Some of us want to be career women. Some of us want to be traveling women. But, what about those who want to work AND travel. Can we be both?
Today's post is inspired by an Instagram post from Ladies Gone Global. I cannot praise their post enough! Ladies Gone Global also has a website, if you want to check them out.
I admit that I have been victim to scrolling through my Instagram feed and have been "sucked in" to the idealistic fantasy that to be "free", you must give up everything (your house, your car, your work) and live a nomadic lifestyle, forever hopping from one place to the next. Lucky for me, my idealistic mind is complemented by my husband's realistic mind.
What does "freedom" mean to you? For me, being "free" is to be able to do what is best for YOU. To work, live, and travel how YOU want to. You can be inspired and influenced by others, but don't let yourself be controlled or pushed by them.
I have a home-base and work full-time, and travel during my work holidays and/or take the Paid Time Off I have earned to do so. Not sure how this would work for you? Here are my "tricks" for being able to pursue a work and travel life:
1. Take advantage of your work holidays/annual leave/paid vacation/PTO. I love planning trips away that coincide with my work holidays. Fortunately, my work follows the local School District calendar meaning I get time off for public holidays and portions of the school holidays.
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| Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA. August 2015. We visited the Smoky Mountains on my 5 day break in between my works' Summer Program ending and the new School Year beginning. |
2. Rent your spare room. This past month, my husband and I decided to rent our spare bedroom on AirBnB. Wow! If you have been considering doing this, you should do it. We have met some really interesting people and have been able to share stories with fellow-minded travelers who have stayed with us from all over the world. The money we made last month covered our mortgage, taxes, and electricity, meaning we can save more $$ from our regular 9-5 day jobs to put towards retirement and our "travel fund" for future adventures!
3. Take advantage of your smart phone's rewards. My husband has a Samsung Note5 smart phone, and uses Samsung Pay to pay for our groceries and other items. Just for using Samsung Pay (which is free) we received a $50 reward to use towards anything. So, we bought groceries and a bottle of Whiskey for FREE. Winning!
4. Sell stuff you don't need. We have sold a bunch of stuff that we don't need. I sell gently used clothes that I haven't worn in a while on Poshmark (a free App you can download on your smart phone). My husband sold a bunch of his University textbooks on Amazon. Other sites we have used in the past include Craigslist (USA), Gumtree (Australia), and eBay (USA and Australia).
5. Be mindful of your spending habits. I'm sure you've all heard this plenty of times before. But I urge you to really think about it. Do you really need that pretty dress in the shop window? Or, would you rather put that money towards a plane trip to The Bahamas, or towards your entry fee and hiking gear for The Grand Canyon?
6. Pack your lunch to work. Another phrase you've probably all heard before. But seriously, you save a lot in the long term. My husband and I usually cook a big dinner and then take the leftovers with us to work the next day. Super easy and the food usually tastes better the next day as the flavors have had time to soak in. Yum! Plus, home cooking is healthier for you than take out. Win win!
7. Don't forget to explore close to home! Traveling doesn't always mean buying an expensive plane ticket for a long flight to the other side of the world. It can simply mean getting in the car and driving to the town next door. When my husband and I feel burnt out at work, it's usually not that we're burnt out, but that we need to GET OUT. You can Google "hiking trails", "state parks", or "beaches" close to you and find new places to explore right outside your back door! Sometimes a quick weekend getaway is all you need to find inspiration to get through another week of work.
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| One Saturday in February 2017 we drove 1hr north to explore Ybor City, Fort De Soto Park, and fish off of the Skyway Bridge. Florida, U.S.A. |
8. Travel Therapy. If you work in the allied health industry then you are in luck. In the USA, there are many agencies that offer travel therapy contracts all around the States. Assignments can be anywhere from 3 months to 12 months long. I have not yet been directly involved in this, however, work colleagues and online acquaintances have spoken about how they loved being able to explore different parts of the States and earn money at the same time.
What I do have direct experience with is the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) that enables the credentials of Speech Language Pathologist's trained in Australia, USA, Canada, Ireland, England, and New Zealand to be recognized and work in each other's respective countries. For more information about this, read my post titled Transferring SLP Credentials Internationally.
9. Moments and memories. When traveling, be present and in the moment. Take pictures. When we travel, we hardly ever buy things aside from transportation and accommodation (the necessities). We choose specific nights to eat out at restaurants, and then cook food where we are staying the remainder of the time. Our photos and memories are usually our most prized possessions from trips. Plus, you can make cool artwork out of your photos, such as canvas prints to display around your home, or coffee table books filled with photos and captions of your favorite places you have visited.
10. Use credit cards with frequent flyer rewards. There are many credit card companies that offer rewards that are geared towards the frequent traveler. Two cards that we use and have benefited greatly from are the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the United MileagePlus Explorer credit cards (both have a USD $95 year fee that is waved the first year). As a signup incentive, both cards offer a bonus mileage of 40-60 thousand miles/points, depending on the promotion they are running at the time.
The MileagePlus Explorer earns miles that can primarily be redeemed for award tickets on United flights while the Sapphire Preferred earns points that can be redeemed for statement credits or transferred to a number of travel partners, including United. In both cases, we are able to use the points and miles to purchase discounted airfares and travel accommodations.
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| Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA. August 2016. We hiked around Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks in Utah during my 5 day work holiday break. Perhaps my favorite trip we have taken to date! |
We love to explore and experience new things, both near and far. We also love our careers and the work we do. So, we combine the two the best we can. We work so we have money to travel. We travel so we have inspiration for work.
The bottom line is, do what's best for you. 😊
Cheers,
Maree
