those with a background in health, education, or certain sciences (for example agriculture) can find a place for their skills in large international development agencies or NGOs. Some positions might see you working in a humanitarian capacity, visiting countries after they have been affected by natural disasters, famine, or war.Meanwhile, other roles might see you contracted within a developing country, using your skillset to organize initiatives with local governments. Whether you choose positions in the field or within an organization’s headquarters, working in international aid or development is a rewarding career with lots of room for growth.
Civil Servant
A career as a foreign service officer can be a fantastic way to travel the world whilst enjoying a meaningful and fruitful career. Working for the government can offer job security and great perks such as a generous pension or healthcare.Whilst ambassador might be the most well-known foreign service job there are a wealth of roles, from psychiatrist to security expert, needed to support embassies across the globe.
Teacher / Teach English
Whether you opt to study for your TEFL to teach ESL or use an existing qualification, teaching is a great vocation for those wanting to live in different countries. English teachers are in high demand in many locations, but you might need to secure your first contract outside the major cities, as competition can be fierce.Some globetrotters combine their time teaching English with being au pairs or house sitters to keep costs of living low. Teachers of all subjects looking to travel can also establish themselves as freelancers online.However, the key to finding steady clients lies in finding a niche for your tutoring business. For example, if your background is in teaching English, what qualifications did your students need to pass and how could you tutor them through these exams?Alternatively, after gaining experience, teachers with a college degree can explore new career paths working as education consultants for international aid organizations.
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Travel Writer
Travel blogs have exploded in popularity in the last few years. Whether it’s for a prestigious publication or their travel blog, writers combine their skills and love of travel to forge a career while exploring the world.While the self-publishing route is tricky, after building up a following on social media, travel bloggers can earn a full-time living through sponsorships or advertising on their websites. During Covid-19, many travel writers found themselves grounded, but both leisure and business travel will return as the pandemic eases. After all, people are keen to explore new destinations on vacation, and companies want to reap the benefits of meeting clients and colleagues in person again.For businesses in the travel industry, there is high demand for content to inspire travelers and help them navigate a world of travel that will undoubtedly be different from what came before.
Tour Guide
If you love history or are a keen foodie, then life as a tour guide could offer exciting opportunities to share your passion with others. Perhaps the most sociable of travel jobs, working as a tour guide can mean being based in one location, becoming an expert on a town or a historical site.Alternatively, this career could see you travel the world if, for example, you choose to work for a cruise line or a high-end tour operator. As more professionals seek the digital nomad lifestyle, start-ups are looking to support them by creating group itineraries where they can network and build business connections with others while traveling.These companies often need a community manager to ensure participants have a great time and want to join the next chapter. If you thrive on meeting like-minded people, this could be a fantastic chance to travel and join a budding industry that is sure to succeed after the pandemic.More professionals have enjoyed a taste of remote working, and the need for extra safety measures will likely make these types of community manager roles even more critical.
Travel Agent
Does a career in the travel industry pique your interest, but would you rather stay in your current country? You can still bring destinations to life, sharing your travel tips with clients, and enjoy frequent business trips with a career as a travel agent.In this line of work, you will likely benefit from discounted rates and other perks for your vacations, as well as opportunities to develop into product or sales manager roles. In addition, travel agencies are increasingly open to allowing sales teams to work from home if you’d prefer to keep this arrangement after the pandemic.These days, high-end tour operators tend to use the name travel specialists rather than agents, so don’t forget to use this term as well when looking for vacancies. While 2020 saw the travel business temporarily put on hold, companies are currently busier than ever planning future itineraries for clients who are desperate to travel again.
Flight Attendant
The career that will see you traveling the most is undoubtedly being a flight attendant. Crews working long-haul flights of 12 hours or more might take in 3 or 4 destinations a month. A dream job for those who love to travel, long-haul flight attendants also enjoy the perk of paid layover time both before and after their flights.From Canada to Thailand, you can often spend this downtime relaxing in fantastic destinations many people dream of visiting! Plus, both you and your loved ones can benefit from discounted airfares for your vacations, depending on your employer.
Remote Working
In 2020 many professionals got an unexpected taste of working at home. In the past doing business on the road was largely restricted to influencers or freelancers who were making money from blogging, online businesses, being a travel photographer, or web design.However, more and more companies are allowing their teams to stay remote. Plus, countries are developing visas for digital nomads looking to work in different parts of the world throughout the year. If the digital nomad lifestyle appeals to you then it's worth considering any obstacles that your business might face.Is the work you do now compatible or is there a related job that might be easier to move around with? How will you take care of insurance, visas, healthcare, and taxes?
To sum up
Whichever career path you follow, arranging corporate travel can be complicated, especially with the continuing upheaval from the COVID-19 pandemic. Flexibility will continue to be essential, and keeping on top of any changes to safety measures for your business trip will be vital.Should your plans need to change, any travel bookings made through
FlexiPerk are 80% refundable
. Plus, our risk management system
delivers security updates and the latest travel advice straight to your phone or desktop. If you ever have any questions, our team of human customer care agents is on hand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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