Maybe it was the trip you took with your family last spring break to the Bahamas, or the semester you spent abroad in Spain. Maybe it was just looking at pictures on StumbleUpon in the back of your lecture class. Wherever you caught it, now you can’t shake the infection. No amount of trips to the student health center can cure this disease.
You have been infected with the travel bug.
What can you do to cure this? Travel more, of course! In this increasing global world, there are many options available to students who wish to see the world or even make a career out of their love to travel.
The Peace Corps offers recent grads a unique experience to see the world and give back to those less fortunate. While this is a volunteer program, if accepted, students are given a monthly stipend for living expenses, free travel to their assigned location, medical care, and even help with student loans! Volunteers in the Corps are needed in countries all over the world, and there are opportunities for all types of majors. With assignments including business and communication, health, education, and many more, there is a place for anyone who loves to travel and wants to make an impact on the world. Interested volunteers are advised to apply well before they expect to depart for their assignment, as the thorough application and acceptance process takes around 9 months.
Work for an Airline
There are many jobs you can do as part of the air travel industry, from the classic flight attendant to marketing to customer service-the list goes on. Although working for an airline can seem simliar to any other office job (depending on the position) many offer one amazing perk to their employees-flight benefits. Companies offer a range of flight benefits, some free, some that you have to pay for, but most are much cheaper than someone could expect to pay for regular fare.
Employees usually fly standby, claiming empty seats on a plane, or pay only taxes for a ticket. Other upsides to flight benefits? Even if your employer only flies to a certain area, thanks to airline alliances you can hop on other airlines to get where you want to go. Even better, as an airline employee you have a much better chance of getting bumped up to business class or regular class. This is one of the best ways to travel for nominal cost, and still have a secure job.
Teach
Through programs like Teach For America, students can gain teaching experience, travel to a new place, and give back to a community in need. Teach For America is just one program, and there are many opportunities to teach in America and abroad. Although TFA only sends employees to locations in the United States, this is a great opportunity to explore your own country and visit states you might never have considered before. TFA employs people for 2 years, and gives them the training to work in a school as a full-time teacher, regardless of major. Students are paid a full salary from the school district they are assigned to, and also given help paying off student loans. Programs like this are a great opportunity to explore America from a different perspective and gain experience while giving back.
Freelance Writing
With the emergence of opportunites like blogs and content websites, writers can make a career anywhere with internet access. Blogs can earn revenue from advertisements on the site, so writers with a popular blog can earn money from readers all over the world. Writers using a content website such as Textbroker.com can sign up and chose articles from a database, getting paid per word. Freelance writers can even pitch articles to any magazine of their choice, and if accepted, the freelance writing can bring a pretty penny. Writers can also offer resume services, tutor students, copy edit at a local newspaper, write books, or a whole range of other opportunities- the possibilities are vast.
The world is full of opportunity, and there is no better time than right after graduation, before you are bogged down with responsibility, to take the chance to travel. No matter what career you choose, the experiences from your travels will be invaluable.
Related:
Combining career & travel: Top jobs to see the worldhttp://www.helium.com/items/125307-combining-career-travel-top-jobs-to-see-the-world
Where to Go After College…Travel, Work or Volunteer?http://www.collegeaftermath.com/life-adventures-after-college/going-abroad-travel-work-volunteer/
The Freelance Home Writerhttp://freelancehomewriter.blogspot.com/2009/06/textbroker-in-depth-review-for.html
*Photo courtesy of Google Images