Should I quit my job to travel?

April 19, 2018 8:56 PM

Yes, I have read a lot about this (i.e. googled it) and considered the various angles and I realize there is probably no objectively correct answer. Unfortunately or not I also don't think I'm much of a special snowflake, so in the interests of succinctness relevant details are laid out as pros and cons in the read more. I'm really looking for some sanity checking and any obvious things I haven't considered.

Pros and/or the "for" camp:
- I have savings: cash in my bank account (amount: enough to live in my current lifestyle in an expensive city for a few months) + much more in investments which are not liquid but are there for future
- I have no mortgage, romantic partner or children; I can up and leave without many costs beyond perhaps (optionally) figuring out something to do with my car and furniture if I don't sell them
- My aging parents are in an OK state (tenuously) but may not be for very much longer
- Work situation: Not great, but mostly not something one would leave over with nothing else lined up, except that I do tick the box of "often extremely angry over work" to the extent that I might, say, wake up after only 3 or 4 hours of sleep with my head full of work-related anger/anxiety, also I feel I've more or less plateaued career-wise and/or cannot grow without making some really significant changes
- Further work context: The current work situation is relatively new and a result of a bit of a leap from a very-comfortable-yet-boring role into one with more uncertainty, so maybe I should just take the next step to further uncertainty
- Love to travel and have always thought about going on a longer trip but never done it (fairly experienced in backpacking/low-budget travel though)
- Re: above about no mortage/partner/children, while I don't define my life around this, I also feel like I'm in a deep routine and that relationship-wise nothing will change unless, y'know, I make things change significantly

Cons and/or the "against" camp:
- Costs: No job to come back to, it's expensive, foregoing a year of income and all that
- Impact on career (I'm not at the "start" of a career - I'm mid-30's)
- Networking: I'm not the greatest at networking though I do have good contacts from past jobs (who do say things like "you can come back at any time"), but just not my strength
- While I do love travelling and have had great experiences and have always wanted to take more time do it, this does also feel something like a all-my-friends-are-married-and-having-babies-right-now-and-I-just-want-to-escape midlife crisis
- No real concrete plan around all this
- Maybe I should just look for some other job at a startup or something instead since that could fulfill the "further leap into uncertainty" thing?

posted by scribbler to Society & Culture (23 answers total)

I'd say do it. It's actually surprising how many "older" travelers (in their 30s like you; also met a fair number of empty nesters in hostels) I met when I was living overseas and when I was actively traveling.

If you're worried about finding a job after you come back, maybe only plan for a 3-4 month trip rather than an open-ended/year long around the world trip (though two good friends of mine did do the latter--it started out as their honeymoon--but seem to have landed back on their feet back after returning home a couple years later. It hasn't been easy, but it's doable).

Also, just anecdotally, you never know what'll happen when you travel. I'm currently following another friend who had a spectacularly bad run of luck professionally and personally over the last 2 years and just said, fuck it, I'm hitting the road again. She's also in her 30s. She'll be starting a new job in the next few weeks running social media for an environmental NGO while living on a sailboat based out of Hawaii for the next 6 months. Her background is in environmental engineering of sorts, but doing social media and communications stuff is totally new to her.

The friend I did my extended travels with (also in his 30s now) landed himself a job in local government in New Zealand after he just fell in love with the country while traveling.

When I started traveling, I thought I'd either continue with something teaching related or make a move into marketing/communications (was doing a lot of this in my mostly teaching gig too). Now, a couple years later, I'm back in home country studying public health and nutrition.

Basically, I guess what I'm trying to say is that traveling is a worthwhile experience to pursue when you have the means to do so. Sure, you get to see all the pretty sites and experience some new things, but mostly, traveling for me was the opportunity to meet and converse with a much wider range of people than I thought possible had I stayed put.
posted by astapasta24 at 9:36 PM on April 19, 2018 [10 favorites]

Some folks scratch this itch by finding a job teaching English overseas. Or through one of those remote jobs you can do anywhere as long as there's a computer and Wifi.

One thing I'd consider in your shoes if whether you have enough savings to cover - in addition to travel - a few month's rent when you get back and are job hunting.

