The New York Times Wants To Pay You To Travel The World For A Year & No, This Is Not A Joke

The New York Times is making headlines this week, and not because of breaking news, but instead because of a job advertisement. And not just any job advertisement — we're talking the kind of job advertisement that sounds so incredibly amazing it just has to be too good to be true. What's the job you might ask? According to the official posting, the New York Times is looking for a travel reporter to travel around the world for a year, all expenses paid, exploring the unexplored "unspoiled beaches" and "starchitect-designed museums."

Of course, even though it sounds like one, this is hardly a vacation — it's a job, and whoever is hired will be reporting from destinations around the world, filing stories at all times — and they will also be required to do the ground reporting for the New York Times' yearly "52 Places To Go in 2018" list.

This list is a big deal. It's not only highly respected when it comes to forecasting the best travel destinations and trends, it's a no holds barred when it comes to location. Among just a few places that made an appearance on last year's list were everywhere from Atacama Desert in Chile and Dubrovnik, Croatia to Marrakech, Morocco and Greenville, South Carolina.

Here's what the New York Times is looking for in a reporter, according to the advertisement posted online Oct. 23:

"We are seeking a writer 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."

It's a relative dream job for anyone who may be interested in traveling the world for free, which is why it's no surprise that since the posting went live, the internet has gone completely bananas over it.

Here's the @nytimes tweet that has since gone viral since it was posted:

Consequently, Twitter has taken notice. Here are just a few of the best tweets and retweets as a response to this job posting:

@KenichiSerino posted this amazing gif to their Twitter yesterday:

@emilyjodell tweeted this job was meant for her:

Best. Job. Ever. Deputy managing editor at the New York Times, @cliffordlevy, thinks so:

@AaronBlake ‏wrote this pretty funny truth about the job listing:

New York Times Editor @JessePesta has this to say about gig:

Investigative reporter for the New York Times, @EricLiptonNYT,‏ had this to say about the job opp:

New York Times Sunday Styles reporter @katierosman tweeted:

@malloya24 Added a touch of spider humor to her tweet:

@WanderandWhine is losing their mind:

Here's one I can definitely relate to, tweeted by @matokie:

If you're wondering if you qualify, here are a few of the prerequisites per the job posting:

• Has traveled to several destinations.
• Have documented travel in writing, social media or elsewhere.
• Is active on social media.
• Has prior experience at a magazine, publishing company, newspaper, digital publication, film or other media organization.
• Can commit to a full year.

It's a cool opportunity for someone, to say the least. One thing's for sure, whoever gets this gig will explore the depths of the Earth like no one has before. I'd be curious to know how one packs for a trip like this.

In the meantime, the question remains: who's going to win the golden ticket of travel writing jobs? Think you got what it takes? Click the link here to apply.