Balancing work with part-time travel
One year, 50 + days of travel
2015 was my first year of full-time work. When I published my travel plans for this year, I had no idea that the places I would go and hours I’d spend in the sky would far surpass my expectations for the 365 days ahead. I never realised part-time travel was so attainable until I had no choice but to chase it!
Like many twenty-somethings, I wasn’t too keen on the whole ‘growing up, selling my soul to a corporation and hoping I get hit by a car so I can have a few days off’ thing when I graduated uni last year. So umm, I very irresponsibly flitted off to New York for three months. It felt like I had to choose: freedom (travel) or normality (the 9 to 5 grind). I freaked out and absconded from the UK and all of the grey days it signaled to me.
Trying to have it all
At the beginning of 2015, I moved to England and got a job in Digital Marketing. I was excited to be making tracks on my career path, but signing up for the 9-5 life inevitably came with a certain amount of apathy. I resigned myself to joining the working masses, who spend 95% of the year wishing their time away, looking forward to a fortnight in Benidorm. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if that’s what you’re happy to do.
I inwardly gave up a life of adventure and tried to fall in love with routine. Somehow though, I found my itchy feet taking over and taking me away as much as possible. I set about living my best life, and my overnight case has barely been unpacked since. It turns out that part-time travel is a wonderful way to have the best of both worlds.
Where I’ve travelled in the past 12 months
This year, while holding down a full-time job; I’ve visited Amsterdam for a weekend, travelled around Borneo, Lombok, Bali and the Gili islands, holidayed in Cuba and did my first solo trip to Dubai. I’ve had wonderful UK staycations in the Lake District, York, London, Edinburgh, and even close to home in the North East. Hey – travel doesn’t always have to be exotic! I also squeezed in a much-needed trip ‘home’ to Isle of Man, which involved a horrendous overnight ferry ride. The things we do just for a hug from our mum.
How I balanced a full-time career with over 50 days of part-time travel this year.
I am a living example that you absolutely can travel LOADS while holding down a dazzling(ish) career in your twenties. After all, what other responsibilities do we have other than to ourselves?
Are you wondering how to incorporate as much adventure as possible in to your year, without getting fired? This is how I made the absolute most of annual leave this year to pursue my wanderlust.
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I surround myself with the right people.
We’ve all seen those viral articles about things you should know before you fall in love with a girl who travels. I’m lucky enough to have loved ones who understand that I have an urgent need to see the world. They get it, or they at least try to; and I like to think that I’ve made their lives better by forcing them to accompany me on adventures. Well, not that Tom looked overjoyed exactly when I was dragging him around Cuba with a camera in hand, but still.
2. I work hard and play hard.
When you prove your worth to your employer, they’re going to want to keep you, and this might mean being a little bit flexible to allow for your travel addiction. More and more employers are starting to accept that us millennials have different motivations than previous generations, and a huge part of that is that we want a decent work/life balance.
I think it’s hugely important to work for a company who isn’t going to moan when you take a holiday. Nobody should ever feel guilty for using their holiday entitlement. I think it’s absolutely shocking that four in ten Americans don’t use all of their paid holiday. Nobody is that important. Tighten up and tell your boss you’re going off the grid for two weeks. They’ll respect you for it.
3. I prioritise travel.
This is a money-saving tip really and I wrote an entire post about how I afford to travel, if you want to have a look at that for some inspiration. I prefer to spend my money on travel rather than anything else; and this sometimes means making sacrifices so I can enjoy myself abroad wholeheartedly, without worrying about the purse strings while I’m on the plane.
Some simple things I do that help me save money for travel include bringing a packed lunch to work every day, staying away from the high street unless absolutely necessary, and refusing to learn to drive. That last one I’m not proud of, but it saves money and means I have less ties. Owning a car would just stress me out.
4. I get creative with annual leave.
Worrying about getting days off approved at work is the absolute bane of my life. There’s nothing worse than having to turn down a trip because, “I’ve got no holidays left”. Urgh. Until the day all employers go Richard Branson on us and let us decide how many days’ holiday to take, we are of course limited as to how many days we can feasibly have the Out of Office on without someone raising an eyebrow. So, how do I do it?
A long weekend here and there, if planned meticulously, sometimes only requires a half day at work on the Friday. There’s nothing quite like striding out of the office at lunchtime with your overnight bag slung over your shoulder and a smirk on your face. I don’t recommend switching jobs when you’ve used all of your holiday quota because that’s flaky and you might end up owing your employer money – but that’s kind of what I did, accidentally. I was made redundant so now I have extra time!
5. I travel locally.
If you think a short break close to home isn’t worthy of your camera, you’re wrong. One of the things that has saved my sanity this year has been packing my bag on a Friday night and hitting the road. Sometimes we jump in the car and head to a nearby city to spend the weekend sleeping in a strange bed and playing tourist in someone else’s hometown.
We had a relaxing stay in a Newcastle hotel on a weeknight; and the change of scene, bathrobes and breakfast buffet broke the week up in the best possible way.
If you have a good tip for part-time travel; I’d love to hear about it in the comment section.
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Chloe - New Girl In Toon says
Inspiring post! I think it’s all too easy to let office life take over and, as you say, it really doesn’t have to! I’ve spent the last few years saving every penny to buy a house so I’m so excited at being able to plan my honeymoon for next year, I can’t wait to get back on a plane and go somewhere amazing .. it’s been too long! x
Angie Silver (@SilverSpoonLDN) says
Sounds like a great year, Dannielle.
