According to Forbes, in 2020 just 5% of remote jobs were able to be completed from anywhere. Fast forward to 2022, and a whole new world has emerged, one in which remote working is no longer a dream, but a reality for many people to travel the world whilst working.
Compare My Jet has explored the best-paid careers for those who want to travel the world whilst earning some of the biggest salaries in the world. They have analysed the highest-paying jobs in every country and filtered this by the amount of travel required for these jobs. They have also determined the type of education that is needed to land these jobs and become a ‘jet-setter’.
Pilots, Photographers and Event Planners are amongst the 19 best jobs for travel lovers
Compare My Jet’s research found the 19 best-paid jobs that require travel for those who aim to be jet setters.
A normal 9 to 5 job isn’t for everyone, especially if you spend your days wondering about faraway destinations! But now there are plenty of opportunities to take on a new adventure and experience what the world has to offer by taking up a travel job that will allow you to know exotic destinations and earn a fair amount of money to improve your living standards.
The best-paid jobs that require constant travel
| Career | Annual Salary ($) | Annual Salary (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineers | $121,523.00 | £89,927.02 |
| Airline Pilots | $112,162.00 | £82,999.88 |
| Consultants | $107,989.19 | £79,912.00 |
| Offshore Drillers | $90,679.00 | £67,102.46 |
| Telemedicine Physicians | $80,239.19 | £59,377.00 |
| Event Planners | $65,586.00 | £48,533.64 |
| Architects | $59,093.24 | £43,729.00 |
| Sailors | $47,404.05 | £35,079.00 |
| Ski Instructors | $47,404.05 | £35,079.00 |
| Training Specialists | $44,683.78 | £33,066.00 |
| Lorry Drivers | $44,031.08 | £32,583.00 |
| Interpreters | $38,228.38 | £28,289.00 |
| Journalists | $35,013.51 | £25,910.00 |
| Photographers | $32,333.78 | £23,927.00 |
| Flight Attendants | $26,675.68 | £19,740.00 |
| Bloggers | $26,598.65 | £19,683.00 |
| Travel Agents | $24,201.35 | £17,909.00 |
| Teaching English as a Foreign Language Teachers | $19,312.16 | £14,291.00 |
| Tour Guides | $18,490.54 | £13,683.00 |
Following the career of an Aerospace Engineer, this career takes the number one spot as the best-paid career where travel is required for those who want to travel the world. Those in this field can earn an annual salary of around $121,523.00/£89,927.02 with the right qualification. All of these travel career opportunities provide flexible schedules, remote work, and livable salaries, allowing you to live your dream of a jet-setting life and career!
It is not a coincidence that pilots are listed among the top careers that allow you to be a jet-setter. Pilots get the option to visit some of the world’s most popular and picturesque sites in between flights, landing this job is a step in the right direction.
Perhaps the easiest way of seeing the world is acquiring one of these jobs, there are many options available.
Career coach and Director of 10Eighty, Liz Sebag, explains:
“Working for a charity or NGO might be a starting point. Many jobs in the travel and tourism industry might be suitable too. A photographer with a good reputation and good contacts might travel the world. Many journalists are qualified by experience rather than education. Notably some sportspeople, footballers specifically travel and work abroad and are also exceptionally well paid, however the talent required to succeed is rare.”
Little to no experience and qualifications are required for becoming a jet-setter
For those wondering what are the qualifications to become a jet-setter and travel the world, the research from Compare My Jet also took a look at the academic requirements to land each one of these dream jobs.
Some of the most specialised jobs -Aerospace Engineer, Architect and Telemedicine Physician- require at least a Bachelor’s degree that in some cases might take up to five years to finish.
Career coach and Director of 10Eighty, Liz Sebag explains:
“The ability to speak two or more foreign languages would be a good route to an international career. A professional career with internationally recognised qualifications such as teaching, medicine, architecture and, obviously, law. IT and management consultants who can do business in the relevant languages are likely to have good opportunities to travel extensively”
In spite of some careers requiring a licence or certification and the knowledge of specific languages, there are some others that, on the contrary, require little to no qualifications to land these jobs and become a jet-setter.
Qualifications required to land a travel job in 2022
| Career | Qualifications (UK) |
|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineers | Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent |
| Airline Pilots | Commercial Pilot Licence |
| Consultants | None (Field-specific) |
| Offshore Drillers | None |
| Telemedicine Physicians | Doctoral Degree + Specialisations |
| Event Planners | None |
| Architects | Recognised degree + 2 years' experience |
| Sailors | Variable, inc. Able Seaman certificate, Radio Operator certificate, Deck or Engineer Officer certificate, etc. |
| Ski Instructors | Level 1 Ski Instructor qualification recommended. Foreign Language Beneficial. |
| Training Specialists | None |
| Lorry Drivers | HGV Licence |
| Interpreters | Variable, inc. Diploma in Public Service Interpreting, MA in Interpreting |
| Journalists | None |
| Photographers | None |
| Flight Attendants | None |
| Bloggers | None |
| Travel Agents | None |
| Teaching English as a Foreign Language Teachers | None (Foreign Language Beneficial) |
| Tour Guides | None (Foreign Language Beneficial) |
Some of these careers, even the ones with little to no qualifications needed, can also offer low unemployment rates, strong work-life balance and possibilities for job growth.
