The travel industry has developed mountingly though out the last decade. The Internet has completely changed the way the travel industry operates. When you are thinking about making money in the travel industry, you need to decide how often do you want to travel and what kind of work suits you. Even though it is called as ‘travel’ industry, you don’t require to be always on the wheels.
To make money in travel industry, you need to know your options. Types of businesses that majorly contribute to the travel industry are Accommodation businesses, Food and beverages, Transportation business, Entertainment, and content creation businesses.
Depending on your skill set and area of interest you can choose where you want to work. There are more options than you can imagine and you will discover them with your experience. For getting started, here are 5 career options that will help to make money in travel industry.
5 career options to make money in Travel industry
- Become a tour guide
- Travel and create content
- Freelance writing
- Become a travel agent
- Plan and organize tours
1. Become a tour guide
Working as a tour guide is one of the best options for beginners. You need to have knowledge about the destinations that you will be working in. Having good communication skills always helps. Being a tour guide is not just about giving information but its also about enhancing the quality of experience for travelers.
Working as a tour guide is a great way to meet interesting people. You can either choose a single destination or many, depending on how often you want to travel. Even though being a tour guide is the best way to start, you should always try to get familiar with other opportunities and upskill yourself according to them. As mentioned before, there are many options to choose from, spend some time on exploration.
2. Travel and create content
If you don’t want to work for anyone else and start something on your own, then being a content creator is a great way. Unlike being a tour guide, this process is lengthy. You need to be patient and consistent with your work. You must have seen amazing Instagram profiles and youtube channels about traveling, have you ever wondered how do they make money?
Influencer marketing is the answer. When you start creating content, you start gathering the audience. Once you manage to build a considerable amount of audience you can earn through advertisements, sponsorships, and collaborations. You can even start your merchandise products or digital products.
Traveling and content creation require you to be very dedicated and consistent with your work. You may need to learn many different things. Suppose you’re a photographer and you are planning to build an audience on Instagram then you have to learn how the platform operates, what kind of content may help you grow, and how to build your community. You may have to invest a lot, but once you establish your brand, you can earn a lot through advertisements and sponsorships.
3. Freelance writing
Before planning for any tour, people often prefer to know about others’ experiences. There are hundreds of sites that provide information about destinations and stories of travelers who have been there before. A freelance content writer can always get an opportunity to work for such companies.
You can sit on your couch and write blogs about ‘Things to do in Bali’ and you can also write about your experience in the Himalayas while chilling on a Hawaiian beach. This option gives you flexibility and it is ideal for starting a side hustle.
You need to learn the art of storytelling. Try to add value through your writings and make sure people find it interesting. Being a freelance writer is a great way to make money in travel industry. You can check our step-by-step guide to start your freelance career.
4. Become a travel agent
If you don’t want to travel very often and your main focus is to earn money then becoming a travel agent is the best option for you. As travel agents need to have good contacts with transportation and accommodation businesses, make sure you learn the art of networking. Most of the money travel agents earn through commissions.
Travel agents also need to be good at negotiation, because you will be making deals with many people in a day. Having partners in different fields always help. There is a huge scope of starting a good business with your experience as a travel agent.
People don’t just pay to be at a certain location, they pay for the package of experiences that traveling provides. A travel agent has to have that quality to make customers happy so that they keep coming back.
5. Plan and organize tours
If you have experience in traveling and you know great destinations already, you can plan tours for other people. In a way you will be paid for going on a vacation with some strangers.
Nowadays, many tourist destinations are flooded with tourists and there are many places that people are not aware of. If you have traveled to some unique destinations and if not many people know about them, it is a great opportunity for you to excite people for your tours.
Planning and organizing tours that provide memorable experiences are the best option for travel enthusiasts to make money in the travel industry.
Conclusion
The concept of ‘getting paid for traveling’ sounds amazing and many people don’t know that they can easily make money in the travel industry. You just need to know the options that are available and get started with any of these 5 options.
You can even be a travel agent who does freelance writing or a social media influencer who also plans tours. The choice is yours, people are ready to travel, it’s up to you to make travel more interesting and that’s how you can make money in travel industry.