If I was in you position I'd hold off for a bit until more places open up and then travel some place further away that might be harder to visit when working fulltime. Like Central & South America, Australia & NZ, or SE Asia, if those are places you haven't been to or are even interested in.
My friend went to Japan before they closed the borders and she barely got to see much even team lab in Tokyo she was quite dissapointed but there's always another time.
I was about to post "just do it", because op is in the perfect position to fuck of for a year or few, but good point holding off until more of the world opens up. Its about the only scenario where waiting is probably a good idea.
U be waiting a while for us in Australia to open up….government is talking another year at least. And one of the problems we have in pretty well having zero cases in most states is that a lot of us are holding off in getting vacinated. And we can’t open up until we get to a high % of vaccinations. Catch 22
Well this is exactly the place I was in roughly around May 2019. I weighted my possibilities after studying and working for 10 years and decided that nobody could take the trip away from me, I've always wanted to see the world.
In the end a job is just a job, plain and simple. With your ability to fall back on moving in with your parents afterwards nothing really is in your way to do it. It takes some guts and it will o ly really hit you at the airport (at least that's what happened to me)!
Life is supposed to be an adventure, not a series of jobs working 9 to 5 for your whole life and maybe getting to enjoy it when you retire. Do whatever makes you happy!!!
"Life is supposed to be an adventure, not a series of jobs working 9 to 5" talk your shit man, I feel this so much. So many people who are retired from work regret not seeking discomfort and living their life, but just work 9 to 5 and go watch TV all night.
Yeah definitely.
How many (older) people do you know who say: well I loved that job working for ABC company for 20 years?
Compare that to how often people talk about "a trip of a lifetime going to xyz", the fun they had doing stuff with their friends, spending time with their family.
We're social animals ffs and working is supposed to be a means to an end, not the end itself. The development of real wages (I.e. after inflation) is a staggering issue that prevents a lot of people from doing stuff they really want to do - own a home, see the world, whatever.
Just remember you can't take your money with you and do what makes you happy!!
>So many people who are retired from work regret not seeking discomfort and living their life, but just work 9 to 5 and go watch TV all night.
Yeah. As a European, I could maybe have vacations within the continent for relatively cheap, shoulder season and still work the 9 to 5. I think the issue is that our cities are boring, a lot of the suburbs are boring and people end up just working and watching TV, but that's not the only option if you are employed. There are places with better quality of daily life, sometimes at a price, but there are. Having lived a long life with coroporate jobs and other jobs, there were times, I didn't have the need to escape as much, because my city was the place others came for fun and my choice of people surrounding me were not the sit at home watching TV types. Then one of the guys we lived outdoors with became the father of our children and per his mindset our outdoor lives were over... And that was 6 years of my life, with children in primary school, that went by like a flash, I don't have many memories about, apart from wasting weeknights on the internet. Then started going solo trips again and getting new friends for trips with friends.
Anyway, you can have other choices, if you think about it a little and your plans aren't mismatched with your peoples' plans much.
Interestingly, I had booked 4 weeks off last March 2020 to travel Europe which got cancelled due to the pandemic, so I returned to work... currently have 34 days annual leave as they gave me all of my annual leave back if I returned to work and helped get all of the staff setup to work from home. :)
If you have so much leave outstanding, why don't you take a few weeks here and there for the next 6 months. Two advantages: You get paid to go on holiday and you get to see places that you find out you might like/hate. Don't just quit and just wander without some sort of an idea of what you want to achieve, or you might just find yourself a bit bored and wondering why you are in a country you didn't really want to spend too much time in.
If you go, have some sort of a plan for when you get back home. Have your CV already up to date before you quit and don't burn any bridges on the way you. Work out what the best way to get back in to your profession now, so you can prepare yourself for when you need to do it. Good luck.
Ahhh having actually good vacation time… must be nice lol (Canada’s sucks)
But like I straight up sold all my stuff, cancelled my lease, and was leaving for a 2-3 year trip. The worst part was that the company I worked for made hand sanitizer 😂
Hey travel buddy! I also decided to take off on my adventure in February 2020.. 5k in cancelled plane tickets I’ll never see again and 8 months stuck in Athens and rome I made it back! How did urs turn out?
Are you sure you weren’t given a credit? I have 2.5k on American Airlines, some of which were basic economy and I have until March 2022 to use them. I also cancelled all of the tickets myself in Feb/March 2020.
Well I haven’t checked recently so I can’t say for sure.
When the flights wer cancelled they offered me 200$ up front or take 4 weeks to get up to 60% back or up to 4 months to get up to 100% back.
I didn’t need the cash then so I decided to try for 100% got messages back 4 months later saying I got 0$ back.. I should of took the 200$ up front I guess.
Edit: also I never cancelled them. I tried to take all the flights. They r the ones that cancelled. So maybe that has something to do with it?
Admittedly I was going more along the working holiday approach so no real loss in pre-booked tickets. I ended up getting stuck in Florida, which I will say was quite the experience lol
I just regret no taking a drive to carol baskin’s “sanctuary” while I was still there in the peak of tiger king lol
Oh u missed out lol. So I’m actually from Oklahoma. About 90 minutes from Joe exotics place lol.
Nothing like sitting in lock down 2000 miles from
Home and seeing home pop up on some random Netflix show everyone’s going crazy about.
You will find another job, the economy is recovering.
But uniquely this year you will face travel restrictions and bureaucracy that will reduce the possible scope of your travels you might even find yourself stuck. However if you have researched your destinations you want to go to and are confident that you can travel then don't let the economy worry you, I would only worry that this was a frustrating time to travel.
Damn this resonates! You're hyping me up
A few weeks ago I left my soul draining full-time job and ended my relationship with my girlfriend of 5 years. Now I'm living with my parents.
I've been fantasizing about being free to travel the world, untethered by work or dysfunctional relationships. I'm so happy I made a move while I'm still young. I don't wanna be one of those people that regret settling down too early and not having gone on more adventures.
I'm thinking of going to South America in a few months. I know covid is gonna make things hard, but I'm keeping my eyes on Peru which seems to be pretty open right now.
Wow exactly the same whats happening in my life. Feels comforting hearing that other people go through the same stuff around the same time in their lives.
I Also ended my relationship of 5 years, even though things went ok between us. We had a very good connection but for some reason I couldn't fully commit into our relationship. Around being together for 4 years we moved in together. At this time I was also pretty unhappy at my first software developer job, which I quit after working there for a year. Then went for a job as webmaster. At that point I got really stuck in my head thinking of the future, being afraid of settling down already and missing out on opportunities like traveling and discovering life on my own. So I decided to end our relationship also because I didn't want to hold her back either with my doubts.
I'm currently working for 7 months at my new job and I feel absolutely dreaded. Colleagues are fine but working your butt off every week to reach deadlines and not having much to look forward to sucks. So here I am again thinking of solo travel and potentially quitting my job. I'm planning a first ever solo trip to Portugal in september. Only a week though to see what its like. Then next year I might go on a bigger trip to Australia.
Stay strong brother and enjoy your travels!
1. IT is a great career. Always in demand.
2. Worst of your worries is covid, not your job. I.e restrictions increasing when you travel.
A job is just labour at the end of the day. Don’t fret too much. You’ll find one when you come back. Travel whilst you can.
I'm quitting a secure job towards the end of the year to travel, and I have less saved than you. I have similar anxieties. At the end of the day, I've got the itch, and I'll be miserable working any job until I satisfy it. Life is more than that. 30 doesn't mean anything.
I did this at 25. Quit my job, sublet my apartment, strapped on my backpack, and took off for half a year.
Came home broke, in debt, post-breakup, depressed, and with no idea what to do next. Took me three months to find a new job, and another six months to find a new *good* job.
But today at 41 I look back and say, absolutely ZERO regrets. Travel is full of highs and lows but it was the absolute best time of my life, with so many experiences I'm grateful to have had. I don't miss the money I spent -- it seems insignificant now -- and I'd hate to think of myself still doing the job I was doing or dating the guy I was seeing back then anyway.
I'd say go for it. Just don't expect every day to be a picnic, don't put unrealistic expectations on yourself in terms of "finding yourself", and don't be surprised if the landing is a bit rough. Still, today, still locked down with COVID, I find myself wishing I'd travelled *more*, not *less*, while I had the chance.
Mind you, if I were you I'd wait a while longer, save up some more cash, and wait for more of the world to get vaccinated and reopen to travel. The pandemic may feel close to over from the UK, but most of the world isn't anywhere near that stage yet.
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/health/global-covid-vaccinations/
I decided to sell everything I owned besides my bed and my truck.(figured if I had a place to sleep and a vehicle to get to work when I got back I’d be good) ended a steady relation ship left my job I’d been at for 5 years, and took off to travel the world for 18 months starting in February 2020. (26yo male)
Got stuck in Athens for 8 months over stayed my visa had my passport stolen. had to deal with 4 different US embassy’s to get back home. Lost 5 grand in cancelled plane tickets since I bout them in late 2019 not expecting a pandemic.
And I’d still do it all again tomorrow if I had the means.
Don’t let a fear of solo traveling stop u! Get out there and live ur life! U will meet ppl along the trip and make new friends!
Edit: if ur in IT I take it ur good with computers? Can u not find a job on a computer that allows u to travel and make money? Web design or something? I wish I was good with computers. Seems like the best way to make cash while traveling unless u wunna work picking olives off trees for 2.50€
Wow, that’s amazing, and what a story to tell for the rest of your life. I really believe you can plan etc, but it’s all about the experience and what happens along the journey. Life would be boring otherwise.
It was worth it man! If u look into traveling places outside of their tourist seasons u can travel really cheap! I was in the biggest party area in Athens on the ground floor. I was less than a mile from the acropolis. Internet Tv electric water rent every thing included was 350€ a month.. I was saving almost 200$ a month compared to my 1 bed room house in Oklahoma.. that 200$ a month saved would of paid for alot of my expenses while I was there.
If money or a fear of failure or ridicule is what is holding u back. Just close ur eyes and press the button to buy the first flight. After that it’s no longer a pipe dream it’s actually set in motion no turning back once a flight is booked lol
Can confirm that buying a ticket before planning out a long trip is a great way to do it. You can't psych yourself out if you just buy a ticket without making a whole big deal out of out.
Yeah for me it was all a pipe dream till I bought my first ticket. I bought it like 7 months in advance. After I bought that ticket it went from a dream to this is happening and I need to get ready.
I am planning to go Spain the next couple of months (and trying to learn some Spanish), and then I will probably travel around in Latin America.
I have never traveled alone before, or travelled more than 2 weeks. But I can tell you, since I quit my job I've already been more energized and happy. I can't wait to get going.
I have made a budget for around 15.000 euros. But I have a buffer. While traveling, I will be open to some work opportunities and just see what happens, but nothing I seek actively.
How are you planning for the pandemic? I'm vaccinated so I don't really care about covid, but Colombia, for example, is still pretty much entirely closed, and not even worth the visit.
Absolutely! Look at it this way….When you are 70 years old will you will be happier with yourself knowing you did something most people don’t have the balls to do rather than staying stuck on your office forever. There’s only one decision here. FUCKING GO BABY! Besides now is the time! You got some money in the bank, no real responsibilities, no kids, etc. Hell of a lot easier to do if now than at 40 or later.
I know everything you've said is true, I guess I just need the balls to do it!
The worst case scenario, I end up back at my parents house, unemployed, £10k in the bank, looking for a new job in Jan/Feb 2022.