Good luck!
posted by bunderful at 9:42 PM on April 19, 2018 [3 favorites]

Do it.

I did and I do. I spent 10+ of the past 13 years abroad. Of the abroad years, only three were stable/working (1 in the Marshall Islands and 2 in Ethiopia). I've now hit ~80 countries. It doesn't cost as much as you think (if you're mildly frugal and don't drink a lot) and you may be able to teach/work online if that's your thing - it hasn't been mine so far and I've traveled off self-earned savings. My longest single trip was 2.5 years alone in foreign countries roaming (mostly Asia and Africa; and slept in ~300 beds) and I spent about $21k USD (about $20 is unaccounted for in the spreadsheet). I meet so many people that are envious as if it takes a lot of money. That was a huge trip, but I've taken many shorter ones - mostly 6-12 months at a time. It takes some money, but moreso it takes resourcefulness and gumption.

A confluence of luck and interest brought me to this place. Maybe I'm stupid or naive but I don't worry much about what's around the corner. Feel free to be in touch!
posted by maya at 9:45 PM on April 19, 2018 [14 favorites]

You should totally do this. Absolutely nobody dies going "gee, I wish I hadn't taken that year off."
posted by DarlingBri at 9:53 PM on April 19, 2018 [9 favorites]

I'm 37 years old and writing you from a tea house on the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. I just hit the five-month mark and plane tickets have been purchased out to about the nine-month mark. No ticket home yet. This sort of travel always seemed totally unattainable to me for financial and logistical reasons, and I had a lot of anxiety in the months before I left, some of which sounds similar to yours. Now that I'm hanging out in the Himalayas, I can't imagine why I ever thought that.

I do have a bit of anxiety about what to do when I get back, BUT it's a little different than I'd thought it would be. Before leaving I worried about finding a job on my return. Now I think more about questions like, do I really want to move back to the same city? Do I want to pursue a different career track than the one I thought I wanted? Is there a way I can work in Uganda for a few years? And traveling really put a lot of my worries about money in perspective, too. It's not that my anxiety was invalid, it just...doesn't seem important anymore.

I absolutely think you should take the jump, if only because so many of your concerns -- even things in the pro column! -- make it sound like you are feeling stuck right now. (If I had a job that caused me to wake up angry in the night, that would not be a pro.) I think long-term travel is a great way to do some self-reflection about what you want your life to look like without the distraction of what it already DOES look like.
posted by adiabat at 10:04 PM on April 19, 2018 [13 favorites]

Given your line of work, how hard will it be for you to find a job when you come back? Like I assume in some careers (nursing?), people can find jobs within a month, whereas I've kind of ended up specialized in a field where nobody ever leaves their jobs, so it could take me a year to find a suitable job if I left mine.
posted by salvia at 10:07 PM on April 19, 2018 [3 favorites]

I actually don't see too much downside, if you can afford to do it and feel you're really get something out of it. I was going to do this in the U.S. while I had a remote job, but I liked the first city I landed in and just stayed. I still live here.

The only thing I wonder about is the parents - I personally couldn't go a year without seeing my mom, and if she wasn't doing ok, I'd want to make sure I could take care of her. I also talk to her almost every day, so I may be closer with her than you are with your parents. So maybe it doesn't need to be a whole year off the bat for you?
posted by AppleTurnover at 12:24 AM on April 20, 2018

Looking at your pros on cons I think you should totally do it.

One con I would definitely address though is "No concrete plan". Get a concrete plan. Budget. Have an exit strategy. Make yourself make and secure your network so you still have a social circle even when you're globetrotting (Whatsapp/Insta/FB/email should make this relatively easier than in the past).

