“Quitting Your 9-5 to Travel” Is NOT About Not Working
The first time I quit my 9-5 was in 2018 was to pursue my clothing line. I quickly went from a career as a Business Manager to designer, cosmetologist assistant, eyelash technician, start-up consultant, freelance HR manager, sugar baby, and a few other odd jobs. During this time I’d felt a burning desire to take a chance on myself, but that didn’t mean that I could just stop working and not have any source of income.
Many people have decided that this lifestyle transition of quitting your 9-5 means a life of no work and to be honest, I find that idea quit comical because I don’t know that any of us have ever known a life that can be lived with no money besides a few days at Burning Man.
The truth is, you will still have to work after quitting your 9-5 and in some cases you’ll probably end up working more depending on what your goal is. My first time quitting my 9-5 in 2018, I worked almost around the clock because I was managing my own small business with just one staff member, myself. I still wasn’t making enough to confidently manage all of my bills which led to me being a shop assistant at my cousin’s hair salon by day, an on call lash technician, a part-time sugar baby, and a freelance HR manager for a friend’s start up business. The hustle was on!
So, why quit your 9-5 to work more? Well here are a few reasons:
Something New
Sometimes leaving your 9-5 doesn’t mean that you don’t want to work a job. It can simply just be that your current job wasn’t the right fit. Entrepreneurship is not for everyone and there is absolutely nothing wrong with working a 9-5. However, I think the key to successfully working a 9-5 is finding something that your a passionate about and that you can incorporate into your lifestyle. Most of us find the job and then curate our lifestyle around it, but doing it the other way around, curating the job around your lifestyle can really ease a lot of the tensions that we find when working a 9-5.
Escaping the Rat Race
The rat race is an exhausting routine of trading your time for money. Most of us find ourselves in this race that we never quit remember signing up for, but once we are there we tend to get stuck. I was promoted countless amount of times during my 9-5 life. Being promoted and gaining more exposure within my company, money, and leadership status was my main goal but it came with a price; my time and my peace. My life became an ongoing race of performing, being better than my peers, and chasing more money. After 4 years the amount in my bank account grew and I still found myself wanting more. This is what the rat race is. After traveling to places that promoted quality of life and seeing how valuable my time was if utilized correctly I decided that I wanted out even if it cost me money. Everyone isn’t motivated by money and some people just want to change the rhythm of their life and have control over their time.
Pursue a Dream
Dreaming is dangerous. One day you could wake up and decide that nothing matters but that dream and you can do things like quit your job to try to pursue it. At least that’s what happened to me and thousands of other people out there. Despite how scary and unpredictable it can be, you never know until you try!
Do What You Love or At least Like
Ques Rihanna x Work. On average people spend approximately 13 years and two months of their lives at work. If you’re going to commit to that kind of time. It may as well be for something you enjoy. Imagine spending 13 years of your life doing something you hate just for money, which is what most of us do.
Freedom
One of the main appeals of quitting your 9-5 lifestyle to travel is the freedom. I feel confident enough to say that most of us would prefer to work from our bed, the beach, or even another country, to not have to work our life around strict meeting times or work projects, to not dress up business casual or in a uniform, to not have to fake a smile when you’re really wanting to roll your eyes. The most important thing that I gained when I quit my 9-5 was my freedom to not have to show up in a brick and mortar anymore, but to have the opportunity to create my own office anywhere in the world.
Saving
Even while pursuing work or entrepreneurship having savings to support you during this transition could be a game changer. Even if it’s not much, you’ll feel more comfortable taking this chance knowing that you have something to support you on your new venture. I only saved $10,000 for a year planned of travel when I left and it was really for a rainy day. This made me feel more comfortable to take risk when growing my own business.
While many think that quitting your 9-5 to travel is only about exploring beautiful places, infinity swimming pools, and resort living, they forget that these things still cost. While this lifestyle grows and inspires people from all over the world to take a leap of faith and quit their job to pursue or change something in their life, understanding that you still need to work and preparing yourself for that is a crucial part of the process.
While I have much more flexibility in my work life now, I do still spend a significant amount of time working to support my travels, to grow my business, and to pursue my dreams.
The biggest difference is, I can do it from anywhere in the world.
