Travel as a way of life requires making some outside-the-box job decisions. I’ve been a traveling alternately as a seasonal worker, a volunteer, a vanlifer, and a tourist for over a decade without any sort of “normal” job. Here are the resources you’ll need to do the same.
A word of caution: there are many companies (GVI, Interexchange, GoAbroad, BUNAC, etc.) that position themselves as “gap year” programs or volunteer programs but require huge sums of money from anyone looking to work or volunteer. It’s completely unnecessary to pay for these middleman companies. While some of the sites listed below, like Workaway, may require a small membership fee, they all list jobs and volunteer positions for free. While $50 or less (or ideally zero) can be a normal rate to sign up for a job board website as a job seeker, paying $1,000 or more for a 2-week-long job placement is absolutely absurd. Proceed with caution on pay-to-work sites, especially when evaluating TEFL (teach english as a foreign language) opportunities. Many of them are scams.
That said, taking travel jobs has enriched my life in more ways than I could ever have predicted. I highly recommend searching for seasonal adventure jobs, beginning by heading over to the travel jobs section of this site!
Paid Travel Jobs With Housing
Adventure Jobs Worldwide
- WanderJobs A wide variety of seasonal adventure jobs worldwide.
- Backdoor Jobs Outdoor adventure jobs & volunteer positions.
- Jobs Abroad Bulletin Wide range of jobs abroad.
- Season Workers A variety of worldwide seasonal jobs.
- Anywork Anywhere Full time work internationally.
- Coolworks Seasonal adventure jobs in the US.
- Adventure Job Board Handful of outdoor education jobs.
- Occupation Wild Outdoor adventure jobs in the US.
- Good Natured Jobs A handful of seasonal jobs worldwide.
- Adventure Jobs Small but interesting variety of seasonal jobs.
- QORF Adventure tour jobs in Australia.
- Good Work “Green” jobs in Canada. Some include housing.
- Job Trekker Adventure jobs across Canada.
- Overseas Job Center Seasonal jobs & pay-to-volunteer gigs worldwide.
- Hostel Travel Jobs Worldwide volunteer & paid positions in hostels.
Au Pair Jobs
- Au Pair World Worldwide matching service for au pairs & families.
- Au Pair Live-in nanny jobs worldwide.
Cruise Ship, Boat, & Yacht Jobs
- Find a Crew Ship & boat positions, commercial & private.
- All Cruise Jobs Hospitality, crew, etc., on cruise ships.
- Cruise Job Finder Positions on cruise ships & yachts.
- Blue Water Yachting Yacht crew & cook positions.
- YA Crew Jobs on yachts & super yachts.
- Crewseekers Yacht crew jobs for all experience levels.
Yoga & Spiritual Jobs
- Yoga Trade Work exchange and paid yoga instruction jobs worldwide.
- Yoga Travel Jobs Paid & volunteer positions in spiritual tourism.
Summer Camp & Education Jobs
- ACA Camp Summer & year-round camp jobs.
- Camp Channel US summer camp jobs.
- YMCA Nationwide jobs across the US, many with room & board.
Other Outdoor Adventure Jobs Worldwide
- Divers Jobs SCUBA jobs for certified instructors.
- Outdoor Ed Wilderness therapist, teaching, & camp jobs, etc.
- Alaska Tour Jobs Seasonal and year round tourism jobs in Alaska.
- Ranch Work Positions on US ranches.
- Snow Season Central A few worldwide ski jobs.
Work Exchange & Volunteer
- Workaway The leading site for worldwide work exchanges in beautiful destinations. Extensive host/volunteer rating system.
- WWOOF The leading site for organic farm work exchanges worldwide.
- The Shortlist WanderJobs-approved gigs that don’t pay.
- HelpX Farm, hospitality, & more work exchanges worldwide.
- All Hands Natural disaster relief.
- World Packers Extensive work exchange listings worldwide.
- Hippohelp Large number of exchange opportunities worldwide.
- Volunteers Base Smaller work exchange site.
- Help Stay Interesting volunteering worldwide.
- Hovos Worldwide work exchanges.
- Volunteer Latin America Most positions are no cost.
- The Poosh Sustainable building projects (straw bale, cob, earth ship, etc.) worldwide.
- Working Traveller Worldwide volunteer gigs & some paid.
- One World 365 Many paid jobs & pay-to-volunteer jobs booked through middleman companies. Be wary of pay-to-work options.
Wilderness Conservation
- Student Conservation Association US volunteer trail maintenance.
- American Conservation Experience US conservation for young people.
Social Activism Corps
- Americorps Intensive long-term volunteering in the US.
- Peace Corps Intensive long-term volunteering worldwide.
- Mercy Corps Intensive long-term volunteering in Guyana, South America.
- United Nations Volunteers Intensive long-term volunteering worldwide.
- Voluntary Service Overseas Volunteers fighting poverty worldwide.
TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) Jobs
- Teach Away Placement service for jobs in China & Asia.
- JET Placement service for jobs in Japan.
- English Opens Doors Teaching positions in Chile.
- The International Educator Job board for worldwide TEFL positions.
- Maximo Nivel TELF certification (costs $$) and job placement.
- International TEFL Academy Earn certification (costs $$) and lifetime job search guidance.
- The Nation Foundation A few volunteer positions.
Kibbutz in Israel
A kibbutz is a sponsored cultural & Hebrew language volunteer exchange for young Jewish people.
- Kibbutz Ulpan 5 month language, work & culture exchange
- Kibbutz Volunteer Program Center Cultural volunteer placements.
Free Accommodation
Hospitality of Strangers
- Couchsurfing Leading site for overnight stays in host homes.
- Warm Showers Like couchsurfing, geared toward bikers.
- Be Welcome Free accommodation for kind travelers.
- Trustroots Overnight stays in people’s homes & meetups.
- TalkTalk Bnb Free accommodation in exchange for language lessons.
- Hospitality Club Socially oriented home stays.
- Global Freeloaders Free local accommodation with hosts.
- Culture Go Go Free home stays in return for English lessons.
- Staydu Choose between free stays, stay for work, or pay to stay.
Free Overnight Parking
- Walmart
- National Forests
- All Stays Camp & RV App
- Highway Rest Stops
House Sitting
Home Swaps
Useful Travel for Free Lists
- Free Accommodation & Cheap Travel (by I Am Aileen)
- Ways to Sleep Free Traveling (by Gamin Traveler)
- Master List: Sites to Find Outdoor Adventure Jobs (WanderJobs)
- How to Get Paid to Travel (WanderJobs)
- 20+ Types of Jobs with Room & Board (WanderJobs)
- 347 Hostels Open to Work Exchanges (Working Traveller)
- Van Life- Top 10 Free Overnight Parking Spots (The Road Abode)
- 6 Amazing Places to Stay & Volunteer (The Guardian)
Blogs for Long-Term Budget Travel
It is also worth searching the major job boards, like FlexJobs and Indeed, and through Facebook groups. While these sites aren’t specifically built for finding travel jobs, with the right keywords you can find plenty of them. The more specific you are with your search, the better. Check out these Tips for Finding Seasonal Adventure Jobs with Housing.
Reddit is another great source of information for nomadic travelers. There are a number of fantastic subreddits with active members giving away tons of insider information. Check Reddit when tackling confusing, scammy quagmires like TEFL placement programs and shady foreign schools. (Here is Reddit’s helpful TEFL blacklist.)
Know of another great resource? Send us an email so we can add it to the list!
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