Can you really travel full time? Is the travel lifestyle actually possible? Or is it a hyped up dream for 20-somethings clad in their swimwear?

I certainly thought this lifestyle was only for those who wanted to flaunt their skin on Instagram and represent hotel brands and other products in exchange for a location-independent lifestyle.

When I quit my job over six years ago, I wondered if I might be crazy. I gave up a stable income (even if it was much less than I deserved to be paid), health benefits, and more contributions to my 401k. I also thought I was taking a career break, not changing my life.

Going Against The Grain Is Hard

At the time I quit, I had a close circle of people rooting for me. But I had far more people who didn’t understand what I was doing with my life. That made it harder, and a lot longer, to make the decision I did. If you’re surrounded by lots of people encouraging you NOT to travel as a lifestyle, then you know what it’s like trying to stay connected to your dream, and realizing it could jeopardize your connection with loved ones.

It’s A Good Idea to Plan, But Try To Use Resources To Cut Down Your Planning Time!

I didn’t exactly jump into the lifestyle. There were no mentors, especially for my age group. So I spent 10 years, on and off, dreaming, journaling, researching, saving money, and building up the nerve to quit all my stability and dive, seemingly head first, into the unknown. (𝘐𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 “𝘮𝘦” 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳!)

I remember looking for a mentor for years, and was unable to find one, especially for a person mid-career who didn’t want to ruin her retirement. Having help in your back pocket cuts down on your research time, and gives you a great guide to what to expect and how best to start, afford, and navigate the lifestyle.

If You’re Called To The Lifestyle, The Feeling Once You Start Is Like No Other Feeling

Leaving out lots of anxiety and decision-making doozies I ended up in Costa Rica in January 2018. 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵, thanking me for listening and following it, even to what seemed like a crazy decision.

It’s Amazing To Discover That You’re Not As Alone As You Think You Are, Going Into The Process!

Once I settled into the idea of traveling indefinitely, a really strange thing happened. I met other people who, just like me, quit their stable jobs and stable incomes, to travel the world. 𝗦𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗹𝘆, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆. 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲. We exchanged work stories, travel plans and experiences.

I met a couple who had been traveling for 9 months, who were in the process of applying for jobs back home in Australia, to work for a year, and then quit and go back out on the road. I met solo female travelers who had been to remote parts of the world who fueled my passion and made me feel I had permission to go wherever I wanted, knowing if they could, so could I, even by myself. And the more I travel, the more people I meet, who have left their “normal” jobs and lives for the travel lifestyle.

Courage Begets More Courage

And now, whenever I’m confronted by something that seems impossible, I remind myself that 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝘀𝗼 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. 

Take the quiz to find out if the travel lifestyle is possible for you!