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One of the biggest challenges for people is saving up for a world trip. It can be daunting trying to save thousands of dollars for your next big trip. Yet I always say “If you can’t save, go work.” <\/p>\n
The world has an abundance of jobs that travelers can get<\/a>. Millions of travelers fund their trips by working their way around the world. Today, I want to profile one of our community members who does just that. <\/p>\n Angela works as an au pair. This funds her round the world travel dreams, let’s her stay in a place longer, and get to know a culture better. Today we share her story and tips for being an au pair.<\/p>\n Nomadic Matt: Hi Angela! Thanks for doing this. Tell us about yourself!<\/strong> Seven years later, I\u2019m still an au pair, currently in Japan<\/a>! I love what I do because I get to travel and work with children, the two things I love the most.<\/p>\n Were you always interested in travel? How did you get started?<\/strong> I didn\u2019t begin traveling until I was 21. I guess it was because I never did it that I wanted to do it. I\u2019d always dreamed of traveling the world and seeing the places I saw in the movies<\/p>\n How did you decide to become an au pair?<\/strong> By being an au pair, I would be able to have a job, accommodation, food, lots of free time, and some extra spending cash. It was perfect. I could enjoy traveling without needing a lot of money because I could use the money that I would earn during my stay. It lets me travel without huge savings.<\/p>\n In 2010, I found my first host family in Germany<\/a> and with them stayed one year. I loved the fact I could work in another country and use the free time to explore a new place. <\/p>\n Plus, I get to work with children all the time, which is my field of work, so now I have accumulated years of experience. I was hooked after that first year and decided to do it again instead of going back to France to find another job.<\/p>\n Where have you worked as an au pair?<\/strong> I stay from eight months to one year in each country. All of them have been great experiences. I\u2019ve been lucky enough to stay with very good people, and everybody I met while traveling has been super nice.<\/p>\n My favorite place has been New Zealand<\/a>. It\u2019s simply breathtaking! The landscapes are unbelievable. I can\u2019t recommend it enough. <\/p>\n Canada<\/a> is probably my next favorite. It is a relatively safe country to live in, the people are nice, and I love the cold winters. I got to try ice fishing and totally loved it!<\/p>\n How does someone become an au pair? Is it easy? Hard? <\/strong> All your weekends are free, as are the evenings as soon as one parent gets home. You may be asked to babysit from time to time, though.<\/p>\n Everything is included when you live with the family, so you don\u2019t have many expenses. The only thing I paid for myself was my plane ticket (although you can be lucky enough to have a family that pays it for you). I never felt like this was a so-called \u201cjob\u201d \u2014 more like helping out a family and being a part of it.<\/p>\n To become an au pair, you can either use au pair agencies or websites like:<\/p>\n With an agency, you pay them and they do the paperwork, show you different family profiles, and put you in contact with them. During your stay, they are in touch with you in case of any problem. It\u2019s like any other job placement service.<\/p>\n On the internet, there are a lot of websites for au pairs. This is more DIY. You create a profile, search for families (they can search for au pairs too), and if one catches your interest, you start by sending a message, and from then, if both parties get along, you get in touch via phone, mails, Skype. There\u2019s no third party involved. It\u2019s between you and the family (so no one is there if something goes wrong). <\/p>\n I\u2019ve only ever used these websites, as it\u2019s free for au pairs to join, and I\u2019ve always been lucky in my searches for families.<\/p>\n What qualifications does someone need to be an au pair?<\/strong> What\u2019s the biggest challenge? <\/strong> Sometimes it can be really different from what you\u2019re used to, and it takes some time to just be a part of it.<\/p>\n Also, the fact it is not your own place is a bit of a challenge. You may live there for a long time, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s still not your place. I find it always a bit hard to pretend it is. <\/p>\n For me, it is my host\u2019s home. You can\u2019t have guests like you would in your own home. You hear the kids playing, running everywhere all the time, even on your days off. Sometimes the parents may leave the house a mess and you have to tidy it up because you can\u2019t stay a day in such a mess any longer!