How to quit your job and travel the world: Nine tips for making your travel dreams a reality

The idea of quitting a job to travel the world might seem far-fetched. Maybe even scary. We’re sure you can think of plenty of reasons not to. But if you’ve been struck by the same urge to travel as we have, we’re here to tell you that it’s not as hard as you may think. And that taking a risk now, rather than putting it off and telling yourself you’ll do it someday, is totally and completely so, so, so worth it. Because at the end of the day, you’ll probably regret the things you didn’t do. Not the ones you did. 

So here it is. Nine tips to make a trip around the world a reality.

Create a monthly budget:

• If you don’t already track your expenses, start. Many of us spend more money on stuff than we realize. Fancy coffee, cocktails, eating out, cable tv (which can cost over $100/month!). These things add up!
• Categorize (i.e. rent, bills, food, fun, etc.) and then find the average of all your expenditures. Subtract this from your net monthly income to see what you’re currently saving.

Create a savings goal:

• The best way to save money is to find ways to spend less. If you currently spend $100 a week on eating out, cut that to $75. If you’re paying for cable tv, cancel and just watch Netflix. The point is, we usually spend A LOT of money on random things that we don’t really need. Evaluate needs versus wants and consider how far each expenditure could go in another country (skipping a dinner out could buy you a day or two in Asia!).
• Do some quick calculations and figure out how long you need to save to reach your goal. For us, it was about six months (plus a really big garage sale) before we had enough money to quit our jobs, circle the globe and come home to a little cash. Having a goal and working toward it will help you stay on track. (We also highly recommend a savings jar on the kitchen counter!)

Hoard points:

• Sign up for​ travel and airline credit cards - but, only if you can make the minimum spend to qualify for the bonuses. Then start paying for everything on these cards (goodbye debit cards!). Earning the bonus on even two of these types of cards, will give you enough points to pay for as many as 3 intercontinental flights. 
• Make sure to pay your whole bill, every month, so you don’t end up paying interest (which definitely goes against the point of earning ‘free’ travel!)

Budget your trip:

• Determine how long you want to travel, where you’re going, and how much it’s going to cost. A six month trip for one person can cost as little as $9-10k to more than $15k (depending on your destinations). This will help you determine your savings goal.

Choose your destinations wisely:

• Unless you’re independently wealthy (in which case you don’t need our help, so why are you reading this?) you’ll be traveling on a budget. So, the places you go and how expensive they are is important. Like, super important. For example, $50 is a very comfortable daily budget in Southeast Asia, Central America, and most of South America. Avoid or limit your time in really expensive regions and countries, like Scandinavia, the UK (most of Northern Europe in general), Japan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. 

Our hotel bill in Siem Reap, $27 per night

Our hotel room in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Choose your route wisely:

• Maximize the efficiency of your travel plans by choosing a route with good, inexpensive connections. A huge portion of your budget will be spent on transportation, so limit any unnecessary back and forths, or trips between destinations with poor connections. When booking flights, find the best deals by flying from one big regional hub to another. For example, when we flew from Europe to South America in 2015, we found flights from Madrid to Bogota for only $335 each.

Don’t forget to… save for when you get back:

• You’ll want to make sure you have a soft landing when you get back to wherever it is you’re from. Even if you have nice parents or friends you can crash with, make sure to save enough money to re-establish yourself when you get home.

Get support from friends and family:

• Talk to the people closest to you you about your plans. Tell them why you want to travel and what you’re most excited to experience. Having support from the people closest to you will help you achieve your savings goals and make big leap to leave the security of a 9-5. 

Go for it:

• If you’re reading this, you’re at least intrigued by the possibility of traveling around the world. So why not? If you’re concerned about leaving your job, don’t be. The reality is if you’re an experienced professional, you’ll find another job. (Many employers see traveling and world experience as a very positive attribute!). You landed a good job once, you can absolutely do it again. If you’re worried about leaving your apartment, your friends, or simply life as you currently know it, then think about it this way…. It will all be there when you get back. We all live in a world of habit and routine and you have plenty of time to re-establish those habits and routines. The truth is, this trip will be just a blip on the radar of your entire life. But it might very well be the most important blip. So what do you have to lose? Make a choice, take a leap and go.