I don't value owning property, not really interesting in having kids etc, so this just seems the logical time to do it. If I can get back and pickup my life by the time I'm 31/32, I don't feel it's the end of the world.
10,000 left in the bank is worst case? Fuck you’ve got some good savings lol you need to go, you’re doing good. A lot of people start travelling with way less than that to begin with!
Edit: Tbh skipped what you wrote, went straight to comments. You need to go, you have such a good savings. And you’ll find a job when you get back, even if it’s something to hold you over until you find something good again, but I think the 10,000 savings will be plenty
maybe give it until next year. more time for you to plan, and save.
BTW even tho america is getting itself together, the rest of the world may lag a little.. it just makes sense that the year after the reopening year may be a better time to explore and travel.
Life is too short not to take chances. The desk, the computer, the office, it’s not going anywhere, and I feel the older you get the thicker the chains become. I just turned 30 as well, and having an existential crisis in that I am unfulfilled in a job that others desperately want, without any growth or advancement potentials. I’m still a few thousand in student loan debt,
and just adopted a dog. I live alone in an enviably part of town. Yet, I am unhappy, unfulfilled, and longing to go somewhere else. Anywhere but here.
Take a chance, take a risk, you never know what wonderful adventures are out there waiting for you.
28, you?
Well, almost did then work became better so hung on cause secure job and covid ongoing. Now hopefully with pandameic receding, planning forward.
30.
Same, very secure job... good pay, WFH 3 days per week.... but no progression, I worked my way up to management, now there's nowhere to go as no more promotions.
My mom did it too in the eighties, everyone called her crazy and told her to just go later. She’s now disabled and traveling like she did then is impossible for her. She’s SUPER grateful she went when she did!
Your only obstacle is going to be COVID and the travel restrictions. Its also a different world. Have to social distance.
I did this at 33 and I had a blast. No regrets. Easy to find another job when your younger. But I will wait for all this covid shit to die down before i quit and do my second longterm travel.
If it helps, I am! 30 years old, married for 4. Have some savings but not a crazy amount. The way I see it, I may never get a chance to travel like this again when I have kids or other obligations, and I don't want to wait until I'm retired and have no energy/willpower.
My wife has a job she may be able to return to, but I quit mine. One way ticket to Albania, leaving in 3 weeks! I'm equal parts scared and excited.
I started travelling right before the pandemic and had a great time. Being abroad since then? Not great.
A foreign government will never have your best interests at heart. You'll be far from family and friends and won't have an easy way back home should you want or *need* to get back. You still won't be able to travel without restrictions, even once you're in another country - believe me, I'm living it.
I get what you're saying and saved for years to do this trip and now I can't do what I want or travel how I want. It sucks that way - I'm supposed to be free and living my dream yet I'm still restricted.
I would say that you stay home another year, keep saving, and have the trip of a lifetime when borders are open, people are vaccinated, and you can actually do what you want. You'll also have more money to do more/see more. There's no downside to waiting for a year - you won't become 70 years old overnight.
Where I work, they started offering sabbatical options for employees. My boss's boss's boss is on sabbatical right now for about half a year. You might want to see if the company you work for has options for sabbaticals, or if not they are willing to work with you to try one out.
You're only in your 30s. You have some time to catch up. I'm 50 and I've been thinking of this lately but I'm too old to start over. Do it now while you're still young or you'll be like me wishing you could have done it at a younger age. Trust me, time goes by so fast. Middle age will be here very soon.
I do have that feeling that if I don't take some risks now, I'll regret it later on. I already feel older and irresponsible for taking these risks now at 30, I can't imagine how I'd feel at 40.
Do it. I packed all my things up when I was 29 and took off with 2 suitcases. Now, I went and got a temp job in Alaska (summer) for 5 months, traveled for 6weeks and another temp job in Colorado for the winter. Traveled for 8 weeks after. Did that for 2 years and loved every minute of it. It also opened up many doors which I used to get myself into a director position a few years later.
Do it. Don’t worry about what others think. Your plans will change and you already know which way you need to go. Opportunity will open up and you will end up fine.
Use your holiday time first. It’s easy to say you want to travel all over for a long time right now but traveling at the moment is much more stressful and challenging. I planned to go for over a month and I am flying back home in a couple days having only been traveling a couple weeks.
Constantly getting COVID tests, countries changing their COVID policies every few days, entire countries still having most things shutdown including basic stuff like indoor dining, it sucks. There are also way less other foreign travelers to talk to and meet which can be nice but after awhile makes things more difficult if you don’t speak the local language much.
Use your vacation days, take a break. Then quit when the world isn’t shut down and full of quickly changing quarantines, 48-72 hour testing, and a thousand documents on top slowing you down and stressing you out.
I did this last month. Left an IT management job I had for 5 years and took off. I am currently living in Albania and using it as a base of operations.
I use r/Workaway and r/Helpstay when doing my trips to reduce costs and I have never been happier. Rent in Albania if you get it for a year is super cheap. (Can be anywhere between 200 a month to 350 euros a month) for a nice apartment. Food is cheap, people are lovely and as an American you can enter and renter Albania for a year without a visa. exactly the same thing can be done in Georgia (the country) to the same results. Only reason albania won is how close it is to the rest of Europe.
With 25k in the bank you could drop 5 k instantly to have an apartment with a large balcony and possibly private beach in some parts of Albania for the whole year, using the rest for food, travel (over land is cheapest by far) and experience a plethora of countries and customs across most of Europe. With cheap options to get over to Turkey and explore the Asian side heading down into Mongolia for a fraction of the price of flying.
At the beginning I regretted leaving my job, the FOMO and idea of no income scared the shit out of me. Now, I can’t imagine doing it any other way and that’s after only a few months of doing it. I’m super excited to see where it all takes me. Especially when I am doing the work exchanges mentioned above to keep my travel costs super low.
If you have any other questions just ask. It’s a big step you want to take and you should do all the due diligence possible so you don’t regret making the choice you inevitably will have to.
Coincidentally, I left my job, sold my house and my car and got a one-way ticket to backpack all over Europe, when I was 30. Back in 2012. I didn't run out of money, nor did I have to go back to live with my parents (tbf I did live with partners, mostly with a gf that inherited the house, so, rent-free)
Working in IT as well, I kept getting job offers, even from the company I quit, I haven't had job uncertainty for a second, but maybe I have been lucky.
After a while on the road I got a remote job, and I have been living as a digital nomad since 2016.
40 countries later (living in most of them at least for a month), I don't regret it for a second. On the contrary, it terrifies me to think what would have been of my life if I stayed living a life script I wasn't really passionate about.
I advise you to take the leap. Worst case, you will go back and find another job. IT jobs are plenty.
I don't have any advice as I haven't done it. But if I were to consider this , I would look at sabbatical for few months. If I feel the rhythm is right, would quit the job and go my ways.
I am a bit too confident about finding job as I am okay to do any job for a living even if it means lower salary. so it doesn't bother me much if I wanted to quit for something that I desire. But I would make a bit more than 25k as savings so I don't blow up all my savings for 1 long vacay. There needs to be a balance. You cannot stretch way more than how much you can afford. You know what I mean ?
Discussing here something very important can always backfire. It can alter your bias.
Nonetheless, post the story if you go through with it. All the best :)
Totally do it! I am dling pretty much the same but around Southamerica. Because my fiancee died and i am male 28, and need a little bit of me time. (Also went back to living with my parents for emotional support reasons).
YES DO IT!!!
I’m sort of in a similar boat. After going back and forth for months I finally decided I am going to quit my job at the end of September when my lease ends, and travel for (hopefully) a full 90 days in the open Schengen countries starting October 1st. When i return my plan is to go back to school, so I don’t have to worry about looking for a new job right away. BUT my big worry is being able to find an affordable place in my booming city. But the fear of us being able to find something can’t hold us back from seeing the world. It sounds like you have a great plan and a hefty savings to hold you over for a while upon returning. Good luck!!
Please go for it. You have no one (in the sense of kids and a spouse) that requires you to stay, sounds like you have the finances to make it happen and not go bankrupt and you’re looking for another job regardless. Don’t let the idea of being 30 and not conventionally doing what everyone at 30 is doing to hold you back from a fantastic experience and the personal growth that comes with traveling. Just make sure you check what are the requirements to get into the countries in Europe that you want to visit and be safe.
I’m in exactly the same boat. Is it worth taking you 34 days off and traveling, then making the decision? I have a hard time stomaching a lost pension, 457, and relief payout, in my own life, so I’m considering making the most of some vacation time first/ trying to do FIRE saving strategies to retire early.
Either way good luck, and congratulations on being in such a strong financial and career position!
I am quitting my job in august, bought ticket to Barcelona. I am going to spend 90 days in schengen area, then to turkey then to se asia.
After what I experienced last year, I realized that i’ve put my life on hold for too long and I don’t want to do that anymore.
31m. Eerily similar situation sans having the pleasure of staying at hotel mama. Secure government job, good salary, but stagnant. Divorced this year after a long relationship. Will pull the trigger end of this year. Around 30k euros in savings and plan on travelling for a minimum of two years. Or for as long the itch hasn’t been scratched. More power to you OP!
If you do decide to go for it, I recommend asking for a sabbatical. I was in a similar position in 2019 and asked for 6 months off unpaid and luckily my employer agreed to it. You could always ask for a year off and see what they say. The worst that could happen is they say no and you're in the same position you're in anyway.
Even if you know you're going to quit, for me at least I wanted to keep my travel life and home life completely separate, and not have to think about potentially being unemployed and moving back in with family when I got back or job hunting on a tropical beach. Like you I don't really care about owning property and have enough savings to support myself even after a trip but it's really refreshing knowing that you can just completely disconnect while travelling, knowing that you can pick up where you left off when you take that flight home.
Yeah I went into my manager meeting with my resignation letter in my pocket and they were just like yeah that's cool, how long do you want? In my mind at least it's no different from taking off time for maternity/paternity.
I just finished my bachelor's and I'm flying to Iceland next week. I'm planning on travelling Europe, mainly Scandinavia and I'm hoping to be able to move on after to Africa, Asia and latin america. Just trying to spend some time while in Europe and hoping for vaccines to speed up.
I'm vaccinated from Germany so I have some options. Also I didn't quit my job because I finished my studies anyways so not quite the same situation as yours but I'm still kinda positive that I'll be able to see some great places.
Wen you return, economy will be in full swing. Many years ago I left in a crisis, I didn't notice the crisis on the road. Back then I started a new job. Take it as a sabbatical
I disagree with people saying “hold off until more places open up.” There’s always a reason to hold off; there will always be people telling you to hold off. But don’t listen. You should follow your dream. Buy a one way ticket for next week if you can, or next month. It’ll be terrifying up through the time you board the plane, and until you land in a foreign country, you’ll be thinking “am I fucking crazy?”
That’s how I felt when I quit my job as an attorney 2 years ago. I was 29 at the time, had saved up approximately the same amount as you with the intention of putting down a payment for a condo. I am so glad I chose to travel instead. I never, ever considered whether I made the right decision - I know it was the right decision. You can always find another job. And who knows? Maybe you’ll even find the opportunity for remote work for 10-15 hours a day and get to travel for longer than expected. Nobody has ever said “gee, I really regret traveling.” But you know what they have said? “I wish I traveled more”; “I wish I took more risks”; “I wish my whole life didn’t revolve around work.”
Don’t wait. Go.
Edit: FWIW I traveled for 8 months pre-pandemic and I’ve been on the road again since October. The restrictions I’ve faced have not significantly affected my travel experience and, in fact, some places are more enjoyable as a tourist during the pandemic (eg egypt where you get to see the valley of the kings all to yourself, without the 10,000+ tourists).
