This is a great career and it provides a lot of different benefits; one of which is travel. The companies that you work for will likely be in some far off place meaning that you will have to travel to them unless you are into satellite-based conversations. You will need to live on site while you are consulting, though you won't need to be there permanently, but for the duration of your gig, you will need to find yourself a nice apartment or hotel room to stay in for a while.
On that note, when you go looking for a job, don't specifically tell the employer that you are looking for a job because there is a fair chance that they don't have any positions available within their company. Instead, you should try telling them that you're looking for work on a temporary basis, particularly if you are not representing any particular agency. If you do this, then they will be much more eager to give you a chance. If you are working for a consulting service, then chances are your company has been called by the company that needs the consultant. In that case, you will be just fine when you go in, as they will be eagerly awaiting you.
In order to work for a consulting agency you are going to need to make sure that you have experience in the field that you want to work for and that you hold at least an associate's degree. It won't hurt to hold a PhD, but you won't get much further than someone who has an associate or master's degree in the field because experience is all that counts; paperwork means nothing until what it says is proven in the real world.
You can expect to make a handsome salary in this field. At the entry level you may find yourself making $20-30,000 per year, but as you gain experience you will find yourself making significantly more, maybe even as much as $150,000 per year for the more senior consultants. That is certainly enough money to live off, and you will be able to support your family for years to come. If you choose to start your own consulting company then you may find that you need to charge a little less until your prove yourself to the public unless you are already a well known consultant.
This is a great career to try out and it is full of rewarding opportunities if you can get past the initial hurdles that you will no doubt come across during your journey. Don't be afraid to take a leap of faith, because if you have the experience there is no reason you can't do this job!
