When you’re neck deep in student loans and you need to save as much money as you can, travelling in your twenties can seem like a daunting and downright impossible feat. For those who still want to get the best out of both worlds, however, being a waiter or a waitress can prove to be a great job for young travellers — and here’s why:

1. Your days off are during the week — and that’s when tickets and flights are usually the cheapest.

When you’re trying to save as much money as you can, avoiding price inflation during peak times can make all the difference. Since restaurants are the busiest during the weekends, it makes it easy to book time off during the work week — which is also when ticket prices and accommodation costs are usually at their lowest.

2. Your wages become your savings and your tips become your travel money.

When you’re working a 9-5, it’s easy to forget to put money aside for travelling or to figure out exactly how much you should be putting away. An easy way for servers to save money is to use your wages to pay your bills, but save your tips for your travels. This way, when you’re about to go on your next trip, you have an allocated budget specifically for you to spend on seeing the world.

3. You can find a serving job in any part of the country — or any country, for that matter.

Being a waiter or a waitress is not limited to a set location. In fact, many serving jobs in extremely tourist-filled destinations offer staff accommodation because they understand that servers may not be native to the area. In fact, no matter where in the world you choose to be, as long as you have a valid work visa (or a permit to work in the country), finding a serving job is easy once you’ve decided on your destination.

If you’re between the ages of 18-30 and you’re a citizen of a commonwealth nation, you may be eligible for a work and travel visa for any other commonwealth country — so keep this in mind when you’re looking for your next job. 

4. Your job keeps you physically fit for all your adventures.

Whether you’re climbing mountains or walking around a city on your day off, being a server means being consistently active — which means it keeps you physically fit for all of your travels on your time off,  making your adventures seem easy in comparison to a full shift.

5. The end of your shift actually means the end of the work day — so time off is actually time off.

One of the greatest perks about being a server is that once a shift is over, your work for the day ends with it — meaning that you won’t be interrupted during your travel by work responsibilities. Instead, evenings off means time to plan your next trip and days off can be filled with nothing but adventure.

While being a waiter or a waitress is a great job for travelling, don’t be misled — it’s still hard work that can sometimes be both exhausting and tedious — but it’s all made worthwhile by the wonderful sights and sounds that you’ll find in the process.