Traveling with a Full Time Job: Finding the Perfect Work/Travel Balance
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Most people have a full time job. As a self-proclaimed travel blogger, one of my least favorite things I frequently see is other bloggers and influencers that HEAVILY promote the *~*everyone can quit their job and travel the world*~* motif.
Sure, that may be encouraging to bloggers or freelancers, but what about everyone else? Regardless of their situation, the majority of people work a non-remote full time job. Can they still travel the world? Can they even be – dare I say – TRAVEL BLOGGERS?!?
WELL OF COURSE!
Anyone can travel, even those with a full time job. However, having a full time job DEFINITELY makes traveling a little trickier. Luckily for you, I’ve rounded up the world’s TOP BLOGGERS who also happen to have full time jobs. They’ve been through it all. Scheduling conflicts. Working around limited vacation days. Explaining to their boss that there was a pricing error on flights to SE Asia sooo….they’ll be in next week.
Traveling with a full time job brings a whole new set of challenges. Challenges that might deter someone from traveling. But we’re here to tell you that YOU CAN DO BOTH! Let’s me the lineup, starting with yours truly. ME. If you didn’t know – YUP! I have a full time job! I work in lithography semi-conductor microprocessor manufacturing. If you don’t know what that means, that’s okay. Me either. I alternate between working 39 hours one week, then 51 hours the next week.
I’ve been supporting my travels…well…ever since my first trip abroad in high school. I HAD TO HUSTLE for that! I wrote scholarship essays FOR WEEKS. But it was important to me, so I made it happen. Let’s introduce the other super fly folks that’ll be laying down all the tips and tricks for today! After this post, you’ll be requesting time off and booking your next trip!
Hiii awesome travelers! So you have a full time job! AWESOME! What do you do for work? And what does your normal work schedule look like?
Mally: I work for the State of Missouri (USA) with an agency whose goal is to end homelessness across the state. We have lots of departments but I manage the office. I do most of the ordering, and assist with events like training and public hearings. I work Monday through Friday, usually the typical 8-5 or 7am-4pm. Since I work for the state, we get holidays off.
Briona: I work in the hospitality industry for a huge hotel company doing social media and events. My schedule ranges from 7 AM – 3 PM or 8 AM – 4 PM, depending on the day. I don’t work weekends unless I’m trying to finesse extra travel days. I fit travel in by taking all paid holidays, working a weekend to be off for one workday the following week, requesting off for small trips and using PTO for longer trips.
Joella: I work in Human Resources. I specialize in Benefits Administration but on a daily basis do many functions within the HR department. I have a pretty standard work week. Monday to Friday between 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. However, it’s all office work and I have no flexibility to work outside of the office at the moment.
ExpatPanda: My job can be succinctly summarized in one sentence. I teach English to grade 10 girls in the United Arab Emirates. My day starts at 7am when I start my commute to reach school by 7.45. I teach about 4-6 periods per day, ending school at 3.30pm. I always leave work at work, so the rest of the day is mine to spend as I please! We do have a decent amount of holidays as a teacher here- 2 weeks in December, 1 week in April and 5 weeks in July/August. For that I am very grateful!
Cherise: I work in Scripted Programming for a major TV network. I usually work 50-55 hours/week.
THAT’S OUR TRAVEL PANEL TODAY! Six amazing women from different backgrounds and careers – and all with different schemes on how to balance their work and travel.
Before you had joined the work force, how often did you travel? Either with your family growing up, or in school with friends or whatever.
Joella: I was very lucky to experience travel from a very young age. My mother worked for the airline industry when I was young and I had family scattered across the globe. This meant I got to travel frequently to visit them. While I was never rich, I was privileged enough to be exposed to travel and different cultures all my life. Travel has been an intricate part of my formative years and is still an important part in my life.
ExpatP: Travel was never touted as a necessary element by my parents. BUT, at least once a year, we all bundled up into my mother’s Chrysler Voyager (the most motherly car that exists on earth) and we went off on a road trip to explore our country. Some trips were longer than others. I grew up in South Africa, which is rather vast, and as a result I have been able to visit almost all of my country’s 9 provinces. (Some trips were more torturous than others- I grew up with triplet siblings- but that’s another blog post on its own).
