If your dreams are to explore the world, but your demanding career has you in a committed relationship with your office desk, you don't need to put your travel goals on hold. Between many employers opting to keep roles remote and offer top jobs for international travel, you have more options than you think.
1. Translator
Training required: Some roles may require you to be a certified or accredited translator, but many will administer their own exam to test your fluency level.
Why becoming a translator is a top pick for traveling professionals: In addition to the role paying well at $70,000 on average, being a translator keeps your fluency in another language refreshed for travel. Not to mention that you're often translating important documents related to court or insurance, and it's often benefiting someone who could otherwise be in a vulnerable situation.
2. Recruiter
Training required: While there is no required training or certification, most recruiters have a background in human resources, business administration, or sales.
Why becoming a recruiter is a top pick for traveling professionals: Many recruiters are working as freelancers post-pandemic. Though your 9-to-5 hours may be comprised of meetings, interviews, and emails, the larger part of your schedule and weekends can be dedicated to scratching your travel itch.
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3. Amazon FBA Seller or Dropshipper
Training required: As an Amazon dropshipper, you're responsible for supplying the inventory of a product (in essence, fronting the inventory costs), but Amazon handles the day-to-day operations and customer service. It will be in your best interest to research distributors and product merchandise before signing any dotted lines.
Read insights from expert guides like these or check out Amazon's site to learn more about being a dropshipper. Do your research to make sure it's a good fit for you.
Why becoming an Amazon FBA Seller or dropshipper is a top pick for traveling professionals: This career allows you to have the passive income that most of us yearn for. Amazon carries much of the responsibility, handling customer service returns, shipping, and day-to-day communication. Meanwhile, you're free to travel, explore, or work a different side hustle with minimal oversight going toward Amazon.
4. Coaching, Online Education
Training required: The training or certification required will depend on your industry. For example, a business coach or personal trainer may need a specific certification from an accredited organization.
Why online coaching is a top pick for traveling professionals: A coach is able to design their schedule and clientele list around their specific wants, needs, and niche. You're able to develop meaningful programming and create a working environment that is conducive to your lifestyle.
5. Graphic Designer
Training required: While many graphic designers attend college or an art institute to learn design work, many are self-taught.
Why becoming a graphic designer is a top pick for traveling professionals: As more companies lean into the digital and e-commerce space, there is a high demand for those who can help with branding and conception. Not only will picking up new clients and projects be less challenging, but you can also often knock off tasks and assignments during your "creative hours."
6. Content Writer
Training required: Similar to graphic designers and recruiters, the technical skills of a copywriter or content writer can be acquired through training, higher education, or sites like SkillShare.
Why becoming a content writer is a top pick for traveling professionals: Copywriters and content writers give a brand its voice and are vital to a marketing team. You're able to work from almost any location as long as you have Wi-Fi. Be mindful of deadlines and quick turnarounds, and you'll be able to enjoy yourself as a professional abroad.
Shutterstock7. Digital Marketing Consultant
Training required: Digital marketing is an ever-changing and evolving industry; having updated certifications and training will help you when securing a remote digital marketing role.
Why becoming a digital marketing consultant is a top pick for traveling professionals: It's a vibrant subdivision of media, and your travels could even influence how you approach project work. It is a very demanding career, but this could be the perfect option if you're looking for a steadier paycheck and working environment while enjoying a city (or many cities!) long-term.
8. Nanny
Training required: Most international nannies are expected to stay up-to-date with their health and safety certifications like CPR and first-aid training. Nannies who hope to work for more influential families or make a more lucrative career would be wise to receive additional education in areas such as early childhood development.
Why becoming a nanny is a top pick for traveling professionals: Many recent graduates itching to live abroad will become a nanny because it's a rare opportunity to travel while having your room and board paid for by a family. Often nannies will help working parents with day-to-day household responsibilities, cooking, and tutoring. To protect yourself, we encourage you to use an accredited organization such as the International Nanny Association website when seeking employment.
9. Online English Teacher
Training required: According to the International TEFL Academy, "Online language schools typically require their English teachers to hold a legitimate (accredited) TEFL certificate. A professional-level TEFL certification will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need to get hired to teach English online, even with no prior experience in education."
Why becoming an online English teacher is a top pick for traveling professionals: Not only are you traveling or living abroad, you're able to help teach children and foster important life experiences for them.
10. Virtual Assistant
Training required: VA veteran and The Horkey Handbook's founder, Gina Horkey, shares this for aspiring assistants: "A high degree of motivation, good communication skills, and a desire to learn are equally, if not more important."
Why becoming a virtual assistant is a top pick for traveling professionals: Whether traveling for a client or off on your private adventure, virtual assistants can take work wherever they go. One VA, Lori, shared her experience traveling, "My client is based in Tanzania, East Africa. I've been here for about five months too, working for them as they sit in their office further south down the coast. I went to meetings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with my client. That opportunity certainly wouldn't have happened had I still been in Canada."
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In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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