WanderingTrader

Avoid the Cubicle, Travel the World

This is a guest post from Jeremy at TheWorldOrBust.com

At 24 years old, friends and family are always asking me, “Jeremy, how can you just travel wherever and whenever you want?”, “How do you afford it?”, etc…

This is how I make it happencappn’

Well, rewind a year and a half ago.  I was in my last semester of college at the University of Miami as an Exercise Physiology Major (basically fitness) and things were good.  I had a great job as a personal trainer at the college gym making about $25/hr untaxed, had my rent paid for by my parents and a girlfriend I really liked.

Promotion

Come May 2010, I graduated, was absolved of my job because it was for “students only”, my relationship fell apart due to my stress from entering the “real world”, and the job market was diarrhea.  After traveling extensively while in school including living in Barcelona for 6 months, Buenos Aires for a summer and Mexico for a winter, I just couldn’t swallow the “adult” pill and force myself to take a 9-5 desk job just because I “needed” to.

With work prospects being  bleak I decided to work for myself somehow and maintain the freedom I so enjoyed in my college years to continue traveling and carpe dieming it on the regular.  And that’s just what I did…

In school, I frequently worked with a performance sneaker insole company at various fitness events (marathons, triathlons, health expos, etc.)  I decided that I really enjoyed being in the event setting, and after working a few times,I got talking to the familiar faces I saw smiling at the nearby booths for other brands.  I started thinking to myself, is thiswhat these people do for a living?!  It was, and from that point on, I become my own boss.

“Promo”, as we in the biz refer to it is a great way to make some extra money, or in my case and many others, the majority of our income.

Most gigs pay around $15-20/hr and field management positions usually pay $25/30hr.  Contracts last anywhere from half a day, a week to a few months – no long term commitments.

Not to mention, you get to work outside (I live in Miami so it’s a huge perk), never in a cubicle and at awesome events (I’ve worked at the South Beach Food and Wine festival, in Manhattan on Cinco de Mayo dressed up like a tequila farmer and EXXXotica – “the largest convention dedicated to love and sex”.

Working in promotional marketing is great because everyone is always in a good mood.  Who wouldn’t be when they are at a fun event and getting all sorts of free stuff?  Needless to say, I haven’t had a case of the Mondays in two years.

Because I mostly manage promotions now, I earn around $2500-$4000 a month, and work whenever I decide to book myself.  This lets me take a vacation whenever I desire, work in any city in the country if I find a promotion to book myself for, and enjoy my life the way I want to.

If you’re interested in findingout more about promotional marketing and how to get involved, start by checking your local Craig’s List page under the “gigs” category, sub category “events” and keep an eye out for the words “promo”, “brand ambassador” and “promo specialist”.  Craig’s List is a great place to start and there are plenty of other resources to help you find great commitment-free promotional jobs.

Promo At The South Beach Food & Wine Festival

Don’t ever get complacent or think you are stuck doing what you’re doing because you “have” to.  You don’t “have” to do anything.  Put things into perspective, if you were diagnosed with terminal cancer tomorrow, could you say you’ve used your one life (yes you only live once) to the fullest and done what you’ve wanted to?  I comfortably can.

You can read more about Jeremy and his escapades across the globe on his travel blog, The World or Bust.  Feel free to reach out to him in regards to anything from how to make money without a real job to inviting him for a beer in your native homeland at Jeremy@TheWorldOrBust.com.

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