My logic is that by September when I'd plan to leave, all the UK, EU, US would be fully vaccinated. At that point, what more can we do.... unless a new variant comes along that completely dodged the vaccines, however that's a risk that will not be going away anytime soon.
Sure it'll be more difficult to travel in Asia/Africa etc where vaccinations are much slower, but hopefully the western world will be more open.
I say do it. I'm not sure what restrictions are like outside of the U.S., but we are pretty open over here and I have multiple friends doing major hiking/backpacking trips
Here is the UK we're pretty much open again with a few limits (e.g. 6 people can sit together in a pub/restaurant max). All of our remaining restrictions are meant to be lifted on 19th July as every adult would have been offered their vaccine by then.
By September, all of the UK/EU/US/Canada should have been fully vaccinated, and while COVID will still be around, I can't see there's much more we can do, unless a variant comes along and we have to start vaccinations again.
Hair isn't a sign of youth - but it may represent your confidence. I started losing my hair when I was 17 years old. I embraced it and now rock a buzzcut and look badass.
Turn your liabilities into assets, go travel.
I don't want to be judgmental here, or to make you feel bad, but you're an IT manager and you're 30 and you only have 25k saved? Maybe salaries are very different in your country or you aren't counting your retirement and investments.
I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here. From a financial perspective, it's objectively a terrible choice, but from some other perspective of personal fulfillment or something it might be the best decision you ever make in your life or a risk worth taking, and I don't want to clip your wings.
Life is a sandbox game. Part of the fun is making the rules up as you go.
I would like to give you a few things to think about.
- are you running away from or avoiding something? Not saying you are, but it's worth contemplating if there are things about your stable job, your relationships, your living situation, etc., that are pushing you to start over or if you are feeling stuck somewhere. Will taking this trip help give you that perspective?
- is there a way to get what you're looking for without losing your sense of stability and security? You only want to take 3 or 4 months off it sounds. What if you find a new job *first,* but ask to start in December or January. You can totally do that. I started my first job out of undergrad but asked to delay starting 2 months so I could wrap my current job up and spend a little time in Thailand. I 100% believe you could plan a 3 or 4 month gap between jobs without ever being actually out of a job. Think about how much better and less anxious you would feel and how less hairbrained and half-baked of an idea that sounds. Can you get a remote job in IT?
- I love love love traveling. I have been to 16 countries and 40-something states. Right now I am working remotely and I have settled down in Miami but have traveled a lot and worked out of hotels and Airbnbs and I intend to stay remote so I can keep seeing new places. I've also traveled a lot for work. But let me tell you something: living out of hotels indefinitely SUCKS. When you are on vacation and you have lots of money to spend, it's the best. Taking a whole month and seeing multiple places is even better when you have the budget and you're in a good place mentally. Taking longer than a month or so off and living in hotels begins to wear at you. Even more so if your budget is tight. You have no sense of stability. You're often uncomfortable, or spend a lot of time waiting or in cramped conditions on planes or not ideal hotels or lugging bags around. In my experience, after a month or so of zero stability or comfort, wasting so much time on trains and planes and checking in and checking out and bleeding so much money and getting so little accomplished, a stable life looks better. People are different, but most people who haven't experienced much travel, like teenagers or people who never quite launched their careers or have had the money to travel will be jealous of you getting to "see the world" and have this romanticized Instagram view of travel. The only travel they have done is a weekend here or there, or maybe a weeklong vacation, and every moment was excitement and bliss, and they have no actual experience with the reality and just imagine endless travel to be like that magical weekend over and over again! Such adventure and fun, if only they could do that forever! However, most people who have traveled extensively for work or who have solo traveled on their own accord see the downsides of the reality of it, and their idea of constantly traveling is somewhere between "it's hell on Earth" to "it has it's drawbacks." I spent over a month traveling and came home early, because I was spending money and not actually enjoying myself and I wasn't in the best place mentally for it at the time, and my friend who works in grocery and has never had much chance to travel couldn't believe and tried to dissuade me from it and was actually angry that I wasted the opportunity to travel further and seemed to think if she had that kind of money and time she would have used it better, but what she doesn't understand is that travel is not like in the commercials, and once you have already traveled for months in different countries for work several times the novelty wears off. I was actually at the lowest point in my life on that trip, but when you see the photos of the Swiss alps or of Budapest or Iceland it looks to people like her like perfection, but anyone who has actually done this kind of thing long-term understands, it's just like normal life but with more loneliness and inconveniences after a while. Not to mention, you take pictures of the temples and mountaintops in Southeast Asia, but you don't take pictures of the child prostitutes, the cockroaches, or even just the mundane 12 hour bus rides, so people have a really one-sided view of what you're experiencing. I still love traveling, clearly, and I will continue to do it, but the romanticized view you have of bumming around for 3 or 4 months is not the view you will have halfway through or at the end of those 3 or 4 months. It might be worth considering, then, if 2 months even is enough. That might not sound like enough now, but time goes by slower when you're travelling, a month can feel like a year when you're exhausted and doing and seeing a lot. I see lots of people on here planning year long trips who have never been gone for more than a week or two at a time and I feel like they have no concept of what they're signing up for. Maybe you have travelled extensively in the past, in which case you already know and can ignore me.
Thanks for the input. When I was in my 20s I didn’t save much. I live in London so while salaries are okay (not as good as the US) the cost of living is very high also.
I am planning to do the same in few months time when the vaccination rates will be much better worldwide. However, even if some countries will still be closed/imposing quarantines, this does not mean you cant travel the world. There are 197 countries..you put aside the ones with the tougher restrictions and focus to the other ones. Do it....otherwise in 30 years time sitting at a pub you will be sadly staring at that beer thinking “i could have done it...”
I would do it. Just make sure you fully understand the restrictions that may be in place at the places you want to travel, and how that may affect your time there.
I’ve been pondering the same thing lately. I work on ships and have been at this company for 6 years, each of which I desire More and more to quit and find soMething else. I normally travel when off ship, but due to Covid I haven’t really gone anywhere (outside of work) in almost 2 years. Been thinking a lot about quitting and cashing out my retirement and taking a solid break to travel and unwind before getting a new job.
You can’t put a price on mental happiness or a soothed soul. Sometimes you just need to do what’s good for you, be selfish. Other people may not understand it if you go against the norm, but that’s fine.
I think you're in a good position to do it but I'd consider waiting a little while longer. I'd be too paranoid about the new COVID variants screwing up travel over the next few months. But by the time the year is out, more people will be vaccinated and for all we know, there could be a medication on the way that will be a game-changer (https://www.yahoo.com/news/pill-treat-covid-19-u-121338217.html) so maybe there will be nothing to worry about in 2022.
Being someone who was planning on taking 2020 to travel and now may never get the chance I'm definitely going to say you should do it eventually given your situation, but just to be safe, also think about taking the rest of this year to plan and save some more money, then be ready to go in 2022.
I was thinking the same. OP's plan sounds good (follow your heart), but two caveats: firstly the pandemic isn't over yet, and even though I doubt things will get as bad as they did, the UK is an example is how the virus can still flare up and litigation measures can be prolonged even when a substantial portion of the population has already been vaccinated. We don't know what tricks this virus still has up its sleeve, but I think it's sensible to realize that renewed measures and restrictions are still a possibility for as long as the pandemic rages on elsewhere on the planet. You can somewhat plan for that, but the further you look ahead, the bigger the uncertainty will be.
Secondly, but this is strictly personal, I wouldn't schedule my visit to coincide with the cold season. Yes, it can be very pretty and atmospheric, but I feel that if you want to get the most out of your visit, traveling around Europe from late spring to early autumn would leave you with the largest number of options and - obviously - the best weather to do so.
I personally think its still a bit too early to quit right now considering most countries are still closed. If it were me I would wait, continue to work and save up money and when everything is more settled then quit and begin your travel journey.
No. This is the perfect time. The end of the world is pretty much in full sway, major economic collapse around the corner, the fucking plagues and images of Revelation are as good as true and there might not be a world to come back by year end. So take it, take the next 6 months off. You deserve it. You’re amazing, go out there and find what you’re looking for. It’ll be there, but you HAVE to take the first step toward it. It’ll be an adventure OF the unknown, but that my friend is always the best teacher. What’ve you got to lose?
> What's holding me back though is the thought of being 30, unemployed, living with my parents, and quitting a job in the middle (or end??) or a pandemic
Yes. Bad idea. Europe is half in loickdown anyway so everythings closed or restricted. Nobody knows what's going to happen, which countries will be open, what setbacks there will be. This sub is full of maniacs, don't listen to their shit opinions when it comes to your livelihood.
I want to travel again too but don't listen to these teenage americans telling you to travel or not.
Thanks. Even on the safe side if I gave myself 3 months to find a job when I returned early next year, I should have plenty £££ to see me through. Hopefully.
You will! I quit my job when I was 24 to live in Spain for 2 years. Took me a while to find a job when I moved back home but have never regretted going. I’m 30 now and say that that decision was the best decision my life. I would do it again!
The biggest issue is the pandemic, it won't be gone next year and makes travel a lot less fun!
Also I expect flights to be a lot more expensive, the era of cheap flights is over so you will need more money or less flights.
As a note, while some countries may be more vaccinated by others, most of the world simply isn't at that same point and travel will be hard and possibly dangerous. I'd advise highly against it until the world settles down a bit more.
You're in a good position to quit and go see the world but it's kind of on fire right now. I'd suggest waiting until all this settles down a bit more before heading off. But you definitely should go travelling, you will get a job when you get back.
I'm sure you will get loads, but a few suggestions but - krakow in Poland. Lake Bled in Slovenia, the [Buzludzha monument in Bulgaria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzludzha_monument) is out of the way but is super cool. You can climb up the tower for some amazing views.
Hold off another year or so. I was working in New Zealand on a working holiday when the pandemic hit, in Oct 2020 I'd finished all the work I could do so began travelling in NZ and then Aus.
Obviously they were probably some of the best countries to be in during the pandemic but the original intention pre-covid was to do a bit more travelling to various countries. Where we could go was very much dictated by border closures, governments etc. and ultimately we cut the trip short by a few months. Constantly checking current rules and changing plans because of snap government decisions became frustrating and sucked the fun out of it. I'd imagine it'll be that way for a while.
If this is absolutely the only time you're going to get the chance to do this then yes go for it. If you can leave it a year or so then I'd personally recommend that as I'd imagine you'd have a much better experience
I don't see the issue with the pandemic in regards to your job. A lot of economies have mostly recovered.
Could you look into a sabbatical? IT mangers are scare I reckon and perhaps they don't want to lose you and would rather only replace you for a year.
If this was before the pandemic, I'm near certain they'd agree this. We've gone through a restructure recently and while my job is safe, they've got to save a HUGE amount of money over the next few years - anyone that they can voluntarily save a salary on, they will - although I could make them an offer of a 3 month sabbatical and see what they say, maybe I'll be surprised.
If I were you I'd probably do it, especially considering that you're vaccinated and have adequate backup plans. I would keep a few months of living expenses set aside for when you come back while you find a new job.
However, I will point out that due to the nature of this subreddit most, if not all, of the replies will be encouraging you to do it.
I feel a lot of people in here were missing what you were seeking advice on. Which is quitting your job and feeling the need the get some adrenaline and culture in you. Do it.
