Do You Want to Quit Your Job to Travel?
Quitting your job to travel full-time is something most people only dream about. While it may seem like a majorly scary life choice, realize that leaving everything behind for a world travel journey is just as possible for you as it is for many other people!
In my experience, you know you’re serious about leaving your job to travel when you have a true, gut instinct to do so. An itch to travel eventually overwhelms you and helps you make the big leap!
Within every person, regardless of whether you’re a traveler or not, there’s some sort of deeply rooted motivation that shapes our decisions and powers our thoughts through the day.
Regardless of whether you’re a traveler or not, every individual has some sort of deeply rooted motivation that shapes our decisions and powers our thoughts each day. If you’re like me, that inner voice compels me to travel to as many corners of this earth as possible.
When wanderlust grabs you by the wrist and just keeps pulling, it may just be time to think about preparing to quit that desk job, break away from office culture, and set out for greener pastures.
Below, I’ll discuss why you should in fact quit your job to travel, followed by some actionable tips for how to prepare yourself financially for the journey.
Quitting Your Job to Travel is an Investment
Even with such a strong desire to see more of the world, many of us travel junkies make excuses for why quitting our job is too difficult.
Some people think you need to have a ton of money, a certain career trajectory or you have to be willing to accept an uncertain financial future.
While proper preparation is essential, leaving your work behind is possible. The travels ahead will broaden your horizons more than you know. Think of the time away as an investment in yourself.
The magical places and the mesmerizing cultures you’ll experience will not only be interesting topics of conversation, but they’ll enable you to personally connect with so many people over the years to come.
You’ll be able to bond with people over past travel adventures and understand different ways of thinking. And while you’re on the road, new friends and connections will open up more paths in life. These will be things that you never saw coming.
Whether it’s an invitation to stay at a summer home or an entirely new career opportunity, the people you will meet while traveling will be huge life influences. Plus, to put it simply, you’ll be a heck of a lot more interesting!
How to Quit Your Job & Travel Full-Time
If travel is something you’re passionate enough about that you’ve considered quitting your job to do it, then ask yourself—what is currently stopping me from making this a reality?
Sometimes it can be difficult to take a hard look at your current life situation, triggering thoughts of unfulfilled goals, regrets, or frustration. If any negative energy arises, use it as motivation to focus your efforts on preparing to quit your job to go travel.
Below are some essential tips to help you start the preparation process. It’ll take serious work and you’ll need to be diligent in keeping your goals on track. But in the end, everything will be worth it.
Prepare Your Travel Budget Before Leaving Your Job
Personal finance is critical, and you’ll first need to identify how to pay for initial travel expenses. After, you’ll have to figure out how to sustain your travel lifestyle longer term.
Starting out, most of us need a decent chunk of savings to draw from. Airline tickets and hotels don’t come cheaply!
Developing a budget is the best first step for figuring out how much initial savings you’ll need to accumulate. You can also utilize financial management offers from brands like Empower Finance.
Estimate hotel costs considering the quality of accommodations you’ll want to book. Add in a rough guess of how often you’ll fly versus take cheaper modes of transport, and factor in what kind of lifestyle you plan to lead whenon the road.
Different areas of the world are obviously cheaper to travel in, which is a big factor for many nomads. Those who have smaller budgets gravitate to destinations in Southeast Asia as well as the less-expensive Mediterranean destinations.
Budget for a trip length you could reasonably complete along with the costs to return home. Think about food, transportation, entertainment, personal care, etc. Break it down in fine detail for better accuracy. Don’t forget an emergency fund!
During your journey, you can update your budget as necessary, taking into account your habits and any potential new sources of income. That brings us to the next point: income strategies.
Identify Future Income While Traveling
World nomads do a variety of things to make money while traveling. Some find temporary work after using up their allotted savings before setting out on another bout of travel
Other travelers work on the go, for either companies or self-owned businesses. With the rise of remote work opportunities, part-time freelance gigs can easily provide sufficient income for continued travel.
You’ll need to get creative here. Think about what skills you already have that would be easy to capitalize on while traveling.
You could earn income from gigs like tutoring, fitness training, professional photography, a YouTube vlog, social media platforms like TikTok, or some other type of consulting.
I chose the challenge of starting a travel blog to make an income while traveling, started this blog before I even quit my job. After several years of consistent effort and self-education, I’ve found enough success to fund my travels.
Keep Your Goals in Mind
If you’re set on quitting your job to travel, you’ll need a structure to keep you on track. Setting goals and holding yourself accountable is key to prevent yourself from giving up when times get tough!
Keep your passion for travel on the front burner and don’t let everyday issues sidetrack you from making your dream of quitting your job to travel a reality. You owe it to yourself to achieve the most enriching experience possible!
Personally, I worked to build a brand with the goal of providing dependable advice and recommendations for gay travelers worldwide while creating more authenticity in gay travel.
It has taken loads of work, but sticking to my goals has paid off! If you’re curious, read more about wolfyy.
Need even more inspiration to quit your job to travel? Here are 9 Ted Talks to inspire you.
See wolfyy’s travel resources page for booking discounts and recommended partner sites.
