I got to thinking about this the other day when I had a haircut from someone at a hostel. She's a trained hairdresser and charges nz$15 a cut ($10 for short hair), which means she only has to do 10 cuts a week to pay for dorm bed accommodation.

I think this is possibly the ultimate job / training to have as a traveller.

It's really mobile - she has her scissors, clippers, combs and wrap thing with her and they take up very little space in her pack. Plus - she can do it pretty much anywhere - the back garden of the current hostel being a great place.

There's a demand for it - I really needed a haircut, but when you're moving from place to place it's such an effort to find somewhere decent and cheap and make a booking in advance, etc. Being able to get a cheap (and very good I have to say) haircut in a hostel is so much easier. Plus you can get a haircut at times of day when other places are usually shut so that you don't interfere with your sight seeing schedule.

On top of that the marketing is really easy. She just has a poster she puts up in whichever hostel she's in and people see her cutting other backpackers hair and decide to get theris done.

I think this is the ultimate backpacker job / skill? Any advance on that???

KPG

True that.
On the other hand, I enjoy going to to the hair dresser abroad. Always a little adventure in its own right. And usually you come out with the hair cut of the latest local super star. I like it.

It sounds like a good job idea to me.

Like elAdi though it is kind of exciting to get your haircut like a local does. There's nothing like trying to explain to a Chinese woman how you want your haircut and then giving up and pointing to a little boy with a buzzcut and settling.

I think "taking a chance" on a foreign haircut might be easier if you're a boy. There might come a time when I'm less attached to my tresses, but for now I don't even trust myself to trim the ends, let alone someone with whom I can't communicate...

So, yes, KPG - I think it sounds like a great traveler's job!

quote:

There's nothing like trying to explain to a Chinese woman how you want your haircut and then giving up and pointing to a little boy with a buzzcut and settling.

exactly, not knowing the language and haggleing in a market is one thing, doing it with hair is another.

and as an added bonus there is none of that stupid haircut small talk

I run various Internet sites and make income from advertising. It is not easy but anyone can learn how to make web pages these days.

I have been travelling over a year like this and can work when and wherever I like which is cool. I have even managed to save money from when I originally left.

Carrying a laptop is not a big deal and there are Internet cafes everywhere to make updates etc.

quote:

Originally posted by SoloTraveller:
I run various Internet sites and make income from advertising.

Well yeh - there is that. We make money from ad words and online poker...

But sitting in front of a PC not talking to anyone feels wrong when you're travelling.

KPG

This definitely isn't backpacker-income, but I'm doing my best to find something as an international trade consultant.

quote:

But sitting in front of a PC not talking to anyone feels wrong when you're travelling.

not really, if you stay in the same place for a while you can make friends with some locals, work a few hours during the day and go out with people @ night.