5 Steps to Quit Your Job to Travel the World

I am going to help you, make a plan to quit your job, travel the world, and do it all what can make you happy with these God’s creatures.

Convince yourself

Why quit a perfectly well-paying job to travel the world? It goes completely against a lot of the advice we were given by society and parents. Well, times have changed. Our generation is less likely to receive the generous retirement benefits that our parents did, and fewer people are willing to wait until retirement to travel the world.

Maybe your inner voice is screaming at you to do something, travel the world, write a book, or change up your life completely. Whatever it is, it’s not your nine-to-five. It’s time to scratch that itch.

Make a plan

Ask yourself what do you want to get out of this break? Maybe you want to check a couple of things off your bucket list. If you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do? How can you get paid to do what you love? Answering these difficult questions will give you the direction you need to make a plan.

Above all do you want to return to your current job? If not hold a beat; if yes find out if your company offers sabbaticals. The word sabbatical comes from the Hebrew word, “Shabbat.” Literally Sabbath or ceasing to work. The Bible commands we can take one year off of every seven years from work. These days to take a sabbatical, you’re probably going to have to negotiate with your boss. Although it’s less common in the United States than in Europe or Australia, many companies are realizing the importance of retaining talented employees by giving them some well-deserved break time.

Usually, sabbaticals are offered after a couple of years of work, but not always. Deloitte offers sabbaticals after just six months, and some offer paid sabbaticals. You can literally get paid to be at the beach instead of the office.   Six months to a year is not uncommon, but six weeks is the same amount of time as maternity leave. Most companies are already familiar with giving that much time off. If you’re quitting your job for good, make your own sabbatical by scheduling some free time before you start your next job. Obviously, it’s not as sweet as a paid sabbatical, but it does give you the freedom to take as much time off as your budget will allow.

Tell your boss

Quitting your job or requesting time off is not easy. Just like asking for a raise, these conversations can get awkward. You need to stick your neck out a little bit and prepare yourself for possible rejection. It’s an unavoidable step, but one you should handle tactfully if you ever want to come back or put them down as a reference. Just resist the temptation. Make it clear that you do not intend just to goof off, that you will return to work as a more well-rounded and productive employee.

Mention up front any skills or hobbies that you’re going to be working on during your sabbatical. Then relate how these skills or hobbies will improve your productivity and your presence in the workplace. Remember, you’re pitching this idea so, write it out, practice in the mirror, and pick a good time to say it, not when your boss has got a ton of her own work or two days before your trip. Follow these steps and chances are she’ll say yes.

After these all hard parts, give your boss fair warning before your departure and do everything in your power to make sure your replacement is brought up to speed before you leave. When the big day arrives, part ways with class and leave a thoughtful gift. Follow up a few weeks later with a postcard from the road thanking them for the opportunity to pursue this dream.

Hit the road

All of this seems like a hassle, but you’ll be happy a year later when you have to put your boss’s name as a reference for a new job. Now, what are you going to do? Sure you can spend the first week celebrating, vegetating, or sleeping, but don’t squander this opportunity. Set yourself up for success by committing early. Buy those plane tickets while they’re still cheap, and make major reservations so there’s no turning back. Keeping a journal is a great way to track your progress, hone your intuition, and learn to listen to your heart. And if you want to become more creative, I highly recommend buying The Artist’s Way. It’s a 12-week course to unlock your creativity.

Give yourself space to explore your passions, especially hobbies you’ve neglected or dreams that you’ve buried. Resist the urge to plan every minute of every day, and instead allow yourself to be open to the experiences as they come to you. Wander, linger, improvise, who knows where the road will lead?

Return to work deliberately

Eventually, your sabbatical will end and you will need to return to work or try to find a new job. But take some time to process all of the experiences you’ve just had so you have something thoughtful and meaningful to say during your job interview. Focus on the skills that you learned, pick a few stories that illustrate how travel helped you grow. This will help you stick out from other job candidates.

Importantly, don’t fall back into your old ruts. Instead, bring your lessons from the road and integrate those into your everyday life so you can walk through life deliberately, even if it’s just commuting to the office.