Ranked list · 48 careers

48 Jobs That Travel, Ranked by Fit and Pay (2026)

Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product tops this list at $104,920 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with +1.2% projected employment change over 2025–2035. Below are 48 careers that meet the criteria, each with its real median wage, outlook and entry requirement.

Careers on this list: 48From 1,731 in the bank
Median pay on the list: $80,085BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected to grow: 42 of 48BLS EP, 2025–2035
Openings a year: 1,829,800Combined, BLS EP

Method

How we built this list

Careers where travel is part of the work itself: flying, sailing, guiding, inspecting, auditing and consulting on site, rather than jobs that merely allow remote work. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages.
Occupations with no BLS wage or projection data are excluded rather than estimated.
The list is regenerated from source data on every bank refresh. It is not hand-picked and no editorial ranking is applied.

The list

The top 48 jobs that travel

100% of these careers already have a full profile page; the rest publish with the next tranche and show the same bank data here in the meantime.

1
1. Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product
Sales and Related
Median pay
$104,920median a year
Growth
+1.2%
Openings / yr
23,600
Education
Bachelor's
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers where technical or scientific knowledge is required in such areas as biology, engineering, chemistry, and electronics, normally obtained from at least 2 years of postseconda…
2
2. Management Analyst
Business and Financial Operations
Median pay
$101,860median a year
Growth
+10.1%
Openings / yr
94,100
Education
Bachelor's
Conduct organizational studies and evaluations, design systems and procedures, conduct work simplification and measurement studies, and prepare operations and procedures manuals to assist management in operating more…
3
3. Locomotive Engineer
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$81,410median a year
Growth
+0.5%
Openings / yr
2,000
Education
High school
Drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas-turbine-electric locomotives to transport passengers or freight.
4
4. Hotel Revenue Manager
Specialty within market research analyst and marketing specialist
Median pay
$78,760median (parent occupation)
Growth
+7.0%
Openings / yr
82,000
Education
Bachelor's
Sets hotel room prices and inventory rules from demand data so a property earns the most it can from every night.
5
5. Catastrophe Adjuster
Specialty within claims adjuster, examiner, and investigator
Median pay
$78,000median (parent occupation)
Growth
−5.5%
Openings / yr
20,900
Education
High school
Travels to disaster zones after hurricanes, wildfires and hailstorms to inspect damaged homes and businesses and settle large volumes of insurance claims.
6
6. Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator
Business and Financial Operations
Median pay
$78,000median a year
Growth
−5.5%
Openings / yr
20,900
Education
High school
Review settled claims to determine that payments and settlements are made in accordance with company practices and procedures.
7
7. Railroad Conductor and Yardmaster
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$78,000median a year
Growth
+0.9%
Openings / yr
3,000
Education
High school
Coordinate activities of switch-engine crew within railroad yard, industrial plant, or similar location.
8
8. Boilermaker
Construction and Extraction
Median pay
$76,410median a year
Growth
−1.8%
Openings / yr
700
Education
High school
Construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries.
9
9. Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
Sales and Related
Median pay
$72,080median a year
Growth
−0.9%
Openings / yr
99,800
Education
High school
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals.
10
10. Hotel Asset Manager
Specialty within property, real estate, and community association manager
Median pay
$156,000typical, AETHOS Consulting Group Hotel Asset Management Compensation Report (via LODGING)
Growth
+3.7%
Openings / yr
36,900
Education
Bachelor's
Represents the owners of hotels, pushing the management company to raise profit and protect property value through budgets, capital plans and strategy.
11
11. Cruise Ship Hotel Director
Specialty within lodging manager
Median pay
$69,250median (parent occupation)
Growth
+3.8%
Openings / yr
5,500
Education
High school
Runs all hotel operations on a cruise ship, including cabins, restaurants, bars, guest services, and entertainment, as one of the ship's senior officers.
12
12. Director of Rooms
Specialty within lodging manager
Median pay
$69,250median (parent occupation)
Growth
+3.8%
Openings / yr
5,500
Education
High school
Leads all of a hotel's room-related departments, including front office, housekeeping, reservations and guest services, at a large or luxury property.
13
13. Hotel General Manager
Specialty within lodging manager
Median pay
$69,250median (parent occupation)
Growth
+3.8%
Openings / yr
5,500
Education
High school
Leads a hotel or resort as its top manager, responsible for guest experience, staff, revenue, and profit across every department.
14
14. International School Teacher
Specialty within elementary school teacher
Median pay
$63,970median (parent occupation)
Growth
−0.4%
Openings / yr
87,500
Education
Bachelor's
A licensed teacher who works at an American or international school overseas, teaching an American, British or IB curriculum.
15
15. Casino Host
Specialty within first-line supervisor of gambling services workers
