Do you have wanderlust? Well, we may have found the perfect job for you.
The New York Times may be more famous of late for sparring with the current US president (he's not a fan) but each year the respected broadsheet puts together a list of 52 places (because there are 52 weeks in a year, in't it?) that you should visit in the coming year.
And now the paper is looking for a travel writer to spend a year of their life doing just that: travelling the world, documenting their adventures on social media, and writing the heck out of it, inspiring others to indulge their backpacker fantasies and hit the road.
Advert
Unless you hate travelling, this surely has to go down as the best job in the world, with the possible exception of a Heinz taste tester.
Entries in the 2017 list include the African island nation of Madagascar. Ninety percent of mammals on the island can't be found anywhere else in the world, like these cheeky little chappies.
(Photo Credit: Creative Commons)
Advert
Other locations include Penzance, where much of Poldark was filmed, Game of Thrones beauty spot Dubrovnik, Athens, Kazakhstan, Chiang Mai in Thailand, California's Napa Valley, Lofoten Islands in Norway and many, many more. Well, 46 more, as per the job ad.
While it's clearly a dream job to travel the world and write about it, the lucky applicant will clearly be very busy every day for the entirety of 2018.
Advert
Credit: HBO/Game of Thrones
Not only will they have to prove able to write about travel with words other than "It was lovely and sunny" and "It's amazing", they will also need to provide regular social media updates, prove they're a seasoned traveller and show a keen interest in discovery and seeing all that the world has to offer - and not just the lemurs.
The successful applicant will also have to prove they can commit to a whole year (no flying home for the X Factor final) and, perhaps most importantly, that they have both an actual passport and one stamped to high heaven with travelly goodness. Here's what the paper had to say:
"We are seeking a correspondent who will go to every destination on our list and tell us the story of each place and the story of life on the road. The ideal candidate is a permanent student of life and astute documentarian of the world. This person should have a well-worn passport, the ability to parachute into a place and distill its essence, and to render a compelling tale with words and images."
Advert
So, if you want to go to Penzance (which you do), you know what you need to do, travel lovers.
Words: Ronan O'Shea
Featured Image Credit: Creative Commons