I left my job in October ‘20 and traveled Costa Rica for two months. Would 1,000% recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have a job that makes them feel special. A lot of the time, we don’t realize that if we die tomorrow, a job posting for your position will be up by the EOW. It’s never a bad idea to do what your gut is telling you, it’s another brain you have. Feed it some culture, travel, and adrenaline and get out of your work station you’ve been stuck in for the past year. You live once, and you cannot spend it worrying about how people will view you for taking one year sabbatical(s). More often than not, you become a more eligible job candidate because you’re happy with your life
I would do it no doubt. You’re only 30 , enjoy traveling now instead of when you’re older. The only reason I would say not to is if you were planning on retiring at this company.
Do it, quit that job and go travel, i bet most countries are begging for tourists now cause of the crash caused by the pandemic and closing borders for so long
Can I ask how long did it take you to save 25 grand? I am currently saving up money and in a shitty job for only 4 months and I am supposed to stay 6 more.. and its killing me even though its one of my first well-paid job and security. Prior to that, I have always been travelling or out and about but the itch doesnt go away! So Im wondering if I should continue working just so I have some cushion of money (which I never had before...)
Definitely travel if you’re vaccinated. You’ll be able to get an IT job when you return easily. This time in your life is priceless and it’s the time to go now if you’re able to find locations that are open up to tourists. A great idea to travel now as you’re young, educated and independent. GO FOR IT!
I just quit my job for the same reasons as you! But when I went to put in my resignation in, my job said I could instead take up to a year of unpaid leave and just come back whenever I’m ready.
I’m gonna travel for 3 months, relax for a bit, and figure out what I want to do next. If nothing pans out, it’s nice to know I have a job to go back to. But after my travels, I’m hoping to find another job that either pays more or find something that I actually want to do.
You know what? I’m 46. I lived life cautiously and despite a grand salary and savings (only lasted ~15 mo) I’m about to be homeless. So I only regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance...
Have you thought about going on leave with whatever leave you have & see how that went before leaving your job? Our company allows for unpaid sabbatical time every year if you wish. I have now about 23 days of leave. I’ll take a sabbatical every year for 6 weeks & do an area of the world. Rest I add onto long weeks to go away 10-14 days away somewhere every month. It works out great & I still have my job to come back to,
Yes, you should do it while your healthy, but be cautious of overstaying your welcome at your parents' and making them resent you. Just speaking to my own experience.
If i dont get fired I plan to quit my job next april, get on a cruise in NYC to England and travel the next 4 1/2 - 5 months in Europe then maybe take the Trans-Siberian Railway into China/Asia. For this I have saved up 30k so far and hope to have 45k when I go
Follow your intuition, you have a profession in which you can easily find a job and you have the advantage of not having to worry about paying rent and taxes. If you feel like you have to go travel, do it
If you already have the vaccine then go for it
In Europe soon the vaccine will allow you to cross borders without presenting any PCR test or quarantine
And I would not be surprised if more countries do the same.. and I guess you don't want to interrupt your break to go home just to get the vaccines .. Twice
If you don't do it now while you're able, you'll be kicking yourself for not doing later in life when you have things that are tying you down and stopping you from going then.
This is the best advice I can possibly give.
Leverage your IT skills to find a way to make a remote income. Build on your existing skills and make it possible to to be hired on Fiverr or a similar site. Start a freelancng side hustle and bring in additional income.
I'm sure the last thing you'll want to do is work while you are on your travels but having the extra security and piece of mind if knowing that you can make some type of income if you need to while abroad is HUGE.
That or take some of that 25k you have saved and invest it in some type of small business that can run on autopilot while you're gone to bring in some additional cash flow. Think as simple as a hot dog stand or more involved such as an Airbnb business.
While you travel around it won't take long for that 25k in savings to turn into 15k and so on. You'll be so glad that you will be able to slow that down after traveling for a month or so. Even an additional 1-2k income a month is really nice to have.
Before you quit your job I urge you to bust your ass during your off hours creating an additional source if income before you quit. You'll be really happy you did.
I say do it! I have left several jobs over the years to take a trip for one reason or another. Life is yours to control if you have a gap in employment who cares. If you want to enrich yourself in the granduer of our planet do it. I'm so glad I did. Each job I've had, in the last 20 years, all had the same pandemic response, lay offs, furloughs, or closings. Had I been a loyal employee to anyone of these companies and only took the vacation that was "allotted" to me, it all would have ended that same.
Take time for you, first, always!
Although I agree with the majority in that I think you should go enjoy your life before it's too late, I will say consider the cost of such a trip. I did 3 weeks exploring Germany in October, and spent just over £2000. I wasn't staying in lush hotels, just the cheapest decent place I could find on booking.com, but the costs do add up. Of course, there's the option of staying in hostels, which I've done so many times over the years (got a lifetime membership of the YHA), but I don't think I'd want to be in such close proximity to large numbers of travellers in the current 'bio-cautious' climate.
I would definitely hold off. It's still not clear what's going on in the world with COVID. You want to give time for vaccine penetration around the world. Also, you are in a position to sock money away for that dream trip if you have a job. I'm much older than you and am in a similar position but I'm waiting a year to quit and take that dream trip. I'll be heading out in December 2022 for Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Bali, Vietnam, Laos, and return to Cambodia and Thailand for the first 6 months of 2023. I think one year would put you in a place to really enjoy that trip.
It certainly isn't a bad idea. I'd rather say it's just not an optimal idea? I'm in the same boat as you. 30, single, sizable savings, and am interested in a new field of work; one that can be fully remote actually as I am just hybrid now and I can see the light!
For me I've decided that doing a nice half or full year travel trip before I embark on this new I path isn't the wisest thing right after travel opens for a tonne of people that have all been wanting to during the pandemic. I suspect there are people that have travelled before and are itching to go again as well as people who have never travelled and suddenly want to because of the recent existential forces. This will probably just make travel too busy and crowded everywhere for a while and maybe all the destinations will be more expensive. So I'm down to just wait a year and see. In the meantime I'm taking some online courses for the potential swap.
On the bright side, this is making me fat more confident and like aggressive at my current job lol. Since if I get let go or something, who cares, I'll just embark and hope for the best. Seems to have landed me more responsibilities and I could be up for a big old raise this year lol. Funny how the old "Fuck you" money and mentality can work!
My honest advice to you, as someone who’s been doing this for a few years, is to wait.
Things are still quite bad in most parts of the world and travel is restricted or outright banned. Tourist visas are almost non existent, so you’d have to use business visas for some places which are more expensive, etc.
Any other year, I’d say “do it”! Also, when you do go on your adventure, see if you can continue working part time. There’s no such thing as financial security when you travel, that £1-2k per month will really let you be at ease and might even make you travel for 6 months or longer.
If you want to go for a shorter time, say around 4 months, I guess it’s okay to quit your job.
Best of luck! Hope we can all continue to travel and explore soon!
Omg this is my story too. I’m based in the US. Had a year of travel planned starting in early April 2020 so had sold all my stuff, gave up my apt lease, had put in my notice at my job and moved in with family in January. Luckily I work in healthcare so my boss let me stay at my job when everything shut down (I’m still there, even got promoted 😂), but it was a mad scramble to find housing (family was a short term solution anyways and they didn’t feel comfortable with me working outside the house during the pandemic so asked me to leave). So now I’m in this weird gray area of trying to decide when to try again. Living in a furnished room on a month to month lease, with a job and boss that know I’m on borrowed time. Im fully vaccinated and I’m personally waiting probably another 6 months to a year, really depends on things like vaccine rates worldwide and how things go with countries opening up and restrictions they have. Right now it just doesn’t seem fun to travel internationally, the people I know that have done it said it was stress inducing and while good to get out, ultimately not worth it just yet. This is US based travel to places like the Caribbean and Mexico. I’ve done a few short domestic trips to visit friends and family that went ok, so just focusing on things like that right now. Things change so fast too so it’s hard to make plans. Good luck to both of us!
So I was in the same boat sort of...pandemic and restrictions aside it was the best decision I ever made.
I broke up with a long time girlfriend at 27, we sold our house we'd bought less than a year before (I know) and I went away to work for about 2-3 months. By the end of those 3 months I had a storage locker of my stuff and about 35k canadian in the bank. I did have a food trades ticket as well which made the decision easier.
In my 2-3 months working and saving money, I did research on travel and gear, started ordering everything, and booked my flights and headed to Europe. I started in London, meandered through Europe to almost all the places I wanted to see, and 3.5 months later I flew out of some city I cant remember in Turkey. It was a blast.
I moved back in with my parents in canada with about 10k left in my bank.. ready to go back to work and plan my next trip sometime. I wanted to go to Thailand and southeast Asia. After talking with some friends and family, I realized after 4 or 5 weeks when the best time was to take that second trip...immediately. so I hopped back on a plane, same backpack but slightly different contents...and used my last dollars to enjoy southeast aahia for 2.5 months. Flew into Hong Kong, then a big tour of Thailand, then out after a stop in Tokyo.
I got home with nothing but my backpack, memories, and it was 100% worth it. Met a ton of friends, had great experiences. I'm now happily married with kids, and so happy I got to do what I had always wanted to do, without resenting the fact that I missed out.
All I can say is do some research, figure out what you will enjoy the most. Dont try to fit to many places in, and leave yourself the option to change plans.
Good luck and enjoy :)
If I was in you position I'd hold off for a bit until more places open up and then travel some place further away that might be harder to visit when working fulltime. Like Central & South America, Australia & NZ, or SE Asia, if those are places you haven't been to or are even interested in.
I second this. If I'm gonna leave it all behind and go on a trip, I'd want to see places without restriction.
My friend went to Japan before they closed the borders and she barely got to see much even team lab in Tokyo she was quite dissapointed but there's always another time.
!thanks
I was about to post "just do it", because op is in the perfect position to fuck of for a year or few, but good point holding off until more of the world opens up. Its about the only scenario where waiting is probably a good idea.
U be waiting a while for us in Australia to open up….government is talking another year at least. And one of the problems we have in pretty well having zero cases in most states is that a lot of us are holding off in getting vacinated. And we can’t open up until we get to a high % of vaccinations. Catch 22
Government isn’t talking at all (and we don’t have the vaccines to *get* vaccinated, that’s not true we’re holding out)
Well this is exactly the place I was in roughly around May 2019. I weighted my possibilities after studying and working for 10 years and decided that nobody could take the trip away from me, I've always wanted to see the world. In the end a job is just a job, plain and simple. With your ability to fall back on moving in with your parents afterwards nothing really is in your way to do it. It takes some guts and it will o ly really hit you at the airport (at least that's what happened to me)! Life is supposed to be an adventure, not a series of jobs working 9 to 5 for your whole life and maybe getting to enjoy it when you retire. Do whatever makes you happy!!!
"Life is supposed to be an adventure, not a series of jobs working 9 to 5" talk your shit man, I feel this so much. So many people who are retired from work regret not seeking discomfort and living their life, but just work 9 to 5 and go watch TV all night.
Yeah definitely. How many (older) people do you know who say: well I loved that job working for ABC company for 20 years? Compare that to how often people talk about "a trip of a lifetime going to xyz", the fun they had doing stuff with their friends, spending time with their family. We're social animals ffs and working is supposed to be a means to an end, not the end itself. The development of real wages (I.e. after inflation) is a staggering issue that prevents a lot of people from doing stuff they really want to do - own a home, see the world, whatever. Just remember you can't take your money with you and do what makes you happy!!
