It feels like every few minutes I stumble across somebody who has saved up a few thousand of their hard-earned pounds, quit their job and left to travel the world.
And that’s wonderful.
Truly.
I admire anyone who knows what they want from life and takes the plunge to do it. And if travelling freely is what you want, then I say go for it.
But there are a lot of people who aren’t in a position to do that. Who cant just pack everything up and leave, and I find the “Quit Your Job To Travel The World” headline a bit of a slap in the face because so many of the articles suggest that if you don’t “JUST GO” and do it that way, you’re just making excuses.
But what if they’re not excuses?
What if you don’t want to pack everything up to travel?
What if you love the country you’re living in and don’t want to sell/rent your house?
What if you already have your dream career or run your own business?
Well, I’m here to tell you this.
Despite what a great big chunk of the internet would have you believe.
Travel and work are not mutually exclusive.
You don’t have to pick one or the either. It is not an either/or option. There may be a few occasional sacrifices, but you can do both. You just have to pick a solution that’s right for you.
So how do you incorporate more travel into your life?
Well, it depends on what you want.
If you want to live a life of nomadic freedom, then your best bet is to find a job in an industry that enables you to work from anywhere. Web design, copywriting, social media management and graphic design are just a few. But if you don’t want to hop on a one-way plane ride, then there are plenty more things you can do to maximise your time exploring. For example:
Plan Ahead
Public holidays are there to be used to your advantage. In England, we have 8 bank holidays each year which typically fall on a Friday or Monday (except an occasional substitute day). Which gives us an instant 3 or 4-day weekend. This gives you a whole 3 or 4 days of holiday without needing to use your holiday entitlement (vacation days). Alternatively, book off multiple Fridays and Mondays so that you get four days of holiday but only use 2 days out of your holiday entitlement. Plan things for your days off so you’re not tempted to stay in bed and watch a Netflix marathon…We’ve all been there!
Take More Day Trips
Get out and visit that castle you’ve lived near for years but have never been inside. Climb that hill with the amazing panoramic views that you have always wanted to photograph. Drive three hours to go to that restaurant you’ve always wanted to eat at. Learn something new about your city, you may even be surprised by what you find!
Take A Road Trip
Rent a car or van, and take a drive across the UK. Or make the most of Europe—it’s just a quick ferry/trip through the channel tunnel away. And if you want to make it more permanent, check if the company you work for offers transfers. You’d be surprised by how many companies have branches abroad or are looking to expand their team in other countries. I met a friend in Bangkok, who started their career in Manchester (England) and now works in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) all thanks to that lovable blue box, IKEA.
Go Camping
Obviously, if you’re reading this from Dubai a tent isn’t going to be very appealing given the heat that you experience in the UAE. But for people that don’t live in a part of the world that feels like a beautiful inferno, this is definitely an option. There are so many beautiful nature trails across the UK, why not walk some of them and set up camp under the stars?
There are so many ways to travel without leaving everything to live out of a rucksack. You don’t have to pack up your things and “just go”, you just need to get outside of your comfort zone and open your eyes and heart to what the world has to offer. Because travelling isn’t a destination, it’s a journey, and it doesn’t matter if that journey takes you ten, or ten thousand, miles away from your house, it’s how you explore the place you find yourself in that counts.
How do you like to travel?
Is leaving your job to travel something that you have thought about doing? Do you prefer a backpack and an open road, or do you prefer to take regular trips throughout the year? There’s no wrong option. Ignore the internet, and do what works for you <3