Mally: I grew up traveling because my mother was (and still is!) a flight attendant, so travel Love was instilled in me early. When I was in college, and after I finished, I was SUPER BROKE and didn’t think I would be able to travel, so I often didn’t even try. Now that I’m armed with info that I can do it on a budget, I’m gone a lot.
Did your family value travel? How did they prioritize travel in your childhood?
Cherise: My family has always prioritized traveling together. At age 7, we embarked on my first international trip. Age 13, I moved to China with my family for my dad’s work. At 17, I moved to Japan. My siblings and I were also homeschooled, which gave us the incredible privilege and flexibility to travel together and bring textbooks with us wherever we went. Family travel was such a big part of our lives that my parents have only done a single vacation alone together since having kids (for their 25th Anniversary). I cherish every memory from our family travels, and I’m excited to go on another trip with my family this upcoming summer!
Briona: My family did value travel when I was little but I didn’t really notice because it was just there. Mostly family visits to New York or an amusement park but my mom was adamant about having experiences. Even if she didn’t have the money, she would work overtime to make things happen. I spent plenty of summer car rides in her 2004 Toyota 4runner heading up the interstate to Brooklyn.
They work a full time job now, but after being exposed to travel at a young age, did that make any of you NOT want to work in one place?
Did you always think you would have a full time job?
Kay: Nah, honestly I just wanted to be rich and sippin’ Capri Suns from the pool deck of my yacht. But alas, I am currently not luxe enough to do that. I’ve always wanted to be an author, which I guess isn’t location specific. But writing full time would be my dream job. But until then, it’s full time job for me.
Cherise: Oh, absolutely! I didn’t expect to work in television, but I always anticipated I would have a full time job. Even though I don’t travel for a living, I love what I do, and I’m very happy with my life.
Mally: I was never one of those kids that knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, I had no specific dream. When I went to college, there was no set career path that I wanted to follow. I was interested in psychology and I love people, so I just kind of ended up in my job. I knew I wanted to work and have a regular check!
How flexible is your job in terms of having POT or vacation days?
Briona: My job is flexible because of the position I’m in. If I let my manager know I have a doctor’s appointment, I’ll just leave early that day and stay longer the next day. They’re pretty lenient so I feel lucky. I’m not quite sure how many days off a year I’d get because I’ve been in the position for less than a year. Honestly, if I ask – I’ll get it. I learned that right away when I was in the role for one month and took a 3-week vacation to frolic around Europe.
Mally: I earn lots of time off and my job is pretty flexible. As long as I have the time available, I can take it. I think people often get hung up on the salary of the job without thinking about how overworked you’ll possibly be or how you won’t be able to take time off. In my opinion, I would rather have more free time.
Joella: When you have a full time job like mine it is very important to plan carefully. I have limited time off and I compete for days off with others within my department. This means that if I want a longer holiday without sacrificing all my time off at once, I need to bridge my time off with company scheduled holidays. I usually plan for vacations around Fourth of July, Memorial day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, ect.
Unfortunatley, that also means I need to plan in advance and request the days before anyone else does to make sure I get the time off I want. And of course I am also stuck with higher costs because holiday travel is always more expensive. So advance planning is key. I must put in a request for time off. This is usually accompanied with lots of prayer to any and all Gods that will listen to ensure that it is granted.
What are some travel limitations that come with having a full time job. How do you work around those limitations?
Kay: In general, I think travel limitations usually boil down to two things. Time and money. Since I just paid off my car (YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS), I have a slightly more wiggle room with money. My biggest limiter though, IS TIME. I get a number of vacation days every year, and I usually get so excited to NOT WORK that I use them all up within the first 3 months. *cry* I supplement my long weekends with mini trips. I do a roadtrip to nearby National Parks. Plenty of fun cities in the US are great 3-4 day weekend getaways!
