Earlier this year, I was featured on BBC Travel’s How I Quit My Job to Travel column, sharing my journey from the cubicle to a nomadic life. As I pen this, snowflakes are dancing outside my window in New York City, I’m still hung-over from heady experiences in Guatemala and Honduras, and have a flight to catch in three days to sunny California and onwards to Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama.
When I quit my corporate job in mid-2011, I couldn’t fathom this is how I’d be wrapping up 2014.
So this post goes out to all of you who dream of building a life of travel. If you are sitting on the fence about quitting your job, this is a plan for you in real dollars and cents (or should I say, in meagre rupees?):
Are you feeling unfulfilled and stuck in a career rut, daydreaming about exotic destinations? Do you desire the freedom and adventure of extended travel, but are unsure how to take the leap? Quitting your job to travel the world is absolutely attainable with proper planning and commitment.
Follow this comprehensive guide on how to strategically resign from your job, plan an amazing trip, and embark on a journey to explore the globe and satisfy your wanderlust.
Step 1: Reflect on Your Reasons and Set Goals
Before handing in your notice carefully reflect on exactly why you want to quit your job and confirm that travel is your path. Assess aspects like
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Are you burnt out in your career and simply need a vacation. or is it time to make a major life change?
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Will traveling help you pursue career growth, education, language development, or cultural immersion?
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Do you want to temporarily escape a stagnant life, or permanently adopt a nomadic lifestyle?
Once you commit set travel goals to give your journey clear direction and purpose. Establish destinations, experiences skills to learn, and personal development goals. This brings more meaning to your travels.
Step 2: Save and Budget Extensively
One of the biggest steps is financing your travel sabbatical. Determine your must-have destinations and research anticipated costs for:
- Flights and transportation
- Lodging and accommodations
- Food, activities and entertainment
- Travel insurance, visas, gear and miscellaneous
With an expense estimate, calculate how much you need to save beforehand. Then create a strict budget, cut non-essential costs, pick up side gigs, and downsize possessions to boost savings. Saving enough to comfortably fund every leg of your trip is essential.
Step 3: Notify Your Employer
Once you commit to resigning, professionally notify your employer. Give ample notice; 4+ weeks is standard but more is appreciated. Offer to help hire and train your replacement.
If leaving on good terms, ask about taking a sabbatical or extended unpaid leave as alternatives to resigning fully. This maintains your job as a backup.
Thank them sincerely for the opportunities you’ve had and part on positive terms. Leaving gracefully keeps that bridge intact.
Step 4: Finalize Logistics
Iron out all the key logistics:
- Book flights/transportation, lodging, travel insurance and packaged tours
- Obtain necessary visas, vaccinations and medications
- Arrange global payment methods and travel notifications for bank accounts
- Consider shipping extra luggage and supplies ahead to destinations
- Scan/copy important documents and leave copies with trusted contacts
- Purchase guidebooks/maps and download helpful apps
Thorough preparation reduces headaches later and allows you to focus solely on enjoying your travels.
Step 5: Inform Family and Friends
Tell close family and friends about your plans to resign from your job and travel for an extended period. They will likely have mixed reactions – excitement for your adventure plus concern about the risk and uncertainty.
Reassure them this is a carefully considered decision. Share your itinerary and goals. Promise regular check-ins. Their eventual support will be invaluable.
Step 6: Line Up Work Opportunities
Depending on your travel goals and skills, consider lining up remote work, freelance gigs or local jobs abroad. This provides income streams while traveling so you don’t blow through all savings.
Some options include teaching English, bartending/hostelling, tour guiding, volunteering, WWOOF farmstays and temp agency work. Working periodically can vastly extend your travels.
Step 7: Make Adjustments On the Road
As exciting as it is to jet off to distant lands, culture shock and homesickness are normal. Give yourself grace as you adjust to an unfamiliar lifestyle.
Stay flexible – shift plans when needed to better suit your energy and interests in the moment. Connect with other travelers and take occasional breaks at “home bases.”
Immerse yourself fully in each destination to make the most of your global journey. Limit social media and keep perspective. Not every day will be magical, but this “trip of a lifetime” will change you forever.
