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I love traveling. At 25 years of age, I have by no means broken any records with my traveling but I have most definitely been blessed with several trips overseas and travels all over the United States including a 10 day trip to Hawaii. Overall, not bad. Not bad, however, is not good enough.
A huge driving factor in most of what I talk about on this blog regarding financial freedom is my desire to travel and to have the means to travel. Furthermore, I talk at length about establishing a form of passive income on this blog. The best part of a passive income is that it is passive. This means that I could have cash flowing in while I’m traveling! What would be better than that?
Well, until you or I get to that point, what about the idea of traveling the world while working a regular job? Is that possible? Well, in my last job, I lived a very close version of this reality. It’s time for me to share my experience and share what I learned in order to potentially help you make this happen in your life.
Should You Quit Your Job and Go Travel?
Well, that is a complex question. Only you know your circumstances, your financial means, and your ties to your current situation. If you’re single with few ties, unhappy with your job, and have a little money saved up that you can use, then yes, you should most definitely go experience a trip of a lifetime. Your life and career will be waiting for you when you get back.
Here are a couple nice blogs about quitting your job and traveling the world:
Maybe you have already had the first part of the equation decided for you. Maybe you lost your job. Here is a great blog post about traveling the world when you get laid off.
My Previous Job and The Traveling I Did
My last job, and my first job out of college, was with Accenture, a global information technology consulting firm. I was based out of Atlanta but that meant nothing. The job description included 100% travel. Basically, I would get assigned to a project in any city and I would fly there Monday morning and get back on Thursday. When that assignment ended, I would get assigned to another project (always in a different city).
Now, I worked in some great cities, but this is still not that great. Also, while frequent flyer miles and hotel points are great, there is still more. The best perk of the job was the ability to travel anywhere over the weekend when you would typically be flying home. For example, my first gig was in Denver so I traveled Atlanta to Denver on Monday and then Denver back to Atlanta on Thursday. Well, what if I wanted to go somewhere else instead of back to Atlanta? Done. I used this perk to travel to places such as San Diego and Chicago for free. Some of my colleagues were hardcore and went to international locations for a few days such as London and Porta Vallarta (free airfare). Not bad huh?
Taking this further, a couple Accenture employees (the ones right out of college) used this perk to live a truly nomadic life for a period of time. Basically, they arranged a “place to crash” for a few days a month with their parents or friends and traveled full time only going home once or twice a month. At the same time, they experienced a new place almost each weekend with free to minimal travel costs. The money they saved in rent and utilities more than offset the living expenses in different cities for a few days.
Lastly, the company offered five weeks of vacation. And the vacation time rolled over to the next year if unused. One colleague I had took an eight week paid vacation backpacking Europe after accumulating vacation days. The truly clever were able to arrange some work from home weeks for “personal reasons” when necessary to take care of personal tasks (work from home typically meant little working) then at the same time, they would maximize the travel perks to the fullest.
What Does This Mean For You?
If you have the desire to travel, you basically have two options. One, you can quit your job (or get laid off) and go travel before you pick up another job. Or two, you can find a job similar to my Accenture experience and travel while you work. Typical contractor type work, usually in the IT field, has similar travel requirements and you may find similar perks.
I must warn: the road warrior career does have its cons. Namely, it’s terrible for relationships. But, if you’re single and young, you can truly enjoy the run for a period of time. If you find yourself in a similar situation, make sure you maximize the ability to see new places on the company’s dime before you get yourself a new job!
Do you have a job that lets you travel to exciting places? Share your story by adding your comments.
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That's really cool that your job let you travel like that. For me I'd like to keep my job just have more time to travel. Sometimes if there is a conference or something in a city I've wanted to go to, I can get some travel in that way. For the most part though, my job does not allow me to travel the way that yours did. Not everyone's industry offers a lot of travel or a 5 week rollover vacation package! (That would be so awesome.)
Some people I know ask for unpaid vacation time. If you can handle not getting a paycheck for a week or so, sometimes that is another option to travel instead of quitting.
Wow, that sounds like such a great lifestyle - just hopping from city to city or continent to continent even. Would love to land something like that. I'm aiming for a career in diplomacy where I live in a lot of different countries for a few years at a time.
If you are quitting a job and they require an exit interview, shouldn't you pretty much say nothing?
flying in and out of cities in only 48 hours sounds like a nightmare! how can you really experience anything if you've got to pack in sights, sounds, and famous foods in 2 days?
no thanks!
I prefer spending at least a week in a city, more in a foreign country, to really absorb the culture.
The commenter above is onto something. You've got to look at travel beyond swooping in and out of a place. I am in Panama now, I work online, and am looking at travel from a more long term perspective. If you can work remotely, you can live anywhere in the world (as long as you are in the same time zone...or don't mind working the night shift). With that not only comes adventure, but a lower cost of living, lower operating expenses...so you aren't 'bumming around the world' you are being practical, saving and maximizing your salary!
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?