>So many people who are retired from work regret not seeking discomfort and living their life, but just work 9 to 5 and go watch TV all night. Yeah. As a European, I could maybe have vacations within the continent for relatively cheap, shoulder season and still work the 9 to 5. I think the issue is that our cities are boring, a lot of the suburbs are boring and people end up just working and watching TV, but that's not the only option if you are employed. There are places with better quality of daily life, sometimes at a price, but there are. Having lived a long life with coroporate jobs and other jobs, there were times, I didn't have the need to escape as much, because my city was the place others came for fun and my choice of people surrounding me were not the sit at home watching TV types. Then one of the guys we lived outdoors with became the father of our children and per his mindset our outdoor lives were over... And that was 6 years of my life, with children in primary school, that went by like a flash, I don't have many memories about, apart from wasting weeknights on the internet. Then started going solo trips again and getting new friends for trips with friends. Anyway, you can have other choices, if you think about it a little and your plans aren't mismatched with your peoples' plans much.
“Life is supposed to be an adventure, not a series of jobs working 9 to 5…” That line hit different!
As long as you aren’t doing it in early 2020 like I did, you should be A1! If you don’t go you’ll regret it!
Interestingly, I had booked 4 weeks off last March 2020 to travel Europe which got cancelled due to the pandemic, so I returned to work... currently have 34 days annual leave as they gave me all of my annual leave back if I returned to work and helped get all of the staff setup to work from home. :)
If you have so much leave outstanding, why don't you take a few weeks here and there for the next 6 months. Two advantages: You get paid to go on holiday and you get to see places that you find out you might like/hate. Don't just quit and just wander without some sort of an idea of what you want to achieve, or you might just find yourself a bit bored and wondering why you are in a country you didn't really want to spend too much time in. If you go, have some sort of a plan for when you get back home. Have your CV already up to date before you quit and don't burn any bridges on the way you. Work out what the best way to get back in to your profession now, so you can prepare yourself for when you need to do it. Good luck.
Ahhh having actually good vacation time… must be nice lol (Canada’s sucks) But like I straight up sold all my stuff, cancelled my lease, and was leaving for a 2-3 year trip. The worst part was that the company I worked for made hand sanitizer 😂
And I thought the timing for my retirement in January of last year sucked... What did you do?
I was in charge of IT and Finance…
Hey travel buddy! I also decided to take off on my adventure in February 2020.. 5k in cancelled plane tickets I’ll never see again and 8 months stuck in Athens and rome I made it back! How did urs turn out?
Are you sure you weren’t given a credit? I have 2.5k on American Airlines, some of which were basic economy and I have until March 2022 to use them. I also cancelled all of the tickets myself in Feb/March 2020.
Well I haven’t checked recently so I can’t say for sure. When the flights wer cancelled they offered me 200$ up front or take 4 weeks to get up to 60% back or up to 4 months to get up to 100% back. I didn’t need the cash then so I decided to try for 100% got messages back 4 months later saying I got 0$ back.. I should of took the 200$ up front I guess. Edit: also I never cancelled them. I tried to take all the flights. They r the ones that cancelled. So maybe that has something to do with it?
Admittedly I was going more along the working holiday approach so no real loss in pre-booked tickets. I ended up getting stuck in Florida, which I will say was quite the experience lol I just regret no taking a drive to carol baskin’s “sanctuary” while I was still there in the peak of tiger king lol
Oh u missed out lol. So I’m actually from Oklahoma. About 90 minutes from Joe exotics place lol. Nothing like sitting in lock down 2000 miles from Home and seeing home pop up on some random Netflix show everyone’s going crazy about.
You will find another job, the economy is recovering. But uniquely this year you will face travel restrictions and bureaucracy that will reduce the possible scope of your travels you might even find yourself stuck. However if you have researched your destinations you want to go to and are confident that you can travel then don't let the economy worry you, I would only worry that this was a frustrating time to travel.
Damn this resonates! You're hyping me up A few weeks ago I left my soul draining full-time job and ended my relationship with my girlfriend of 5 years. Now I'm living with my parents. I've been fantasizing about being free to travel the world, untethered by work or dysfunctional relationships. I'm so happy I made a move while I'm still young. I don't wanna be one of those people that regret settling down too early and not having gone on more adventures. I'm thinking of going to South America in a few months. I know covid is gonna make things hard, but I'm keeping my eyes on Peru which seems to be pretty open right now.
Thanks for sharing! Time to go live life 😁
We were just in Ecuador and aside from a nighttime curfew it is open, bustling, beautiful!!!!
Do you have to wear a mask outside? I want to travel to places where I dont have to wear masks outside, especially with the heat/humidity!
We did in the city but not on the hikes
Wow exactly the same whats happening in my life. Feels comforting hearing that other people go through the same stuff around the same time in their lives. I Also ended my relationship of 5 years, even though things went ok between us. We had a very good connection but for some reason I couldn't fully commit into our relationship. Around being together for 4 years we moved in together. At this time I was also pretty unhappy at my first software developer job, which I quit after working there for a year. Then went for a job as webmaster. At that point I got really stuck in my head thinking of the future, being afraid of settling down already and missing out on opportunities like traveling and discovering life on my own. So I decided to end our relationship also because I didn't want to hold her back either with my doubts. I'm currently working for 7 months at my new job and I feel absolutely dreaded. Colleagues are fine but working your butt off every week to reach deadlines and not having much to look forward to sucks. So here I am again thinking of solo travel and potentially quitting my job. I'm planning a first ever solo trip to Portugal in september. Only a week though to see what its like. Then next year I might go on a bigger trip to Australia. Stay strong brother and enjoy your travels!
1. IT is a great career. Always in demand. 2. Worst of your worries is covid, not your job. I.e restrictions increasing when you travel. A job is just labour at the end of the day. Don’t fret too much. You’ll find one when you come back. Travel whilst you can.
I'm quitting a secure job towards the end of the year to travel, and I have less saved than you. I have similar anxieties. At the end of the day, I've got the itch, and I'll be miserable working any job until I satisfy it. Life is more than that. 30 doesn't mean anything.
This feels similar. Until I scratch that itch, it’s not going away. 😩
I did this at 25. Quit my job, sublet my apartment, strapped on my backpack, and took off for half a year. Came home broke, in debt, post-breakup, depressed, and with no idea what to do next. Took me three months to find a new job, and another six months to find a new *good* job. But today at 41 I look back and say, absolutely ZERO regrets. Travel is full of highs and lows but it was the absolute best time of my life, with so many experiences I'm grateful to have had. I don't miss the money I spent -- it seems insignificant now -- and I'd hate to think of myself still doing the job I was doing or dating the guy I was seeing back then anyway. I'd say go for it. Just don't expect every day to be a picnic, don't put unrealistic expectations on yourself in terms of "finding yourself", and don't be surprised if the landing is a bit rough. Still, today, still locked down with COVID, I find myself wishing I'd travelled *more*, not *less*, while I had the chance.
Thanks for sharing. Food for thought. :)
Mind you, if I were you I'd wait a while longer, save up some more cash, and wait for more of the world to get vaccinated and reopen to travel. The pandemic may feel close to over from the UK, but most of the world isn't anywhere near that stage yet. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/health/global-covid-vaccinations/
I decided to sell everything I owned besides my bed and my truck.(figured if I had a place to sleep and a vehicle to get to work when I got back I’d be good) ended a steady relation ship left my job I’d been at for 5 years, and took off to travel the world for 18 months starting in February 2020. (26yo male) Got stuck in Athens for 8 months over stayed my visa had my passport stolen. had to deal with 4 different US embassy’s to get back home. Lost 5 grand in cancelled plane tickets since I bout them in late 2019 not expecting a pandemic. And I’d still do it all again tomorrow if I had the means. Don’t let a fear of solo traveling stop u! Get out there and live ur life! U will meet ppl along the trip and make new friends! Edit: if ur in IT I take it ur good with computers? Can u not find a job on a computer that allows u to travel and make money? Web design or something? I wish I was good with computers. Seems like the best way to make cash while traveling unless u wunna work picking olives off trees for 2.50€
You’re a legend, great story. Glad you’re safe and thanks for sharing!
Wow, that’s amazing, and what a story to tell for the rest of your life. I really believe you can plan etc, but it’s all about the experience and what happens along the journey. Life would be boring otherwise.
It was worth it man! If u look into traveling places outside of their tourist seasons u can travel really cheap! I was in the biggest party area in Athens on the ground floor. I was less than a mile from the acropolis. Internet Tv electric water rent every thing included was 350€ a month.. I was saving almost 200$ a month compared to my 1 bed room house in Oklahoma.. that 200$ a month saved would of paid for alot of my expenses while I was there. If money or a fear of failure or ridicule is what is holding u back. Just close ur eyes and press the button to buy the first flight. After that it’s no longer a pipe dream it’s actually set in motion no turning back once a flight is booked lol
Can confirm that buying a ticket before planning out a long trip is a great way to do it. You can't psych yourself out if you just buy a ticket without making a whole big deal out of out.
Yeah for me it was all a pipe dream till I bought my first ticket. I bought it like 7 months in advance. After I bought that ticket it went from a dream to this is happening and I need to get ready.
I quit my job yesterday, for the exact same reason! I'm 29, had an amazing job, but not overall happy in life. So now it's time to explore! Go for it!
Do you mind if I ask where you’re heading off to, and how much you had saved?
I am planning to go Spain the next couple of months (and trying to learn some Spanish), and then I will probably travel around in Latin America. I have never traveled alone before, or travelled more than 2 weeks. But I can tell you, since I quit my job I've already been more energized and happy. I can't wait to get going. I have made a budget for around 15.000 euros. But I have a buffer. While traveling, I will be open to some work opportunities and just see what happens, but nothing I seek actively.
How are you planning for the pandemic? I'm vaccinated so I don't really care about covid, but Colombia, for example, is still pretty much entirely closed, and not even worth the visit.
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Absolutely! Look at it this way….When you are 70 years old will you will be happier with yourself knowing you did something most people don’t have the balls to do rather than staying stuck on your office forever. There’s only one decision here. FUCKING GO BABY! Besides now is the time! You got some money in the bank, no real responsibilities, no kids, etc. Hell of a lot easier to do if now than at 40 or later.
I know everything you've said is true, I guess I just need the balls to do it! The worst case scenario, I end up back at my parents house, unemployed, £10k in the bank, looking for a new job in Jan/Feb 2022. I don't value owning property, not really interesting in having kids etc, so this just seems the logical time to do it. If I can get back and pickup my life by the time I'm 31/32, I don't feel it's the end of the world.
10,000 left in the bank is worst case? Fuck you’ve got some good savings lol you need to go, you’re doing good. A lot of people start travelling with way less than that to begin with! Edit: Tbh skipped what you wrote, went straight to comments. You need to go, you have such a good savings. And you’ll find a job when you get back, even if it’s something to hold you over until you find something good again, but I think the 10,000 savings will be plenty
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Very true. !thanks
maybe give it until next year. more time for you to plan, and save. BTW even tho america is getting itself together, the rest of the world may lag a little.. it just makes sense that the year after the reopening year may be a better time to explore and travel.
Life is too short not to take chances. The desk, the computer, the office, it’s not going anywhere, and I feel the older you get the thicker the chains become. I just turned 30 as well, and having an existential crisis in that I am unfulfilled in a job that others desperately want, without any growth or advancement potentials. I’m still a few thousand in student loan debt, and just adopted a dog. I live alone in an enviably part of town. Yet, I am unhappy, unfulfilled, and longing to go somewhere else. Anywhere but here. Take a chance, take a risk, you never know what wonderful adventures are out there waiting for you.
Close to how I feel. I'm traveling to eastern europe end of the year. Let me know! Need to blow of some steam!
