Quitting My Job To Travel The World: Why I Wish I’d Done It Sooner
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I don’t want to be that grumpy old man that has no adventure stories to tell!
Do you every think of this when you’re sitting in the office?
You know those days when you have to pretend to be friendly to your co-workers because you have to. If you love your job than that’s great, but the truth is that’s only around 5% of people in the World.
Now if you ask someone that travels often for a living if they enjoy it, then you would get a resounding 90% or higher. Let me tell you something about that hamster wheel. It doesn’t stop rolling. So would you rather be spinning that wheel in a cubicle or on a beautiful beach or mountain? Your choice.
This is not an article to make you quit or give up. It is to change your lifestyle and get you emotional health which no office job will do. Office jobs are the places that do the opposite like increase stress, hatred, and even worse. So please don’t get yourself in trouble. But do continue reading because I want the best for you. Doesn’t everyone deserve happiness and positivity in life?
If you watch the news then you know it’s negative but did you also realize how it affects you emotionally? The fact of the matter is that most people are good people but you don’t see them on the news. This may surprise you but the most danger I’ve felt and experience was in the states and I’ve been traveling for over two years!
What’s stopping you from traveling or even moving abroad? At the moment in history, we have made transportation faster and more efficient than ever before. Some people complain about flying but I see it as amazing technology, almost like teleportation. I sit down in an airplane, fall asleep and 8 hours later I’m on another continent of the World. That’s just amazing!
Bored at your current place, get on a plane and hours later, ta-da! You’re at a completely different country! It’s like the ultimate cure for attention deficit disorder. Did you know there are countries with more diversity than the US or UK? You bet there are! Brazil and Indonesia are two examples. You may think to yourself, well this diversity stuff is not for me. I thought so too, but I had a limited perspective before I visited said countries.
There are countries which love foreigners! If you’re a nobody, you can get more attention and experience genuine friendliness somewhere else. And no, those attention givers are not going to ask you for money or a visa to your 1st World homeland. Just to give you an example, in Brazil, I had made more friends in 6 months than 6 years in the states. I had dates that would demand to pay their OWN half for food and drinks. Now, that’s true equality!
Another example is when I was in Indonesia and invited by a date to attend a live filming of a comedy TV show and this was not a “Youtube” show. It was a legit TV production with a full stage and an audience. Indonesians know some English and whenever they see a foreigner they say “Hello Mister”. I always find that to be cute. I received so much happiness and compassion from strangers I thought I could never get. This is why I’m writing this and making travel videos on Youtube so you can hopefully experience the same.
It just takes a little bit of effort and getting out of your comfort zone, but’s totally worth it. Once you’re traveling, that comfort zone turns into an adventure zone full of adrenaline and daily adventures. Well you can have adventures as much as you want or can afford. Really though, the comfort zone is life’s danger zone of boredom, staleness, and a passive life.
The world is HUGE with millions of people wanting to meet you. You’re only a sand particle on the Earth’s soil with a tidal wave of potential. Don’t be that sand particle that gets buried and turns into archaic sediment. You may think that’s not reality and it’s only fantasy but many people are already doing this.
The’ve escaped the monotonous daily cycle of the corporate environment and experience novelty every day. You can do it too. How are you different from a celebrity, a musician, an athlete that already reaps the benefit of travel and fame? I see them as another human being that spent time on their craft and found opportunities. So can you!
Did you know if you’re not saving lives, working for yourself, or making the world a better place then you’re only making somebody else rich. Make yourself rich instead! Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you rich. Rich full of experiences that is, hehe. Yes, you still have to spend time working and you can do so online, on your worn terms. It’s 2020 and there are digital communications tools worldwide at very affordable prices and even free. You don’t need to be stuck in that office.
Copywriters, designers, marketers, engineers, therapists, business coaches, and analysts are just some examples that work online. You don’t need to be an expert right away. There are online platforms you can sign up as a beginner and work your way up while traveling. Those glorious jobs are more rare such as an actor, athlete, signer, doctor, producer, and pilot. Even though those jobs can be ego-boosting, they still take a lot of time to achieve and are full of stress.
