19 Unique Travel And Tourism Careers For World Travelers
You're here because you've spent so much time looking for unique travel and tourism careers, but nothing seems to fit what you want to do.
That's exactly what I experienced after graduating with my Bachelors Degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management.
By the time that I turned 30 years old, I had visited 80 incredible countries including New Zealand, Argentina, Macedonia, Romania, Iceland, Guatemala, and Turkey.
I spent a lot of time exploring the careers that existed in the travel and tourism industries, but I didn't want to do any of them.
You've probably looked into these travel and tourism careers, too:
- Flight attendant
- Travel agent
- Tour guide
- Travel blogger
- Influencer
- Hotel manager
- Cruise director
- Event planner
Nothing seemed to fit exactly what I wanted to do, and that's exactly why I became a travel coach.
I created a career that blends coaching and personal development with the transformation that travel brings.
My travel coaching career took off quickly and, before I knew it, travelers were asking me how they can become a travel coach.
That's when I founded the Travel Coach Network.
Since then, I've helped hundreds of people become successful travel coaches through my Travel Coach Certification Program.
Now, I'm sharing the unique travel and tourism careers these travel coaches have created for themselves - with the hopes that it will inspire you to do the same!
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How to Find Travel and Tourism Career Opportunities
There are so many ways to blend your love for travel with your passion for personal growth and self-development.
For me, the first step to figuring out what I really wanted to do, was traveling - and giving myself plenty of time.
It took me ten years to come up with the concept of travel coaching.
Sometimes, when we think too much about something, we can miss the lesson we're supposed to learn.
On the Travel Coach Network Podcast, I interviewed Katrina McGhee, who helps travelers make big life decisions by taking a sabbatical.
If you prefer to listen, you can click the link below - or you can watch the video version of the conversation on YouTube.
On top of learning about the possibility of taking a break or a sabbatical, you can learn so much from Katrina by just listening to the episode.
She created her own unique career in travel and tourism by blending her passion, experience, and what she truly believes about the power of travel to transform us.
If you like these kinds of inspiring stories, then you'll definitely love the Travel Coach Network podcast!
List of Travel and Tourism Jobs
Maybe you're here because you're early on in your journey and search of the perfect career.
Perhaps you just need some ideas and inspiration.
Knowing that I've compiled this list of unique careers in travel and tourism, considering your personality, preferences, and what you want to focus on with your work.
For the People Person
These careers are great for extroverts and outgoing people.
You may or may not have heard of these before, but these descriptions are considering how the travel landscape has changed since 2020.
You'll also read interpretations of these careers through the lens of someone who has chosen to integrate the principles of travel coaching into their work.
Become a Travel Agent or Travel Advisor
Travel agents and advisors who have chosen to integrate travel coaching into their work do more than just planning and booking trips.
In the past, travelers needed to go to travel agents to help them book flights, make reservations for hotels, and get connected to smaller day tours in their destinations of choice
And before the rise of social media, the amount of information about these destinations was limited - meaning that the travel agents and advisors were the only experts.
Now, things have changed.
Several studies like this one have shown that planning a trip yourself can be great for your mental health.
And with all of the apps and tools available today, travel agents need to offer more.
Travel is personal. So consider - what do you have to offer clients that's unique?
Why are they traveling?
How can you integrate that into your travel planning, booking, and concierge services?
How can you bring your client(s) into the travel planning process so they can experience those benefits?
If you want to be a successful travel agent or a travel advisor who attracts clients and stands out in 2024, this is exactly what I cover in the Travel Coach Certification Program.
Become a Tour Guide, Tour Manager, or Tour Director
First, let's define the difference between a tour guide, a tour manager, and a tour diretor.
Typically, the tour director is the person who owns and operates a tour company.
A tour manager may or may not be on-site with the travelers taking the tour, but they're usually responsible for communicating with tour guides in the field.
Tour guides are the core people responsible for leading a trip and taking care of the travelers on a tour.
Tours can become immersive, transformative experiences when you integrate travel coaching into your practice.
We have several travel professionals in the tour space in the Travel Coach Certification Program!
Become an Event Planner
Event planners are the unsung heroes of weddings, family events, and all kinds of lifelong milestones.
They orchestrate magical experiences that could include destination weddings, honeymoons, elopements, anniversary trips, and all kinds of events that cross into the travel realm.
You can also combine event planning with coaching to ensure that not only the logistics of the event go well, but that the people participating in the event are ready and well-equipped for event.
