How do you know when to quit your job and travel the world full time?
“Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and I remember more than I have seen.”
– Benjamin Disraeli
This quote is sprayed on one of the buildings in Amsterdam that we often passed by on our bikes in the last years. We remember the mystic mood this poem left us in each time. The longing for indulging ourselves one more time in our lives in the feeling of absolute freedom and endless possibilities.
So when is it time to quit your job and travel the world? We’ll walk you through our story to explain why we did it and share 6 signs that tell you are ready. In this post we will explain the symptoms that mean it is time for a career break or a sabbatical.
Speaking of sabbatical, have you read our Ultimate Guide for Sabbaticals and Career Breaks?
Save this post to your Sabbatical board on Pinterest!
Before you quit your job
Tomer was an agile consultant at an IT company and a sports enthusiast in his free time. Anastasia was working in the innovation department of a health-technology company and a hobby fashion blogger.
We enjoyed our work and we are people who like to be busy. Nonetheless, the desire of taking a break from regular life and living our dream life one more time was too strong.
We have travelled 5 years ago for a couple of weeks after finishing our university studies and before starting our first ‘real jobs’. After starting our careers, travelling was limited to a rare 2-3 times a years.
Of course there were the 25 yearly vacation days, which we used to escape the routine. Yet, the desire for travelling in freedom was bigger. ‘Worldtrip’ was added as an item to our bucket list. Sometime, one day…
If you want to read more about us check out our full story.
When to quit your job
“We have killed our souls with comfort instead of seeking fulfilment and achievement.”
– Dean Karnazes
We have reached a point in our life, feeling entirely overwhelmed and losing the perspective of what is important to us. That is when we made the decision to leave our home, jobs, and lost selves behind and start the adventure of rediscovering ourselves.
Anastasia quit her job for good, after almost 5 years at the company. If you are interested to know more about what it was like for her to stop after 5 years, read our post about what it’s like to quit your job and travel the world. Tomer has managed to secure an 18 months sabbatical at his employer. If you want to learn how you can do it too, read our post about how to get an 18 months sabbatical.
In October 2018 we took the flight out of our comfort zones into the unknown and since then we are living the nomad life. Just us two, our backpacks, and no deadline of returning.
Quit your Job to Travel the World
6 sign that you are ready to quit your job
How did we know that we desperately needed to take a break from our regular lives and were more than ready to go travelling full-time?
Looking back, for us it was 6 main signs, which we would like to share with you to help you consider whether full-time travel might be the right choice for you too.
You’re living for the weekend
Nobody likes Mondays or Sunday evenings for this matter. Yet, when you find yourself pushing through the week and making elaborate weekend plans before Monday lunch time, your mind is clearly not in the here and now. Life is too short to do things half-heartedly and the only thing we can never get back is time.
You’re questioning the greater meaning behind your everyday routine
We love following routines because they keep our focus straight and our minds calm. However, we also need the occasional dive out of our comfort zones to grow through new experiences and challenges. You feel like every day is like repeating the same old tune, and you are not sure if you can answer “yes” to the question “if today was your last day, would you spend it the way you’re spending it today?” It’s time to take that dive!
You lack motivation to do the things you usually enjoy doing
A positive mind drives us to achieve our goals and daily tasks. When your mind is getting clouded with negative thoughts because you feel like having to go to work, having to meet certain people, or having to live in a certain environment, you risk to get burned out.
A little bit of distance to your usual environment will do wonders to make you feel re-energized. Read our post about why travelling is a cure for burnout.
You are happiest when you are travelling
There are people that have true travel spirits and don’t miss out on any opportunity to plan their next trip. They save up all their vacation days to escape somewhere far away and gladly hop on a plane for a weekend city break on Friday after work to come back totally wrecked but happy on Monday morning just in time before 9 AM. And there are others that get their energy from other things than travelling and that’s also fully okay.
If you are part of the first group, probably a long-term trip is an item on your bucket list already — are we right?
In your mind you’re already somewhere far away
Looking forward to something is fun and very healthy. Being excited about an upcoming event like a birthday party or a vacation is creating mental incentives for dealing with things that might otherwise be unpleasant. For instance, finalizing a report or finishing up the huge mountain of laundry that is creeping at you since 2 weeks. However, when you wake up every day wishing you were already on that tropical island or hiking trip far away, it’s time you book that ticket and go!
You are running out of excuses why not
Lastly, it’s human nature to postpone things and we can get even extremely creative coming up with very plausible excuses why travelling is not the best idea right now. Our sister is getting married, our friend is getting a puppy, we have a chance at rocking that promotion…
Truth is that time will never be just right. Don’t wait. Money and career opportunities will come and go but time will pass. Take your bucket list seriously, you owe it to yourself.
Do you feel like this article is speaking to you? Share your story with us and contribute to the book we are currently working on! Fill in our survey or write us a comment below.
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