One of the things we get asked the most is, “how do you travel so often and still have a job?” The answer is easy, we save money and use our vacation days wisely. We’re smart about traveling and that’s why it works so well for us.
It can be just as simple for you, too. I have a 9-5 full time desk job as I’m sure most of you reading this do. It’s nothing fancy and it’s certainly not something I thought I would be doing with my life. However, it does give me the flexibility to have a life outside of the office. I leave my work at work, and I’m able to take that opportunity to travel.
Let’s get to it! Here are 5 Ways to Travel and Still Have a Full Time Job that I suggest you incorporate into your life so you too can be traveling the world in no time!
Save $50 from every paycheck into a “Travel Only Fund”
The biggest reason that we are able to travel as often as we do isn’t because of our 9-5 jobs. In fact, it’s our finances and our budget that helps us the most. We both don’t make a lot of money from our jobs, but we have become pro’s at saving money. From each paycheck, I put exactly $50.00 into my “Travel Only Fund”. Not only do I put $50.00 into it with each bi-weekly paycheck, but any random checks I might get whether it might be a gift, a tax refund, or any sort of passive income. This fund is in a separate bank account with a separate checking account and a separate debit card. I don’t touch this account unless I’m traveling.
Pair your vacation days with weekends & holidays
Looking for a way to extend your vacation days? The best way to do this is by pairing your vacation days with weekends and holidays. By doing so, you can make your available vacation days/PTO days from work last longer and you can use them less. Depending on the type of trip, we always travel by leaving on a Thursday or Friday and coming back on a Monday or Tuesday. We also try to use holidays as an excuse to travel. For example, last year we traveled during Thanksgiving break so we only used a couple vacation days, but in reality we got almost a whole week off.
Take advantage of those business trips
Now I know some people aren’t lucky enough to travel with their job. Personally I get maybe one business trip a year, but when I do, I make sure to make it count! If your OK with spending a little money on your trip rather than having your company pay for it all, you might be able to leave for the business trip earlier or come back later. Even if it’s just for an extra day or two. You may also find time during your business trip to go out at night. Don’t let those evenings go by just watching TV in your hotel room, get out and explore! When I took a business trip to Charleston, South Carolina, I went down a day earlier and walked the city for the entire day. I saw so much that by the time the business trip was over, I was ready to go home.
Don’t stress about taking unpaid vacation days here and there
I know you may wince when you hear or read that phrase. I do sometimes, too and it’s OK. You can roll your eyes. Your financial situation might not be prepared for unpaid vacation days, but if you get to be desperate enough – you can always think of it as, “I can use my vacation fund to make up for my unpaid vacation days!” Did I make it sound better?
Travel close to home or take shorter trips
Don’t take long over extended trips. We love our weekend getaways. They’re short and sweet and we want to make the most of our vacation time. Another very important fact about us is that we mostly travel to places that we can get to in a day. A good rule of thumb that we follow when planning trips is: If our destination is more than 8 hours away from home – we fly. If it’s less than 8 hours away from home, we drive. We don’t want to be sitting in a car on the thruway at 3am or spend too much time to get somewhere. That rule also helps our financial situation when traveling as driving is usually always the cheaper option.
How do you work full time and still travel? Have any thoughts or suggestions you’d like to add?
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When I clicked on this post, I thought that it was going to to be about jobs that people can do from the road. Instead, I see that it is about doing your life the way that you love and making traveling work without drastic changes. I am happy to say that we do use some of th see tips already, and they are beneficial?