It sounds like a dream – getting a job without a degree that allows you to travel the world. For a long time, it kinda was, but thanks to remote working and freelancing sites like Fiverr and Upwork, it’s never been easier to live and work abroad without a degree.
Not sure what kind of work you can do that’s a travel job, no degree needed? I’ve got you covered!
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1. Photographer
First up is a travel job classic, the photographer. This is obviously massively different from an Instagram influencer that just snaps their own holiday photos.
Photographers can pretty much work anywhere as long as they have their camera (here’s the one I use!), accessories, and a laptop to edit and submit their work on.
From sports photographers at surf resorts to selling action shots to guests to photographers picking up commercial gigs for small businesses to wedding photographers, and beyond, there are a lot of options for photographers to work abroad without a degree.
Average salary: in the UK, the average is around £29,000 a year. This obviously depends on the industry, clients, and the amount of work that you’re willing to take on.
2. Writer
This one is a particular favorite among digital nomads. As long as you’ve got a laptop and a stable WiFi connection, you can write commercially.
Whether you work in a content department for a remote company, or you’re working as a freelancer through sites like Fiverr and Upwork, there are so many gigs available for writers and editors with some experience – no degree necessary.
Average salary: in the UK, the average is around £28,000 a year. Freelancers with a large roster of clients can often earn more than this.
3. Hotel or Hostel Staff
Especially if you’re traveling around multiple destinations, like on a gap year or an open-ended trip, picking up work in a hotel or hostel is a great way to earn money on the road.
It always helps if you have hospitality experience beforehand or some language skills, but it’s not a prerequisite.
If you’re in a popular tourist place, there are always workers coming and going, so there are normally a fair few job openings in different hotels and hostels.
Job roles include housekeeping, reception or tour desks, bartenders and waiting staff, porters, social media teams, and more.
There’s a lot of variety depending on your experience or shift preferences, and they’re all transferable across multiple destinations and locations.
Average salary: It depends on the job role, but normally the national minimum hourly rate. You can work up to supervisor or manager level pretty quickly, or can also work in exchange for accommodation in some cases.
4. Cabin Crew/ Flight Attendant
Working as a flight attendant is one of the original travel jobs, and it’s still super popular as you don’t need a degree and just have to go through a training period.
The benefits include free or discounted flights, free accommodation on layovers, and getting to travel the world as your actual job.
It might help to have some experience in customer service as we all know how difficult some passengers can be!
Average salary: Cabin crew average salary is pretty low at around £18,000 a year, but you do save a lot of money on travel and accommodation, so you’re not spending as much on the road.
I‘ve lived abroad for many years and love helping others find work abroad and figure out their “Move Abroad Plan.” Check out my class below to get you started ASAP!
5. Chefs
Got a flair for cooking up a storm? If you’re trained up as a chef or have a good amount of experience, you can work pretty much anywhere in the world.
Restaurants and cafes are places that always seem to be hiring no matter where you are in the world.
Obviously, the hours aren’t the most sociable but you can benefit from fairly stable work opportunities, great food on shift, and a brigade of fellow chefs and kitchen staff that you can go out with after your shift.
Average salary: In the UK, the average salary is £26,000 which rises depending on your role within the kitchen.
6. Sports Instructors
If you’re a fan of hitting the water, running yoga sessions, scaling rocks, or love checking out the slopes, consider becoming a sports instructor.
Although these jobs can be largely seasonal, you can jump from resort to resort to create a full-time, annual schedule.
You’re probably going to have to have some kind of qualification, but you can often get the basic instructor levels by going on one or two-day courses.
Average salary: In the UK, £22,000, but if you’re working for a resort or company, they’ll often throw in accommodation and equipment free of charge.
7. Coders
One of the first groups of people to really take advantage of the world of remote work were the coders.
Often coders work at home or in an isolated room to go into their deep work state to get the job done. It’s because of this, they can naturally work solo from anywhere.
As long as you’ve got a laptop and a WiFi connection, you can code.
As this job is naturally remote, it’s pretty standard to be working for a company back home, rather than picking up freelance gigs.
You don’t need a degree, but experience is a must.
Average salary: In the UK, the average salary is £50,000.
8. Tour Guides
If you can speak multiple languages and can offer insight into a location or destination, then you might make a great tour guide.
Separate from running short day-long tours around your home city, you can move up to running small group tours for companies like G Adventures, Intrepid, and more.
This is a great way to meet new travelers, explore different regions around the world for a season before moving to the next.
Average salary: £32,000, but you are on 24-hour call during your tour period.
9. Seasonal Staff
I’ve spoken a little bit about seasonal sports instructors that can follow their sports season around the world, but there are plenty of support staff roles in these resorts that you can enjoy if you’re not a qualified instructor.
One of the most common entry-level seasonal jobs is being a chalet host on a ski resort. You basically cook, clean, and support the guests of a chalet for the whole season.
Sometimes there are guests in residence and sometimes you’re house-sitting between bookings. You tend to get your accommodation, meal allowance, and a ski pass.
Average salary: In the French Alps, you’re looking at about €900 a month but it does include a lot of benefits and perks.
10. Consultants
If you’ve got a specialism that you can share on a consultant basis, then you can 100% work from anywhere with a WiFi connection.
Say you run webinars for branding, social media, flipping houses, whatever – you can do this from anywhere.
No degree is necessary, but you’re going to need plenty of experience and remote clients.
Average salary: £50,000 but depends on client levels, experience, and industry
11. Marketing
Although some companies do require marketing degrees, a lot of marketing jobs, especially on the content marketing side, prefer experience to qualifications.
As a creative job that’s wholly based online, there are quite a few remote opportunities for marketing executives, social media managers, graphic designers, and more.
Average salary: for a marketing executive role (2-3 years experience) the UK average is £30,000
12. Cruise Ship Entertainer
Finally, if you can sing, dance, act, or generally entertain people of all ages, consider getting a job on a cruise ship.
You’ll need to audition, so experience is much more important than a performing arts degree, and you can explore the ship’s tropical destinations while the guests are off the boat.
Average salary: on average £1,800 a month, but you get food and accommodation included.
So, if you don’t have a degree but want to work and see the world, there are so many options!
Whether you’re creative, sporty, love people, or want to try something new, there’s an accessible travel job for you.
Find More Jobs Abroad:
- Jobs Available for Citizens of the UK with No Qualifications
- The Best Jobs Abroad for English Speakers
- Need to Move to A New Country Without a Job? Here’s Your Guide
- Everything You Need to Know About Working Abroad After College
- The Best Online Jobs for Expats
Vanessa Wachtmeister is a travel tech professional and the creator of the wealth & wanderlust platform, Wander Onwards. Vanessa is originally from Los Angeles, California, she is a proud Chicana, and she has been living abroad for the last 9 years. Today, she helps people pursue financial and location independence through her ‘Move Abroad’ Master Class, financial literacy digital products, and career workshops.