The 3 Best Jobs for Expats and Travelers

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"The world is a book, and those who don't travel read only a page," said Saint Augustine.

Americans take this advice to heart. They love to travel so much that they clock in more than 80 million trips abroad every year, and an estimated 8.7 million of Americans live overseas.

But if you're worried you can't indulge your travel bug and still make bank, consider these three best jobs for expats and travelers.

1. Teacher

Back in 2002, I had just completed my bachelor's degree at the University of Alberta (go Bears!) in Canada, and, like many of my fellow graduates, I was hunting for a job. You'd be surprised at the very high demand for graduates from Canadian and American colleges to teach abroad. If your dream is to live in a country for at least a year, then becoming a teacher at a foreign high school, English-language center, or university is a great way to make that dream a reality.

Here are three programs to consider.

JET Program

U.S. citizens with at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited university before July 1st of the departure year can apply to become an Assistant Language Teacher teaching English at various grade levels throughout Japan.

Prepa Tec

One of the largest education systems in Mexico is the Tecnologico de Monterrey. Their high school system (better known as Prepa Tec) recruits recent graduates from universities from several countries to teach a wide variety of courses, including English, Mathematics, Science, and Political Science.

Kaplan

The test prep company Kaplan has several partnerships and often needs educators of all levels who are interested in teaching abroad.

One important point to remember is to know who is responsible for applying and keeping your work visa (if required), because that's a process that can sometimes be expensive and time-consuming. Ideally, you want your employer to be the one handling all that paperwork.

2. Online Tutor

If a nine to five schedule or salary in local currency doesn't sound appealing to you, then take advantage of the internet and tutor students back in the U.S. using tools such as Skype, Adobe Connect, or FaceTime (and get paid in U.S. dollars). Additionally, depending on the length of your stay in various countries, tutoring lets you skip the entire work visa process.

There are several sites that allow you to find students interested in online tutoring.

WyzAnt

Expert tutors can connect with students across the U.S. to schedule online lessons. From GMAT prep to Algebra to French, your subject of choice is available at WyzAnt.

Tutor.com

Unlike other online tutoring sites, Tutor.com is looking for applicants that can tutor at least five hours per week. That's great news for those seeking a steady source of income. Tutor.com has a very specific list of subjects that they hire for.

SkillShare

Some instructors have been so successful tutoring on Skillshare that they've been able to quit their day jobs. Even some well-known individuals, such as James Franco, tutored at one time using Skillshare.

Of course, you don't need to limit yourself to just one online tutoring site. By signing up for a couple of them, you can increase your chances of keeping a consistent number of students.

Another best practice is to build your own site to showcase your teaching portfolio and provide student testimonials. It's harder to find students this way, but cutting out the middleman allows you to pocket more per tutoring hour.

3. Freelance Writer

You, too can "pull a Hemingway" and sip wine while working on your next set of articles for an online publication. Depending on your subject expertise and writing ability, you can write for online magazines or blogs.

There are several great blogs out there looking for quality writers. One great starting point to find writing assignments is the ProBlogger job board.

Don't think that the online medium is less demanding than more "traditional" ones. Before submitting your application to any blogging job, make sure to read the job posting thoroughly and understand what is required to apply. Sending an unrequested 31-page college thesis, misspelling the blog's name, or writing an unprofessional email will kill your application.

A word of advice is that you may find that most blogs pay once a month. To avoid a potential cash crunch, you should write for a couple blogs and not just one.

What are other great jobs for expats and travelers?