The nomad life is not for everyone. I personally love to travel but I do also look forward to come back home after a long adventure and having a regular income. There are many careers that can give you the opportunity to travel on assignment or provide benefits that will cover most if not all the cost of travel expenses.
Airlines
Working for an Airline is your best bet because of the benefit to travel basically for free. There is a full operation behind an airline. You can apply to jobs in Finance, Operations, Human Resources, Technology and so on.
As an employee, the fare for the flight you book will be waved but you still will have to pay the taxes applied to the destination. The taxes will vary and it is something governmental, nothing to do with the airline. Also, it will be a stand-by ticket, meaning you will be able to flight if there is space available (empty seats).
To make the most out of these benefits try traveling to less popular destinations or in low season so your chances to find available seats increases and not just that but if you are lucky you might be able to be upgraded to first class. Also, plan short trips during weekends; this way you won’t feel stuck waiting for the right time to travel with your PTO, one day will be most likely to be approved than a week or two.
This benefit is extended to family members and in some companies to another person of your choice.
I worked for Copa Airlines as Accounting Analyst in their Finance department and I loved to be able to hop on a flight for a 3 days weekend trip. I was able to travel to Cuba, Dominic Republic and Mexico. I was lucky to be upgraded to first class in most of the flights and let me tell you, it was a treat! And not just that but I was able to bring friends with me too.
Global Companies
A little bit more challenging but still an option is to apply for jobs with Global companies with teams in several locations around the globe. You will have to prove yourself to be able to handle work independently and having a solid understanding of your tasks; after all it will be your full time job so this should be accomplished anyway.
Consider looking at Banks and companies with physical inventory in other countries. Also, positions in Event Management, Sales Representative, Consultants just to mention a few examples.
Your time will be restricted to successfully complete your work tasks; depending on what the assignment is you will probably end your day exhausted. There won’t be too much you could do during those days beside working but going out at least for dinner can add some time to explore. It’s worth to ask if you can extend the trip by arriving a day before or staying a little longer after. You could also ask your coworkers in that location to take you out to explore a little or give you some good recommendations to go on your own.
Depending on your position the amount of international or local travel may vary based on the specific role, employer and individual preferences.
I worked for Itochu Panama where I was assigned, as part of their Accounting team, to verify physical inventory in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Ecuador. The company is in the business of managing sales of cars so I had to count each car on each location. Hundreds of cars. Even though it was exhausting, I traveled with great coworkers who made the trip fun and enjoyable. We were able to explore a little after work and try the local cuisine.
Some careers can be seen as boring or daunting but you could do your own research and apply to companies with great benefits to look forward to use and then make time to actually use them so there is some balance. It is possible.
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