ExpatP: The main limitation of being a teacher is that you get holidays with every other family on earth. You don’t get to take your leave whenever you would like and often have to travel when flights, sites and accommodation are at their most expensive. One of the ways I work around this is by flying to unusual places (Tbilisi, Georgia) or flying to places when its not peak season in that country (Ireland in December). I also never waste days on not going to work if I just don’t feel like it. I save my personal days for when I can extend my weekend for a sneaky trip somewhere close like India or Oman.
Do you usually take more short vacations, or fewer longer vacations?
Cherise: I usually take more short vacations due to limited vacation days, and often jet off on short trips over weekends so that my travels don’t affect my work. While longer trips would certainly be preferable, I would rather see something once for a short period of time than never see it at all!
Kay: I love short vacations! First of all, you will spend less money on food and lodging. Also, there’s less free time for shopping, which is my biggest weakness. Of course, there is a lot of excitement around the longer trips. BUT! Short trips are so fun and spontaneous. They’re also great if you want to try solo traveling. Try a weekend exploring a new city or a posh glamping trip. Short trips are so underrated! Take advantage of a weekend too meet up with your gal pals. Get Sunday bro-unch with your dudes.
Do you plan your vacations first, and THEN run it by your boss? Or do you ask for time off THEN figure out your vacation? Or some sort of combination of the two?
Briona: I plan FIRST. I think that if you have a plan together you can articulate that when you ask your boss. I plan and then ask. They haven’t said no yet.
BOLD!
Do you have any tips on how to get extra time off at work?
Briona: My main tip is to volunteer to work on a weekend (if you’re off weekends) especially if there’s a particularly busy weekend or an event happening. I do this often when we have big groups at the hotel. I’ll volunteer to come in on a Saturday and then take off the following Friday for a long travel weekend.
Okay, I’m actually going to need like a manuscript of all Briona’s work hacks! Thankfully, homegirl hooked us up with a cheat sheet on how to score extra time off from her full time job !
Do you ever use weekends for mini vacations? If so, what are some advantages or positives of weekend getaways?
Cherise: Absolutely! My husband and I are always searching for fun weekend getaways, especially if it’s over a long holiday weekend (e.g. Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends for us Americans). While this does mean flights can be more expensive, it’s still possible to find affordable weekend trips, and completely worthwhile! We have squeezed in trips to Cabo San Lucas, Toronto, Boston, Seattle, and different Hawaiian islands into weekends without taking a single day off work.
ExpatP: Weekends are the PERFECT times to do mini getaways. It’s the best part about living in a country where there are actually places to escape to! Last year I lived in tiny little Kuwait, where driving through the country took 1 hour and there were no borders that could be crossed (Saudi Arabia and Iraq). Here in the UAE, each emirate boasts a diverse landscape and completely different atmosphere.
For example, Abu Dhabi (where I live) is very relaxed with many cultural sites. Dubai is the Las Vegas of the Middle East, so if you need a party that’s where you go. Fujairah is a seaside emirate famous for its gorgeous beaches. Ras Al Kamiah offers many hikes up their mountain ranges. Oman borders to the North and to the West and makes for an ideal getaway destination with its scuba diving, turtle conservation, ancient forts and extraordinary cliff top resorts.
What are some cool places you’ve found just by exploring your own city/state?
ExpatP: There are honestly so many interesting places in Abu Dhabi and funnily enough- most people don’t even know about some of them. While there are always hordes of people visiting Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, across a busy road is this unexpected gem of a viewpoint where you can peacefully see the mosque in its entirety away from the tourists, as well watch it reflect in the pool. In winter, the sun sets exactly behind the main dome making it a photogenic spot. When guests come over I like to take them for the opulent experience of enjoying a decadent 24K gold cappuccino or an exotic camel milk ice cream at the second most expensive hotel ever built.
There are also a multitude of spots overlooking the Arabian Gulf where the sun sets before your very eyes… I won’t say anymore because you need to come visit. BUT I will say that there are many unexpected experiences and hidden gems to be explored here!
Cherise: My husband and I are very blessed to live in California, where we have a wealth of beautiful places to explore that are a short drive away. Los Angeles obviously has much to offer, but we have also had fun exploring national parks like Joshua Tree, driving along the gorgeous California coastline, and seeing cities like Palm Springs, San Diego and Santa Barbara.
