Last Updated on July 7, 2020 by Camilla Gill
Scared to quit your job and travel? Sound familiar?
Between the ages of 19 and 24, I worked in countless offices. But when I got to 24 I had grown sick of office life.
MY STORY
Quitting office life was super scary. I didn’t have a plan. And my story is ridiculous and not cool.
I was living in Portugal and had been working in an office job for the last year. One morning, I was complaining about my office job.
A friend of mine looked at me and gave me a great piece of advice: “If you’re not happy about something, then change it.”
That same morning, I promptly marched down to my work. I flung open the door to my manager’s office, announced that I wanted to quit and then burst into tears.
Not my finest moment.
Life advice guys – Don’t quit your job when you’re still drunk from the night before. A few hours later, I WAS TERRIFIED! I had quit my job without a plan!
TAKE ACTION
Was I scared?
Yes. But the situation I had put myself into forced me to take action. And for that, I am forever grateful. I quickly went to the restaurant where I used to work and asked them to take me back.
They were pleased to have me back and even made me manager a couple of weeks later. That summer ended up being one of the best summers of my life. I met lots of great people and started to make a plan to go backpacking in Colombia during the winter.
Travelling in Colombia led to me staying in Colombia, so I became an English teacher.
After a couple of years, I also found a way to work online.
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Quitting your job while still drunk from the night before is not a good idea.
But, quitting your job because you’re miserable IS A GOOD IDEA.
The point of my little story is that things nearly always work out.
If things nearly always work out, why are you still scared to quit your job and travel?
YOU’RE WORRIED YOU’LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER JOB
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I get it, you’re establishing yourself on the career ladder and you’re scared you’ll be left behind.
However, in the grand scheme of the 50-year span which will be your career, 1 or 2 years of fun is not a big deal.
And who knows what opportunities could present themselves to you while travelling?
You might develop a love for surfing and end up opening a surf camp retreat. Or maybe, you’ll meet a fellow backpacker who just so happens to be the CEO of a hot new start-up.
The possibilities are endless!
YOU CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK
You’re worried your friends and family will think you’re a DROPOUT.
Caring what people think is an epidemic. It’s controlling our every thought and action.
When in reality, no one cares what you do. And if they do, it’s a reflection on how unhappy they are with themselves.
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Learn to free yourself of caring what people think and learn to live life for you. I loveeee the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck.
RUNNING OUT OF MONEY
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Money is always going to be a factor when feeling scared to quit your job and travel.
If you are able to save for a few months beforehand, then please do.
There are other options though. What about working while travelling? You could do some shifts in a hostel reception in exchange for a bed. You could work in a bar for some quick cash.
Or what about working online? I started my online freelancing career as a virtual assistant and now I make over $3000/month from 30 hours of work.
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However, please believe in yourself a bit more. If you are an able-bodied human with high school education, you will find work wherever. You will make things work.
The internet leads us to believe that the world is a big scary place but the reality is far different. 99% of people want to help you. Trust in strangers’ kindness.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Living abroad and travelling has given me a life that I don’t regret. I don’t have a traditional career and hopefully, I never will have one.
When you travel you meet people from all different walks of life and it opens your mind in a way that reading a blog can’t.
I don’t believe that travel will help you find yourself if anything you might come back feeling a little bit more lost.
But, I can promise you one thing.
You won’t regret it.
Stop being scared to quit your job and travel. Go for it and see where life takes you!
My name is Phoebe and I want to show other people that you can design a life you want. I like to write about motivation, working online and self-improvement.
One day I’d like to quit job and support my family with my own business. Wish I’d thought of it when I was younger.
I’m sure you’ll do it eventually, if you’ve got the dream then you can make it happen!