I totally respect those roles and the hard work it takes but sadly they don’t get a lot free time. They wait until retirement until they can enjoy the fruits of their labor. Have you heard of the famous marketer Tim Ferris? He’s about “mini-retirements” and so am I. You can totally take 6 months off from work to experience the World and return to your previous lifestyle if you prefer. But I will bet you money that you won’t want to return.
This is also true with couples and even if they have a kid. It’s just easier if you’re single but those young families get their kid a boost in life. It’s a different type of by learning of what the real World is like. Take it as “street smarts” versus “book smarts”. They see the uncommon perspectives, foreign languages and experience history. I don’t know about you but I always fell asleep in history class and had no context to comprehend those historical figures.
When you go out there, see the climate, the people, the architecture of foreign lands, that’s when the history you’ve read about clicks. It makes history comprehensible as well as enjoyable. This is possible with little investment. Traveling long term can be much cheaper than living expenses in your Western first World country.
It doesn’t matter if you’re introverted, extraverted or just socially inept. Traveling and living abroad can change you to be a better, happier, and more likable person. This is unlike material possessions such as television, video games, luxury clothes, or your vintage coffee mug collection. No need to resort to digital stimulation when you hike and enjoy scenic landscapes.
Perhaps you indulge in unhealthy behavior such as drinking, smoking, and eating fast food to relieve your stress and be artificially happy. Could I be any more accurate? With this your health decreases over time, you age and have very limited amount of good memories. If you ask yourself right now, what was the most recent wild adventure you had? Would that thought immediately put a smile on your face because it was recent or do you have to think for 30 seconds to recall when you had an adventure?
Don’t deprive yourself of memories you can create living abroad. People generally have need to be noticed and recognized. This is why luxury apparel exists among many things and you have to “keep up with the Jones” to afford those attention-getting items. Do you know why homeless people really yell and act crazy? That’s right. Because they want attention. Everyone just ignores them. It’s very unfortunate because they are humans too.
Don’t worry, if you desire that attention, whether a little or a lot, there are dozens of countries you can visit to get it. I remember taking a walk on a Sunday afternoon in Mexico City and running into the Oaxaca parade. I was recording it on video, then a moment later a group of three girls pull me into the parade. Afterwards, a guy is pouring shots of Mezcal to anyone in the parade. How can you not feel great being in the middle of that?
Places like South America, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia can make you feel like heaven depending on the circumstances.
Here are five out of many benefits I can list for you when you live abroad:
- Lower cost of living
- Getting compliments
- Less judgement
- Less capitalism
- Less mental problems
Gone are the days of long commutes to work sitting in traffic making my day off to a bad start. No matter how great I felt when I woke up, the rush hour commute would put me in a bad mood. I hope I have your attention because you have lots of amazement to experience. Just imagine, there will be crazy stories you will have and want to share. Now stop imagining and make it happen. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from other travelers and people like Jord or myself.
The only regret I have is not traveling earlier. When I was in college, I didn’t do the “spring break trips” because I didn’t have the money for it. I had student loans and a part-time job. I actually enjoyed working more than attending university. So it took me years later to the point where I enjoyed travel. I thought I wasn’t ready. If you feel the same way then let me tell you there are other opportunities you can take up for even cheaper travels.
There are people and websites that will provide you with accommodations for volunteering to do some service. This is nothing unusual. It can be anything from helping on a farm, doing home renovations, cleaning at a hostel, or helping on tours. That’s how I got started off. It was an enjoyable experience I can recommend to anyone on a very low budget.
Now go out there, make your dreams happen and don’t forget to share your travel stories with me. Feel free to contact me for advice, I wrote a book to help you make the transition. “If it’s to be, it is up to me.” – Leon
Check out Leon on YouTube
Or take a look at Leon’s blog – https://leonromanski.com/
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On paper, my life seemed great. I had a dream job, a swanky apartment, and a loving girlfriend. But something was off. I couldn t bear being chained to my desk in a stuffy office any longer. So I decided to quit and travel the world, bringing only my passport, a small backpack, and my enormous trust fund.