Step 8: Set Goals For Returning Home
While still abroad, take time to think about your goals and next steps for when you eventually return home. Travel changes you, and you’ll likely shift perspectives on work, lifestyle and goals.
- How will you leverage new skills and experiences for career growth?
- Will you resume your old job, related field, or make a 180-degree change?
- Do you want to settle down or continue traveling long-term?
- What aspects of your pre-travel life do you want to change?
With an intentional plan, you can integrate lessons learned in a way that maximizes lasting impact.
Top Tips for Quitting to Travel
Follow this expert advice to smoothly transition from career to extended travel:
- Give yourself 6+ months for planning/saving before departing.
- Start stalking flight deals and booking early to save costs.
- Get any needed vaccinations and medications several months pre-departure.
- Obtain travel insurance to safeguard against cancellations, injuries, theft.
- Secure ways to access money abroad – credit/debit cards, money belts, backup funds.
- Pack light! Only bring essentials in a carry-on and backpack to avoid checked bag fees.
- Learn key phrases and install translation apps for the countries you’ll visit.
- Leave room for spontaneity – don’t over-schedule every day.
- Stay connected with travel blogs, social media groups and expat meetups.
- Get work visas lined up if you plan to work abroad longer-term.
The sensible tips and strategies in this guide empower you to fulfill your travel dreams. With courage, intentionality and smart planning, you can embark on a journey that quenches your wanderlust and changes your life forever. The world is waiting – take the leap!
Prepare for a lonely journey ahead.
There are no roadmaps for the journey you’re about to take. Chances are, your family will never fully grasp the way the road changes you. When weeks become months, your friends will move on, building lives that you hardly relate to. You will meet amazing people on the road, but you will say goodbye, every time. And for the most part, you’ll love it. But there will be times when these fleeting interactions, and decisions that you are solely responsible for making, will overwhelm you. There will be times when you’ll wonder what if you had taken a different path and not know the answer. There will be lonely times, and you must know that.
Many international bloggers, though on a somewhat similar journey, face battles very different from mine. And I don’t relate to most Indian bloggers who chase press trips or live off their spouse’s income. So even now, after all these years, when I feel lost, I only have myself to rely on and figure a way out.
Surround yourself with people who travel, even if virtually.
The more you travel, the less you’ll relate to people who choose not to. Seek inspiration and practical insights from other travellers and nomads, and if there are none around you, get online – get active on Twitter and read travel blogs.
Even now, when I feel anxious about traveling solo or wonder why I live the way I do, I find respite in travel blogs like Candace’s The Great Affair and Earl’s Wandering Earl, and in Instagram feeds like that of NatGeo. My Twitter and Facebook timelines are almost entirely dominated by travellers, and when the going gets tough, I turn to my Facebook page for encouragement.
When you build your life on the road, you might not have a thriving social life (I’m far from it), but the online travel community is fabulous, friendly and helpful.
Why You Should *ACTUALLY* Quit Your Job and Travel Instead..
Should you quit your job to travel the world?
Quitting your job is worrisome. But quitting your job to travel the world? Now that’s really worrisome. I would know: In a matter of weeks, my husband and I will leave our home to travel through Southeast Asia for three months. To make that epic adventure happen, he’ll do the quitting, and I’ll do the worrying.
How do I resign if I want to travel?
1. Reflect on your reasoning and goals The first thing to do when you believe you want to resign and travel is to consider your reasons. If you’re looking for a change, it might be possible to gain satisfaction by completing a smaller-scale goal, like finding a new job or transferring to a different industry.
Should I leave my job to travel?
Leaving your job to travel can be a challenging undertaking, but proper preparation can make this decision easier to manage. Understanding how to navigate this change in your career and lifestyle can help you make the decision wisely and prepare you for financial, personal and professional successes.
What should you do if you leave a job at an inopportune time?
Ask your boss, and if you find you’re leaving at an inopportune time, then “reconsider the timing and push back your travel date,” she said. Of course, if you’d like to one day come back to your job or company, “take the initiative to express that to your employer,” said Crawford.