Median pay
$63,820median (parent occupation)
Growth
+3.5%
Openings / yr
2,600
Education
High school
Builds relationships with a casino's valued players, arranging comps, rooms, dinners, and events to keep them coming back.
16
16. Destination Manager
Specialty within meeting, convention, and event planner
Median pay
$61,160median (parent occupation)
Growth
+5.8%
Openings / yr
16,800
Education
Bachelor's
Plans and runs on-the-ground logistics for group trips, incentive travel, and corporate events in a specific city or region.
17
17. Meeting, Convention, and Event Planner
Business and Financial Operations
Median pay
$61,160median a year
Growth
+5.8%
Openings / yr
16,800
Education
Bachelor's
Coordinate activities of staff, convention personnel, or clients to make arrangements for group meetings, events, or conventions.
18
18. Bus Driver, Transit and Intercity
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$59,050median a year
Growth
+4.1%
Openings / yr
21,100
Education
High school
Drive bus or motor coach, including regular route operations, charters, and private carriage.
19
19. Truck Driver
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$58,640median a year
Growth
+3.8%
Openings / yr
214,500
Education
Certificate
Drive a tractor-trailer combination or a truck with a capacity of at least 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW).
20
20. Train Dispatcher
Specialty within dispatcher
Median pay
$50,340median (parent occupation)
Growth
−0.7%
Openings / yr
16,000
Education
High school
Controls train movements across a territory of railroad from a central office, routing trains, setting signals and issuing track authorities.
21
21. Luxury Travel Advisor
Specialty within travel agent
Median pay
$50,160median (parent occupation)
Growth
+0.2%
Openings / yr
5,900
Education
High school
Designs custom high-end trips for affluent clients, booking luxury hotels, private tours, cruises, and villas and handling every detail.
22
22. Travel Agent
Sales and Related
Median pay
$50,160median a year
Growth
+0.2%
Openings / yr
5,900
Education
High school
Plan and sell transportation and accommodations for customers.
23
23. Cruise Director
Specialty within first-line supervisor of entertainment and recreation workers, except gambling services
Median pay
$48,560median (parent occupation)
Growth
+5.3%
Openings / yr
10,600
Education
High school
Leads the entertainment and activities department on a cruise ship and acts as the onboard host and public face of the voyage.
24
24. Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agent and Travel Clerk
Office and Administrative Support
Median pay
$44,390median a year
Growth
+2.5%
Openings / yr
11,800
Education
High school
Make and confirm reservations for transportation or lodging, or sell transportation tickets.
25
25. Yacht Steward
Specialty within concierge
Median pay
$38,950median (parent occupation)
Growth
+2.6%
Openings / yr
6,900
Education
High school
Runs the interior of a private or charter yacht, providing hotel-level guest service including housekeeping, laundry, table service and event planning.
26
26. Tour Guide and Escort
Personal Care and Service
Median pay
$38,120median a year
Growth
+6.3%
Openings / yr
11,900
Education
High school
Escort individuals or groups on sightseeing tours or through places of interest, such as industrial establishments, public buildings, and art galleries.
27
27. Travel Guide
Personal Care and Service
Median pay
$38,120median a year
Growth
+6.3%
Openings / yr
11,900
Education
High school
Plan, organize, and conduct long-distance travel, tours, and expeditions for individuals and groups.
28
28. Passenger Attendant
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$37,720median a year
Growth
+6.0%
Openings / yr
4,300
Education
High school
Provide services to ensure the safety of passengers aboard ships, buses, trains, or within the station or terminal.
29
29. Airline Pilot
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$232,140median a year
Growth
+8.3%
Openings / yr
11,200
Education
Bachelor's
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo.
30
30. Widebody Airline Captain
Specialty within airline pilot
Median pay
$420,000typical, MiGFlug Afterburner, from ALPA pilot contracts
Growth
+8.3%
Openings / yr
11,200
Education
Bachelor's
Commands twin-aisle jets such as the Boeing 777, 787, or Airbus A350 on long-haul and international routes for a major airline.
31
31. Director of Developer Relations
Specialty within marketing manager
Median pay
$166,790median (parent occupation)
Growth
+6.9%
Openings / yr
34,000
Education
Bachelor's
Leads the team that builds a company's relationship with software developers through documentation, community programs, events and technical content.
32
32. Forward Deployed Engineer
Specialty within software developer
Median pay
$230,000typical, Levels.fyi (Palantir company page)
Growth
+10.2%
Openings / yr
95,300
Education
Bachelor's
A software engineer embedded with customers to build and deploy a company's platform for their specific problems, from data pipelines to AI applications.
33
33. Sales Engineer
Sales and Related
Median pay
$124,900median a year
Growth
+2.8%
Openings / yr
3,800
Education
Bachelor's
Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.
34
34. Commercial Pilot
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$123,220median a year
Growth
+5.2%
Openings / yr
5,200
Education
Certificate
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters.
35
35. Corporate Pilot
Specialty within commercial pilot
Median pay
$123,220median (parent occupation)
Growth
+5.2%
Openings / yr
5,200
