How hard has the travel bug bitten you? Is travel a way for you to unwind for a week here and there in the midst of your busy life, or is travel your way of life?
Psst, ready for a secret? The best degrees for travel can help you make views like this a way of life.
If you have a true passion for travel, you don’t need to wait until you’ve saved a week of vacation time to see the world. Travel can be your livelihood. And in fact, it’s no longer the norm to graduate from college and spend your days sitting behind a desk. The best degrees for travel can set you on the right path if your life’s mission is to see the world.
That’s right—your post-grad life can look any way you imagine, and it’s fully possible to land your dream career while becoming a citizen of the globe. It all starts with your studies. While your college degree doesn’t necessarily hold you to any particular job post-graduation and it’s common to shift gears every once in a while, it’s a good idea to consider your goals before choosing your major.
If you want to see the world, there are plenty of college degrees that allow you to travel. Some degrees offer study abroad opportunities, others open up doors to travel post-college, and many offer the best of both worlds.
13 best degrees for travel
When it comes to choosing majors that allow you to travel, there are a few important things to consider. Most college majors that allow you to travel will help you gain valuable skills and knowledge to adapt to new cultures, communicate internationally, and cope with language barriers, while others will open doors to life on the road.
Consider what your ideal path looks like—what are the non-negotiables of your dream career when it comes to salary, work-life balance, and opportunities for growth and advancement? Here you’ll find the best majors for travel that can open doors in any direction:
1. International Relations
If you want to see the world, international relations is one of the best college degrees that allow you to travel. Your studies will focus on teaching you how to understand and analyze different world issues. You’ll gain a solid background in social sciences, economics, political science, and environmental science while also learning about cultures around the world.
A degree in international relations can open doors to a wide range of jobs, from journalism and foreign relations to community development and human rights advocacy. You’ll also gain knowledge and skills to help you land a job in many international organizations all over the world.
2. Education
Your love of teaching can turn into an international career.
Education is one of the best degrees for travel because teaching jobs are available all over the world. With a degree in education, you’ll combine a wide range of classes in child psychology, development, and curriculum development with real-world teaching experience, setting you up for success.
An undergrad degree in education lets you graduate with a solid foundation to transition into teaching English as a second language, and you’ll have much more experience and knowledge under your belt than you would by just taking a TEFL course. Teaching English abroad opens doors to an international career, and jobs usually include perks like complimentary accommodation and assistance with the nitty gritty travel details so you can travel the world without the stress.
3. Business
One of the best majors for travel is a major in business. Business degrees will always be in high demand and are often one of the most employable degrees worldwide. If you want to keep your options open post-graduation, a degree in business will leave you well-rounded.
You’ll gain knowledge in everything from project management to administration, finance to human resources to international marketing. You’ll learn how to understand the ever-changing global market, allowing you to land almost any kind of job. Your degree will also equip you with skills to create your own business and live as an entrepreneur on the road.
4. Journalism
Imagine traveling the world as a freelance journalist, being on the front line of breaking news, writing and broadcasting stories that intrigue you, all while visiting places around the world that are on your bucket list. The best thing about journalism is that it’s easy to work remotely, making it one of the best college majors that allow you to travel.
All you need is a laptop, a camera, and a solid internet connection. Journalism is often a go-to degree for those who are passionate and curious about the world and other cultures, and who are good at communicating and enjoy talking to people from different backgrounds. It’s one of the best majors for travel and can open doors to jobs in both writing and broadcasting.
5. Marketing
You can leverage your marketing skills into a job just about anywhere in the world.
Marketing is one of the fastest growing industries and is one of the best majors for travel if you want an employable degree that can be used anywhere. With a degree in marketing, you’ll learn diverse skills in communication, public speaking, technology, and most importantly, how to sell—and that’s valuable no matter where you are in the world.
Marketing degrees can be the gateway into the world of web design, copywriting, social media marketing, or even logo design, making it one of the best majors for creatives who want to communicate through their artistry. If you’re from the United States, you’ll have a leg up in an international career. Many companies actively seek American nationals to help them break into the American market.
