How To Become A Travelling Personal Trainer: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide

If you want to start your journey to landing your dream role as a travelling personal trainer, we have an extensive guide here on how to do just that, covering:

• Step 1 - Secure An Internationally Recognised Qualification To Become A Travelling Personal Trainer
• Step 2 - Gain Practical Experience Before Travelling As A Personal Trainer
• Step 3 - Decide On The Role You’ll Pursue As A Travelling Personal Trainer
• Step 4 - Secure The Right Legal Documentation For Your Chosen Travelling PT Job
• Step 5 - Plan Out Your Travel & Accommodation For Travelling as a Personal Trainer
• 3 Expert Tips On How To Be A Travelling Personal Trainer That Succeeds

Before we get straight into step 1, why not check out our internationally recognised Personal Trainer Diploma? Find this and many other health and fitness courses in our downloadable course prospectus. 

Step 1 - Secure An Internationally Recognised Qualification To Become A Travelling Personal Trainer

While you may know how to become a personal trainer in the UK, going international can come with some extra factors to think about. Nonetheless, it is certainly doable!

The first step is gaining an internationally recognised personal training qualification. Before we go into what that qualification is, let's discuss why this is absolutely necessary. 

Across the globe, there are huge variations in what makes somebody ‘qualified’ in the fitness industry, so it is your responsibility as a visitor to other countries to ensure that you’re abiding by their rules and regulations.

This is to keep you and your clients safe and ensure that you’re not going beyond your legal limit within that specific country. 

With that in mind, your first step should be choosing the right course, the course itself should be a minimum of a level 3 in personal training. 

If you’re completely new to the industry, the best route to qualify is a diploma in personal training. This is going to provide the two qualifications needed which are:

• A level 2 in fitness instructing, which is a prerequisite for the level 3
• A level 3 personal training certification

The important thing to look out for since you want to know how to become a travelling personal trainer is accreditation and regulation. 

In the UK, you need to ensure that the course you choose is CIMSPA accredited. Previously known as REPS, CIMSPA stands for '‘The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity’, and their role is to regulate the sport and fitness industry in the UK. This is a name you need to keep an eye out for!

You also need to ensure that the course is Ofqual regulated to ensure that it is verifiably up to scratch as a Level 3 qualification.

At OriGym, our PT courses are both CIMSPA accredited and Ofqual regulated, so the quality and authenticity of our qualifications are recognised both nationwide and abroad, which brings us to EREPS (European Register of Exercise Professionals).

Becoming an Accredited PT in Europe

Once you’re qualified with a CIMSPA endorsed course, head over to the EREPS site and register there, so you’re able to operate in Europe as a PT.

Once you click the UK, you will be taken to a page regarding CIMSPA, like this:

If you register with CIMSPA, you will then be able to be found on the page we have marked above (UK - EREPS members).

This is where you need to be in order to be recognised within Europe, so make sure you complete these following steps:

1. Get qualified by a CIMSPA endorsed course provider
2. Register with CIMSPA as a personal trainer upon completion
3. Join up with EREPS 
4. You will be added to the member directory

This will allow you to operate in most European countries as a travelling personal trainer, so be sure to get yourself on the EREPS register!

However, aside from Europe, there are some other things you should think about - including international opportunities.

Becoming an Accredited PT Outside of Europe

As well as EREPS, you should take a look at ICREPS, the International Confederation of Registers of Exercise Professionals. This is an international relationship between registration bodies around the world, tying them all into one place.

This is for those of you who wish to operate outside of Europe, this is how ICREPS say you can get on this register:

If you completed a qualification from a country that does NOT have an ICREPs member, and wish to travel to a country that DOES have an ICREPs member, then contact the ICREPs member in the country you are going to, do this before you get there, so you know what to expect. 

If you completed a qualification from a country that does not have an ICREPs member, and wish to travel to a country that does not have an ICREPs member, then ICREPs and its members are unable to assist. We suggest you contact potential employers in that country and ask what standards they expect you to meet.

In the UK, this is relatively straight forward. Below, you can see what ICREPS say in terms of UK fitness professionals:

Note that as we mentioned, due to the merger, your point of contact will now be CIMSPA. These are the most important things to think about getting checked off of your list prior to travelling, it might seem like a lot initially but once you’ve completed these steps, it is simply a recurring annual fee. 

So once you have the right qualifications in the bag, what is next before you start finding travelling personal trainer jobs across the globe?

Step 2 - Gain Practical Experience Before Travelling As A Personal Trainer

Practical experience is really important when it comes to stepping out of the comfort zone of your home country and into the unknown, it will not only make you a more confident personal trainer, but also a more appealing candidate for potential employers.