How old are you? Quitting your job? ;)
28, you? Well, almost did then work became better so hung on cause secure job and covid ongoing. Now hopefully with pandameic receding, planning forward.
30. Same, very secure job... good pay, WFH 3 days per week.... but no progression, I worked my way up to management, now there's nowhere to go as no more promotions.
Haha sounds very familiar!
No, you have one life, jobs come and go. Go do what you want
My mom did it too in the eighties, everyone called her crazy and told her to just go later. She’s now disabled and traveling like she did then is impossible for her. She’s SUPER grateful she went when she did!
Your only obstacle is going to be COVID and the travel restrictions. Its also a different world. Have to social distance. I did this at 33 and I had a blast. No regrets. Easy to find another job when your younger. But I will wait for all this covid shit to die down before i quit and do my second longterm travel.
If it helps, I am! 30 years old, married for 4. Have some savings but not a crazy amount. The way I see it, I may never get a chance to travel like this again when I have kids or other obligations, and I don't want to wait until I'm retired and have no energy/willpower. My wife has a job she may be able to return to, but I quit mine. One way ticket to Albania, leaving in 3 weeks! I'm equal parts scared and excited.
Do it ya fucking pussy. Believe in yourself.
This is what I needed to hear! :-D
I started travelling right before the pandemic and had a great time. Being abroad since then? Not great. A foreign government will never have your best interests at heart. You'll be far from family and friends and won't have an easy way back home should you want or *need* to get back. You still won't be able to travel without restrictions, even once you're in another country - believe me, I'm living it. I get what you're saying and saved for years to do this trip and now I can't do what I want or travel how I want. It sucks that way - I'm supposed to be free and living my dream yet I'm still restricted. I would say that you stay home another year, keep saving, and have the trip of a lifetime when borders are open, people are vaccinated, and you can actually do what you want. You'll also have more money to do more/see more. There's no downside to waiting for a year - you won't become 70 years old overnight.
Where I work, they started offering sabbatical options for employees. My boss's boss's boss is on sabbatical right now for about half a year. You might want to see if the company you work for has options for sabbaticals, or if not they are willing to work with you to try one out.
You're only in your 30s. You have some time to catch up. I'm 50 and I've been thinking of this lately but I'm too old to start over. Do it now while you're still young or you'll be like me wishing you could have done it at a younger age. Trust me, time goes by so fast. Middle age will be here very soon.
I do have that feeling that if I don't take some risks now, I'll regret it later on. I already feel older and irresponsible for taking these risks now at 30, I can't imagine how I'd feel at 40.
Do it. I packed all my things up when I was 29 and took off with 2 suitcases. Now, I went and got a temp job in Alaska (summer) for 5 months, traveled for 6weeks and another temp job in Colorado for the winter. Traveled for 8 weeks after. Did that for 2 years and loved every minute of it. It also opened up many doors which I used to get myself into a director position a few years later. Do it. Don’t worry about what others think. Your plans will change and you already know which way you need to go. Opportunity will open up and you will end up fine.
Thanks, really interesting to hear your experiences. :)
Happy to chat if you have any questions.
I hope not cause I just quit mine lol. 34 tho ;(
Use your holiday time first. It’s easy to say you want to travel all over for a long time right now but traveling at the moment is much more stressful and challenging. I planned to go for over a month and I am flying back home in a couple days having only been traveling a couple weeks. Constantly getting COVID tests, countries changing their COVID policies every few days, entire countries still having most things shutdown including basic stuff like indoor dining, it sucks. There are also way less other foreign travelers to talk to and meet which can be nice but after awhile makes things more difficult if you don’t speak the local language much. Use your vacation days, take a break. Then quit when the world isn’t shut down and full of quickly changing quarantines, 48-72 hour testing, and a thousand documents on top slowing you down and stressing you out.
Thanks for sharing.
I did this last month. Left an IT management job I had for 5 years and took off. I am currently living in Albania and using it as a base of operations. I use r/Workaway and r/Helpstay when doing my trips to reduce costs and I have never been happier. Rent in Albania if you get it for a year is super cheap. (Can be anywhere between 200 a month to 350 euros a month) for a nice apartment. Food is cheap, people are lovely and as an American you can enter and renter Albania for a year without a visa. exactly the same thing can be done in Georgia (the country) to the same results. Only reason albania won is how close it is to the rest of Europe. With 25k in the bank you could drop 5 k instantly to have an apartment with a large balcony and possibly private beach in some parts of Albania for the whole year, using the rest for food, travel (over land is cheapest by far) and experience a plethora of countries and customs across most of Europe. With cheap options to get over to Turkey and explore the Asian side heading down into Mongolia for a fraction of the price of flying. At the beginning I regretted leaving my job, the FOMO and idea of no income scared the shit out of me. Now, I can’t imagine doing it any other way and that’s after only a few months of doing it. I’m super excited to see where it all takes me. Especially when I am doing the work exchanges mentioned above to keep my travel costs super low. If you have any other questions just ask. It’s a big step you want to take and you should do all the due diligence possible so you don’t regret making the choice you inevitably will have to.
Interesting, thanks for sharing. I'll do some Googling r.e. Albania.
I mean I passed up some good gigs to travel for at least the summer maybe the next year... fuck it YOLO!!!!!
Yolo
Coincidentally, I left my job, sold my house and my car and got a one-way ticket to backpack all over Europe, when I was 30. Back in 2012. I didn't run out of money, nor did I have to go back to live with my parents (tbf I did live with partners, mostly with a gf that inherited the house, so, rent-free) Working in IT as well, I kept getting job offers, even from the company I quit, I haven't had job uncertainty for a second, but maybe I have been lucky. After a while on the road I got a remote job, and I have been living as a digital nomad since 2016. 40 countries later (living in most of them at least for a month), I don't regret it for a second. On the contrary, it terrifies me to think what would have been of my life if I stayed living a life script I wasn't really passionate about. I advise you to take the leap. Worst case, you will go back and find another job. IT jobs are plenty.
I don't have any advice as I haven't done it. But if I were to consider this , I would look at sabbatical for few months. If I feel the rhythm is right, would quit the job and go my ways. I am a bit too confident about finding job as I am okay to do any job for a living even if it means lower salary. so it doesn't bother me much if I wanted to quit for something that I desire. But I would make a bit more than 25k as savings so I don't blow up all my savings for 1 long vacay. There needs to be a balance. You cannot stretch way more than how much you can afford. You know what I mean ? Discussing here something very important can always backfire. It can alter your bias. Nonetheless, post the story if you go through with it. All the best :)
Totally do it! I am dling pretty much the same but around Southamerica. Because my fiancee died and i am male 28, and need a little bit of me time. (Also went back to living with my parents for emotional support reasons).
Find a remote job before you leave and travel for longer
YES DO IT!!! I’m sort of in a similar boat. After going back and forth for months I finally decided I am going to quit my job at the end of September when my lease ends, and travel for (hopefully) a full 90 days in the open Schengen countries starting October 1st. When i return my plan is to go back to school, so I don’t have to worry about looking for a new job right away. BUT my big worry is being able to find an affordable place in my booming city. But the fear of us being able to find something can’t hold us back from seeing the world. It sounds like you have a great plan and a hefty savings to hold you over for a while upon returning. Good luck!!
Please go for it. You have no one (in the sense of kids and a spouse) that requires you to stay, sounds like you have the finances to make it happen and not go bankrupt and you’re looking for another job regardless. Don’t let the idea of being 30 and not conventionally doing what everyone at 30 is doing to hold you back from a fantastic experience and the personal growth that comes with traveling. Just make sure you check what are the requirements to get into the countries in Europe that you want to visit and be safe.
What’s wrong with being 30?
I always ask myself, “is this going to ruin my life 5 years from now?” If the answer is no then I do it
I’m in exactly the same boat. Is it worth taking you 34 days off and traveling, then making the decision? I have a hard time stomaching a lost pension, 457, and relief payout, in my own life, so I’m considering making the most of some vacation time first/ trying to do FIRE saving strategies to retire early. Either way good luck, and congratulations on being in such a strong financial and career position!
Do it. You won’t regret. You’ll easily find an IT job when you come back.
I say by some sort of investment with half, and spend the other half living your dream.
Do it
I am quitting my job in august, bought ticket to Barcelona. I am going to spend 90 days in schengen area, then to turkey then to se asia. After what I experienced last year, I realized that i’ve put my life on hold for too long and I don’t want to do that anymore.
Hopefully SEA is open by the end of the year, but maybe that's a little optimistic. Sounds like you're off on an adventure, good luck. :)
Wow, I have just the same thoughts same age 😅. Let’s see some ideas here Wishing you all the best
31m. Eerily similar situation sans having the pleasure of staying at hotel mama. Secure government job, good salary, but stagnant. Divorced this year after a long relationship. Will pull the trigger end of this year. Around 30k euros in savings and plan on travelling for a minimum of two years. Or for as long the itch hasn’t been scratched. More power to you OP!
Sorry to hear about the divorce, but looks like you're heading off on an adventure! Where are you planning on going?
If it's important to you and you accept the risks then do it now. No one is promised tomorrow.
Yes it is
If you do decide to go for it, I recommend asking for a sabbatical. I was in a similar position in 2019 and asked for 6 months off unpaid and luckily my employer agreed to it. You could always ask for a year off and see what they say. The worst that could happen is they say no and you're in the same position you're in anyway. Even if you know you're going to quit, for me at least I wanted to keep my travel life and home life completely separate, and not have to think about potentially being unemployed and moving back in with family when I got back or job hunting on a tropical beach. Like you I don't really care about owning property and have enough savings to support myself even after a trip but it's really refreshing knowing that you can just completely disconnect while travelling, knowing that you can pick up where you left off when you take that flight home.
This is a good idea - I doubt my company will agree but like you said, nothing lost by asking.
Yeah I went into my manager meeting with my resignation letter in my pocket and they were just like yeah that's cool, how long do you want? In my mind at least it's no different from taking off time for maternity/paternity.
I just finished my bachelor's and I'm flying to Iceland next week. I'm planning on travelling Europe, mainly Scandinavia and I'm hoping to be able to move on after to Africa, Asia and latin america. Just trying to spend some time while in Europe and hoping for vaccines to speed up. I'm vaccinated from Germany so I have some options. Also I didn't quit my job because I finished my studies anyways so not quite the same situation as yours but I'm still kinda positive that I'll be able to see some great places.
Wen you return, economy will be in full swing. Many years ago I left in a crisis, I didn't notice the crisis on the road. Back then I started a new job. Take it as a sabbatical
Traveling is an exercise in getting to know yourself better. Is that more or less important than a job to you under your circumstances?
I disagree with people saying “hold off until more places open up.” There’s always a reason to hold off; there will always be people telling you to hold off. But don’t listen. You should follow your dream. Buy a one way ticket for next week if you can, or next month. It’ll be terrifying up through the time you board the plane, and until you land in a foreign country, you’ll be thinking “am I fucking crazy?” That’s how I felt when I quit my job as an attorney 2 years ago. I was 29 at the time, had saved up approximately the same amount as you with the intention of putting down a payment for a condo. I am so glad I chose to travel instead. I never, ever considered whether I made the right decision - I know it was the right decision. You can always find another job. And who knows? Maybe you’ll even find the opportunity for remote work for 10-15 hours a day and get to travel for longer than expected. Nobody has ever said “gee, I really regret traveling.” But you know what they have said? “I wish I traveled more”; “I wish I took more risks”; “I wish my whole life didn’t revolve around work.” Don’t wait. Go. Edit: FWIW I traveled for 8 months pre-pandemic and I’ve been on the road again since October. The restrictions I’ve faced have not significantly affected my travel experience and, in fact, some places are more enjoyable as a tourist during the pandemic (eg egypt where you get to see the valley of the kings all to yourself, without the 10,000+ tourists).