Rachel says
I quit my job to travel in September because I figured I’d better go before I had a house or a kid or god knows what else to be responsible for! At my old job, I actually got 18 days off – which is amazing for an American – but when you count weddings and sick days in there, it just wasn’t enough. Having all of this freedom now has made me see that when I DO have to go back to work, I’ll prioritize negotiating more paid time off and a flexible work schedule. I hate sitting behind a desk doing nothing until 5:30 PM just because I’m “supposed” to be there.
Emmalene says
Such a fab idea about taking half day on a Friday! Never think about doing that…
Liz says
I can relate! I’ve been trying to squeeze in travel into a full-time career — and I feel like I succeeded. 🙂 Congrats to us!
Claudia says
It seems you really are doing what is best for you, and that is great. I am like you – I spend ALL my money on travel. All of it, seriously. And yes, if you play around with the dates, with long weekends and Bank Holidays, it can be done. Finally, again I agree with you that travel doesn’t just have to be in exotic destinations (though I prefer those, hehe).
Rebecca says
Can I just say that I love you & your blog?! Seriously. You have put into words the struggles that are very REAL for my life. It can be disheartening reading blog after blog about full-time travel when you have to settle for much less travel in your life. However, knowing that there are other part-time travel girls out there, it just makes my heart happy!
Anita Hendrieka says
Wow what a year you have had! Good on you!
Natasha Amar says
Good on you for getting so much travel done while holding down a full-time job. Just proves that if you prioritize you can get the best of both worlds!
Victoria Metcalfe says
I think you’re so right about travelling locally – I love exploring my home town and the surrounding areas!
Angela says
We are firm believers as well that working hard can lead to playing hard. And although quitting the 9-5 to travel is enticing, it’s not necessarily the greatest route. We worked full-time and traveled for years while working hard and saving, only now going part-time in our mid and late 30s. Happy that you found a balance, sounds like you had an awesome year!
Grietje | TravelGretl says
Good to read all of this! Might happen that I am also going for a non-freelance job soon, which will of course not stop the itchy feet 😉 Curious how that works out, great to see it can still bring you a lot of world and travels!
Stephen says
Seems like you’ve had a great hear, hope the next one is just as exciting!
Julia says
I love this post – I agree with this wholeheartedly. While my job isn’t quite 9-5 at the moment, working full-time (including weekends and evenings) mean getting creative with my days off. I end up spending a fair amount on these weekends away each month, but it keeps me travelling and ensures I have something to look forward to whilst I slave away in two jobs!
Amanda Williams says
Great post! I can really relate to this as a part time traveller myself.
Nic from Roaming Renegades says
Good on you for showing everyone how possible it is to travel even with a job. Personally we are quitting our jobs to travel full time next year but I know that is not for everyone and we have been part time travellers for a few years and got a lot done too.
Marge Gavan says
Like you I also do part-time traveling and it works fine by me. I used to hate my 9-5 job because I envied those travelers who do it full time but now I am thankful that I have a steady source of income, I can still travel anyway. Like you most of my travels are done locally so it’s a lot easier for me.
Inma says
Awesome recap of your 2015 travels! Here’s to a most awesome 2016 if possible!
Lucy says
I love such positive posts it’s so inspiring and I love what you’re doing..
I’m planning to move to UK very soon hope I’ll find the job that also will allow me to travel
Safe trips!!;)
Alexandrea says
Always have ambitious goals! What’s the worse that will happen? You’ll only visit half the countries planned, or only 1. At least you would be that one country better off!
Sarah says
You’ve done really well! I live in isolated New Zealand and struggle to travel part time on four weeks annual leave myself. Looking back on this year I’ve been to Australia twice, Hawaii, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia and done a wee bit around my home country – can’t really complain 🙂
samantha rickelton says
Fab tips – I’m so excited now that I’m not employed and can sort of travel as and when – my main ties are the kids though so I am always planning our trips to coincide with school hols.
Steve’s work lets him have a 6 month sabbatical at anytime (after a grace period) and it is our dream to use this when the kids are grown up (so maybe when we are around 50) and travel the world properly 😀 xx
Marsha says
Love the article! Great read and so pleased that you were able to do that whilst holding down a full time job!
I wanted to know, what plugin do you use for that “sharing is caring” ?
Marsha x
Kate says
I love this post! This is exactly what I do and I’m very happy. After trying extended periods overseas (either travelling around our when I chose Australia as a bar for a year) I’ve now decided to stick with living in the UK. I get to see family and friends, make money & have a career but I don’t have to give up travel. Best of both worlds!
Veronica says
Great post! I have a decently flexible 9-5 right now and am transitioning into nursing as a career field so epic part-time travel and a great career that supports that is really my ultimate goal! The only downside: I live in Texas, USA and all the places I REALLY want to go are across the globe which costs way more than flying from somewhere closer in Europe. But your comment about discovering local treasures is great advice and really inspiring. Although, the US is not my travel priority, it still has some amazing places to visit and I just might be able to satisfy my wanderlust with small, long weekend trips to Yellowstone, Vegas, D.C, etc. Thanks for this post, there’s some great advice here!