The best part is, you can create your own career by combining your love for events, travel, and maybe even travel planning with what you learn as a travel coach.
Learn more about how to do that when you check out in the Travel Coach Certification Program.
Become a Cruise Director
Some travelers love cruising, event planning, and ensuring people have a great time on their vacations.
If this is you, there's plenty of work on cruise lines.
You can use this career to travel around a region you've been wanting to explore, and/or you can use it to travel around the world!
Many vacationers feel overwhelmed after a cruise, though.
FOMO is something many struggle with, as there are constant events, shore excursions, and other amenities vying for their attention.
By integrating the principles of travel coaching, you can show travelers how to be more in-the-moment on their cruises, and how they can use those trips to foster closer bonds between the people they're traveling with.
Learn how to blend cruise industry work with travel coaching in the Travel Coach Certification Program.
For the Business Savvy Traveler
People enter the world of travel coaching with a variety of experience and from all walks of life.
If you have experience in marketing, business, or operations, you have skills that are in high-demand - which you could either use to forge your own path, or fund your own travel coaching business while getting it off the ground.
Here are some travel and tourism careers to experience if you have education or training in these fields.
Become a Destination Marketing Manager
Attract tourists with captivating campaigns, showcasing the hidden gems and unique experiences your destination offers.
When creating marketing campaigns, you want to speak directly to the desires and soul of the traveler you're attracting - and this is a huge focus in the Travel Coach Certification Program.
Once you learn how to tell your own story, as well as the story of a certain place, you'll make a name for yourself and you'll likely get offers from other DMOs (destination marketing organizations).
Work in Hotels and Hospitality
When it comes to careers in hotels and hospitality, many jump to the assumption that you'll be managing a hotel.
And that's definitely a possibility! You could lead a team and ensure guests have an unforgettable stay, from luxurious resorts to charming B&Bs.
But the industry is HUGE - so there are several different departments and types of work you could do.
One activity you could do today, is look for job listings at hotels within an hour radius of you.
If you can't find job listings directly from a Google search, head to a hotel's website and look at their openings. Read the job descriptions carefully - considering the kind of work you would and wouldn't want to do.
From there, consider - would you want to work directly for hotels?
Or perhaps, would you prefer to be a consultant?
As a travel coach myself, I've done a fair amount of consulting work with tourism boards, hotels, and travel agency leaders.
You can learn more about how to do that in the Travel Coach Certification Program.
Explore a Career in Restaurants
In a similar fashion to hospitality management, the world of restaurants and culinary arts also varies.
You could manage a restaurant, sure!
But you could also work for or with restaurants as a consultant considering their:
- Marketing
- Customer experience
- Sustainability
- Accessibility
- Strategic partnerships with other businesses in that destination
You have so many options, and you can absolutely create your own career in restaurant management.
We show you exactly how to do this in the Travel Coach Certification Program.
Become a Sustainability Coordinator or a Sustainability Consultant
Sustainability is one of the most globally recognized challenges facing all travel and tourism careers.
This is also a broad topic - encompassing environmental sustainability, financial sustainability, and the sustainability of growth for certain destinations or even types of tourism.
We're starting to ask ourselves difficult questions in the travel space, like:
- Should we be expanding tourism into Antarctica and the Arctic?
- Is it ethical for foreigners to own and operate AirBnB listings?
- Are travel agents even needed anymore in today's travel booking landscape?
As a travel coach working in sustainability, you could champion eco-friendly practices, ensuring tourism thrives in harmony with the environment.
Sustainability is something I personally believe in, and it's a focus we discuss frequently in the Travel Coach Certification Program.
Unique Travel and Tourism Careers For the Creative Soul
You might have landed on this page because you've seen notes about becoming a travel blogger, travel writer, or influencer on social media.
Maybe you love creating compelling videos that showcase a destination, and you love motivating people to take action and pursue their travel dreams.
We work with many bloggers, writers, creatives, and influencers in the Travel Coach Network!
And through the Travel Coach Certification Program, we help them go deeper and beyond content creation to create lasting change.
Here are some examples of creative travel and tourism careers:
Become a Travel Blogger and/or a Travel Writer
I always knew that travel blogging wasn't something I wanted to do.
But if you do love to write?
If you enjoy sharing your travel stories and insights, and inspiring others to pursue their wanderlust?
This could be just the career for you.
Many travel bloggers come to the Travel Coach Certification Program looking for ways to monetize their brand and business beyond affiliate marketing, ad networks, and one-off digital product purchases.
