THIRDHOME's $10,000-a-Month Travel Job: The 2017 Offer and Who Won

In March 2017 the luxury home-exchange club THIRDHOME advertised what headlines quickly called the best job in the world: three months travelling between up to twelve multi-million-dollar vacation homes, with all travel expenses covered and a salary of $10,000 a month. The catch was that the winner had to film, photograph and write about every stay.

The THIRDHOME $10,000-a-month travel job

The listing, covered by Thrillist and news outlets across the United States, Britain and Australia, set out a clear brief:

• a three-month assignment staying in up to twelve luxury homes and resorts around the world;
• $10,000 a month plus all travel expenses;
• experience in social media, writing, blogging and vlogging, and some understanding of the hospitality industry;
• one travel companion allowed at a time, but no pets;
• a one-minute application video explaining why the candidate was the best fit.

The video requirement was the real test. A role built on storytelling started with a short piece of storytelling.

What THIRDHOME is

THIRDHOME was founded in 2010 by Wade Shealy and is based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Members who own second homes make time in them available to the club and earn credits called Keys, which they then spend on stays in other members' properties, without needing a direct swap. By 2025 the club listed more than 20,500 properties in about 100 countries, from private villas and estates to yachts and resort residences.

The 2017 campaign was, in effect, a marketing project: a single travel creator showing the public what membership looks like from the inside.

Who won: Sorelle Amore

The job went to Sorelle Amore, a 28-year-old Australian photographer and social media creator from the north coast of New South Wales. According to The New Daily, more than 17,000 applicants sent videos. Finalists then had to write blog posts, show their marketing skills and win a public vote, and Amore campaigned hard across social media, magazines, news sites and radio.

Her 13-week trip took in 12 countries, starting at a castle in Scotland and finishing in Sydney. She spent about six days in each home, filming, photographing and exploring the surrounding area, and edited and wrote while in transit. Highlights included a 12-bedroom mansion in Costa Rica with a staff of eight, a stay near the Great Wall of China, a luxury home in the Dominican Republic and the clear water of the Bahamas. She was paid US$30,000 for the three months.

The work behind a dream travel job

Amore was candid that the role was far more work than a luxury holiday. Her photos went up on Instagram almost in real time, while her YouTube videos ran about two weeks behind the journey. A week off in Morocco with her boyfriend, halfway through, was her one real break.

That is the lesson for anyone chasing similar dream jobs: brands pay for content and audience, and the travel is the setting for the work. A strong portfolio of short films, clear writing and well-captioned photos from places close to home is the best preparation. Our guide to reading city panoramas is a good exercise in visual storytelling, and travel-related skills looks at the abilities that travel builds. For slower trips, Thrillist also rounds up some merciful escapes in the US.

Sources