But I am a huge fan of people taking themselves where the wind blows and seizing opportunities. I wish I had the guts to even contemplate it. Go for it and good luck! (and write a journal while you're doing it!)
posted by like_neon at 1:49 AM on April 20, 2018

Get thee hence!
posted by Mr. Yuck at 2:19 AM on April 20, 2018

Normally in life you have money OR time making travel impossible. You have both so travel is the thing to do. My own travels have given me a bottomless font of ideas which I'm still working thru 25 yes later. And you can travel alone! The best way to learn and grow. (Apologies for yoda-like brevity, currently on the road).
posted by unearthed at 2:57 AM on April 20, 2018

Do it, but from looking at your location, maybe with a plan to return to a lower COL city? Especially if you're feeling like you've plateaued in your career, your city isn't necessarily the sort of place where you can get off the career treadmill for a year and then be a competitive candidate for a lateral move. Your industry might be different, though.

OTOH, your city is one where you doing year-long travel would give you some pretty powerful social cachet that might help you change some of your life circumstances.
posted by blerghamot at 3:31 AM on April 20, 2018

I did this at 34. No regrets. Didn't feel too old staying in hostels. There is no way I'll look back on my life and wish I had spent the time working instead of travelling.

Watch "A Map For Saturday"

Have a great time b
posted by backwards guitar at 3:37 AM on April 20, 2018

I'm 50 and didn't drop everything to travel the world, and I regret it greatly. Do it. Hopefully, my future years will include way more travel.
posted by COD at 5:00 AM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

I don't know what part of the world you want to travel in, but you might want to consider petsitting. I use Trusted Housesitters, which has the most listings in Europe and some in New Zealand, though a few listings in other places. It's possible to stay in, for example, a houseboat in Amsterdam or a 400-year-old house in rural France, free. It's a nice way to save money and have *much* nicer accommodations for at least part of the trip. (The catch is that you have to convince people to "hire" you to take care of their pets in exchange for a free place to stay, but it's possible.)
posted by pinochiette at 5:47 AM on April 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

You know how travel is supposed to broaden the mind? I don't find that it does. I find that travel focuses the mind. Reading what you've written, I don't get the sense that you have well-defined goals that you're consciously working towards. I could very well be wrong, so forgive me if I am, but in any case, travel is a very good thing for clearing out your mind of all the BS and pointless junk (like crappy work situations) and focusing or re-focusing on the things that really matter.

So here's the thing: at the end of your life, are you going to wish you'd spent more time at work, or travelling? A few years ago I found myself in a job with far too much responsibility, very little respect from colleagues, and then one of my bosses changed. Soon there was a ton of straight-up harassment going on (this was overseas, btw) and things started getting much worse very quickly. I had money in the bank and a reasonable plan so I told them I wouldn't be starting my new contract. So sad too bad. I then spent 2 months travelling and don't regret it AT ALL.

There's some excellent advice here about planning for what happens when you get back. Definitely see if you can move to somewhere with a lower cost of living if possible. You might think about checking in with those past work contacts and casually mentioning that you'll be looking for something in x months, you never know what they'll say. Doesn't matter if you're not good at networking. Just pretend that you are, smile, and make a few calls. Something like that might open some doors. Also, have you checked into the possibility of coming back to your current workplace?

- While I do love travelling and have had great experiences and have always wanted to take more time do it, this does also feel something like a all-my-friends-are-married-and-having-babies-right-now-and-I-just-want-to-escape midlife crisis

No. Just no. Those peeps made their choice and guess what? NO TRAVEL FOR THEM! You like travel, you don't have to take care of a family, and you have the money? What's the problem? Get on with it!
posted by Juso No Thankyou at 5:48 AM on April 20, 2018

Totally do this!
posted by spindrifter at 7:04 AM on April 20, 2018

Another vote for DO IT, especially if nothing is keeping you where you are right now. You're better prepared financially for this than a lot of people would be and I personally think "extended solo travel" is a really cool explanation for an employment gap. (I am not a hiring manager, but still.) And I also think that Juso No Thankyou is right on the money regarding extended travel as a possible catalyst for figuring out what's really important to you without too much daily grind weighing you down.

Also, would your job skills make remote work an option for you? I mean, not right away or anything, but later on down the road if you wanted to keep traveling without leaning on your savings too hard? I know someone who makes up one half of the Workationing team and talks a lot about the benefits and drawbacks of being a digital nomad.

And if this didn't pop up in your search, the blog Yes and Yes has some really great tips and tricks for living cheaply long term in different global locales.