There are two main routes people take when they become a personal trainer and we recommend to gain experience in both capacities before you jet off. These two paths include freelancing as a personal trainer or in a hired role.

Gaining experience as a freelance personal trainer

A common approach to working in the fitness industry is to become a freelance personal trainer, being your own boss is a hugely attractive part of doing this and it is clear as to why.

You can have uncapped earning potential and direct your attention to what you enjoy more than anything else. If you’re looking to become a travelling PT though and move around often, chances are that freelancing and being your own boss is high up on your list of options. 

It comes with freedom, which is exactly what you should be looking for when travelling. 

This takes time to perfect though, it may look easy to begin operating as a self-employed PT but there is a lot of hard work that goes into building a brand and marketing it as well as taking it international. You can see what these PT roles look like below in this job ad:

The reward is certainly worth it, but beginning in the UK and gaining this valuable experience is imperative. You can do this by easing your way into the self-employed lifestyle by working with commercial gyms that help you with the process of building your brand.

Gyms such as PureGym or JD gyms offer PT business structures that enable you to start your PT business with little to no investment. For example, PureGym’s PT model allows you to work hours for the gym as an employee in order to pay for your rent. This rent grants you access to the gym at any time to train your clients and run your business.

This is a great introduction into the industry and teaches you how to grow your own business, while working for reputable fitness brands all the while and benefiting from their reputation. 

As well as that, when you do decide to travel, you’re able to show that you have experience working in the industry as an employee, and as a self-employed freelancer.

Gaining experience as a hired employee personal trainer

On the other hand, many personal trainers like to also have the added security of a salary in a hired role. 

This can be a great entry into the industry especially if you’re new since you will have the guidance of employed superiors that can teach you a lot about working as an employee in the fitness industry.

This isn’t as common in the UK, though there are some jobs out there, the most popular approach is the freelance / self employed route. 

This can be particularly beneficial if you have experience being an employee for a reputable company. Abroad, there may be more opportunities to actually get hired rather than work freelance so having this level of experience is extremely helpful too.

Think about whether you’re wanting sponsorship and a work permit or not from a gym abroad, because if so, gaining experience as a hired PT might be the better option to begin with. If you want a deeper dive into getting employed experience as a PT, make sure you head over to our article on finding a personal trainer job here.

Step 3 - Decide On The Role You’ll Pursue As A Travelling Personal Trainer

Online Personal Training

Online personal training arguably offers the most convenient and accessible way for you to work as a travelling PT. 

To become an online personal trainer, the process is just the same, you should obtain the same qualifications and still gain experience but you would offer your services online. Online coaching is a hugely popular mechanism of training and for good reason too.

Online training allows you to take on more clientele, meaning you can push a more competitive price than in-house training. This is because it is not only less time consuming, but your outgoings in terms of finance would be much lower. 

You wouldn’t have to work hours for a gym and pay rent, while you also wouldn’t need to buy equipment either. You would primarily still design tailor made plans, but since it is fully virtual your investment would be on things like PT app subscriptions to manage clients, marketing and useful PT softwares.  

You can see below a PT that offers this service, this could be what your job could look like too while travelling:

This PT has a successful business model, you can see below the process that he takes with clientele to help you understand how you could structure your business should you take it online.

As you can see, online coaching can be a hugely fulfilling career, it grants you the freedom to be your own boss and work from wherever you have a stable internet connection. 

It is the perfect job for anybody who wants to know how to become a travelling personal trainer for the long haul.

Working On A Cruise Ship

If you’re setting your sights on an exciting career abroad, you might want to consider becoming a personal trainer on a cruise ship. 

This can be an exciting way to gain experiences that you likely won’t be able to obtain anywhere else. In order to meet the requirements, the same qualifications are necessary. 

Expect to be asked for a minimum of a level 3 diploma in personal training among other beneficial qualifications. The reason for this is that on a cruise ship, you may often be required to teach classes of a huge variety. 

Plus, due to the fact that you would have your level 2 in fitness instruction already complete within your diploma, you would be qualified to teach holistic fitness classes. This is often what would be required of you since it isn’t typical of a cruise to hire different instructors for different classes. 

For example, take a look at this job advertisement below for a personal trainer on a cruise ship, we have highlighted some of the main responsibilities that demonstrate how varied the role can be:

As you can see, you’re required to handle various responsibilities, not just personal training alone. So, if you don’t want to teach classes or get involved with being a good host for guests, this might not be among the personal trainer travelling jobs on your radar.

- - - - 

For some more helpful resources on taking your personal training career to new heights, head over to these articles below:

• How to Become a Freelance Personal Trainer: Steps to Success 
• How to Be a Successful Personal Trainer (UK)
• How To Become A Personal Trainer In Australia

Working At a Hotel or Resort

A similar role includes working in hotels or resorts as a PT to travel while working. 