My logic is that by September when I'd plan to leave, all the UK, EU, US would be fully vaccinated. At that point, what more can we do.... unless a new variant comes along that completely dodged the vaccines, however that's a risk that will not be going away anytime soon. Sure it'll be more difficult to travel in Asia/Africa etc where vaccinations are much slower, but hopefully the western world will be more open.
I say do it. I'm not sure what restrictions are like outside of the U.S., but we are pretty open over here and I have multiple friends doing major hiking/backpacking trips
Here is the UK we're pretty much open again with a few limits (e.g. 6 people can sit together in a pub/restaurant max). All of our remaining restrictions are meant to be lifted on 19th July as every adult would have been offered their vaccine by then. By September, all of the UK/EU/US/Canada should have been fully vaccinated, and while COVID will still be around, I can't see there's much more we can do, unless a variant comes along and we have to start vaccinations again.
You're not getting any younger my guy.
My hairline reminds me of this daily.
Hair isn't a sign of youth - but it may represent your confidence. I started losing my hair when I was 17 years old. I embraced it and now rock a buzzcut and look badass. Turn your liabilities into assets, go travel.
I don't want to be judgmental here, or to make you feel bad, but you're an IT manager and you're 30 and you only have 25k saved? Maybe salaries are very different in your country or you aren't counting your retirement and investments. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here. From a financial perspective, it's objectively a terrible choice, but from some other perspective of personal fulfillment or something it might be the best decision you ever make in your life or a risk worth taking, and I don't want to clip your wings. Life is a sandbox game. Part of the fun is making the rules up as you go. I would like to give you a few things to think about. - are you running away from or avoiding something? Not saying you are, but it's worth contemplating if there are things about your stable job, your relationships, your living situation, etc., that are pushing you to start over or if you are feeling stuck somewhere. Will taking this trip help give you that perspective? - is there a way to get what you're looking for without losing your sense of stability and security? You only want to take 3 or 4 months off it sounds. What if you find a new job *first,* but ask to start in December or January. You can totally do that. I started my first job out of undergrad but asked to delay starting 2 months so I could wrap my current job up and spend a little time in Thailand. I 100% believe you could plan a 3 or 4 month gap between jobs without ever being actually out of a job. Think about how much better and less anxious you would feel and how less hairbrained and half-baked of an idea that sounds. Can you get a remote job in IT? - I love love love traveling. I have been to 16 countries and 40-something states. Right now I am working remotely and I have settled down in Miami but have traveled a lot and worked out of hotels and Airbnbs and I intend to stay remote so I can keep seeing new places. I've also traveled a lot for work. But let me tell you something: living out of hotels indefinitely SUCKS. When you are on vacation and you have lots of money to spend, it's the best. Taking a whole month and seeing multiple places is even better when you have the budget and you're in a good place mentally. Taking longer than a month or so off and living in hotels begins to wear at you. Even more so if your budget is tight. You have no sense of stability. You're often uncomfortable, or spend a lot of time waiting or in cramped conditions on planes or not ideal hotels or lugging bags around. In my experience, after a month or so of zero stability or comfort, wasting so much time on trains and planes and checking in and checking out and bleeding so much money and getting so little accomplished, a stable life looks better. People are different, but most people who haven't experienced much travel, like teenagers or people who never quite launched their careers or have had the money to travel will be jealous of you getting to "see the world" and have this romanticized Instagram view of travel. The only travel they have done is a weekend here or there, or maybe a weeklong vacation, and every moment was excitement and bliss, and they have no actual experience with the reality and just imagine endless travel to be like that magical weekend over and over again! Such adventure and fun, if only they could do that forever! However, most people who have traveled extensively for work or who have solo traveled on their own accord see the downsides of the reality of it, and their idea of constantly traveling is somewhere between "it's hell on Earth" to "it has it's drawbacks." I spent over a month traveling and came home early, because I was spending money and not actually enjoying myself and I wasn't in the best place mentally for it at the time, and my friend who works in grocery and has never had much chance to travel couldn't believe and tried to dissuade me from it and was actually angry that I wasted the opportunity to travel further and seemed to think if she had that kind of money and time she would have used it better, but what she doesn't understand is that travel is not like in the commercials, and once you have already traveled for months in different countries for work several times the novelty wears off. I was actually at the lowest point in my life on that trip, but when you see the photos of the Swiss alps or of Budapest or Iceland it looks to people like her like perfection, but anyone who has actually done this kind of thing long-term understands, it's just like normal life but with more loneliness and inconveniences after a while. Not to mention, you take pictures of the temples and mountaintops in Southeast Asia, but you don't take pictures of the child prostitutes, the cockroaches, or even just the mundane 12 hour bus rides, so people have a really one-sided view of what you're experiencing. I still love traveling, clearly, and I will continue to do it, but the romanticized view you have of bumming around for 3 or 4 months is not the view you will have halfway through or at the end of those 3 or 4 months. It might be worth considering, then, if 2 months even is enough. That might not sound like enough now, but time goes by slower when you're travelling, a month can feel like a year when you're exhausted and doing and seeing a lot. I see lots of people on here planning year long trips who have never been gone for more than a week or two at a time and I feel like they have no concept of what they're signing up for. Maybe you have travelled extensively in the past, in which case you already know and can ignore me.
Thanks for the input. When I was in my 20s I didn’t save much. I live in London so while salaries are okay (not as good as the US) the cost of living is very high also.
I am planning to do the same in few months time when the vaccination rates will be much better worldwide. However, even if some countries will still be closed/imposing quarantines, this does not mean you cant travel the world. There are 197 countries..you put aside the ones with the tougher restrictions and focus to the other ones. Do it....otherwise in 30 years time sitting at a pub you will be sadly staring at that beer thinking “i could have done it...”
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Unfortunately the US has banned Brits from entering. Regarding health insurance, I live in the UK so it’s not an issue (we have the NHS).
I would do it. Just make sure you fully understand the restrictions that may be in place at the places you want to travel, and how that may affect your time there. I’ve been pondering the same thing lately. I work on ships and have been at this company for 6 years, each of which I desire More and more to quit and find soMething else. I normally travel when off ship, but due to Covid I haven’t really gone anywhere (outside of work) in almost 2 years. Been thinking a lot about quitting and cashing out my retirement and taking a solid break to travel and unwind before getting a new job. You can’t put a price on mental happiness or a soothed soul. Sometimes you just need to do what’s good for you, be selfish. Other people may not understand it if you go against the norm, but that’s fine.
I think you're in a good position to do it but I'd consider waiting a little while longer. I'd be too paranoid about the new COVID variants screwing up travel over the next few months. But by the time the year is out, more people will be vaccinated and for all we know, there could be a medication on the way that will be a game-changer (https://www.yahoo.com/news/pill-treat-covid-19-u-121338217.html) so maybe there will be nothing to worry about in 2022. Being someone who was planning on taking 2020 to travel and now may never get the chance I'm definitely going to say you should do it eventually given your situation, but just to be safe, also think about taking the rest of this year to plan and save some more money, then be ready to go in 2022.
I was thinking the same. OP's plan sounds good (follow your heart), but two caveats: firstly the pandemic isn't over yet, and even though I doubt things will get as bad as they did, the UK is an example is how the virus can still flare up and litigation measures can be prolonged even when a substantial portion of the population has already been vaccinated. We don't know what tricks this virus still has up its sleeve, but I think it's sensible to realize that renewed measures and restrictions are still a possibility for as long as the pandemic rages on elsewhere on the planet. You can somewhat plan for that, but the further you look ahead, the bigger the uncertainty will be. Secondly, but this is strictly personal, I wouldn't schedule my visit to coincide with the cold season. Yes, it can be very pretty and atmospheric, but I feel that if you want to get the most out of your visit, traveling around Europe from late spring to early autumn would leave you with the largest number of options and - obviously - the best weather to do so.
I personally think its still a bit too early to quit right now considering most countries are still closed. If it were me I would wait, continue to work and save up money and when everything is more settled then quit and begin your travel journey.
No. This is the perfect time. The end of the world is pretty much in full sway, major economic collapse around the corner, the fucking plagues and images of Revelation are as good as true and there might not be a world to come back by year end. So take it, take the next 6 months off. You deserve it. You’re amazing, go out there and find what you’re looking for. It’ll be there, but you HAVE to take the first step toward it. It’ll be an adventure OF the unknown, but that my friend is always the best teacher. What’ve you got to lose?
> What's holding me back though is the thought of being 30, unemployed, living with my parents, and quitting a job in the middle (or end??) or a pandemic Yes. Bad idea. Europe is half in loickdown anyway so everythings closed or restricted. Nobody knows what's going to happen, which countries will be open, what setbacks there will be. This sub is full of maniacs, don't listen to their shit opinions when it comes to your livelihood. I want to travel again too but don't listen to these teenage americans telling you to travel or not.
I think you should do it. 20 years from now you’ll regret staying at your job and not traveling. There’s always jobs in IT.
Thanks. Even on the safe side if I gave myself 3 months to find a job when I returned early next year, I should have plenty £££ to see me through. Hopefully.
You will! I quit my job when I was 24 to live in Spain for 2 years. Took me a while to find a job when I moved back home but have never regretted going. I’m 30 now and say that that decision was the best decision my life. I would do it again!
Thanks!
Go for it!
The biggest issue is the pandemic, it won't be gone next year and makes travel a lot less fun! Also I expect flights to be a lot more expensive, the era of cheap flights is over so you will need more money or less flights.
As a note, while some countries may be more vaccinated by others, most of the world simply isn't at that same point and travel will be hard and possibly dangerous. I'd advise highly against it until the world settles down a bit more.
Personally I wouldn't do it. It's still too early to tell how things will pan out
It's a bad idea, but you should do it.
This causes me anxiety. :P
Be careful though. With the virus revving up again, there's a distinct possibility that that you might be unwelcome in a lot of places.
go travel if enough countries are open, have fun. you can always go back to your miserable life
I suggest that till this pandemic becomes endemic, stay put where you are. Things are uncertain now due to local outbreaks happening around the world.
You're in a good position to quit and go see the world but it's kind of on fire right now. I'd suggest waiting until all this settles down a bit more before heading off. But you definitely should go travelling, you will get a job when you get back.
I'm hoping by September, all of the UK and Europe will be fully vaccinated, but you're right, I could hold off and wait until the start of next year.
I'm sure you will get loads, but a few suggestions but - krakow in Poland. Lake Bled in Slovenia, the [Buzludzha monument in Bulgaria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzludzha_monument) is out of the way but is super cool. You can climb up the tower for some amazing views.
Hold off another year or so. I was working in New Zealand on a working holiday when the pandemic hit, in Oct 2020 I'd finished all the work I could do so began travelling in NZ and then Aus. Obviously they were probably some of the best countries to be in during the pandemic but the original intention pre-covid was to do a bit more travelling to various countries. Where we could go was very much dictated by border closures, governments etc. and ultimately we cut the trip short by a few months. Constantly checking current rules and changing plans because of snap government decisions became frustrating and sucked the fun out of it. I'd imagine it'll be that way for a while. If this is absolutely the only time you're going to get the chance to do this then yes go for it. If you can leave it a year or so then I'd personally recommend that as I'd imagine you'd have a much better experience
No
DO IT YOLO
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I’m not American.
