We often hear from travellers who have questions about how to manage travel with a 9-5. Lindsey Clarke a media consultant shares her tips and advice for making it work. 

Working full-time, for many, becomes tiring quick. With a day-in, day-out routine to follow and not much deviation from the same old, travelling becomes an exciting prospect—an opportunity to step away from the norm and leave the troubles of work behind. With that being said, here are five things to think about if you’re planning a getaway of your own.

Plan far in advance

One thing about having a full-time job is that booking time off for a holiday or any other extended period of time is considerably difficult. Even if your boss is easy to approach and talk to, requesting two or more weeks away from the workplace is understandably daunting.

Make sure you’re giving plenty of notice, and don’t book anything too soon—the more time you leave between booking your trip and actually heading abroad, the more understanding your boss is likely to be. It’s important to have everything planned out and in order, so that your absence won’t be too inconvenient for anyone you work with.

Make a decent amount of savings

With a full-time job, you should ideally be in a financial position where you’ll be able to save a decent amount for your travels. It’s an expensive hobby, but it all depends on where you go, what time of the year you choose to go, and how you decide to travel—that is, your choice of accommodation, where you eat, what you get up to during your trip and so on.

Although it may be too soon to know, it’s always worth creating a rough itinerary of what you plan to do and see during your travels, so you can then roughly work out how much you can spend.

Work out how long you can travel for

When you’re considering booking some time off work, think about just how much time you can actually be away for. Your workload beckons, and despite how desirable it likely is to ditch it all for a month or two, you need to be realistic and sensible with your time off.

Two weeks is often the holiday norm and you can do a lot with it if you’re organised, but if you can push for more it’s really worth trying to. Travelling is arguably better the longer you do it for, so see how long you can get away for. Just be sure to get home on time—after all, a quarter of travellers admit to missing their flights in the past.

Think about the jet lag once you return

It isn’t just before you travel that you need to think about. Jet lag is inevitable if you’re travelling to a different time zone, and when you finally become adjusted to your destination, getting back into the normal routine once you’re home is undeniably difficult.

If you can book off an extra day or two to readjust, then it’s wise to do so. Returning to work so soon after you land back in your home country will have you longing to be back abroad, as well as absolutely tired both from the aforementioned jet lag as well as the exertion throughout your travels.

Consider whether to actually keep your job

It’s a radical idea, but for some people travelling means they quit their job in order to live their lives hopping from country to country. Crazy? Perhaps so—but for many people, it has been entirely possible, and they’ve lived a much happier, fulfilling life as a result. Another World Adventures was founded on the back of a sabbatical by Tori and Larissa when they met as cabin-mates during an epic transatlantic month long voyage … anything is possible if you put your mind to it!

Some ways to get off your feet if you do choose this approach:

• Teaching English. It’s one of the most common choices for travellers choosing to make a living abroad, as there’s so many options for it;
• Bar or restaurant work. It’s a bit more challenging, as you’ll have to have a knack for the local lingo, but it’s one of the more social and fun jobs to score;
• Freelancing remotely using sites like Upwork or PeoplePerHour … you’ll need a wifi connection, laptop and place to work .. all moments from the beach or mountain ideally!
• Yes—for some, blogging has generated a liveable income without the commitment of a 9-5. It’s possible, but takes some determination.

Travelling is a fulfilling and rewarding experience, and a great chance to escape from the ordinary—including your job. A sad statistic was recently published that half of Americans don’t take their annual leave (which for Brits is already ludicrously short!). A break is essential to emotional balance and mental health so do your self a favour and get planning. With enough preparation and planning, it could be the thing you actually need, and you’ll return home refreshed and energised.

Here’s some inspiration for your next great adventure.

Photo by Cynthia Magana on Unsplash