Imagine having a career where you get paid to travel
and learn about other countries and cultures. Those are exactly the
benefits you get with many jobs in the travel and tourism industry.
Positions as adventure guides, tour directors and tour managers allow
you get paid to travel and enjoy all the benefits of touring the world –
at no cost to you. Sound interesting?
Lots
of other people think so, too. That’s why competition for travel jobs
is fierce. Even though the job growth outlook for jobs as adventure
guides, tour directors and tour managers is quite good – better than the
average career outlook, in fact – these travel jobs are in high demand
and aren’t easy to get.
And
it’s no wonder when you consider the benefits of working as a tour
manager or tour guide. Travel guides get paid to travel to exotic
destinations and teach other people about them. Your responsibilities
may include helping people in your tour group make arrangements for
various amenities and ensuring that everyone on your tour enjoys their
trip. You may be responsible for arranging tours and transportation to
and from hotels for your group, but outside your actual work hours, your
time is your own. Your travel expenses will be paid, and you’ll have
plenty of time off to enjoy the exotic and popular destinations to which
you travel.
Are
you interested in a job where you get paid to travel? While travel jobs
seldom require an advanced degree, you’ll have an edge if you take
courses that prepare you for tour guide jobs and training for a career
in the travel industry. With the appropriate training under your belt,
you’ll be better prepared to fill out applications and perform in
interviews for jobs for tour managers, adventure guides and tour guides.
The
positions for tour guides and adventure guides are growing at a rate
far above the normal growth rate for other careers, in part because
adventure tours and green travel has become so popular. If you’re
interested in a job with an adventure tours company, you might find
yourself guiding a tour group on an itinerary that includes a day on a
succession of coffee plantations or leading a tour group with a mission –
to build a school building in a South American village, for example, or to spend a week touring the sub-Saharan deserts.
If you’re interested in travel jobs and
want to get paid to travel, take the time to learn all you can about
the travel industry and the responsibilities of a tour guide. It could
be your ticket to a challenging and enjoyable career that few people
have a chance to do.