Good luck! How exciting!
posted by helloimjennsco at 7:10 AM on April 20, 2018

Traveling for a year is a major undertaking. I have traveled for months at a time, in other countries and at home. It's amazing, changes how you view the world, you should totally do this. With a plan. Don't just go to lots of places - go to lots of places and write a blog, rate beer, take pictures of graffiti, set a new record for MeFi meetups, volunteer, write. When you come home, you aren't just the person who traveled, you're that guy who visited green buildings or cycled through 8 countries. I have some specific interests and it's extra fun to go to a new city to a meetup with like-minded people. Also, you will meet people and have someone to go have a beer with. It used to be that if you stayed in hostels you'd always have someone to hitchhike to another place with; no idea what it's like now. Read a ton of travel blogs; that would be my next ask. If you decide after 3 months that it's time to head home and work, you will still have a sum of money for future travel. It doesn't have to be a one-time event.
posted by theora55 at 8:21 AM on April 20, 2018

My SO took a while off work after her previous job and didn't have much trouble getting a new one, but it was made more difficult by having left without another job in hand. She is a special snowflake, though, the kind that normally wouldn't have to interview at ten places and net only two offers.

I suspect if you did some volunteer work or even a few hour a week side gig to make it look like you were doing something it would make it less of a thing. For whatever reason hiring managers in the US look at extended unemployment critically.

However, I don't say this to put you off doing it, only to prepare you. I personally know two people in a similar position to you who took a year or more off from work for travel among other things and both are presently very gainfully employed. It's just that if you're not prepared for that bias against having a gap on your resume it can be far more of a gut punch than if you're prepared in advance.

Otherwise, just make sure your finances are in order and perhaps consider some side gig contingencies if it turns out you need a bit longer or want to make some money to do something particularly lavish in the middle of your sabbatical. Exactly what that looks like for you depends on your personal situation, of course, regarding how much stuff you have, whether you own a house, etc.

Go forth and relax and get your head clear. It can do wonders for clarifying what you want out of your life and can be a great adventure!
posted by wierdo at 9:10 AM on April 20, 2018

Do it, absolutely do it. My wife and I did and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything!
posted by mkuhnell at 10:41 AM on April 20, 2018

I have just finished a year of travel; I'm in my mid 30s and have a career. This is actually a great time for a year off. If you think about it, a year isn't a massive amount of time for most industries. Mine is what you'd consider fast moving, but my skills are just as relevant as they were a year ago. I had the added complication of moving countries (and into a much more developed but competitive job market) at the end of my year, so I wasn't able to leverage connections as well as it seems you might be able to.

Budget traveling at this age is still super fun. Depending on the region, you may find that guesthouses rather than hostels are the best places to meet people our age. I did a mix of both (mainly in Asia) and it worked out pretty well.

My advice re planning is to sketch out a rough itinerary so you know, for example, where you might want to be during what weather/season. Set aside a separate amount of money for your return and job search. (I started mine while still traveling, but it still took five weeks once I returned to get through the whole process) And then don't feel like you have to stick to any timetable - if you do two months and decide you're done, great, if you can afford to keep going for two years until you're done, also great. I had a spreadsheet with a sort of wish list plan that I changed constantly - and then an average daily budget goal which did not change. I'd usually plan two weeks in advance but sometimes I'd make night-before decisions.

And by the way, in all my job interviews in this new city I'm moving to, everyone wanted to hear about my trip. It's certainly not why I got the job, but it didn't hurt. In fact I was surprised that nobody asked me how I thought I'd readjust to working after such a long break...
posted by clipperton at 12:53 PM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

I did this when I was 31, for about 5 years. Best decision I ever made. There are so many more opportunities out there in the world than you think. You'll be fine.
posted by ananci at 1:56 PM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Do it, but I am going to go against the grain here and say don't have a plan. Buy a ticket somewhere you want to go and wing it from there. You will fine.

You can buy socks and underwear anywhere, and if you dislike a place you can just book a ticket out. Easy peasy.
posted by Literaryhero at 3:42 AM on April 21, 2018