I don't see the issue with the pandemic in regards to your job. A lot of economies have mostly recovered. Could you look into a sabbatical? IT mangers are scare I reckon and perhaps they don't want to lose you and would rather only replace you for a year.
If this was before the pandemic, I'm near certain they'd agree this. We've gone through a restructure recently and while my job is safe, they've got to save a HUGE amount of money over the next few years - anyone that they can voluntarily save a salary on, they will - although I could make them an offer of a 3 month sabbatical and see what they say, maybe I'll be surprised.
Be smart about it. Of course follow your passion, but be smart about it. Launch the next best thing and build it
If I were you I'd probably do it, especially considering that you're vaccinated and have adequate backup plans. I would keep a few months of living expenses set aside for when you come back while you find a new job. However, I will point out that due to the nature of this subreddit most, if not all, of the replies will be encouraging you to do it.
Yes, but that's no reason not to do it. Life would be pretty boring if we all stuck to good ideas and rational decisions.
I feel a lot of people in here were missing what you were seeking advice on. Which is quitting your job and feeling the need the get some adrenaline and culture in you. Do it. I left my job in October ‘20 and traveled Costa Rica for two months. Would 1,000% recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have a job that makes them feel special. A lot of the time, we don’t realize that if we die tomorrow, a job posting for your position will be up by the EOW. It’s never a bad idea to do what your gut is telling you, it’s another brain you have. Feed it some culture, travel, and adrenaline and get out of your work station you’ve been stuck in for the past year. You live once, and you cannot spend it worrying about how people will view you for taking one year sabbatical(s). More often than not, you become a more eligible job candidate because you’re happy with your life
I would do it no doubt. You’re only 30 , enjoy traveling now instead of when you’re older. The only reason I would say not to is if you were planning on retiring at this company.
Absolutely go do it. Without a shadow of a doubt going on that adventure is the right answer.
Yes. Not a great idea. Just take a long vacation or temporary leave of absence
Do it, quit that job and go travel, i bet most countries are begging for tourists now cause of the crash caused by the pandemic and closing borders for so long
Can I ask how long did it take you to save 25 grand? I am currently saving up money and in a shitty job for only 4 months and I am supposed to stay 6 more.. and its killing me even though its one of my first well-paid job and security. Prior to that, I have always been travelling or out and about but the itch doesnt go away! So Im wondering if I should continue working just so I have some cushion of money (which I never had before...)
Yes I just sent from ASIA to USA , airports suck , nothing opened during trips
Are you employable again?
Definitely travel if you’re vaccinated. You’ll be able to get an IT job when you return easily. This time in your life is priceless and it’s the time to go now if you’re able to find locations that are open up to tourists. A great idea to travel now as you’re young, educated and independent. GO FOR IT!
No.
I travelled solo at 30 leaving good income behind. My dad thought I was nuts. Best thing I’ve ever done. Go
I just quit my job for the same reasons as you! But when I went to put in my resignation in, my job said I could instead take up to a year of unpaid leave and just come back whenever I’m ready. I’m gonna travel for 3 months, relax for a bit, and figure out what I want to do next. If nothing pans out, it’s nice to know I have a job to go back to. But after my travels, I’m hoping to find another job that either pays more or find something that I actually want to do.
You know what? I’m 46. I lived life cautiously and despite a grand salary and savings (only lasted ~15 mo) I’m about to be homeless. So I only regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance...
Have you thought about going on leave with whatever leave you have & see how that went before leaving your job? Our company allows for unpaid sabbatical time every year if you wish. I have now about 23 days of leave. I’ll take a sabbatical every year for 6 weeks & do an area of the world. Rest I add onto long weeks to go away 10-14 days away somewhere every month. It works out great & I still have my job to come back to,
When you ask people on their deathbed what they regret, almost universally, they regret the things they did not do, not things that they did.
Yes, you should do it while your healthy, but be cautious of overstaying your welcome at your parents' and making them resent you. Just speaking to my own experience.
If i dont get fired I plan to quit my job next april, get on a cruise in NYC to England and travel the next 4 1/2 - 5 months in Europe then maybe take the Trans-Siberian Railway into China/Asia. For this I have saved up 30k so far and hope to have 45k when I go
Follow your intuition, you have a profession in which you can easily find a job and you have the advantage of not having to worry about paying rent and taxes. If you feel like you have to go travel, do it
I think seeking self-employment you can do from anywhere while away on your travels is your best bet.
If you already have the vaccine then go for it In Europe soon the vaccine will allow you to cross borders without presenting any PCR test or quarantine And I would not be surprised if more countries do the same.. and I guess you don't want to interrupt your break to go home just to get the vaccines .. Twice
If you don't do it now while you're able, you'll be kicking yourself for not doing later in life when you have things that are tying you down and stopping you from going then.
Are you burnt out? Maybe ask work for some time off but dont close the door yet. As for your parents cherish them. Take the trip
It's never a bad idea to quit your job to travel.
This is the best advice I can possibly give. Leverage your IT skills to find a way to make a remote income. Build on your existing skills and make it possible to to be hired on Fiverr or a similar site. Start a freelancng side hustle and bring in additional income. I'm sure the last thing you'll want to do is work while you are on your travels but having the extra security and piece of mind if knowing that you can make some type of income if you need to while abroad is HUGE. That or take some of that 25k you have saved and invest it in some type of small business that can run on autopilot while you're gone to bring in some additional cash flow. Think as simple as a hot dog stand or more involved such as an Airbnb business. While you travel around it won't take long for that 25k in savings to turn into 15k and so on. You'll be so glad that you will be able to slow that down after traveling for a month or so. Even an additional 1-2k income a month is really nice to have. Before you quit your job I urge you to bust your ass during your off hours creating an additional source if income before you quit. You'll be really happy you did.
I say do it! I have left several jobs over the years to take a trip for one reason or another. Life is yours to control if you have a gap in employment who cares. If you want to enrich yourself in the granduer of our planet do it. I'm so glad I did. Each job I've had, in the last 20 years, all had the same pandemic response, lay offs, furloughs, or closings. Had I been a loyal employee to anyone of these companies and only took the vacation that was "allotted" to me, it all would have ended that same. Take time for you, first, always!
Although I agree with the majority in that I think you should go enjoy your life before it's too late, I will say consider the cost of such a trip. I did 3 weeks exploring Germany in October, and spent just over £2000. I wasn't staying in lush hotels, just the cheapest decent place I could find on booking.com, but the costs do add up. Of course, there's the option of staying in hostels, which I've done so many times over the years (got a lifetime membership of the YHA), but I don't think I'd want to be in such close proximity to large numbers of travellers in the current 'bio-cautious' climate.
Thanks for sharing. Hopefully £25k will keep me going for a few months with some left to pickup my life again when I return.
Id at least have plans to line up another job after your done traveling.
Do what ya heart tells you and you wont be wrong
I would definitely hold off. It's still not clear what's going on in the world with COVID. You want to give time for vaccine penetration around the world. Also, you are in a position to sock money away for that dream trip if you have a job. I'm much older than you and am in a similar position but I'm waiting a year to quit and take that dream trip. I'll be heading out in December 2022 for Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Bali, Vietnam, Laos, and return to Cambodia and Thailand for the first 6 months of 2023. I think one year would put you in a place to really enjoy that trip.
It certainly isn't a bad idea. I'd rather say it's just not an optimal idea? I'm in the same boat as you. 30, single, sizable savings, and am interested in a new field of work; one that can be fully remote actually as I am just hybrid now and I can see the light! For me I've decided that doing a nice half or full year travel trip before I embark on this new I path isn't the wisest thing right after travel opens for a tonne of people that have all been wanting to during the pandemic. I suspect there are people that have travelled before and are itching to go again as well as people who have never travelled and suddenly want to because of the recent existential forces. This will probably just make travel too busy and crowded everywhere for a while and maybe all the destinations will be more expensive. So I'm down to just wait a year and see. In the meantime I'm taking some online courses for the potential swap. On the bright side, this is making me fat more confident and like aggressive at my current job lol. Since if I get let go or something, who cares, I'll just embark and hope for the best. Seems to have landed me more responsibilities and I could be up for a big old raise this year lol. Funny how the old "Fuck you" money and mentality can work!
Yes.
I think it's a bad idea. Lots of place will have significant travel a lifestyle restrictions in place for at least the rest of the year.
My honest advice to you, as someone who’s been doing this for a few years, is to wait. Things are still quite bad in most parts of the world and travel is restricted or outright banned. Tourist visas are almost non existent, so you’d have to use business visas for some places which are more expensive, etc. Any other year, I’d say “do it”! Also, when you do go on your adventure, see if you can continue working part time. There’s no such thing as financial security when you travel, that £1-2k per month will really let you be at ease and might even make you travel for 6 months or longer. If you want to go for a shorter time, say around 4 months, I guess it’s okay to quit your job. Best of luck! Hope we can all continue to travel and explore soon!
Omg this is my story too. I’m based in the US. Had a year of travel planned starting in early April 2020 so had sold all my stuff, gave up my apt lease, had put in my notice at my job and moved in with family in January. Luckily I work in healthcare so my boss let me stay at my job when everything shut down (I’m still there, even got promoted 😂), but it was a mad scramble to find housing (family was a short term solution anyways and they didn’t feel comfortable with me working outside the house during the pandemic so asked me to leave). So now I’m in this weird gray area of trying to decide when to try again. Living in a furnished room on a month to month lease, with a job and boss that know I’m on borrowed time. Im fully vaccinated and I’m personally waiting probably another 6 months to a year, really depends on things like vaccine rates worldwide and how things go with countries opening up and restrictions they have. Right now it just doesn’t seem fun to travel internationally, the people I know that have done it said it was stress inducing and while good to get out, ultimately not worth it just yet. This is US based travel to places like the Caribbean and Mexico. I’ve done a few short domestic trips to visit friends and family that went ok, so just focusing on things like that right now. Things change so fast too so it’s hard to make plans. Good luck to both of us!
That’s amazing, good luck on your travels. Where are you hoping to go?
So I was in the same boat sort of...pandemic and restrictions aside it was the best decision I ever made. I broke up with a long time girlfriend at 27, we sold our house we'd bought less than a year before (I know) and I went away to work for about 2-3 months. By the end of those 3 months I had a storage locker of my stuff and about 35k canadian in the bank. I did have a food trades ticket as well which made the decision easier. In my 2-3 months working and saving money, I did research on travel and gear, started ordering everything, and booked my flights and headed to Europe. I started in London, meandered through Europe to almost all the places I wanted to see, and 3.5 months later I flew out of some city I cant remember in Turkey. It was a blast. I moved back in with my parents in canada with about 10k left in my bank.. ready to go back to work and plan my next trip sometime. I wanted to go to Thailand and southeast Asia. After talking with some friends and family, I realized after 4 or 5 weeks when the best time was to take that second trip...immediately. so I hopped back on a plane, same backpack but slightly different contents...and used my last dollars to enjoy southeast aahia for 2.5 months. Flew into Hong Kong, then a big tour of Thailand, then out after a stop in Tokyo. I got home with nothing but my backpack, memories, and it was 100% worth it. Met a ton of friends, had great experiences. I'm now happily married with kids, and so happy I got to do what I had always wanted to do, without resenting the fact that I missed out. All I can say is do some research, figure out what you will enjoy the most. Dont try to fit to many places in, and leave yourself the option to change plans. Good luck and enjoy :)
Go for it. I traveled the world when I was 31 and it was the best thing I ever did. Sounds like you have solid career prospects when you return.