Do you ever get any side-eye or judgement from your coworkers about your travel habits?
Mally: All the time! My shady boss often has a smart comment like, “you’re going on vacation again?!?” But you can’t let the haters stop you from living your best life. I recently saw a video online about how Americans (especially women!) get pressured into staying at work and not using their vacation. We feel guilty. But your self care is extremely important!
Joella: I think in the USA there is a workaholic type culture. Even when you have time off, it always seems as if you are judged for taking it. But time off is a benefit offered and I will use every single day of vacation provided. And it really helps to come back to the office refreshed.
Do you have any side hustles ON TOP of your job?
Briona: Of course! It’s necessary in today’s world. I actually help people plan their travel experiences at my boutique travel company, You Me Travel Co. Our featured destinations are Marrakesh, Amsterdam, and Italy, but I can help plan trips to various destinations around the world! (London is coming soon – I used to live there!). I also pick up freelance social media marketing projects whenever I can.
Joella: I am a representative for Younique which is a nature based cosmetics and skin care line. I don’t push sales, I do it mostly for me. I like the products so I signed up for the discount. Plus it helps women that have been sexually abused. I like companies that give back. I’m not a sales person so honestly I don’t do much with it. But feel free to buy from me! And I blog, but that’s a hobby.
Kay: Whaaaat, you’re asking if lil ol’ ME has a side hustle? WELL I MEAN IF YOU INSIST – I wrote a novel this one time. It is titled “TW: Flatline“. It’s a coming of age novel about a kid navigating through friendships, the stress of impending college, and struggling with mental illness. It’s….a little dark at times (the TW stands for trigger warning, btw). BUT THERE’S ALSO LOTS OF HUMOR BECAUSE IM ME. You can get it on Amazon in paperback or digital! Or just like…tell all your friends about it! I would greatly appreciate either. Here’s an excerpt if you wanna get a quick taste.
Okay. Enough shameless promoting. BACK ON TOPIC!
Do you ever stress out about work while you’re on vacation? Or is it pretty easy to disconnect when you’re not at work?
Cherise: I am embarrassed to admit that I rarely disconnect from work, even while traveling. I actually checked work emails while on my honeymoon—thankfully, my colleagues and bosses responded in disbelief asking me what I was doing, and told me to put down the phone!!
My husband also works in entertainment. I distinctly remember an evening when the two of us were in Morocco over Thanksgiving. We holed ourselves up in our Marrakesh riad from 11pm-2am reading scripts and responding to work emails, even though we had to wake up at 6am the next morning for a Sahara Desert tour. Thankfully, we were able to take naps in the car the next morning. We were without Wi-Fi for the next couple days, so it’s a good thing we were able to get work done before that. As much as possible, I want to make life easy on my coworkers while I’m away on vacation. As a result, I hope it makes them not mind as much when I travel!
ExpatP: When I am on holiday, I leave everything behind me. I ask my colleagues to message me if there is anything very urgent but other than that, I don’t even check my work-email. I am fortunate that I am able to accomplish all that I need to do within working hours so I enjoy my life outside of work. This is one of the perks I enjoy working in the Middle East. When I taught in South Africa, I was always swamped with work, even when I was at home.
Kay: LOL, I turn my work phone off THE SECOND I leave for the day. Forget vacations, I don’t even answer on the way to my car.
Why did you start your blog?
ExpatP: When I wanted to move abroad, I started reading blogs. I wanted to get a better understanding of place, BUT I couldn’t find ANY blogs by a single AFRICAN person who lived abroad. So, I decided to start my own to chronicle my life and travels. I do find the occasional African blogger now and then, but it’s mostly people who have married and acquired another citizenship. They don’t have the same struggles that normal African travelers would.
Mally: I started my blog because people often asked how I could afford to travel and what I was doing, I wanted to create a space where people could go to find info about traveling cheap and where I could teach people the skills I have. So it started there and has grown into a community of travel lovers who like to save. We meet and I plan group trips that are not overpriced, and I’m really proud about it ️
Does having a full time job (as opposed to traveling full time) ever make you feel less like a travel blogger?