Combining your travel expertise with travel coaching ensures that you go deeper with readers than packing lists and the top things to see and do.
As a travel writer, you can get paid on a freelancing basis to cover important stories and issues in travel similar to how a journalist would.
You can even get press access to events in and adjacent to the travel industry!
Become a Professional Photographer or Videographer
If you have skills in photography and videography, you're more in-demand than ever before.
The content creation sector and the ability to partner with brands has more opportunities than ever before.
You can use your skills to capture the essence of destinations and educate about different cultures through stunning visuals, telling stories without words.
Or, you could even partner with creators you love to give them more reach.
There's so much you could do as a travel coach with these skills.
Click here to learn more about how the Travel Coach Certification Program can help you get there.
Local Experience Creator
There's more than one way to do tours.
Instead of taking people to another destination, or meeting people abroad, you can create local experiences for people who come to you!
You can design unique activities and tours - offering authentic connections for travelers seeking something beyond the ordinary.
The focus you have can be on anything from living history, to slow food, to photography tours, to an activity like a competitive scavenger hunt!
Click here to learn more about how the Travel Coach Certification Program can help you craft a meaningful local experience for travelers.
Become a Museum Curator or an Interpreter
Museums are some of the most visited attractions in destinations.
And they hold a special role in a city or town - documenting the history of the people who live there, and how the place came to be.
When people visit museums, they're often open to new ways of thinking, and to being challenge intellectually.
You could have the opportunity to have an immense impact on travelers from around the world when you work at a museum!
When you embed travel coaching into your practice, you can shift your role from being "an answerer of questions," to "an asker of questions."
The conversations you have can really help travelers slow down and consider what they want to learn or take away from a museum experience.
To do this, click here to learn more about the Travel Coach Certification Program.
Final Thoughts on These Travel and Tourism Careers
This is definitely not an exhaustive list.
You can create a career in travel that's entirely unique to your own experiences, preferenced, desired lifestyle, and background as an individual.
And the best part is, the technical part of getting started is easier than you might think.
What often truly trips travelers up, is the limiting beliefs and self-imposed limitations one has on the way to living their dream travel career.
If this article spoke to you, click here to learn more about the Travel Coach Certification Program.
Frequently Asked Questions About Travel and Tourism Jobs
We've worked with travel coaches for more than 4 years.
If you're nervous about asking a question in the community Facebook Group, don't worry!
We might have already answered it here.
What can I do with a travel and tourism degree?
You definitely don't need a formal degree in travel and tourism to pursue a career in the travel industry. But if you do have a degree in this field, there are endless possibilities for you! Remember to find your unique, unfair advantage - and to start networking once you've given some thought to your path and specialty.
What qualifications or credentials do I need to become a travel coach?
The only official accreditation process for life coaches is through the ICF, and the Travel Coach Certification Program is ICF-accredited.
While specific certifications related to travel coaching may enhance credibility, having a strong foundation in coaching skills, such as active listening, empathy, and goal setting, is essential.
Additionally, relevant experience in travel, personal development, or related fields can further strengthen one's qualifications as a travel life coach.
Can I become a travel life coach if I haven't traveled extensively?
Yes, you can become a travel life coach even if you haven't traveled extensively.
While personal travel experiences can enrich your perspective and credibility, what matters most is your ability to empathize, communicate effectively, and guide clients on their journeys.
By leveraging your passion for travel and your commitment to personal growth, you can still make a meaningful impact as a travel life coach.
What are the benefits of combining a travel career with coaching?
The benefits of combining your career in travel and tourism with coaching are endless.
We all know that travel offers opportunities for self-discovery, cultural immersion, and stepping out of comfort zones, which can accelerate personal growth and transformation.
By integrating coaching into what we offer, we deepen and amplify the impact we make on the travelers we work with.
Free Resources for Future Travel Coaches
Not ready for the program yet?
Check out these other free resources for aspiring travel coaches:
- Listen to the Travel Coach Network Podcast
This is the perfect way to learn all about travel coaching, no matter where you are in your business journey. - Access the FREE, Economy Class of the TCN Membership
This includes a free masterclass and workbook to help you learn more about travel coaching! - Join the FREE Travel Coach Community Facebook Group
Be around inspiring and aspiring travel coaches who are just as passionate about travel as you. - Connect with the Travel Coach Network on Instagram
Have a quick question? Send us a DM! You'll hear from me or a member of my team quickly.
