# What jobs requite tons of international travel? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712 "2004-06-04T22:03:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CeeNT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@CeeNT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CeeNT)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/1 "2004-06-04T22:03:53Z")
Hey, I was wondering if anyone has any sources for jobs that require tons of international travel. I have a desire to find a career that takes me all over the world, and would love any incite. Some background info: I’m a Political Science Major with a minor in business (probably do some sort of graduate work). ---
**Author:** ![CeeNT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@CeeNT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CeeNT)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/2 "2004-06-04T22:29:43Z")
or for our english speaking friends, WHICH jobs REQUIRE tons of international travel 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/3 "2004-06-04T22:35:12Z")
And I presume you’re after INSIGHT? 😃 The major question has to be, what languages do you speak? If only English, then you’d better start learning. The typical highly-educated young European has at least their own language and English under their belt, and probably at least one other as well. And they’re who you’re competing with, if you’re looking to go international. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/4 "2004-06-04T22:37:26Z")
I manage at a firm that does quality audits - ISO 9000, ISO 14000, TS, stuff like that. If you get a particularly juicy speciality to audit, like TL-9000 or AS-9000, you can travel all over hell’s half acre. We travel quite a bit. However, you will need industry experience before we’d hire you. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/5 "2004-06-04T23:46:53Z")
Have you considered being [a courier?](http://www.courier.org/) The catch, of course, is that, while being a courier enables you to get to exotic places cheaply, you couldn’t actually earn a living doing it. You’d have to supplement your courier duties with something that would produce income. Have you considered prostitution or drug-smuggling? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/6 "2004-06-05T00:02:53Z")
Ever considerd working on an oil rig? So far this year I’ve worked in India, Gabon and Singapore. I’m off to Eastern Russia in a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/7 "2004-06-05T00:08:03Z")
> [@CeeNT](#): > > or for our english speaking friends, WHICH jobs REQUIRE tons of international travel 🙂 Actually, “what” is OK. The tragedy is the unrequited international travel that you seek. Or is it love you’re really after? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/8 "2004-06-05T00:12:32Z")
International sales and/or management. Again you need experience. CIA - this is a serious response. When I was graduating about 20 years ago, the only international stuff I found was the CIA. Did interviews but didn’t pursue it because of a lot of reasons but also at that time it was 2 years in Langley to start with and I didn’t want to wait those two years. ---
**Author:** ![CeeNT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@CeeNT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CeeNT)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/9 "2004-06-05T00:27:02Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > Have you considered prostitution or drug-smuggling? Actually, “what” is OK. The tragedy is the unrequited international travel that you seek. Or is it love you’re really after? [/quote] 😃 haha nice… 😛 > [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > Ever considerd working on an oil rig? So far this year I’ve worked in India, Gabon and Singapore. I’m off to Eastern Russia in a few weeks. Sounds very interesting, but I’m too much of a liberal nut to work for oil 😃 > [@China Guy](#): > > International sales and/or management. Again you need experience. > > CIA - this is a serious response. When I was graduating about 20 years ago, the only international stuff I found was the CIA. Did interviews but didn’t pursue it because of a lot of reasons but also at that time it was 2 years in Langley to start with and I didn’t want to wait those two years. Yes, sales I would imagine would require tons of travel. I’m aware that any job that would give me options like tons of travel would require experience. I thought of the CIA too. I still do. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/10 "2004-06-05T00:40:37Z")
Auto industry. And you don’t even have to know the foreign language. We just arrogantly go to the other countries and expect them to know English. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/11 "2004-06-05T01:08:39Z")
English is clearly secondary. My Brother-in-Law might well hold the record for this one. He’s in training and got picked up by a firm with a Dept of Homeland Security contract. He does forensics training at bases and offices all over the world. He spends at least 6 months a year on the road. He just got back from Guadalajara yesterday and he’s off to somewhere on the west coast shortly. Then July 1 he starts a WORLD TOUR that means he’ll be on the road (through Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Australia) until mid-October. And he does this all the time. He gives frequent flier miles as birthday presents. He says he’ll never use them all up. ---
**Author:** ![CeeNT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@CeeNT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CeeNT)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/12 "2004-06-05T01:13:29Z")
wow, does he speak many languages? ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/13 "2004-06-05T04:19:00Z")
You could join the Navy. ---
**Author:** ![peculiar\_hailstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/46a35a/32.png) [@peculiar\_hailstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peculiar_hailstone)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/14 "2004-06-05T04:57:44Z")
…or the merchant marine. I’m a sailor, and I’ve been to over 40 counries in the last few years. I work for an environmental organization, and there are people on board with all sorts of degrees. ---
**Author:** ![LuckySevens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@LuckySevens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LuckySevens)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/15 "2004-06-05T05:44:31Z")
Work for a mining company, my uncle used to, flew to places like South America, Russia, Africa etc looking at mines and doing apprasels and that sort of thing. Really good pay too. How do you get the job? I have no idea, probably need some science degree and a lot of experience with mines. Just about every cool job requires an extensive resume these days ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/16 "2004-06-05T06:32:31Z")
So unless you have a university degree (or experience is some weird technical niche) it’s pretty much a no go? Drat. 2.5 languages and a technologist’s diploma aren’t enough then… ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/17 "2004-06-05T06:47:17Z")
**CeeNT** , questions seeking advice belong in the IMHO forum, not GQ. Please don’t do this again, or your next thread will be liable to be closed. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/18 "2004-06-05T06:49:04Z")
If you became a consultant and worked for a large firm (Accenture, for example), you’d have the opportunity to travel internationally quite often. A friend’s dad has been working in Bahrain most recently. He’s spent some time in nearly every country in the European Union. He doesn’t really speak any foreign languages besides Spanish, and he’s not fluent in that, so I suppose you don’t have to worry too much about languages. ---
**Author:** ![False\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@False\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/False_God)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/19 "2004-06-05T07:43:19Z")
United States Foreign Service Officer. Travel the world, get diplomatic immunity, and get a chance to implement foreign policy on a day to-day-level. Oh, and mandatory change of station every two to three years. Plus conferences and temporary duty assignments. Email me for details. False\_God United States Foreign Service Officer Colombo, Sri Lanka ---
**Author:** ![Frumious\_Bandersnatch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Frumious\_Bandersnatch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumious_Bandersnatch)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712/20 "2004-06-05T14:19:19Z")
In 1990 I found a small firm with international operations. 14 years later, I have worked in eight countries, on five continents, while collecting over 200 passport stamps and 3.5 milliion frequent flyer miles. Often, the willingness to travel internationally for work translates to pretty good pay. In my case the pay was OK, but I didn’t spend as much as other people because I was typically living on an expense account. I love international work. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-requite-tons-of-international-travel/248712.md?page=2)