Written by Taresha Ferguson, YouTuber at Traveling With Tee
Whether you disclosed it in your face to face interview or not, every flight attendant was born with wanderlust. That’s what drove us to this career to begin with. The thought of being laid out on the beach in Tahiti or trying vintage wine in the vineyards of a Parisian country keeps the “jet fuel” pumping through our veins. I’m pretty sure it came as a shock to you when you first compared how much you worked to your pay stub…. not much was left over to travel with once bills were paid. The truth? Within your first few years of flying this is going to be the case. The trade off to being able to fly anywhere in the world for little to nothing is not having the funds to actually explore the new destination. No worries though! It won’t always be this way and there are ways you can jumpstart this type of financial security. Having a supplemental income is key when the funds aren’t where they need to be!
I know what you’re thinking… “Why not just pick up extra flights?”. Possibly, but eventually after working 100+ hours every month you wear your body out beyond exhaustion. Definitely pick up sparingly, but don’t depend on doing it all of the time. Giving up your only off days will put a damper on your social life and you NEED a break from being in a pressurized tube – Trust me, been there done that. There’s also Uber/Lyft driving, but what if you don’t have a car? This led me to think about the other possibilities, but I made one thing very clear to myself. Whatever I choose to supplement my income I had to be passionate about. This is something you should also consider in order to make sure this becomes a long term benefit. That way it will still produce income when you may not need it anymore – But let’s be real, who stops needing extra cash? With all of that in mind, my YouTube channel was born. It was something that didn’t constantly need my attention and I enjoy helping other aspiring flight attendants on their journey to their wings. Transforming your personal hobby into a money maker is a rewarding thing and you’d be surprised how big it could become… I know I was! Flight attendants already wear many hats – It’s the year to make one of those hats work for you!
