Want to quit your job and travel for a living?! Yea us too, but let’s be real, we can’t all afford to quit our jobs and travel the world as Instagram stars for a living. Although, making $7k a picture sounds nice right?! Yes, this is how much some of these big Instagram names are making on each post. But for 99.9% of us this just isn’t a reality. This does not mean you should give up on traveling because you can still travel with a full time job!
The number one question we get all the time is “How do you travel so much with work?” So I decided to answer that question in a blog by making a list of the top 15 ways to travel with a full time job. In short, yes it is possible to travel while working a 9-5. Both Faris and I have corporate business positions and we manage to go on 6 international trips, and multiple domestic trips a year. Alright let’s get into it! Here are 15 ways to travel with a full time job.
1). Make Travel a Priority – Travel With a Full Time Job
You must have the right mindset in order to make traveling a priority. There are some sacrifices you will have to make in order to travel while still having a career. Stop spending money on the extravagant things so you can afford vacations and spend your free time going on trips. Simple things like going out to eat or spending money on clothes. Do you really need a brand new SUV or can you deal with a smaller sedan lease that costs you $150 a month? Do you really need to spend every weekend going to the bars or can you live without it? There are plenty of other things you can do to afford traveling which I will go more into in another blog soon to come, “How to Afford Travel”.
2).Work Hard, Play Hard – Travel With a Full Time Job
Work should always be a priority because it’s how you make your money and pay for your travels. As cliché as this sounds I like to follow the saying work hard, play hard. You need to have a really good handle on your job. I always like to get in early and leave only when my work is finished. I try to exceed expectations and turn things in before they are due. Coworkers notice your work ethic and learn to trust you. They acknowledge you as hard working, respectable person. So when it comes to asking for something in return your manager doesn’t question it.
3). Be Honest – Travel With a Full Time Job
Make sure you are honest with your co-workers up front about your travels. I always let my managers know that traveling is a hobby for me. I am always very open with showing them my pictures and telling them stories from my trips. It shows them that I am serious and passionate about it so when it comes time to take vacation they understand this is a priority for me.
4). ASK! – Travel With a Full Time Job
This is a big one! You will never get what you need if you don’t ask! If you’ve made a good reputation for yourself, like stated in tip #2, you should feel comfortable asking for something in return. If your co-workers trust you and you’ve been working extra hours they will accommodate your needs. This can be anything from asking for an extra day off, asking to get out early on a Friday to catch a flight, or even working remotely for a couple days. If you don’t ask I promise it won’t happen.
5). Use Any Time Off You Can Get Your Hands On – Travel With a Full Time Job
Our vacation days are strictly only used for travel and I am only given 10 days so I really need as much time as possible. I am also allowed 2 sick days which I use for travel. If I am ever sick I just chose to work from home or I tough it out. I also get 13 paid holidays. Definitely one of the benefits of working in corporate!
Many companies allow you to purchase vacation days – do this if you have the option. Days off are like gold!
My 2017 Vacation Time
In 2017 I stuck to my 12 days and still managed to go on 4 international trips with multiple domestic getaways. It’s definitely doable, but I had to get creative! There were times where I worked extra hours on the days I was home. I also worked from my car on the way to the airport (my car has OnStar in it and it allows me to pay for wifi at $5 a day). I even had a red eye and went straight to the office from the airport. If you choose to go this route just make sure you over communicate with your boss so there are no issues. Now I know these are not the most ideal situations but at least this gives your the option for more travel. If you are looking for a more relaxed schedule buy vacation days if you can.
My 2018 Vacation Time
Since I caught the travel bug I decided to buy an extra 10 days in 2018. I didn’t necessarily free up my schedule instead I added 2 extra international trips with more domestic weekend getaways. Yes, it’s addicting!
6).Travel Over Holidays – Travel With a Full Time Job
When you only get a set number of vacation days it is so important to utilize every holiday. We only travel over holidays because it allows us to lengthen our vacations while saving our days. This is a huge sacrifice and it has been bitter sweet because we miss Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and the Fourth of July. I do miss the family time and my mom gets upset about it but in the end I never regret it. I’ve been able to see some of the most iconic, beautiful places in the world. In the end, holidays come every year so it’s worth skipping a few. It goes back to tip #1 traveling is a priority.
7). Do Your Research – Travel With a Full Time Job
Before you make up your mind that you don’t have enough time or you can’t afford traveling do some research. Look into it! Find where you want to go and make it work. If you are worried about the cost there are some things you can do to help save on money like:
- Fly out of big international airports because they have cheaper ticket prices. Since we are from the Midwest we often fly out of Chicago and Toronto. Other big international airports in the US include LAX and JFK.
- Make up your own flight schedule. If you are planning a trip in Europe or Africa make sure to check out the big European hubs like London or Paris and buy separate tickets to other countries. The tickets from these airports are especially cheaper. You could fly from Chicago to Paris to Egypt and save over $500. It’s like a puzzle and could take some extra work but if there is a will there is a way!
