Getting paid to travel around the UK might sound like something only influencers with millions of followers can do, but in 2026, things have changed. There’s a new kid on the block in the job market. A travel platform in the UK is searching for its first Joy Seeker, and yes, it’s a proper job involving travel around Great Britain.
This is a proper, contracted position paying £30,000 to spend an entire year exploring the UK’s happiest destinations, staying in gorgeous holiday cottages, with every single travel expense covered. And there is no age limit.
You’ve got until January 20th to apply. That’s not much time, but if you’ve ever daydreamed about ditching your desk job to explore the UK, this might be exactly the push you need.
What Is the Joy Seeker Role Actually About?
Holidaycottages.co.uk surveyed over 12,000 of their guests to find out where people feel happiest when they’re on holiday in the UK. They wanted to know where people genuinely experienced joy.
The results gave them ten destinations that kept coming up again and again. Places like Cornwall with its dramatic coastlines, Pembrokeshire in Wales with its rugged beauty, North Yorkshire with its moors and history, and the Lakes with those mountain views that stop you in your tracks.
Now they want someone to bring those destinations to life with real stories and local discoveries. You’ll get paid to travel around the UK and visit at least 12 holiday cottages across these ten happiest places throughout 2026, plus two rising destinations that are climbing the happiness charts.
Every property stay is free. Every train ticket, petrol fill-up, and travel cost is covered. Your job is to explore, create content, and share what you find.
What You’ll Actually Be Doing
The Joy Seeker becomes the face of holidaycottages.co.uk‘s Happy Place campaign, which means you’re representing a company that’s been in the holiday cottage business for over 30 years.
Your content needs to work across multiple formats. Blog posts that dig into the stories behind these destinations, the local people who make them special, and the hidden spots that most tourists miss. Photography that captures more than just golden hour sunsets. Short and long-form videos for social media with authentic storytelling that builds trust in your recommendations.
Sarah Pring, the Digital PR Manager at holidaycottages.co.uk, put it perfectly when she said this is about uncovering local stories and the UK’s best travel experiences, from coastal villages to hidden national park trails. That’s what makes this different from typical influencer partnerships. You’re not just promoting picture-perfect properties, you’re connecting people to places in a way that feels genuine.
Your content gets shared across all of holidaycottages.co.uk’s digital platforms and with national press throughout 2026.
Who They’re Looking For
They want a creative storyteller who’s passionate about travel, the outdoors, and celebrating what makes British destinations special. Someone experienced in creating engaging content across different formats, because you’ll need to shift between writing blog posts, shooting photos, and editing videos depending on what each destination calls for.
Enthusiasm matters more than follower count here. They’re not looking for someone with millions of Instagram followers; they want someone who genuinely cares about exploring the UK and can communicate that excitement in a way that resonates with everyday travelers planning their next cottage holiday.
If you’ve got experience creating travel content, whether that’s a travel blog you’ve been running, a YouTube channel documenting your weekend adventures, or even just a knack for capturing great stories on your social media, you could be exactly who they’re after.
How the Application Process Works
There are three stages, and each one tests different skills. Stage one is all about showing them who you are and why you’d be brilliant at this. You’ll submit an online application with a written pitch explaining why you’re the right person, plus a video about your UK happy place. This is where you need to stand out, because hundreds of people will apply for this.
If you make it through, stage two brings shortlisted candidates in for a call and an additional creative task. They want to see how you think, how you approach content creation, and whether you can deliver under a brief.
The finalists get the fun part. You’ll go on a short break to create content about a property and its location. This is essentially your audition, showing them exactly what kind of Joy Seeker you’d be.
The winner starts in February 2026, which gives you time to sort out your current situation if you need to leave a job or make other arrangements.
Discover Hidden Parts Of the UK
The UK offers incredible diversity in a relatively small space. You can wake up in a seaside cottage in Cornwall, have lunch in a Georgian spa town, and end your day in the Scottish Highlands without ever getting on a plane. The history runs deep, the landscapes shift constantly, and there are still plenty of places that haven’t been overrun by mass tourism.
Yes, everyone’s heard of London and maybe Bath or the Cotswolds. But how many Americans have explored North Yorkshire’s moors, or walked the Jurassic Coast, or spent time in Pembrokeshire?
The destinations on the Joy Seeker itinerary were chosen because people voted them the happiest places in the UK. That means you’re not just visiting popular spots. You’re going to places that genuinely move people and create memories they carry long after they’ve unpacked.
What Makes This Role Different
Most travel jobs involve cobbling together freelance gigs, affiliate income, and sponsored content while hoping you make enough to cover your expenses. It’s stressful and burns people out quickly.
This is a contracted position with a salary of £30,000 paid in 12 equal monthly installments. It isn’t going to make you rich, but combined with free accommodation and travel expenses, it’s enough to actually live on while you’re doing the work.
More importantly, you’re creating something that matters. You’re building a body of work that showcases some of England’s most special places, helping people discover destinations they might never have considered otherwise.
How To Apply For the Role of Joy Seeker
Applications close on January 20th, 2026 and you can apply here >>>
You need your written pitch ready and a video filmed about your UK happy place. Think about what makes you uniquely suited for this. Maybe you’ve been exploring hidden corners of the UK for years.
Maybe you have a background in photography or videography, and you’ve been looking for the right opportunity to use those skills in travel. Maybe you’re just someone who genuinely loves this country and knows how to tell a good story.
Whatever your angle is, make it count. Hundreds of people will apply. Most of them will submit generic applications that could be for any job. Yours needs to show them exactly why you’d be the perfect Joy Seeker, the person who can capture what makes these happy places special and share that with audiences who are hungry for authentic travel inspiration.
This is your chance to turn the dream of getting paid to travel into actual reality. One year of travel around England’s best destinations, a contracted position with a salary, and a portfolio of work that could open doors you haven’t even thought of yet.
The only question is whether you’re going to go for it or spend the rest of 2026 wishing you had.