Education
Certificate
Flies business jets and turboprops for a company flight department, a wealthy owner, or a managed-aircraft operator, carrying executives and guests on demand.
36
36. Flight Inspection Pilot
Specialty within commercial pilot
Median pay
$123,220median (parent occupation)
Growth
+5.2%
Openings / yr
5,200
Education
Certificate
Flies specially equipped aircraft to check that airport landing systems, navigation beacons and instrument approach procedures work within tolerance.
37
37. Fractional Jet Pilot
Specialty within commercial pilot
Median pay
$288,000typical, NetJets, as reported by AVweb and Forbes
Growth
+5.2%
Openings / yr
5,200
Education
Certificate
Flies business jets for a fractional ownership company, carrying the owners of aircraft shares to destinations on short notice.
38
38. Principal Solutions Architect
Specialty within computer systems engineers/architect
Median pay
$439,000typical, Levels.fyi (Amazon company page)
Growth
+5.1%
Openings / yr
27,000
Education
Bachelor's
A top-level technical adviser who designs complex cloud and software systems for a company's largest customers and shapes the vendor's products.
39
39. Ship Engineer
Transportation and Material Moving
Median pay
$109,530median a year
Growth
+2.7%
Openings / yr
900
Education
Certificate
Supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.
40
40. Race Engineer
Specialty within mechanical engineer
Median pay
$104,110median (parent occupation)
Growth
+11.2%
Openings / yr
17,800
Education
Bachelor's
Sets up race cars, analyzes on-track data and works with drivers to find speed within the rules of series like NASCAR, IndyCar and IMSA.
41
41. Medical Science Liaison
Specialty within medical scientist, except epidemiologists
Median pay
$103,410median (parent occupation)
Growth
+12.6%
Openings / yr
10,500
Education
Doctorate
A scientific expert employed by a drug or device company who discusses research and clinical data with leading physicians.
42
42. Foreign Service Officer
Specialty within management analyst
Median pay
$101,860median (parent occupation)
Growth
+10.1%
Openings / yr
94,100
Education
Bachelor's
A U.S. diplomat who represents the country at embassies and consulates abroad, working in consular, economic, political, management or public diplomacy roles.
43
43. Management Consulting Partner
Specialty within management analyst
Median pay
$375,000typical, GMAC (mba.com), drawing on Management Consulted's Consulting Salaries Report 2026
Growth
+10.1%
Openings / yr
94,100
Education
Master's
A senior leader at a top strategy consulting firm who wins and leads client engagements for CEOs and boards.
44
44. Organ Procurement Coordinator
Specialty within registered nurse
Median pay
$97,550median (parent occupation)
Growth
+5.6%
Openings / yr
180,800
Education
Bachelor's
Manages the organ donation process, from evaluating a potential donor to coordinating the surgical recovery of organs for transplant.
45
45. Registered Nurse
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Median pay
$97,550median a year
Growth
+5.6%
Openings / yr
180,800
Education
Bachelor's
Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records.
46
46. Travel Nurse
Specialty within registered nurse
Median pay
$97,550median (parent occupation)
Growth
+5.6%
Openings / yr
180,800
Education
Bachelor's
A registered nurse who takes short-term contracts at hospitals around the country to fill staffing gaps.
47
47. Storm Restoration Lineworker
Specialty within electrical power-line installer and repairer
Median pay
$95,320median (parent occupation)
Growth
+10.3%
Openings / yr
10,900
Education
High school
Travels to areas hit by hurricanes, ice storms and wildfires to rebuild damaged power lines and restore electricity as fast as safely possible.
48
48. Transmission Lineworker
Specialty within electrical power-line installer and repairer
Median pay
$95,320median (parent occupation)
Growth
+10.3%
Openings / yr
10,900
Education
High school
Builds and maintains the high-voltage transmission lines and steel towers that carry power across long distances from generating plants to substations.

Questions

Jobs That Travel: FAQ

What is the top career on the jobs that travel list?

Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product leads the list with a median wage of $104,920 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025) and projected employment change of +1.2% over 2025–2035. Typical entry-level education is bachelor's.

How was this list put together?

Careers where travel is part of the work itself: flying, sailing, guiding, inspecting, auditing and consulting on site, rather than jobs that merely allow remote work. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages. Careers where travel is part of the work itself: flying, sailing, guiding, inspecting, auditing and consulting on site, rather than jobs that merely allow remote work. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages. Every figure comes from BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and O*NET 31.0 Database.

How much do jobs that travel pay?

Across the 48 careers on this list the middle occupation pays $80,085 a year, from $37,720 at the bottom to $439,000 at the top (BLS OEWS May 2025 and the industry compensation sources cited on each career page). The median across all US occupations is $50,980.

How many of these careers can you enter without a degree?

28 of the 48 careers on this list have a typical entry requirement below an associate's degree: a high school diploma, a postsecondary certificate, or no formal credential (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).