Cherise: It probably does. If I’m being honest, I don’t really identify as a proper travel blogger. I feel like travel and photography are passions of mine and I dedicate lots of spare time to both, but if I had to describe myself in five words, “travel blogger” wouldn’t necessarily be two of them. People in my office do jokingly address me as a travel blogger, though!
Joella: I do not feel less like a travel blogger because I don’t travel full time. I actually chose to work in my profession and I chose not to travel full time. I am not unhappy with my choice either. There is no minimum travel requirement in order to share your travel experiences with others. You don’t need to travel far or over long periods of time either.
We all have different ways of travel and being able to document our experiences and share them with others is what counts. Hopefully my content helps inspire others to travel or helps them in some way when they are planning a trip to a destination I have already been to.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone with a full time job that wants to travel more?
Mally: Quit! No, I’m kidding. Use your time earned and your money very wisely. I avoid taking time off if I can, and use only what I have to. I take advantage of holidays and extra long weekends by traveling during those times.
Joella: I think the first thing is to understand what is preventing someone from traveling more. Is it need for additional funds? Is it not enough time off? Really it is all about priorities and how you make travel work for you. But some general advice: Take advantage of holidays to bridge your travel. Use the weekends for short breaks. And explore local sights.
ExpatP: The truth is that when you love doing something, you will do your best to make it happen. For me, that is traveling so I always find a way to take a trip! That might mean saving up personal days at work. Or taking leave to coincide with public holidays. Or being flexible about travel dates and forgoing that morning latte at Starbucks in order to contribute to the travel fund. Write down the destinations you want to go to, set a budget and work towards it. And remember, exploring a new place doesn’t always mean hopping on a flight. Even if you do a quick trip outside of your city/suburb, you will love the change of scenery and making new memories!
Briona: Every time you get a new job (or a transfer to another office) already have a vacation ‘planned’. Even if it’s not planned – come with ideal dates or a time frame and let them know that you’ve already planned it or purchased flights. Works like a charm. This is your freebie travel card. If you’re with the company for a bit longer, that’s 1 – 3 extended vacations that you’ve taken.
Cherise: I believe that if you can travel, even for a small period of time, you should just do it! If you wait for the perfect opportunity or for a long period of time off to vacation, it may never happen. I try to travel often, but I am also conscientious when I take vacation. For example, traveling during holidays/slow times at work, but I make an effort to be reachable. Little things help make my work life easier when I return from travels. It helps me balance being a world traveler while also prioritizing my career advancement at the same time.
In 2017, I traveled to three continents, seven countries, and way too many cities to count. But I found time to do that while still working a full time job and not exceeding my maximum number of vacation days. If you work hard to prioritize travel, and are smart about squeezing in trips over weekends or holidays, you’ll be amazed at how much the world you can see!
Then people will be asking you – how do you travel so much with a full time job?
PLEASE THANK OUR LOVELY PANEL FOR THEIR TIPS AND TRICKS! Traveling with a full time job…is not always easy. But it is more than doable!
For more reading on how to balance travel and working, pick up Danielle Desir’s new book: Traveling with a Full Time Job on amazon. She also has more tips on her blog, The Thought Card.
And what about you?? Do you have a full time job? How do you vacation with your schedule? Do you have any advice for people wanting to travel more, but are limited on time off? Drop all of your questions about traveling with a full time job in the comments! Let’s encourage the working world to travel more – one vacation day at a time!
You can follow all the wonderful people on today’s panel on their websites and social links below!
Mally
website: https://www.brokeassgirltravel.com/
instagram: @brokeassgirltravel
facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BrokeAssGirlTravel/
twitter: @MallyBeKnowin
youtube: Broke Ass Girl Travel
Joella
website: http://www.rovingjo.com/
instagram: @rovingjo
facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RovingJo/
twitter: @roving_jo
Briona
website: https://youmetravel.co/
instagram: @bri.youmetravel
facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YouMeTravelCO/
Expat Panda
website: www.expatpanda.com
instagram: @expatpanda
Cherise
website: https://cheriseandshine.com/
instagram: @chereneo
Kay – DATS ME!