Other profitable careers that don’t require travelling
For those who want to earn good salaries, there are some other career opportunities than the ones above. However, in these cases, travel is not required and these professions tend to be based on a fixed location.
| Career | Annual Salary ($) | Annual Salary (£) | Qualifications (UK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neurosurgeons | $390,438.00 | £97,408.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Cardiothoracic Surgeons | $361,513.00 | £90,985.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $296,583.00 | £84,500.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Dermatologists | $291,191.00 | £69,209.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Orthodontists | $280,573.00 | £77,757.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Surgeons | $270,461.00 | £69,456.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Anesthesiologists | $265,990.00 | £90,005.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Psychiatrists | $260,428.00 | £67,056.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Prosthodontists | $249,195.00 | £62,500.00 | Dental Degree + Further Study |
| Obstetricians and Gynaecologists | $230,433.00 | £94,219.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Physicians | $207,048.00 | £52,662.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Paediatricians | $187,944.00 | £60,000.00 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| IT Managers | $184,431.00 | £136,478.94 | None (Computer Science qualifications beneficial) |
| Dentists | $184,110.00 | £50,994.00 | Dental Degree |
| Sports Medicine Physicians | $180,389.00 | £133,487.86 | Medical Degree + Specialisations |
| Podiatrists | $178,944.00 | £29,139.00 | Approved Medical Degree + Health and Care Professions Council registration |
| Nurse Anaesthetists | $171,851.00 | £37,407.00 | Degree in a health-related subject |
| Marketing Managers | $166,178.00 | £122,971.72 | None |
| Financial Managers | $163,554.00 | £121,029.96 | None |
| Petroleum Engineers | $157,124.00 | £116,271.76 | Relevant accredited degree |
| Chief Executives | $150,360.00 | £111,266.40 | None |
| Lawyers | $149,601.00 | £110,704.74 | Law degree + Graduate Diploma |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $147,500.00 | £109,150.00 | None |
| Chartered Accountants | $147,210.00 | £108,935.40 | |
| Sales Managers | $141,957.00 | £105,048.18 | None |
| Senior Construction Managers | $134,658.00 | £99,646.92 | |
| Pharmacists | $133,215.00 | £98,579.10 | |
| Financial Advisors | $132,765.00 | £98,246.10 | |
| Business Operations Managers | $129,650.00 | £95,941.00 | |
| Mechanical Engineers | $121,400.00 | £89,836.00 | |
| Optometrists | $120,536.00 | £38,403.00 | |
| Political Scientists | $120,313.00 | £89,031.62 | |
| Actuaries | $118,281.00 | £87,527.94 | |
| Database Administrators | $112,999.00 | £83,619.26 | None (Computer Science qualifications beneficial) |
| Information Security Analysts | $102,552.00 | £75,888.48 | None (Computer Science qualifications beneficial) |
| Software Developers | $101,760.00 | £75,302.40 | None (Computer Science qualifications beneficial) |
| Physical Therapists | $91,160.00 | £67,458.40 | |
| Investment Banking | $90,446.00 | £66,930.04 | |
| Financial Analysts | $84,800.00 | £62,752.00 | |
| Web developers | $80,596.00 | £59,641.04 | None (Computer Science qualifications beneficial) |
| Judges or Magistrates | $80,526.00 | £59,589.24 | |
| Logisticians | $76,635.00 | £56,709.90 |
“Remote working has created new and unexpected possibilities for many jobs that now can be performed from abroad. It’s more common than ever to work from remote locations with just a laptop and headsets. However, there are still some other careers -particularly those in the health sector- that require a fixed location and direct contact with the public. These can also be extremely rewarding in terms of personal satisfaction and income”, explained Ian Wright, CEO and founder of Compare My Jet.
Methodology
Using seedlists and different specialised sources from the UK and the USA, we were able to create a list of best-paid jobs based on annual salary rates and also a list of jobs that require travel on a regular basis.
We matched both lists to create the table of best-paid jobs that require travel. Then we investigated the professional qualifications for each one of these careers
Sources:
- Best Paid Careers – US: https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Wages/highest-paying-careers.aspx
- Best Paid Jobs – World; Salary: https://content.wisestep.com/highest-paying-jobs-careers-world/
- Travel Jobs: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules
- Other Travel Jobs; Salary: https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/jobs-that-involve-travel
- Aerospace qualifications: https://www.environmentalscience.org/career/aerospace-engineer
- Pilot Qualifications: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/airline-pilot
- Sailor Qualifications: https://www.gov.uk/seafarer-skills-and-training
- Architect Qualifications: https://www.goconstruct.org/why-choose-construction/whats-happening-in-construction/architect-qualifications/
- Offshore Oil Qualifications: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/offshore-drilling-worker
- UK Medical Pay: https://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Neurosurgeon/Salary
- Prosthodontist Qualifications: https://www.basilmizrahi.co.uk/prosthodontist.htm
- Petroleum Engineer Qualifications: https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-descriptions/petroleum-engineer-job-description#:~:text=Qualifications%20and%20training%20required,on%20the%20Engineering%20Council’s%20website.
- Expert comments on how to become a jet-setter
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Athol Franz
You are incorrect about the qualifications required to be an airline pilot. This is not a Commercial Pilot’s license (CPL), but is an Airline Transport License (ATP), which is very different and usually take at least five years to attain.