The biggest problem that people with wanderlust get with reading travel books and blogs is well, you guessed it: even more wanderlust. The fact that we have a full time desk job aggravates the fact even more that we can’t just travel and take off whenever we want to. It’s sad but true. Compare your life with those with full time travel jobs and well, you get even more frustrated.

From Desk Jobs to Full Time Travel Jobs

When you sold your soul to your desk job life, you have resigned yourself to the fact that for 5 days out of every 7, you will have to show up every day, sit in your cubicle, and stay there for at least 8 hours straight. Of course there are some fun times when you are technically allowed to skip work and go travel (paid, of course) by means of vacations, but is it really enough?

Without a viable business that can support you or a type of job that allows you to work remotely, how in the world are you supposed to do all your bucket list items? How in the world are you supposed to survive like this?

And that is the problem with reading travel books and blogs, most of the writers of which are holding a full time travel job. These people actually travel for a living.

Contrast that to the cubicle life: your bucket list becomes bigger, and you get more inspired dreaming and thinking about your next big trip. But of course barring the fact that you have that desk job, you just don’t know how you are going to afford that ultimate life, the nomadic life, without your paycheck coming in.

Changes to Your Life

You should start by making changes to your life. But that immediately brings up a tough question: What do you mean I have to change?

It won’t have to be that hard.

Spend less on things that don’t relate to travel

This means spending less on eating out and pouring everything on travel. You actually save time – rather than going to the cafeteria or driving or walking to a food joint, you just go to the microwave and heat your food up.

But I don’t want to waste my time cooking, it takes so much time after my cubicle job

Well you can use that time to listen to podcasts and watch travel related shows at the time. There’s travel shows, vlogs, and podcasts that are widely available for your perusal.

Hustle your butt out

Side hustles allow you to earn more money outside of your current job and paycheck. Just because you are earning your monthly paycheck doesn’t mean you should sit back, relax, and just do nothing after you get home.

You can hustle your butt out, looking for other freelance gigs by writing about travel.

You can rent out a spare room in your house on Airbnb and meet people from all over.

You can use that time to research on your future travel plans and itineraries.

You can use it to learn a skill or two that can help you become a better photographer, or a writer, or a web developer, or a marketer.

My point is you can use that time to pick up a new trade that can either enhance the skills that you already have in your current job or just as another thing altogether.

Put it all together

What skills have you learned from your new hobby? Can you find a way to monetize it?

Can you make a business plan and make a small business out of your new hobby that’s been monetized?

Did you find good paying clients that are constantly giving you work and you are happy working with them?

Before you know it, you are free from your cubicle-shackled job.

Wait, what?

Think about it: you have grown your side hustle into a small business that may be generating enough for you to survive on. Even better, it may be enough for you to live comfortably on. At best? You are earning enough compared to your current job.

OMG

Wait, I didn’t start a business.

Ok, your side hustle may have given you an income that can surpass your current job. Or again, you earn enough to survive on and be comfortable enough to travel full time while working remotely.

OMG

You see, you don’t have to quit your cubicle job at this very moment to travel the world. You just need to make steps towards the life you want.

But I want a place to set my roots. I want to eventually settle

Not to worry.

• You can just take a gap year or a mini break, or a mini retirement. Whatever you want to call it. Let’s just call it taking time off your cubicle job.
• You can use your small business or your side hustle or freelance money into your income while you actually go on your mini break.
• You can buy an RV and travel around the USA.
• You can buy fancy luggage that you can sit on as it slowly wheels you through your gate at the airport and stuff it with your clothes and other things.
• You can pack your tent and camping gear in your car and go on the Pacific coast trail or the Appalachian.

And at the end of it all, you go back home and pick up where your life was. Get another cubicle job and settle in as you plan to do it all over again.

Wait, I don’t even know if I want to travel long term or have a full time travel job

Not to worry, you can just take two weeks off to explore one specific destination and get a feel for it.

Use your vacation time from work to actually get to know a country.

Use that vacation time to be active instead of going to the same place over and over again and just sitting on a beach and watching TV in the evening for a week.

Seriously if you live close to a beach, then you don’t need to travel to the Caribbean to do it. We live 20 minutes away from a beach. You could do that while you are home.

You can use your weekends to discover state parks or attractions near your city. Whoever said the weekend getaway is dead?

My point is…

There is no right or wrong way to travel

Whether you want to be a full time or casual traveler, we all share one thing: We are all currently employed full time.

Am I going to just give it up in an instant and travel the world and be a free spirit? No.

Does this mean I am happy being stuck in a cubicle and hating my job? No.

Does it mean I have to be full of wanderlust to travel? No.

I’m just giving you choices. Again, if you don’t like to travel full time, fine, do the weekend and the two week vacation getaway route.

If you want to slowly go through your bucket list and become a nomad, then do the business option – or the freelancer route if you can manage your time well.

Want a place to call home and want to go back to work? Then do the mini retirement/sabbatical/gap year option.

Travel is not exactly what you read on books and blogs or watch on TV. We as people are all unique and individual so the choice is yours.

Make your travel time count.

Keep exploring and planning for your next life!