6. Web Design & Development
When choosing college majors that allow you to travel, consider those that open doors to remote work. Web design and development majors are one of the best degrees to do just that. Combine your creative skills with technical skills to land high paying jobs that you can do from anywhere in the world.
Working in web design and development often offers flexibility. Most of the work is on your own time, so you can live and work across time zones and create a schedule that allows you to travel and sightsee in between your working hours. All you need is clients to take on the road with you virtually.
7. Linguistics
Language studies are obvious if you want to travel the world, but linguistics is about more than just language. A degree in linguistics helps you to understand the history and nuances of many different languages around the world, improving your overall communication skills and making it one of the best college majors that allow you to travel.
Translate your studies into a job that lets you travel and explore.
Whether you want to work in teaching, journalism, research, or break into the expanding market of translating and interpretation, a degree in linguistics is one of the best majors for travel. Your degree will even help you have a full grasp of communication across cultures.
8. Human Resources
When many think of human resources, their minds go to the image of working behind a desk in a stuffy office, climbing the ladder of corporate America. However, a degree in human resources actually opens endless travel opportunities. Human resources is one of the best majors for travel because it’s well-rounded.
Your studies will include classes in business, marketing, and interpersonal communication, allowing you to pick up skills and knowledge that are relevant across industries. Your options will be endless with a degree in HR—whether you want to work for large international companies with regular travel opportunities, break into the hospitality industry and spend months at a time in dream holiday destinations, or use your knowledge to enter the entrepreneurial world.
9. Hospitality
If you’re looking for the best college degrees that allow you to travel, you can’t go wrong with hospitality. Hospitality isn’t just about waiting tables. It’s an opportunity to work in some of the most lush environments in the world, make good money, connect with important people in high places, and travel the world.
A degree in hospitality will give you a well-rounded education in food safety, hotel management, business, laws, and ethics. You’ll graduate with the skills and knowledge to work in any hotel, resort, or restaurant in the world while integrating fully into some of your bucket list destinations.
10. Nursing
You might not think of nursing as a travel-focused career, but it’s actually an awesome way to see—and help—the world.
If you want to get into the medical field, nursing is one of the best degrees for travel. While there are many nurses who choose to work in their local clinics, travel nursing is constantly growing and opening up opportunities for nurses to work and travel across destinations.
Travel nurses have the ability to work across a variety of fields—from cardiology to oncology, pediatrics to emergency care—while learning how to work with people from various cultural backgrounds. As a travel nurse, you can work your way across the USA, go international by working alongside the military, or give back to global communities through volunteering abroad.
11. Marine Biology
Marine biology is one of the best degrees for travel because it requires extensive exploration of the world’s oceans. You simply cannot make a name for yourself in this field without travel! If you love the sea and you’re passionate about protecting the world’s oceans, majoring in marine biology could be a dream come true.
With a degree in marine science and biology, you’ll spend hours at sea collecting data, analyzing it in the lab, and doing research. If you want to live in coastal destinations while studying one of the most diverse ecosystems that exists in the world, marine biology may be your answer to your dream career.
12. Engineering
While engineering isn’t usually the first degree you think of when considering world travel, it’s actually one of the best majors for travel if you want to see the world and make a high salary. Engineering is a global industry and is perfect for those who want to spend lots of time outside of an office.
Depending on your area of focus, an engineering degree can open up your world to work in both cities and rural areas. Through your studies, you’ll have opportunities to learn about developing infrastructure, climate trends, and long-term solutions to some of the world’s biggest issues. You’ll make a lasting impact while creating a lifestyle that requires exploration and travel to broaden your perspective.
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College majors that allow you to travel will open up the world!
Go ahead, dream big. With one of these degrees under your belt, you’ll make travel your way of life in no time.
Who said you had to buckle down, stay in one place, and work from an office not far from where you grew up? Travel doesn’t have to be an escape from your daily life—it can be your whole life!
There are endless college degrees that allow you to travel the world while learning valuable skills and opening doors to international job opportunities. All you have to do is dream big.
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