These will often be more prestigious hotels or resorts that have the facilities to hold PT sessions or fitness classes, like this job below for the Carlton Tower:

This could see you with similar responsibilities to that of a cruise ship, meaning that you will have to act partly as a host so there are more requirements than what you would normally have in your average PT role. 

You can see a snippet of these requirements below:

These are synonymous with what is typically expected of you in any PT position, but adhering to hotel standards, particularly in 5* hotels or resorts. This might make the environment different and something that you would need to adjust to.

Nonetheless, you can use this to your advantage and gain experience within different hotels to work your way up to more prestigious positions in higher starred hotels.

Travelling With a Sports Team

Another option that you can consider when wanting to travel as a personal trainer is working with sports teams. 

In order to actually travel all over the world, you must be prepared to climb the ladder to a pretty prestigious position when it comes to sports clubs. Plus, it might mean gaining some extra qualifications as you'll have the responsibility of training the team.

If you want to be a member of a team of fitness professionals that work on making a sports team operate to the best of their ability, gaining as much practical experience through Level 4 Fitness Courses.

Advanced courses will help you develop necessary skills, such as those listed on this job advertisement below:

As you can see, one of the requirements is to be able you to travel independently. Gaining confidence with this is going to be the case for many football clubs in the UK since there is travelling involved with all major league clubs.

Though we should note that although this does include travelling, it is not at your accord. This means that if you’re looking for travelling PT jobs in places that you want to decide with some level of freedom, this probably isn't the ideal role for you.

Working at a Retreat or Work Exchange Programmes

Another exciting prospect when looking for travel personal trainer jobs are retreat based workshops or destination vacancies. 

These are essentially short spouts of work that you may do for various private retreats around the world  when the opportunities arise. Though, considering these are short spouts of work, it’s unlikely that you will be able to get a work permit.

With that in mind, ensure you’re working within the legal limitations of that destination. Another popular option that is very similar to this and often works hand in hand are work exchange programmes.

These programmes grant you the opportunity to exchange your work, in this case personal training, for a place to stay and living costs rather than finances. 

This can work well with the likes of retreats since everybody taking part will be staying in the same destination. This means that you can take part in the retreat while being an instructing party within it too. 

Again though, don’t forget to check with things like visas and contact the embassy if you’re unclear on what is and what isn’t allowed when it comes to work legalities country to country.

Step 4 - Secure The Right Legal Documentation For Your Chosen Travelling PT Job

Your next step you need to take before you gather your travelling personal trainer equipment and jet off is ensuring you have the all important legal documents.

You will need legal cover and adherence to every country that you wish to visit and work in. Here are some of the key things to get in place.

Secure a Visa and Passport

First ensure that you have your passport. This might seem obvious, but a common mistake for those looking for a shorter spout of travelling is the date of expiry on your passport.

For most countries, you will need to have at least 6-month validity on your passport to be granted boarding. Aside from that, you will need a visa for each country that you visit, if you don’t have a plan set in stone, more often than not you can get E-Visas.

This can be helpful if you are not planning every country you wish to visit before you leave as you can instead decide on a whim, apply for an E-Visa from your phone and jet off once you receive it via email. 

Though this can be the case for many places, it isn’t everywhere. If not, you may have to visit the embassy of your destination country within the capital city of where you currently are at the time of application. 

Ensure that if you’re looking for a hired role, you are able to get either sponsorship or a work permit from the company you’re working for. If not, you may need to check with the embassy what their rules and regulations are for freelance workers since this varies from country to country.

Ensure You Have Entry Requirement Documentation

Entry requirements are easily found on the Gov.uk website. You can visit this page here and click on the countries that you wish to visit, like this below:

You can either search for the country or choose from the list of 226 destinations. 

Once you click onto the page of the destination, you can find all the information that you need before travelling, including a detailed description of their entry requirements for travellers from the UK. For example, if you choose Australia, below you can see the details that you can find there:

The contents available are the same for any country that you pick, you can find all the information you need on visas and any sort of entry requirements there.

Make Sure You’re Insured

When it comes to personal training insurance, you should always have a minimum of a public liability policy at the very least, this goes for when you’re in the UK.

You will also need this when you travel, but remember, you should always check the countries policies on insurance for personal trainers specifically. Though this can change country to country, getting a worldwide cover is the first step you need to take before you leave the UK. 

You can do this easily with the likes of Insure4Sport, you can see below that they do indeed offer worldwide cover:

This is a basic first step, however, if you have any uncertainty about the validity of this cover from country to country, before you start operating as a PT, check with the embassy. 