8). Be Open – Travel With a Full Time Job
Traveling is about new experiences; don’t seclude yourself to one place. Be open to different countries, this makes planning much easier. When we are planning our trips the first step is to understand the dates we want to go – which is always over holidays. Plug in your dates to Google flights and explore. Google flights pulls in all flights from every airline and displays the cheapest prices in a map view. This way we can pick the best places with the best prices. If I had my mind set on Bora Bora I wouldn’t be going for 10 years with those prices! I’ll give you guys more tips on how we plan our travel in another blog coming soon, “How to Plan Travel”.
9). Plan A Lot into A Little; You’re Going to Need a Vacation from your Vacation – Travel With a Full Time Job
Our schedules are jam packed! Basically every hour counts when you only have a set number of vacation days. Never let someone tell you that you don’t have enough time to go somewhere. Of course we’d all love to travel for weeks at a time but that’s just not reality and it probably won’t be a reality until you’re retired assuming you’re working in corporate. The truth is you can always go back if you feel like you didn’t have enough time. There are plenty of places we have been and want to go back to!
Do your research on the country or city and find the best spots that you must see. Make a list and make sure you hit those spots. Have your second choices and if you have time go and if not skip it. The key is to be really organized and have it all planned out before you leave. Even things like what restaurants to eat at and where the nearest gas stations and grocery stores are. This allows you to just go and not waste any time.
We’ve pushed ourselves to our limits on almost all of our trips. I think the most was our Iceland trip. We actually drove around the whole country in 7 days. This included hours of driving every day and late nights. The 24 hours of sunlight really helped us out here! Now this might seem a little crazy to you but it was my favorite vacation to date. One of my favorite experiences in life! I would’ve never gotten the memories if I had listened to the people telling me not to do it! Check out all of our itineraries below – they are all jam packed with the best things to do and see within 7-9 days.
10). Think About the Logistics – Travel With a Full Time Job
There’s so much that goes into planning but here are a couple things we always do/consider before booking a trip in order to maximize time:
- Think about time changes – they can really help or hurt you when planning
- Consider the season in the country you will be traveling to – Winter means shorter days and less sunlight = less time to do things
- Consider the length of flights
- Where is the layover – Can you make it into a mini outing?
- Book your trip on a Friday afternoon and return Sunday evening – This maximizes the amount of time you get
- Book your trip over holidays – maximizes vacation days
- Bring snacks on your trips – Reduce time sitting in restaurants
11). Layovers Are the New Vacation – Travel With a Full Time Job
Almost all long flights will have layovers and depending on where and how long you can turn it into a mini outing. Layovers just became part of the vacation. Typically the cheaper flights have longer layovers but not always the case. If the layover is near an interesting place and we have at least 5 hours you bet we’re exploring. Bring appropriate clothes in your carry on and have an agenda already created. Make sure everything is planned to the T for layovers because the last thing you want to do is miss your flight.
Our flight from Detroit to Jordan had an 8 hour layover in Frankfurt. The metro ran through the airport so we bought our tickets there and hopped on the train to downtown. We got coffees and explored the cutest market. We bought some wursts and a couple German Beers – Success!
12).Learn To Sleep Everywhere; I Love Coffee – Travel With a Full Time Job
So naturally when you are packing your schedule to the gills you are not getting your 8 hours of sleep at night. By day 4 you really start feel it. Learn to sleep everywhere – especially when traveling in cars, buses, trains, etc. Get as much sleep as possible before you leave and on the plane to your destination. Bring the whole get up – neck pillow, eye mask, and ear plugs! And yes at least 2 coffee stops a day. Not sure how I survived before drinking coffee.
13). Travel in Your Backyard – Travel With a Full Time Job
Traveling doesn’t have to be across the world. Get to know your own area. We’re from the metro-Detroit area of Michigan and we love traveling to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the summer. Chicago and New York are also great weekend getaways. You don’t even have to take off time to get these done. Labor Day weekend or Memorial Day weekend is a perfect time for these kinds of trips.
14). Never Underestimate the Power of Weekend Getaway – Travel With a Full Time Job
We describe weekend getaways as our fix. It’s what keeps us going in the mean time between our big trips. It’s kind of like a little slice of heaven! Weekend getaways are perfect for group trips because no one has to take off work so planning is much easier. If you’re going somewhere you need to fly make sure to check Google flights and find a cheap flight. We usually just fly Spirit for weekend getaways.
15). Add a Few Days onto Your Business Trip – Travel With a Full Time Job
Do you ever get the opportunity to travel on business trips? If so, ask your manager if you can add a couple extra days onto your trip. If the timing is during the work week just ask if you can work remotely and pay for the difference for the hotel room.
Conclusion – Travel With a Full Time Job
There you have it! These are the 15 ways we are able to travel with a full time job. Hopefully you can use these tips to begin your own travels! Faris and I have been doing this for two years now and life could not be better.
Sometimes I feel like we’ve unlocked this huge secret; we’ve cracked the code to balancing a career and traveling! I realized it’s not that hard you just need the right mindset and some planning skills!
I’d love to hear what you guys think and if you’ve been able to use these tips or if you’ve thought of any that I haven’t! Let me know in the comments section.
Make sure to check out all of our itineraries in the links below as they are targeted for people working full time jobs or who don’t have a lot of time to travel.
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