How many years in college would it take to be able to become a traveler?

There are lots of different traveling careers out there! You might want to look at these questions that have been answered. Depending on what types of traveling career you're interested in, the amount of schooling you'll need will vary:

http://careervillage.org/questions/900/what-are-the-best-traveling-careers-out-there

http://careervillage.org/questions/968/i-want-a-career-in-travelling

I was a consultant at McKinsey & Company for four years, and during that time I traveled and worked in over a dozen countries--some examples include China, Kenya, and the United Kingdom. McKinsey hires people who graduate from selective 4-college year colleges like Harvard, Yale, Stanford. Therefore, for this career, you have to complete 4 years of college, and you also need to attend a top-tier university. It's very competitive, but it's financially and personally rewarding.

Career wise, there are many travel related opportunities for people with an adventurous spirit. Discovering what industry you want to work in is a unique journey of its own.

To draw on my personal experience; I knew I wanted to travel as much as possible in my lifetime so college seemed like a great place to do so with a bit of a safety net in place. I'd recommend researching colleges that have a dedicated study abroad program since they do most of the leg work for you, i.e. researching accommodations, booking the air travel, etc. I went to Northeastern University which has a wonderful study abroad program. Here are some details: http://www.northeastern.edu/studyabroad/. I had a great time immersing myself in another culture and made some great friends while doing so, in fact, upon graduation, I moved from Boston to California with a friend I made on the flight over to Australia!

Nowadays, there are other programs available such as "Gap Year Programs" for teens https://www.teenlife.com/category/gap-year/. I would advise that you research programs online, read reviews and chat with people who have done them to help decide which one is right for you.

Best of luck. I hope you are able to begin your travel adventures in the not too distant future.