<\/p>\n Personally, I\u2019m really easygoing and used to living in any kind of place with different people. I never felt that was a \u201cchallenge\u201d \u2014 from my first experience all was smooth during my stays. Maybe I find it easy to get along with people and don\u2019t mind their way of living.<\/p>\n Is it hard as a Westerner to get a job outside of \u201cthe West\u201d? I always thought Western au pairs only worked in other Western countries.<\/strong> Also, it is in their culture to not accept a total stranger taking care of their own kids.<\/p>\n The few families I could find in Asia have always been expat families. Often one parent got a few-year-long contract with a company and moved abroad, thus they know what the au pair thing is. <\/p>\n In Nagoya, where I am now, I know at least three au pairs, but I don\u2019t think we\u2019re much more than that. So if you want to be an au pair, you\u2019ll find that most of the jobs are in Western countries.<\/p>\n Tell me about life as an au pair. What\u2019s the pay like? How often do you work? <\/strong> The work mostly consists of bringing the kids to school and picking them up, helping with homework, cooking and having dinner, bathing them, and getting them ready for bed. Some families may ask you to do house cleaning in addition (in which case you\u2019re paid more for that).<\/p>\n When the kids are at school, you\u2019re totally free. Most au pairs will take language classes<\/a>, or do sports or other activities. I usually take some of this time to cook dinner and clean the house (if needed). Mostly I try to hang out with friends or visit some places nearby. <\/p>\n When in a country where au pairs are popular, it is really easy to meet up with them, as we all have the same free time. It\u2019s an easy job if you are good with kids, sensitive, and practical. And especially if you get along well with the family, there\u2019s no problem at all!<\/p>\n What’s your one tip for people looking to become an au pair?<\/strong> And if you like the experience, you know you\u2019ll be ready to start again farther away! I started in Germany, knowing that if anything happened I was just few hours away from home.<\/p>\n Other than that, nothing specific, except I can only recommend it! It is a really good experience living abroad and a way to get out of your comfort zone, as you\u2019re going to live for a few months somewhere totally new!<\/p>\n What\u2019s been the biggest lesson so far?<\/strong> I think that traveling is a good opportunity to discover new parts of yourself<\/a>. It changed the way I am now. I feel more confident and more open to talking to strangers. It\u2019s made me a better me!<\/p>\n You’ve been traveling for 7 years now. What\u2019s your number one tip for new travelers?<\/strong> Don\u2019t judge. Learn to listen. It is so important to show respect and be kind to those in the country you are visiting. You\u2019re a guest in their home.<\/p>\n Angela got a job working as an au pair in order to fulfill her desire to travel the world. When you have limited funds, find a job like Angela and use your skills or passions to earn money and keep you on the road.<\/p>\n Hopefully, this post will inspire you to think outside the box a bit and figure out ways to use your passion and skills to get out there, escape the cubicle, and see more of this world. One of my favorite parts about this job is hearing people’s travel stories. They inspire me, but more importantly, they also inspire you. I travel a certain way but there are many ways to fund your trips and travel the world.\u00a0I hope these stories show you that there is more than one way to travel and that it is within your grasp to reach your travel goals. <\/p>\n Here are more examples of people who found work overseas to fund their trips:<\/p>\n My New York Times<\/em> best-selling book to travel will teach you how to master the art of travel so that you\u2019ll get off save money, always find deals, and have a deeper travel experience. It\u2019s your A to Z planning guide that the BBC called the \u201cbible for budget travelers.\u201d<\/p>\n Click here to learn more and start reading it today!<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n Book Your Flight<\/strong> Book Your Accommodation<\/strong> Don’t Forget Travel Insurance<\/strong> Want to Travel for Free?<\/strong> Need a Rental Car?<\/strong> Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip?<\/strong>
