How this 18-Year-Old Millennial Travels the World working as a Nanny

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Traveling while side hustling as a nanny sounds like a great job.

For those who are adventurous and also need to make some cash, being a traveling nanny is a great nomad gig with real life experiences.

So, how do you get a job like that you may ask?

Chloe Nelson is an 18-year-old world traveler, who works as a nanny while she travels to pay for her trips.

She is sharing some great nanny tips with us in this post.

I love the fact that Chloe self-finances her trips by working as a travel nanny.

These are some of the places Chloe has traveled while working as a nanny:

Emerald bay, South Lake Tahoe.
Madrid, Spain.
Dead woman’s pass, Peru
Machu Picchu, Peru
Barcelona, Spain
Lagos, Portugal
Heavenly mountain, South Lake Tahoe, CA
Cabo de San Vicente, Portugal
Breckenridge, Colorado
Sydney, Australia
Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, QLD, Australia

Take it away Chloe.

Trying to find ways to make money while traveling can be difficult at times, especially when you’re young.

Dealing with work visas and barely making minimum wage are some of the challenges you face.

However, a regular job can be stressful and not flexible. If you’re traveling, a job probably is not your best option. At 18, I know that from experience.

I started traveling on my own at 9 years old, as an unaccompanied minor. Although, I still don’t know where I’m going professionally, I know I want to continue to travel.

Just last year, I visited six different countries and countless cities. In January, I traveled from California, where I live now with my godmother, to Australia.

I’m planning my next trips already.

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I’m proud that I can pay for my own travel at 18 because I work as a nanny. I can do this not only where I live, but also in my destinations.

I’ve been hustling for some time now. I started babysitting at 15 for friends, family and neighbors.

During my senior year of high school, I babysat regularly for two families. This was after working as a server in the evenings and also in retail. I quickly realized I preferred babysitting to make money.

In this post I will talk to you about where to find jobs as a traveling nanny, tips for landing these jobs and things I’ve learned while working as a nanny.

Where to find jobs as a nanny while traveling

The 3 main resources I use to find nanny jobs locally and while I travel:

Care.com – has listings all over the world for nannies and au pairs.
Aupairworld.com – listing for au pairs all over the world. This is my favorite nanny site for long term Tavel plans.
Personal connections -very valuable for references and for repeat work.

Tips for landing nanny jobs while you travel

Nanny tip #1 Use the main babysitting platforms to find nanny jobs.

When I travel abroad, I always check Care.com or Aupairworld.com.

I check if they have listings asking for a date night sitter, or something more long term if I intend to be there for a while.

Having a “resume” with testimonials from past families and pictures of you and the kids if they allow it, helps a lot.

I use Care.com to find babysitting and nanny opportunities and rely on word of mouth also.

The experience and positive feedback I get from the families help me get new gigs.

I started applying for all kinds of nanny jobs. Some were asking for a live-in nanny, others for pick-up/drop-off, some wanted help cleaning, and others requested a regular 9-5 day with the kids. I applied to all of them.

I ended up securing a full time job with a French family with three boys between the ages of 3 and 10.

I help them with breakfast and getting ready in the morning and then take them to school. Those are some of the tasks I do.

The family has become a second family to me. So much so, that I spent Christmas with them on a ski trip to Colorado and I´m soon going with them on a weekend getaway on the beach.

Now that I’m traveling more, I rely on references from the families I’ve worked with to find new jobs.

I’ve handled birthday parties with 20 kids. I´ve watched a 10-month old baby. I have experience babysitting teens and tweens.

Being able to say I’ve done everything from changing a diaper to playing on the swings and making videos with the kids, has helped new families feel comfortable with me.

Highlight your experiences. In your profile on Care.com, include your bio and your experience, what you´re comfortable with and what you´re not willing to do.

This ensures that the family and you are a good fit. It also lets them know you handle yourself as a professional.

Nanny Tip #2: Care.com vs AuPairWorld.com

For long term travel abroad, I recommend using Aupairworld.com. The app helps you filter the countries you’d like to find a host family in. Then you can read about what families are looking for in a nanny. If you need a place to stay while traveling, being an au pair is a great option.

For more short term date nights or even something like a local Monday to Friday gig, I recommend using the Caregiver app from Care.com.

It’s free, easy to use and allows payment, scheduling, messaging, and postings to be done all through the app. I’ve gotten at least 7 different jobs with this app.

Nanny tip #3: Use personal connections

The strongest resource many young people overlook are connections.

You may not realize that your mom’s best friend has cousins in London and may be looking for an au pair or just a date night sitter.

Making connections, keeping them, and always asking whether someone you know may need your services has helped me a lot.

When I moved to California from Florida, after graduating from high school, I used the references from the first two families I worked with.

This helped me find a nanny position in my new home town quickly.

I’ve since established relationships with the families. Sometimes all I have to do is reach out to get repeat work, or a recommendation.

Even when I travel back to Florida in a few months to visit my family, I’ll be checking the caregiver app for any date night sitter jobs.

Nanny tip #4: Nanny rates. The rates you charge as a nanny depend on your experience, kids ages and geographical area.

The jobs boards have information on nanny’s rates for specific geographical areas.

Use those suggestions to set your initial rates. However, also consider other non financial benefits.

Nanny perks, like free room and board and job flexibilities can add up to more than just pay rates.

Lessons I learned working as a nanny while traveling

I’m valued. Working with kids has become much more than watching a movie and eating pizza. It’s rewarding to me emotionally as well as financially. I love being able to make a difference in their lives, while supporting myself.
Kids are bright and fun. I love encouraging kids to be their unique selves. They hear everything you tell them, even when you think they’re not listening. Each one also have their unique sense of humor.
Kids are role models too. We usually think of adults being the role models, but I also learn a lot from observing children’s ways of looking at the world and of doing things.

Final Thoughts

Traveling Nanny Tips

I hope you can use these nanny tips and ideas to land your first or next nanny job.

As you can see, it’s very possible to travel the world while you’re still very young. Since you’re usually spending money while traveling, giving up a few hours a day to babysit can pay for your travel expenses.

However, being a traveling nanny is more than just doing your job and getting paid for it.

As a nanny who travels you have a chance to self develop and also to nurture relationships in different cultures.

This post was written by Chloe Nelson – Millennial Travel Nanny and College student, Instagram.