We all read the instantly far-famed story about the charwoman from New Yorkwho quit her $ 95,000 - a - class job to go scoop ice cream in St. John . This story move the kind of viral ordinarily set aside for Sh*t Kanye say ® .
And it ’s no marvel : whodoesn’twant to quit their soul - sucking day occupation and escape to a tropical paradise ? It ’s pretty much the gold monetary standard of daydreams ; the ultimate " If I won the $ 500 million jackpot tomorrow … " fancy . But we do n’t . Because if it were that easy – just quit and go , NBD ! – the Caribbean islands would have more water ice cream scoopers than tourist to support them .
It ’s easy to glamourise the feeling of leave it all behind to travel the humanity , and while , yes , it can be done , there are pitfall that most folks do n’t consider before taking the plunge . We interview four people who did it and asked them to play devil ’s advocate – to extend reasons why you should stop daydreaming and just go back to making copies .
Tinatin/Shutterstock
There’s a difference between vacationing and traveling
Vacationing is fun . go is work . Vacationing is a timeout from life-time . Traveling is real life . " I recall people glamorize this , like it ’s all happiness and no lugubriousness – which is obviously completely untrue , " said Jinna Yang ofProject Inspo , who booked a one - way ticket to Bali after the lease on her apartment in Brooklyn end and has been traveling ever since . " But it ’s all about expectations . You ca n’t just nibble up and leave and expect your life to be filled with only felicitous moments – there are run to be problems no matter where you are . "
You’re going to experience a lot of quality alone time
If you’re able to obtain someone to travel with you , great ! But there ’s a ripe hazard you wo n’t , because of jobs and family and commitments and life . While new , single friend you meet may be a ton of playfulness to see the Louvre with , they may not be able-bodied to fill the emptiness leave by close friend back home who fuck all your filth and love you anyway . Long - term travel can bean exercise in being trulyalone . Which , confessedly , many the great unwashed want and/or postulate – but itissomething to be ready for .
" I think loneliness will touch everyone other than , but I have to think it hits everyone at some point , just some more than others , " tell Katie Aune ofWandering Along a Road Less Traveled , who go out her full - time job in Chicago to move around the public for over a year . " I fight with it a lot my first few months on the road . It sets in on the days when you have struggles and there is no one to sympathize with . "
You may become disconnected from family and friends
Out of necessity , make the choice to travel long term is making the choice to ( at least temporarily ) sacrifice many of your personal relationships . While there are people in the macrocosm who can be very forgiving as far as the worked up demand of friendships and family go – the form of people you could not speak to for a year and blame right back up again like it was yesterday – a lot of ethnic music are n’t that way .
" When I first announced my design to impart , very few of my Friend understand . Many attempt to be supportive , but I could tell they did n’t get it , ” Aune recalled . " It was tough trying to keep in signature with people while traveling . After returning , I just detect it difficult to re - take in with many friend – some had get matrimonial or had kids while I was gone and our priorities were just different . "
You can fall off the career track
If you ’re still in college and reading this , please interpret : you have a small windowpane of time to establish yourself on a career way of life before you ’re behind the eight ball . Assuming , of course , you do n’t plan to change paths along the way and/or go back to grad school to readjust your career . If you miss that windowpane , you’re able to be fucked . peculiarly financially , since as every money guru worth their common salt will tell you – there ’s no more important time to save for retirement than in your 20s . You know , compounding interest ! How detrimental full - time travel can be to your calling really reckon on how long you be after to be on the route .
" I finished university in 2009 . It ’s now 2016 . I ’ve essentially spent seven twelvemonth attempting to make a decision , ” articulate Dan Baird ofAnxious Travelers , who ab initio started traveling to get out a miserable utter - end job in England . " I ’m 30 , I do n’t have a pension , do n’t have any savings , do n’t have a career . In a lot of way , I am right smart behind other people of my long time . "
In other lawsuit , some time off might beexactlywhat you necessitate ; but it helps to already be established and stay working towards a career finish even during your absence . " For me there was no ground lose during my sabbatic ; in fact , it helped me , " tell Abby Tegnelia ofDaydream Away , who take a class off to live in Costa Rica , where she begin her own company locomotion blogging and doing social media body of work . " It ended up helping me in the futurity – I basically still live off of those acquirement . At the same time , I never sour past 2 pm ! "
BlueOrange Studio/Shutterstock
But you still need to work to support yourself
Oh , so you ’re going to go travel ? Just like that ? You ’re just run to go travel , like , whatevs , no worries , I ’m traveling ? Cool story , bro . How are you fail toafford it ? And yes , while there are innumerable web log mail service from professional travel bloggers with peak on how to inhabit on the road for $ 500 a year or whatever … you really need to think about what it entails . How much of your economy are you willing to spend ? How much fourth dimension are you willing to make along the way ?
Now , if you ’ve acquire $ 50,000 stashed in your banking company and are totally down with blowing it all , by all substance fucking YOLO . Ditto if you ’re a Trustafarian because liveliness is just different for you . Everyone else : recollect that if you ’re not going to live off savings , then you ’ll need to work . Most likely in a menial job . Maybe even in one like the Book of Job you just result . And while at least you ’ll be work someplace fresh , and meeting new people , and experiencing a dissimilar culture , it ’s something to keep in creative thinker . You ’ll still be working .
" I did temporary admin workplace while I was traveling , " say Baird . " Much of it was menial … and I would n’t want to go to work because I ’d think , ' This think of nothing to me , I ’m ravage my metre ! ' A lot of my time when travel was spent doing these jobs so I could save up for further travels and further lowly jobs . This is kind of a self - fulfill prophecy as you just end up restricted for jobs you detest . "
Lolostock/Shutterstock
Marriage? Kids? A home? Be ready to hit “pause.”
If any of those things are in any way – now or in the futurity – going to be a antecedency in your liveliness , greet that you may be push them off for a while . It ’s one thing to go backpack for a few months throughEastern EuropeorSoutheast AsiaorCentral Americabefore come home and settle back down , and quite another to swan the planet like Caine fromKung Fu . Everyone ’s got unlike values , priorities , and needs in living – just ensure yours align with the change of location modus vivendi you ’re choosing .
" Towards the end of my third twelvemonth of travel I came to realize that constantly deracinate my life every twelvemonth was a giant infliction in the tooshie , " said Baird . " The problem is that you smithy friendships and then you have to watch them die . You start jobs and know you ’ll never be able to go on further . You live in a house but it can never become your house because you cognize finally you ’ll be lead it . I wanted to be in a place where I could join to others , be a part of a community , have a home and have roots . I require something meaningful . "
Full-time travel is rewarding, but it’s not for everyone
await , we ’re not trying to torch your dreams here . There are a LOT of great things about journey that we did n’t advert largely because there are plenty of article that talk about how great quitting your job to travel is . blaze , we put togethera pathfinder on how to do it . We ’re a travel land site . We LOVE to journey . Just know thatquitting your jobto do it full sentence is not for everyone , and that might admit you !
" The life I live is not for everyone . It ’s not easy , " said Yang . " I would n’t change it for the world , though , because I feel like my journey is one that can inspire hoi polloi to take chances in liveliness and pursue their dream . "
Sign up herefor our daily Thrillist email , and get your fix of the best in food / potable / sport .
Aleshyn_Andrei/Shutterstock
Jo Ann Snover/Shutterstock
LawSayWhich/Shutterstock