\nAng\u00e9la:<\/strong> I\u2019m Ang\u00e9la and I\u2019m 28 years old. I was born near Lyon, France, and am the eldest of four sisters. After graduating from school when I was 21, I started working as an au pair in Germany<\/a>. I wanted to get out of France<\/a> and work with children, so this was the perfect job! <\/p>\n
\nFunny enough, out of all my big family (I have three other siblings and lots of cousins), I\u2019m the only one who likes to travel a lot! Nobody around me ever went abroad for more than a few days, and especially not very far away. So I didn\u2019t know much about traveling, except from watching movies and pop culture.<\/p>\n
\nIt happened seven years ago when I was looking for a job in France and after finding nothing interesting, I decided to have a look at the au pair thing. It sounded interesting \u2014 working in another country and living with a family. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/media.nomadicmatt.com\/angelaaupair3a.jpg\")
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\nI\u2019ve been to Germany<\/a>, England<\/a>, Canada<\/a>, New Zealand<\/a>, Australia<\/a>, and Sweden<\/a>, and I\u2019m currently in Japan<\/a>. <\/p>\n
\nI personally think it is easy. Your main job is to take care of children, so you must be OK working with them, but other than that, the tasks are often easy enough and you have lots of free time. You work on average between 25 and 30 hours per week. <\/p>\n\n
\nWhile it\u2019s not necessary, it\u2019s good to have experience with kids, because the families might feel more confident in hiring you, but other than that, you don\u2019t really need much. Every family is different. Some will want you to have experience and will ask for references; others don\u2019t ask for anything.<\/p>\n![\"Angela](\"https:\/\/media.nomadicmatt.com\/angelaaupair1.jpg\")
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\nI will say it\u2019s learning how to live with total strangers. You\u2019re in a brand new country, with people you don\u2019t know, and you\u2019re going to spend six months to a year with them. It takes some days for everybody to get used to each other and to know how the family works. You need to learn to accept their way of living. <\/p>\n
\nIt is true that Western au pairs are mostly in Western countries. In Japan<\/a>, it is not common at all, especially because here the moms are often stay-at-home moms, so they don\u2019t need another person to do the job. <\/p>\n
\nThe pay depends mainly on the family and the country you\u2019re in. But my salary was usually 300-400 EUR per month. It seems to be the average for an au pair working 25\u201330 hours a week.<\/p>\n
\nIf it is your first experience as an au pair and you don\u2019t know how you feel being away from home, my advice would be to start in a country that is near your own. That way if you\u2019re homesick, it will be much easier to go back. <\/p>\n
\nNever think traveling is not possible for you. I had no exposure to it while I was growing up and would never have imagined myself a traveler, as I was very shy and introverted. I think, besides shocking my family, I shocked myself when I went away. But when you go away, you realize how easy travel is and how many opportunities there are out there to make travel a reality.<\/p>\n
\nBe friendly to people and be respectful of the country you are in. Respect is important, and people will accept you more if you are openly happy and curious to be visiting their places. <\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nBecome the Next Success Story<\/h3>\n
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\nHow to Travel the World on $75 a Day<\/span><\/h3>
![\"How](\"https:\/\/media.nomadicmatt.com\/bookimages\/HowtoTraveltheWorldon75aDay.jpg\")
<\/div>\nBook Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks<\/h4>\n
\nFind a cheap flight by using Skyscanner<\/a>. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned. <\/p>\n
\nYou can book your hostel with Hostelworld<\/a>. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com<\/a> as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. <\/p>\n
\nTravel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:<\/p>\n\n
\nTravel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation \u2014 all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites<\/a> to get started and see the latest best deals.<\/p>\n
\nDiscover Cars<\/a> is a budget-friendly international car rental website. No matter where you’re headed, they’ll be able to find the best \u2014 and cheapest \u2014 rental for your trip!<\/p>\n
\nGet Your Guide<\/a> is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more. <\/p>\n