9 Ways To Travel The World And Hold A Job!

Following on from my post on “10 Reasons You Don’t Need To Quit Your Job To Travel The World!” I figured I should detail practical tips and tricks to help you hold your job and travel the world. A fundamental principle to a happy lifestyle is balance and so it’s important that you find the best way possible to balance all your priorities and interests. There is no ‘one shoe fits all’ approach to finding this balance as priorities vary from individual to individual but hopefully, using some of the above, you’ll find a tip or two to help you balance your work and travel lifestyle.

Look for a job in a region of the world you’d like to travel to and so, in your spare time, you can travel around that part of the world as much as possible. Living in Singapore last year meant that I could see not only countries in Asia but even go as far afield as Australia and see (for a fraction of the price compared to trying to do so from the UK) a lot of the world that I’d never seen before. (My move to Singapore was quite literarilly my first trip to Asia)
Make the most of your weekends. Most people don’t work weekends (or if you do work weekends, you probably get other days free – consider those other days as your ‘weekend’) and so it makes sense to plan travel around those times. It probably won’t be as cheap as travelling at awkward o’clock on a weekday but you’ll still be able to do what you want to do (i.e. Travel)
Set travel alerts for the times that you are free. A huge barrier to weekend travel (as I mentioned above) can be the price so setting alerts, can help you get the best deals on the dates that work best for you
Don’t forget to use the Skyscanner everywhere search option (see details here)
Make the most of your holidays. Instead of taking huge chunks of it to rest up on a beach, perhaps break it up into smaller chunks with the weekends in the centre of it so you end up having longer and more frequent breaks
Get a job that involves/allows you to travel. Perhaps one in travel journalism or a job in the travel industry? I’m just spitballing here of course but the point is that you can get a job that meets your professional and travel aspirations
If you take a long holiday chunk, try to pack in as much as possible into this holiday. For instance, instead of a 2 week holiday to Florida, perhaps consider a road trip across the different states of the USA or even fitting a mini Caribbean cruise somewhere in-between! Point is, if you are strategic with long holidays, you can see as many of the sights as possible.
Speak to your employer about flexible working arrangements. A lot of companies these days are focused on treating their employees fairly and have policies in place (within reason of course) to ensure that employees get to truly balance their work/life commitments and so it’s important to try to find out as much as possible from your company about whatever flexibly work options you have open to you
Plan in advance! This not only helps you notify your employer in advance of the time off you’d like but even when you travel in your free time, it also helps you score great deals and explore options to see as much of your destination (and it’s surrounds) as you possibly can on your trip.

YOUR TURN! If you live that work and travel lifestyle, what important tips and tricks have you learnt across the years that help you balance working full time and travelling as much as you possibly can! Also, what tools (websites, apps…etc) do you use to help you manage everything (if any, of course).