Why I Quit my Dream Job to Travel

You know that goal that keeps you up at night but you might be too scared/nervous/busy to do it? Maybe you think about doing it almost every day, but for some reason, that pessimistic part of your brain reminds you of everything that could go wrong: how you don’t have enough money, or enough time to do it, or … excuses, excuses, excuses.

For me, that goal has always been living abroad and starting this blog. So at what point do we quiet that negative mindset and say ‘enough already’! We only have one shot at this life, so we might as well live it the way we really want to.

Eight years ago, I came home from my first big trip overseas, and I knew I wanted to live a year or more in Europe & Australia, but the timing wasn’t right. So I moved back to Canada, went back to school, got a job, and years later, this big life goal still nags at me asking me to do it before it’s too late. You see there’s this little thing called a working visa that allows you to work and live in another country, but in order to apply for most of them you have to be below a certain age (and in my case before I turn 32). Well, sadly enough, I’m close to the cut off age, and if I want to fulfill this dream to live abroad, I have to do it now!

So after many tough conversations with my boyfriend Ben, we devised our dream plan for the next two years – to live in 12+ European Countries in 12 months, and then move to Australia for a year to be closer to Ben’s family (he’s Australian, for those that don’t know). At this point, Ben and I have decided we’ll live in Byron Bay, Australia (one of our favourite places in the WORLD) to have more of a consistent home base for the year. Of course, the fun of travel is to be spontaneous, so things may change, but that’s the plan for now.

Although this plan is a dream come true for me, the hardest part about taking the plunge and making it a reality was a) leaving my family & friends and b) quitting my ‘dream job’, that was providing me with a with a consistent salary. I had grown so comfortable in my job, with lovely co-workers and clients who have become friends, and now I was looking to give it all up to do something ‘risky’. In the end, it was my mother’s wise words that rang in my ears: “it’s important to love your job, but remember, a job will never love you back.” Although the friends I’ve made at work will still remain friends, a job is just a job at the end of the day, and there is always another job around the corner. Plus, I knew if I didn’t do this now, I would carry on with life, and always look back wondering what if we DID do it – and that is a WAY scarier thought. Do we have it all figured out – absolutely not! Will we make it work and find solutions along the way – of course! That’s the fun of travelling after all.

Now I’m sure so many of you are reading this thinking, “Ok, Amber this sounds lovely, but how can you afford this? Or “What will you do for work?” Well, friends, this is all part of the adventure. Ben will be working as per normal (due to having a job that can be done over wifi), and I’ll be looking for new revenue streams through freelancing plus I have been saving for this dream for quite some time. Even since originally writing this post, job options are starting to flow into my life. But the biggest thing that is making this possible, is giving up all our expenses at home. And when you live in Vancouver, Canada (one of the most expensive cities in the world) the costs of living add up. So, we are moving out of our place to eliminate rent, cancelling all other services or housing expenses, selling my car and cancelling car insurance, liquidating our assets by selling old clothes, sporting equipment and furniture, plus staying with a lot of friends & family during our trip to save money on accommodation. It is actually shocking how much came from all of this, and to be honest, if we are smart with planning, I think our cost of living might be similar if not cheaper while living abroad. If you guys are interested, I can share more financial details once we get going!

For those interested in our travel plans right now, I’ve laid it out by month below:

April:

• Scotland (St. Andrews & Edinburgh, where my dad was born)
• Belgium for Anzac Day
• Amsterdam for Kings Day

May:

• France (Paris, Versailles, Aix-en- Provence, St Tropez)

June:

• Canada (Yukon & Vancouver)
• Hiking in Chamonix, France

July

• Malta
• Sicily, Italy
• Copenhagen

August:

• Sweden
• Norway
• Spain

September:

• Portugal,
• Croatia

October:

• Turkey
• Greece

November:

• Morocco

December:

• Hungry
• Vancouver, Canada (for Christmas)

January:

• South Africa

February:

• UK

March:

• Ireland
• Iceland

April:

• Malaysia
• Move to Australia

April 2019-April 2020

• Live in Byron Bay, Australia
• Travel around Australia (Tasmania, Broome & Uluru are high on the list)
• Not planned but hope to visit New Zealand, Philippines, Tahiti, Cook Islands and Indonesia during our year in Australia

What do you think of our two-year plan? It’s going to be a crazy two years, but I couldn’t be more excited. Nothing is set in stone, and we are still planning which cities to visit, so if we’ve missed anything or anywhere, please let me know in the comments below. Can’t wait to share this adventure with all of you, as it feels like such a life experiment.

To finishing up, it wouldn’t be A Blissful Wanderer post without some inspirational thought. Circling back to my original question: what goal is keeping you up at night? Is it to live abroad like me, go back to school, or start a new business? Well, why not do it now? I’m sorry to be the one to remind you, but we are never guaranteed tomorrow, ten years for now, or after retirement to do all the things we dream of now. So with that being said, why are we waiting? I’m not saying you have to quit your job and travel the world, but what can you do today or this week to help you get one step closer to the goal and life you want? The only promise I can give you is that I will be there to cheer you on!

Happy Dreaming

Amber from A Blissful Wanderer

xo

PS. Speaking of goals, take a look at my post on Setting Goals You Actually Keep to set you off in the right direction.