Travel finance, steady jobs and other options

Is it good idea to quit your job and travel around the world?

I see more and more posts about people quitting corporate jobs and traveling the world. They never write about travel finance. There are usually happy faces everywhere and they are usually trying to sell me something. Lately I read a post from a female travel writer, how she lost her fiancé and was trying to hide tears while posing for the Instagram on sunny beaches. On her profile she looked happy in reality she was battling depression. Traveling full time also means you will be and stay single, and long distance relationships usually don’t work. If you are happy being alone, that might be perfect job for you.

Traveling long time can get very lonely.
Photo by: lifeofpix.com, leeroy

I want to travel but now is not the right time.

I had a relatively well-paying job abroad. In the summer, my friends planned to backpack around Thailand for one month. I was thrilled with the idea, but since I was the only one with ‘’serious’’ job, we decided I could join them on one of the islands for 10 to 14 days and fly back from the next one directly to my office. I had more than enough savings, plenty of vacation days …. and a really shitty boss. He decided that since we will get some new co-workers, there will be no vacations whole summer. I was told I was needed, my company can’t really function without a skilled specialist like me and I absolutely have to be present there, since they might need my help integrating in the new environment. I spent all summer making photocopies, vacuuming the office, and being alone a lot, since we were working in diplomacy. Diplomats don’t ever work in summer, so everything was pretty much closed. Friends were enjoying themselves in Thailand and I was hoping for my summer to end soon. It would be nice to say this got me promoted. Nope. Boss decided that since I am young and healthy, I can work 14 hours shifts, days, nights and any weekend he desires. One year later I gave up on ever having normal working conditions in that company, my health was ruined and I finally left that totally toxic environment.

It is never the right time

My point is, there are not many jobs worth putting your life on hold for them. If you have a good job, they won’t mind if you go on vacation now and then. If you work somewhere where they are trying to kill you with overworking, maybe travelling for a while and coming back to a new start is not such a bad idea.

Get your priorities straight

It is annoying how many people tell me how they can’t afford to go anywhere. Which is usually not true. You can buy a bit less expensive car and shop for clothes a little less. There are people who hitchhike around the world for years on zero income. I am sure person on normal income can afford it with a bit of planning and cancelling some non-essentials.

Travel is not expensive if you sort out your travel finance

You don’t have to stay in 5-star hotels. Budget travellers usually use Couchsurfing, sleep in hostels or rent a room on Airbnb, Roomorama, Homestay or any other portal. You can sometimes sleep on a bus, train station or on an Airport. You can call your cousins abroad and ask them for a night or two on their sofa.

I still have to eat

We have to eat wherever we are. And some hostels let you cook in a common kitchen and even provide some spices and basic ingredients. If you travel around Africa or Asia, chances are, you will pay less for cooked meal in restaurant than you would for ingredients for cooking one in your home country.

Get on all mailing lists for cheap plane, train or bus tickets

Planning ahead can save you so much money. Most companies have cheaper tickets on anniversaries, New Year discounts or frequent flier programs. I both tickets for my trip in May yesterday. For summer trips, best prices are supposed to be in January. Travel finance can be less of a pain if you plan in advance.

Use public traffic and plan in advance. Photo by: lifeofpix.com, macnicolae

You can even sleep and eat for free

There are organizations like WWOOF, where you can work on a organic farm for a few hours a day. For that, you get food and a place to sleep. All other time you are free to explore the area. Ever heard of Housesitting? You can take care of someone else’s place while they are traveling. You feed their pets and water their flowers. In exchange you get a free place to stay. Some homes are on a really great location and will be great for your travel finance.

Since goblins love to travel, but usually do it on a budget, we use Airbnb. By using this link to subscribe, you get 20 euros of your first trip, and we get a little discount on our next. If you are not into Airbnb, there is a Booking.com link on the right side of our page. If you are looking for a travel gear, visit our Goblin shop. Travel as much as you can