website: https://www.theawkwardtraveller.com/
instagram: @theawkwardtraveller
facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/awktravels/
twitter: @awktravels
LOVE THIS POST! I am getting ready to start the job hunt in August and I am a nervous wreck about it. I’ve gotten so used to the nonchalant lifestyle of full-time travel. I am definately ready to settle down and start saving for grad school to study conservation biology, but I don’t want to stop exploring EVERRRR! so much inspiration in this post, thanks for the insight chicaa
Well first of all – GOOD LUCK IN THE JOB HUNT!! I hope it goes smoothly! And I didn’t know you studied biology! Would you want to do an internship abroad anywhere?
Such great tips!! Finding time to travel is sometimes so hard when working full time, but you just have to be creative!
Really interesting to read these tips. As a travel blogger who also works a day job, I totally identify with your premise that you can maximise travel and balance it with career / job — you don’t need to become full time nomads in order to travel.
Is your job pretty flexible with time off?
These are great tips and stories. Back in the day when I worked full time my husband and I used all our PTO for travel. Sometimes people didn’t understand how we did it, but it just takes prioritizing what you love most in the world. We would try to plan things several months out and request the time from superiors asap. And we would always try to leave late on a Thursday or Friday night flight to maximize the weekend. We typically didn’t even waste a day on jet lag recovery! Although now that I’m older, if I go back FT I might have to do that.
YES! It’s all about prioritizing! You guys were some busy little travelers! I can just barely get away with skipping jet lag recovery now!! hahahah
Love this post!! I work in a museum, and have a SUPER flexible contract – if I want a week away, I just tell them that I won’t be in that week. It’s perfect for my work/travel balance! Great to see how everyone else does it, too!
OMG THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!! Now I want to work in a museum too!!
This is fantastic. So many people push the “you must quit everything to travel the world” thing but actually there are so many options. I also work AND travel but it’s so cool to see all these lovely ladies answering all the top questions about full time jobs and travel!
Tons of options!! What kind of job do you have and how to you fit travel around your work schedule?
I am so here for this! 1. Wait are you in chemical / micro electric engineering?! I went to school for chemical engineering so actually know what that meant 😂 regardless yay for women in STEM ❤️
2. I totally agree, I’m not a fan of the quit your job and travel the world. Been there done it not fun.
3. I’m for the try to make your career location independent but also that’s not doable in every industry.
It’s so important that we have equity and stability in our lives to create balance and be able to enjoy places we actually go to. Love this post and love that you chose this topic!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS STEM WOMEN UNITE!! Thank you so much! I’m not a full time traveler kind of person, but I would love to have a location independent (or at least remote possible) career! Can’t do it in my current job, but someday down the line, right??
I absolutely loved this!!!!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to do such a massive and informative post. SO GREAT!!! I am fortunate because I work an extremely flexible, part time salary job. As long as I clock in 32 hours a week I’m good to go. That means I can work my travel schedule around my job. I actually don’t HAVE to work to survive. I took a part time job specifically to have extra money to travel. I also have never agreed with the “You, TOO, can quit your job & travel full time” It’s not realistic and seems more click-baity and an advertising tactic. The message should be if you make small sacrifices with your time, your finances and planning you too can travel.
YES YES YES YOU SAID IT PERFECTLY!! It’s SUCHHHH click-bait! And that’s awesome that you have such a flexible job! Get that extra money!!
I only get 10 days of vacation days for the year, so I really only get to do one trip per year unless I space out my vacation trips. I went part time last year and was able to go to Hawaii for a week. It was rough because I wasn’t able to use my vacation hours. Regardless, I had a lot of fun! When I was in high school I always said I would travel and now that I’m an adult I am definitely taking advantage. The world is a wonderful place to explore but you and the bloggers are right. There are definitely a lot of places to be explored right in our own city or our nation as a whole.
I agree! If you run out of vacation days, TIME TO EXPLORE LOCALLY! Hahah. Are there any good day trips from where you are?
Thanks for the wonderful inspiration guide I also wanted to be a full-time traveler but I cannot leave my job tho as im mother of five but in the vacations, i try to get out and have some fun with my family.