- John Barnhart grew up in a suburb close to Tampa, Florida, earlier than beginning his eight-year journey journey.
- He is taken on jobs alongside the way in which, from working at a hostel in Italy to a manufacturing facility in New Zealand.
- He feels probably the most burned out in his present job as an English tutor in Hong Kong.
This as-told-to essay relies on a dialog with John Barnhart, a 32-year-old who left Tampa, Florida to journey, and work, all over the world.
Folks usually ask me what led to my incessant globetrotting over the previous eight years, residing in locales from New Zealand and Hawaii to Puerto Rico and Italy. However my reply has all the time been easy: I need to see the world.
It began after I was 21, working at a Fortune 500 life insurance coverage agency. This job uncovered me to the regrets individuals usually had whereas on their deathbeds. For a lot of, it was a longing to discover the world.
Coupled with the grief of shedding my greatest good friend two years earlier, this turned a catalyst for my travels. In 2015, at 24, I set off for Australia.
I’ve lived and labored in eight nations and am now based mostly in Hong Kong. Listed here are my three greatest and three worst jobs to this point.
High three jobs:
1. Property administration assistant in Hawaii
In 2017, I unexpectedly landed a full-time job in Hawaii whereas working at a Honolulu hostel. The neighboring property administration firm wanted assist, and I stepped in. I assisted vacationer check-ins for condos and timeshares, incomes $30 money per check-in from my New Zealand boss.
My shifts concerned welcoming company, offering info, and handing out keys at close by buildings. This versatile position had no mounted hours or set workplace location, and supplied a relaxed environment the place I might join with individuals from all over the world. Earnings fluctuated however might peak at $3,000 per thirty days, contingent upon the variety of check-ins managed.
2. Bartender in New Orleans
In late 2018, I spent six vigorous months in New Orleans, attracted by its distinctive historical past and vibrant Mardi Gras. After a solitary interval in Seattle, I craved town’s social power.
Working at a homosexual bar alongside different members of the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood, I embraced the neighborhood spirit and colourful tradition. Amid the revelry, I realized self-discipline by resisting extreme consuming in a metropolis that by no means sleeps.
Bartending paid round $2,000 per thirty days, often extra throughout festive occasions like Mardi Gras, the place I might earn over $1,000 in an evening.
3. Hostel supervisor in Italy
John Barnhart
In April 2023, I ventured to Napoli, Italy, securing a task at a hostel for 2 months. Mornings amid the sun-soaked backyard with espresso turned routine, and it turned out to be my greatest job thus far. Collaborating with a chef and an opera singer, my duties — getting ready breakfast, tending to housekeeping, and bartending — remained easy.
This stint in Italy highlighted the worth of a cohesive neighborhood and well-outlined job roles. Regardless of being unpaid, the hostel offered me complimentary meals, drinks, and lodging.
However not all my job experiences have been idyllic.
Worst three jobs:
1. Manufacturing unit employee at a vineyard in New Zealand
From 2016 to 2017, I labored at a vineyard in Blenheim, New Zealand, enterprise manufacturing facility work as a part of an adventurous stint. I had simply completed a highway journey from Queenstown on a piece and vacation visa and wanted to earn some cash.
Nonetheless, the position concerned bodily demanding duties, like stacking wine bins for eight hours day by day, inflicting bruises and blisters. The pay was under minimal wage resulting from many undocumented employees. Harsh bosses, a pungent manufacturing facility odor, and repetitive duties made it difficult.
Regardless of the robust circumstances, this expertise taught me persistence in adversity. I earned round $650 a month for the manufacturing facility work in New Zealand.
2. Hostel housekeeper in Puerto Rico
John Barnhart
In 2018, I labored lower than six months as a housekeeper in a famend hostel within the historic Outdated San Juan district. Curiosity about Puerto Rico, stemming from tales shared by Tampa’s giant Puerto Rican neighborhood the place I grew up, led me there.
Sadly, the expertise was marred by a boss who embodied the stereotype of an insensitive employer. He, a rich Puerto Rican artist in his 50s, lacked empathy and behaved inappropriately in direction of younger feminine vacationers. Every day duties included cleansing rooms and areas all through the open-air hostel, a lot of which was beneath the recent Caribbean solar.
Regardless of challenges, this position taught me to respect laborious positions and foster empathy amongst coworkers. It formed my aim of working a hostel the place everybody feels valued. The housekeeping position was unpaid however offered lodging.
3. English instructor in Hong Kong
Arriving in Hong Kong in November 2023, I aimed to realize instructing expertise for a future job in Europe. Sadly, the truth did not match expectations. The hours are excessively lengthy, the workload unrealistic, and the corporate I work for lacks assist for its employees. The inflexible work and educational tradition have been draining.
Regardless of having fun with instructing, this expertise has proven me the significance of avoiding poisonous work environments. I’ve realized to prioritize a more healthy office. The pay for my English instructing job in Hong Kong is round $3,000 per thirty days.
Received a private essay about residing overseas or parenting that you simply need to share? Get in contact with the editor: akarplus@insider.com.
