lsugirl01

Have you? Ever wondered how to get a job traveling all over the world? I think I could do that!! Anybody know of any job openings? Where do I send my resume? I can interview today!!!!

flanneruk

There are tens of thousands of people who travel all over the world.

They're called salesmen, consultants, regional honchoes of megacorps, academics and buyers. They're the people who keep the airlines in business - and they got and keep their jobs by being good at selling, consulting, honching, academicising or buying.

By and large, they don't just travel: mostly they get paid reasonably too - and get insights into what makes a country tick that few cliche-mongers about the Rue Cler ever get exposed to. By contrast, scarcely a single travel writer earns enough to eat.

If you want to see the world, get good at something and get BP or Citibank to pay you to do it.

mr_go

Flanner is right about the traveling. And by all accounts, well...just be careful what you wish for. That's all I'm gonna say.

As for getting a writing gig: all published authors got their "job" the same way...by writing. (And, preferably, by also knowing someone in the publishing biz.)

Fra_Diavolo

Rick Steves got his job because he is an entrepreneur. He liked to travel, so he traveled. He identified a need for a guidebook catering to a group maybe a little older and wealthier than the student backpacker crowd, but still aimed at independent travel, wrote it and sold it. I don't admire his books, but he is a pretty good businessman. It takes enormous energy though.

In addition to the business opportunities mentioned above, you might work for the State Department or several other government agencies, maybe the Peace Corps maybe the UN or other NGO.

longboatkey

Travelling for business is quite a bit different than travel for your own consumption. After your 15th or 20th trip to the same city the ol' luster seems to fade. I made 26 trips to Guangzhou and have really had enough of the humid hot seasons and the chronic pollution; not to mention seeing the young teenagers working full shifts 6 and 7 days a week in factories for meager pay.

StCirq

Getting to travel all over the world isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be. I've been able to travel all over the world for a variety of reasons for three decades, most recently as a consultant, but also as a writer. It's hardly glamorous. Most of it is just plain hard work, only in unfamiliar territory. You need a load of resourcefulness and patience.

Most writers who get to travel all over, by the way, did it on their own dime, and at considerable expense, for years BEFORE they ever got published. And most don't ever end up in print anyway. Rick Steves didn't end up getting published because he can write worth a darn (he can't), but because he was a smart entrepreneur.

LaurenKahn1

Rick Steves' books and tours fill an important niche market. He got there because he is a good deal more enterprising than some jealous posters--and that is all there is to it.

suze

Rick Steves built his own business from the ground up on his love for travel and entreprenurial skills.

Anthony Bourdain a clever combination of charismatic chef and novelist, already an established counter culture celeb that TV picked up.

I don't know how Samanta Brown got her job.

bdjtbenson

Samantha Brown was Miss America, who TV picked up.

So I guess that's pretty much it. Either look for a niche that needs to be filled and work to fill it or become a famous person in your own right and maybe some producer will ask you to host their show.

LaurenKahn1

Gee, maybe my recent appearance in the home swap spot on CNN will lead to fame and fortune.

I should live so long.

longboatkey

I assumed that Samantha Brown has a very deep pocketed "sugar daddy".

LaurenKahn1

Sorry I don't look like Samantha Brown.

At my age, perhaps a series entitled "Travels with Alte Cocker".

If you don't know Yiddish (or German), I am not going to offer a translation because this is a family board.

hetismij

Travelling for a television travel programme is definitely NOT my idea of a dream job - it is very hard work and whilst it may look like the presenter is on another free holiday in fact most of the filming is squeezed into as few days as possible with little chance for relaxation - except for the hours of boredom when flying/driving to the next location.
My son worked on such a programme - he thought it would be great but he stopped after just two months as he hated the constant travel and hassle.

sandi_travelnut

I like Samantha. He reactions to what she sees, people she meets and things she eats seems very genuine and sometimes humorous.

dmlove

I like SB, too. Was she really Miss America, or am I just gullible?

lsugirl01

Gosh, I was just trying to be a little light-hearted, not a "jealous poster". I know very well that that much traveling is not all glamorous and fun. I have a friend who travels for her job and hates it. She's always in meetings or airports, doing sales reports etc. etc.and never really sees anything. I would like to travel where i want, do what i like, have somebody else pick up the tab AND get a salary for just telling people about where i went. Now doesn't that sound like fun? I was just day-dreaming again. OHH speaking of getting paid, I need to stop day-dreaming and get ready for work!

gailw

Boy, that was my response, too: Samantha Brown was MISS AMERICA????!!!! Maybe she was a contestant.... but she comes from NH and I don't think we've ever had a winner from NH.
It's funny that this thread just started. I just met a woman whose job is taking bank customers on trips to faraway places and we all speculated on how much fun that would be and how you'd get a job like that.

dmlove

Well, because I have nothing better to do , I just checked her bio and there's nothing on there about Miss America. In fact, it says she auditioned for the Travel Channel gig.

P_M

"Was she really Miss America, or am I just gullible?"

I think this is an urban legend.

I did some googling including Wikopedia and a couple of bio pages and there's NO mention that she was ever Miss America.

P_M

Here are the names of all Miss Americas going back to 1921.

Samantha Brown was definitely not a Miss America.

http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/