If you’ve ever wanted to travel for a living, the New York Times has a gig for you. The Gray Lady is hiring a journalist to travel to all 52 destinations covered in its 52 Places to Go travel guide. The correspondent will spend the entire year traveling the world, and will report on each place and the general experience of life on the road. It’s like #vanlife, but 100 times better.
Traveling to a different destination every week is pretty intensive, and The New York Times is looking for a candidate that can handle the grind while producing engaging, thoughtful stories.
“We are seeking a correspondent who will go to every destination on our list and tell us the story of each place and the story of life on the road,” the advertisement for the position states. “The ideal candidate is a permanent student of life and astute documentarian of the world. This person should have a well-worn passport, the ability to parachute into a place and distill its essence and to render a compelling tale with words and images.”
The 52 Places to Go list is one of the most revered travel guides out there, and hiring a correspondent to experience and report on the guide in full is the most direct way to show readers what each destination is all about. This isn’t the only enviable job out there. Union Wine Co. hired a “Canbassador” last summer to drive cross country and back promoting wine and making stops at music festivals, store openings, and other events across the country. And if you’ve ever wanted to drink and get paid for it, the University of Nottingham hires professional beer tasters for research, and ILoveGin even has a “gintern” to visit gin distilleries all over the world. It’s important to remember that while fun, these jobs can be laborious and intense, so make sure you know what you’re signing up for. But oh the stories you’ll get to tell.