“The world is a book,” said St. Augustine, “and those who do not travel read only one page.” There are many options both abroad an in the U.S. where you can make travel a lucrative reality, and you don’t have to be a genius or trust fund kid to make it happen.

Traveling Nurse

As baby boomers age, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that one out of every five new jobs is in the health care field and the majority of those are RN positions. This shortage is projected to continue through at least 2030. Travel nurses take short-term assignments in any state or U.S. territories like the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Some travel nursing companies offer competitive salaries, bonuses, subsidized housing and health insurance, according to travelnursing.org. To be a travel nurse, you need:

• To be an RN and pass the NCLEX-RN exam
• Have at least one year of residency in your specialty
• Have an adventurous spirit and desire to help those in need

English Teacher

One of the most popular occupations for Americans living abroad is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. China, India, Southeast Asia and South America are among the most demanding ESL countries. Positions typically offer a 10-12 month contract, and they don’t pay well; according to TEFL.com, a job posting in Spain pays $1,674 per month, while China offers one at $897. These jobs do come with free accommodation, which offsets the low pay, and a typical work week entails roughly 26 hours of work. Teaching abroad generally requires:

• At least a bachelor’s degree in a related field
• Passing the TEFL course
• Knowing the language

CIA Agent

Don’t laugh; the Central Intelligence Agency is always recruiting talented people, especially if you have expertise with a particular culture or language. The average salary for a CIA operative is roughly $98,000, and the benefits package is generous as a government employee. To be considered, you need at least:

• A bachelor’s degree in a related field that pertains to what you want to do
• Experience in a related field, like law enforcement or private investigation
• An extensive background check, polygraph and psychoanalysis
• A proven track record of completing analytical tasks in a short period of time

Flight Attendant

A flight attendant’s salary can range from $25,000-$51,000 annually, depending on their routes and schedules. Training can cost up to $3,000, but it only lasts a few weeks, according to careerplanning.com. To become a flight attendant, you must:

• Have a high school diploma, but a college degree helps
• Pass a course and become certified through a flight attendant academies
• Have enough patience to smile through screaming babies and drunken businessmen

If you choose a career that allows you to travel, you will face difficulties, stresses, gross food and lumpy beds, but you’re filling the pages of your life’s book. What’s a book without action, challenges and, above all, meaningful adventure?

Guest post by Brianna Martinez. Brianna is East Coast and enjoys writing guest blogging for travel sites.

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Australia’s Great Ocean road is renowned for its spectacular coastline and the Apostles are the star attraction.

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Travel of any kind has its inherent dangers, and solo female travelers face their own unique set of challenges. Many women who travel alone (and men too) are concerned with safety.  So we thought we’d pass along this great infographic from RetireInAsia.com about the safest places for women to travel alone in Asia.

Kazakhstan and Vietnam are two of the safest places for women to travel alone in Asia. Mongolia is another very safe country (50% citizens of the country feel safe while walking home at night) and South Korea has a very low crime rate.

Check out all the details in this great infographic that is not only helpful for solo female travelers, but anyone who is concerned with travel safety!

Retire in Asia

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The sun sets on San Juan del Sur.

I was hoping for a chill stay at a nice hostel, some seafood with an ocean view, and a glass of dry, crisp sauvignon blanc with determined little beads of condensation marching down the glass towards the stem. I’d been told San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua, was cheap, with delectable seafood and great shopping! Perhaps I’d buy a new dress; I’m a gal who loves a deal. But, let me tell you something. Whoever told me San Juan Del Sur was cheap was either a wealthy person who lives sans budget or they were simply drunk and delirious. Seafood with an ocean view was for the extravagant traveler and dresses were for chicks with sugar daddies. I assume it’s expensive because it’s full of tourists. San Juan has the feel of a quaint little village right on the ocean with lots of colorful buildings and a little bit of local charm. However, it seemed to be a bit of a party town, or the hostel I was staying at was a party hostel, or I just got stuck in a dorm room with a bunch of young, drunk, sex-crazed travelers. I fear my view of San Juan Del Sur will always have a tainted hedonistic quality to it.

My first night there, I ended up getting a private room with little to no ventilation as the dorm rooms were booked. The type of tiny, airless room where you fart and the fan just pushes the smell around but never actually dissipates it. I was eager to switch over to the dormitory the following day as they were spacious, each bed having its own individual fan, adequate airflow for flatulence and keeping yourself cool. The following night, I realized perhaps my choice in a hostel in general was not the best as there were a bunch of young backpackers getting rowdy and inebriated. It wouldn’t have been so annoying if it ended there; however, some of them were constantly walking in and out of the dorm room and leaving the door wide open. They were talking in loud intoxicated voices, as you do, instead of whispering, as you should, out of respect for others feigning sleep as you drunkenly stumble about forgetting why you even came into the dorm room in the first place. This coming and going went on until about 3 a.m. During that time I had punched, dropkicked, and roundhoused all these kids…in my mind. In reality, I was a tired, fuming ball of pent-up annoyance.

One of the many colorful buildings in San Juan del Sur.

Just as the sun was beginning to make its morning rounds, a couple came in (well who knows if they were a couple, they very well could have met ten minutes earlier) and climbed onto the top bunk across the room from me. I didn’t think much of it until I started to hear certain sounds. Sounds that you don’t want to hear in a public place, much less a shared dorm room that is no longer dark but bathed in morning light. Even without my contacts in, I could make out their withering shapes. I tried to close my eyes and block it all out but they were drunkenly not discreet with their moans and the steady rocking sound of the bunk bed. I imagined all the different scenarios in where I would sit up in bed and ask them to just stop. But I was uncomfortable enough; I didn’t want to join in in any way, even if that way was to vent my ultimate frustration. I wanted no part in their fornication and unfortunately, I was an innocent bystander, as were four other people tossing and turning in their beds thinking the exact same thoughts as me. I wondered if the Polish girl in the bottom bunk below the couple had it the worst. Was it worse to just hear and feel it? Or was my position worse where I could hear and see it?

I gave it an hour and then got up and left the room while they were still at it. I resigned myself to a day of bleary-eyed tiredness and shuddering everytime I thought of what occurred in the morning. As if it’s some type of compensation, at the very least they were under a sheet the entire time.

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