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Home / Travel

12 countries, 12 weeks, get paid: What it's like to win the best job on the planet

By Isabel Thomson-Officer
news.com.au·
3 Dec, 2017 10:11 PM4 mins to read

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Wouldn't mind staying in a house like this for a while! Photo / Sorelle Amore

Wouldn't mind staying in a house like this for a while! Photo / Sorelle Amore

Imagine getting paid $40,000 to spend three months globetrotting to some of the world's most beautiful and exotic locations, staying in the very best luxury accommodation with all of your expenses and travel covered. Sounds pretty good right? For Sorelle Amore, 28, this quite literally, was a dream come true, news.com.au reports.

Beating 17,000 other applicants all competing for ThirdHome Best Job On The Planet, Sorelle Amore from Ballina in northern NSW was paid to document her travels and stay in 12 extravagant homes for 12 weeks in places like Scotland, Morocco, The Bahamas, Costa Rica and China before finishing up in Australia.

Earlier this year, Sorelle wrote down her goal was to travel to 12 destinations and get paid for it, so she was shocked when her brother found the competition ad for the 'Best Job On The Planet'.

"It matched so perfectly to my goals, I was sure it was going to be me. I made sure I was truly vulnerable and honest in my video entries, pouring my heart into every single one.

[ThirdHome] told me later that they liked how real I was. I was a goofball, but I guess normal, and people could relate. I think that's what stood out — just me being me."

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Her first stop was this incredible castle in Scotland. Photo / Sorelle Amore
Her first stop was this incredible castle in Scotland. Photo / Sorelle Amore

Kicking off in July staying in a castle in Scotland, Sorelle was soon setting up shop in mansions, posh townhouses, villas and sprawling homes complete with infinity-edge swimming pools and stunning oceanfront views from Marrakesh to George Town.

Her three favourite locations were the warm waters of the Bahamas where she swam with turtles and sharks, a stay in a 12-bedroom, five-storey mansion with eight staff in the Costa Rican rainforest, and the warm hospitality she experienced in China where she stayed close to the Great Wall.

The Dominican Republic is an off-the-beaten path destination, but Sorelle showed off its incredible beauty. Photon / Sorelle Amore
The Dominican Republic is an off-the-beaten path destination, but Sorelle showed off its incredible beauty. Photon / Sorelle Amore

"I still don't believe it's real. I'm going to sit down soon and read through my diary as so much happened in such a short amount of time. I just experienced what some people will never experience in their lifetime, and I did it in three months. It was very intense but it's for sure going to go down as one of the greatest times of my life."

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As glamorous as the life of a travel influencer may seem, though, it still has its challenges. Having to be picture-perfect all the time and constantly camera ready can take its toll, not to mention long stints of travel and alone time spent in airports. Sorelle said she just rolled with this, as she knew she had to churn out huge amounts of content week after week. Despite being able to take a friend along for the ride, she opted to spend seven out of the 12 weeks flying solo as she had often done in her previous travels.

Her accommodation in Morocco was over-the-top opulent, and Sorelle enjoyed showing it off. Photo / Sorelle Amore
Her accommodation in Morocco was over-the-top opulent, and Sorelle enjoyed showing it off. Photo / Sorelle Amore

"There were three days out of the three months that I was like 'I'm so sad', but then it went away really quickly because I saw it from the perspective of the people around me," she told news.com.au.

So how did she become an influencer and amass so many fans in the first place?

She loved the colours of Morocco. Photo / Sorelle Amore
She loved the colours of Morocco. Photo / Sorelle Amore

After moving to Iceland from Australia two years ago on a whim inspired by a contestant on The Bachelorette, Sorelle found herself with a camera in hand and not much else to do other than take photos. Capturing otherworldly landscapes and producing quirky semi-nude photo shoots of herself in the snow, Sorelle's Instagram began to grow and with it a lot of questions from her followers about Iceland as a travel destination. In an effort to answer their questions, she began to put together short tourism videos on YouTube. Before she knew it she'd amassed 100,000 subscribers which no doubt played a part in helping her land the Best Job On The Planet gig.

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Sorelle was confident she'd win the competition, and put everything she had into her application. Photo / Sorelle Amore
Sorelle was confident she'd win the competition, and put everything she had into her application. Photo / Sorelle Amore

Now with the world as her oyster, Sorelle plans to keep on doing what she does best — getting paid to travel and sharing tips with those wanting to follow in her footsteps.

Time to kick back and relax after all that! Photo / Sorelle Amore
Time to kick back and relax after all that! Photo / Sorelle Amore

"I plan on doing what I'm doing and actually teaching people how to be a travel influencer because I discovered this is a really great way to live. Why would you not want to have a job like this?"

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