Make Money While You See the World

Seeing the world doesn't have to cost you every last penny you have — in fact, you can make money (or at least break even) while seeing all of the sights. If you work abroad, you're really able to experience the culture of a new place, get to know the people who live there, and save yourself the stress of constantly worrying about running out of money. These eight jobs are great ways to make a living while feeding your travel addiction.

House-Sit
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House-Sit

Post up in a fully furnished home — potentially one that comes with your very own furry friend. One of the biggest travel expenses that you face is the cost of accommodations, but you can eliminate this issue entirely by house-sitting abroad — often in incredible villas and family homes that are prime real estate. Many homeowners who travel don't want to leave their houses unattended while they're away (and some may even have pets that need to be cared for).

Websites like House Carers and MindMyHouse help you connect with people who need house care while they're traveling. Source: Flickr user chaselindberg

Work on a Cruise Ship
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Work on a Cruise Ship

Snag a job on a ship, and literally sail away to your dream destination. Cruise lines like Royal, Carnival, and Disney are always looking for on-board employees, and the types of jobs offered can range from housekeeping or desk supervising to food and guest services. If you have a solid background in a particular skill, you can even work as an instructor or activities manager. Cruise ships dock at an assortment of great locations, and you're able to join the vacationers in seeing the sights.

Get Paid to Play With Kids
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Get Paid to Play With Kids

If you love kids and love to travel, then get the best of both worlds with an au pair gig abroad. Families all over the world are always looking for nannies from other countries to come to them — whether it's to help their kids learn a new language, allow them to meet new people and learn about other cultures, or both! Au pair programs are relatively easy to find, and oftentimes, the family hiring covers the cost of a plane ticket over, in addition to room and board, food, and even the occasional holiday trip with the family. Depending on the deal, nights and weekends are usually all yours to explore and connect with foreign friends.

Length of commitment can vary, but you're usually looking at around a year with a family to start. Always compare different au pair plans to make sure that you're getting the best weekly or monthly pay based on the cost of living in the country you end up working in.

Work on a Farm
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Work on a Farm

If you're ready to roll up your sleeves and get your hands a little bit dirty, then a farming program may be right up your alley. Programs like Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) offer a pretty sweet deal: work around four to six hours a day in exchange for food and lodging. The rest of the time is all yours to get to know the area you're living in. You're able to negotiate your length of stay with the host, which offers you a ton of flexibility if you're interested in moving from place to place more frequently.

Volunteer
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Volunteer

A great way to get the taste of a new place is to volunteer in an area for a few weeks, or even several months. Most programs, especially shorter ones, can cost a pretty good chunk of change on your end, but if you pick one that offers financial assistance, you can often get the whole fee covered. InterExchange allows you to apply for working abroad grants that basically pay for the trip, with preference given toward new travelers with limited previous international travel experience.

For something even cheaper, try a site like Workaway, which connects volunteers with hosts across the world, and whose job placements vary greatly depending on location and length of stay.

If you're looking for a longer and more intensive volunteer experience, the Peace Corps is always a great option. In addition to providing a monthly stipend for the duration of your service, the Peace Corps also will help pay back student loans or give you monetary aid upon completing the program.

Teach English
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Teach English

Getting yourself TESOL or TEFL certified will cost you, but once you have that under your belt, you can pretty much teach English anywhere in the world — and make back what you spent on the program.

If you prefer working with kids or teenagers, you can find jobs that are more classroom-oriented. If you'd rather deal with older pupils, there are also plenty of options to teach adults in both classroom and business settings.

Do Odd Jobs
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Do Odd Jobs

If you're on board with (or maybe even prefer) a more nomadic experience, consider couch surfing your way across the world and doing odd jobs along the way.

Couchsurf connects travelers with people who are open to having guests stay in their homes for free, so you save countless dollars on accommodations and usually meet interesting people in the process. If you want to explore the city and learn more about where you're staying, try hopping on to free guided tours in the area, or meet up with other couch surfers who have been there longer.

Bartending and serving food are universal skills that can be used all over the world. You can also sell your artwork, play music, cook, freelance, or apply any other useful skill you have to make enough cash to get you to the next place.

Show Tourists Around the City
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Show Tourists Around the City

Pick a place abroad that you really love, and consider sticking around for a while and getting to know the place. If you work as a tour guide, not only are you able to make money and interact with countless people from different places all over the world, you also get to learn all of the ins and outs of the city you've chosen to call home for the time being.