It is always best to check, calling up or even visiting the embassy of your planned destination is best to understand the cover that you need. Should anything happen to your clients or you in another country and you’re not covered, you will encounter much more complications than you would at home.

Thus, it is always worth checking.

Step 5 - Plan Out Your Travel & Accommodation For Travelling as a Personal Trainer

This is when your plan starts to come together and you become a travelling PT. 

If you’re taking the route of not planning too much, that is okay but be prepared to encounter some unexpected turns. Nonetheless, the freedom of not planning is what many people love about travelling so if this is what you want to do, go for it. 

If so, we recommend planning at least your first 2 destinations and the visas and entry requirements for them both. This gives you a good confident start and provides you with time to get used to being on the road without a base. 

You can then start to go with flow once you get used to doing this. 

However, if you’re more of a planner, you should plan everything before you leave. This might mean:

• Booking flights place to place
• Securing all visas beforehand
• Ensuring you meet all entry requirements
• Ensure your insurance and qualifications are recognised

• Secure any hired roles prior to leaving
• Make sure that you’re allowed to operate as an online PT (if necessary)
• Make sure that you can travel with any necessary equipment (check if you have to declare anything)

Truthfully, there is a lot of planning to be done, but getting it done prior can make your trip much more smooth. 

Before you leave, think about what we spoke about earlier incase you’re hoping to do a work exchange, you want to make sure you have a place to stay. So, have work exchanges in place before you leave to ensure you’re not stuck without a place to stay.

You should expect to turn up and get a work exchange, expect to pay for your accommodation and if you get accepted onto a work exchange, it is a bonus!

3 Expert Tips On How To Be A Travelling Personal Trainer That Succeed

#1 - Build Up A Consistent Social Media Presence To Thrive As A Travelling PT

Having a consistent and well managed social media presence can really help to show potential employers that you’re serious about personal training. 

Considering you’re looking to go global, utilising the likes of Linked.in can be hugely beneficial. 

This is a careers based social media that helps connect you to potential employers all over the world, not just in the UK. Having a completed profile on LinkedIn and other social media platforms like Instagram can really help you to show off your skills and professionalism. 

Not only that, but when it comes to job searching, if you have a professional fitness social media presence, you may find that employers could potentially find you instead. 

Similarly, if you put your social media handles on your CV and applications, they get to see the personal behind the qualifications and it could make you a much more attractive prospective candidate among others who lack in this area.

#2 - A Successful Travelling Personal Trainer Learns The Country’s Language

Though it isn’t possible to learn tons of languages and become fluent in a couple of weeks, there are some basics that you could get right to ensure that you’re showing potential employers and citizens that you’re respectful of their culture.

Some basics to learn at a minimum for the places you’re visiting include:

• Hello
• Thankyou 
• Goodbye 
• How are you?
• My name is…
• I am a personal trainer

Basic greetings can go a long way, it can separate you from being a tourist to being accepted as a worker by potential employers. 

It is a simple way of showing that you’re willing to go the extra mile to fit in and make potential clients and employers feel respected in their home country. 

Plus, this is dependent on where you are travelling, maybe if you’re travelling Europe you may feel as though you can already say basic greetings. If this is the case, learn some more phrases that you didn’t already know. 

Try to structure some sentences together and use the likes of Duolingo to learn on the move for each of the countries you’re visiting. Your attentiveness can really go a long way in showing off your character and determination.

#3 - Create An Effective CV And Cover Letter To Support Your Travelling PT Career

Finally, your personal trainer CV needs to be in top shape before you start applying for travelling PT jobs.

Since you’re not a native of the country you’re going to travel to, you will have to prove that you’re worth taking on over somebody that is. With that in mind, be ready to go the extra mile. 

This means writing a cover letter specifically designed for each role that you’re applying to. Address the letter to the specific business and don’t go for a ‘one size fits all’ approach with your covering letters or CV.

For example, if you’re applying for a role that is within a hotel or resort, it’s a good idea to highlight your experience in working with people within hospitality. On the other hand, this might not be as relevant if you’re applying for a role in a private gym. 

Though you should still have all of your experience in there and how it relates to personal training, there may be some job applications in which you need to have more relevant experience at the forefront of your CV and letters.

You should look closely at what the company is and how they operate, this will help you to come to terms with what out of your experience is most relevant for that specific company. 

When you know this information, you’re able to adjust your CV accordingly and describe within your covering letter how said experience could make you the perfect fit for their company. 

Before You Go!

Hopefully, you feel confident and most importantly excited about becoming a travelling personal trainer, which is why you should waste no time in getting the correct qualifications! 

You can do just with OriGym’s Personal Trainer Diploma. Learn about our other health and fitness courses that could take your CV to the next level by downloading our course prospectus.