We’re going to guess that you’re reading this article in secret at your 9-5 job, decoy tab open ready to switch back to incase your boss walks by. “Yes, will have that report over to you by 11am! No, definitely not planning my escape from office life.”
We feel your pain. Quitting your job to travel the world is something most people can only dream of doing, yet with the rise of remote working options, it’s actually easier than you think.
So, how do you quit your job and travel the world? We’ve sourced top tips from people across the world who’ve done just that. Get ready to print that resignation letter by the time you’ve finished reading this…
Stay with locals to save money on hotels
Melissa Roy visited 100 countries before turning 30, mostly by using Couchsurfing, which allows travellers to stay with locals in their homes for free.
“I was having a midlife crisis about turning 30, and I’m like, ‘I haven’t gotten married, I haven’t had kids, I need to do something really cool before I turn 30 — what should I do?’” she told INSIDER.
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Use social media to your advantage
This can be tricky, as it seems nowadays as though everyone and anyone is an Instagram influencer. But if you can create great content and have an authentic opinion, you can build an audience.
This is how travel bloggers Jack Morris and Lauren Bullen make money to travel the world. On his blog Do You Travel, Jack says that he makes money from “working with various brands and companies to showcase their product or motive on Instagram.”
Ask your boss if you can work remotely
“For me, it was a straightforward discussion about the logistics for work and whether or not it was something I should do personally,” Trevor Gerhardt, a programmer for a U.S.-based software consulting company, told Time. “I had already spent significant time working from home and working around the states on various trips. There wasn’t an issue of accountability to be worried about.”
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Give freelancing a try
Katherine Conaway, a writer, consultant and producer, pitches for freelance gigs as a way to fund her travels.
“I came into it with a relatively low number of hours, but I also wasn’t expecting to make any money, so then I just started building out my travel and my life around the income that was coming in,” Conaway told Time. “If I’m on a certain budget, that dictates maybe what country and region of the world I’m in. It dictates the kind of accommodations I stay at, and the way I spend my money. But that’s the benefit, my life is always flexible to meet whatever income level I’m at for that chunk of time.”
Can you do consulting or online work remotely? Freelancing might be ideal for you, just network as much as you can.
Use cash back rewards and loyalty programs
Dean and Julie Couchey from the Two Fat Americans blog use loyalty programs, Ebates, and credit cards that give cash back to subsidise their savings. They get cash back from Ebates and earn free nights on Hotels.com by booking longer stays in advance.
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Yes, quitting your job to travel the world will mean giving up your daily Flat White for a year while you save money, and yes you will have stressful times and struggle for cash. But you’ll also be travelling the world.
