Let’s be real. As much as we want to be the ‘quit my job, travel the world forever’ kinda people, it just isn’t the option for some of us. But sometimes we just need that little break away from work for our own sanity! And sometimes, we need that break more than once in a while.
Up until recently, I was that person that would only visit one place a year. In fact, there were years when I didn’t visit any country outside England, which till this day I still can’t believe!
And honestly, it’s all because I keep making up excuses of not having the time because of work, or the energy because of my job, or the money, blah blah, the list goes on!
Sound familiar?
If you find yourself wanting to travel more but feel like you can’t, then fear not! Here are some of my tips on how you can make it possible to travel that little bit more, whilst juggling a full-time job! Plus some extra tips to (hopefully) take your mind off work whilst you’re away.
1. Utilising Your Time Off
You want to make the most of your time off so that you’re still able to keep exploring throughout the year.
Using your annual leave days wisely:
In the UK we have around 25 day’s annual leave and I know for other countries, it is much less. But don’t let that put you off. You can use your annual leave days wisely by connecting them with weekends and public holidays. That way you can travel more without taking too much time away from your job!
I touch on these more below!
Using half days:
I honestly didn’t know this was a thing until recently, but you can totally ask to take half a day off instead of a full day from your annual leave.
This is perfect for travel days where you can work in the morning and head straight off to the airport, train station or wherever else you may be going in the afternoon.
I tend to use my half days either before or after a weekend as travel days and found it’s a great way to utilise my time off.
Using weekends:
This links to using your annual leave wisely and half days. If you only get weekends off from your job you can use your annual leave days by taking one day off here or there on a Friday or Monday so you get that long weekend to travel!
Personally I prefer taking the Monday off, you’ll find places to be less busy and it always feels great not having to wake up on a Monday morning to go to work and deal with all the start of the week stress! (UGH!). If you have extra days, you can always take off a Thursday or Tuesday too and that way you get 4 epic days to explore.
You can even just use the weekend only to travel without adding extra days. This is great for when you have either used up or your annual leave or just want to save them for a big trip.
Why not travel to a nearby state, city or neighbouring country for the weekend? Or better yet, head to a nearby country-side to wind down and escape. The possibilities are endless!
Use public holidays wisely:
Similar to the points before, you can combine your annual leave days with public holidays. This is a great way to travel plus you’re not taking big chunks off your annual leave holiday.
I usually do this around Christmas time so that I can get almost a week off by only taking off a couple of days. I also tend to do this with Bank Holiday Monday so that I get 4 full days off with only having to take off 1 day from my annual leave!
For those of you who work on weekends or only get a Sunday off, this is a perfect way to take time off from your job and travel.
Making the most of your days:
This is my secret to seeing SO much within a day.
Try setting off on your travels as early as you can. If I’m going abroad somewhere, I try to get a plane early in the morning so that I can arrive in that country early and have the day to explore.
Similarly, book your return journey for the evening so that you can make the most out of your day before heading back.
2. Planning Your Trips
Having a plan, guide or itinerary, even if it is a rough one, will really help you stay on track and explore the areas that you want to see the most within that limited time frame that you get.
For example, if you travel to Paris and also want to see Disneyland but only have 3 days, you can plan it out by having day 1 exploring Paris, day 2 at Disneyland Paris and day 3 at wherever else you want to wander. (PS check out my post on exactly how to see Paris and Disneyland Paris in 3 days here, I’ve got your covered ;)).
If you only have a limited time to see a city or place, a rough plan really helps to keep you focused, calm and also makes the whole experience just that extra bit less stressful (which is always a plus for me, as let’s be real, sometimes travelling can be stressful!).
3. See More Than 1 Place
This also goes hand in hand with the previous two tips (see how I’m linking them all together? ;)).
For example, if you travel to Malaysia, why not hop over to neighbouring Singapore to explore there before heading back?
If I do take only one big trip in the year, I always try to visit at least one other place nearby, at least that way I don’t feel too bad about only taking that one trip in the year!
The one thing to take into account when using this tip is to not overdo it. It can be really tempting to do everything in one go and seeing so many different countries and places at once.
I tend to only stick with one other country and that’s only if I am doing a long-haul flight, I have more than a week to spend there AND it is close by. Otherwise, I know I’ll just tire myself out. So remember to pace yourself and don’t forget to relax!
Remember, you can always return to that place.
4. Explore What’s Close By To You
Oh man, if I had a penny for every time I have overlooked what’s nearby to me, I would be super rich.
I live in a tiny town to which I thought had absolutely nothing to offer apart from fields. Having lived here all my life, I thought I knew everything my town had to offer.
It wasn’t until I decided to explore the area, that I found out just how exciting my town actually is, I found trenches, lakes, caves and so much more!
And it doesn’t have to be limited to your village, town or city. Why not explore, the next town or city, or the one after that? Sometimes you only need a day or even half a day to explore what’s nearby to you.
5. Explore On Your Own
Going away with friends, families and partners is great, but sometimes your days off don’t match up with theirs. You could be waiting for days, months or even years to go on a trip of a lifetime by just waiting.
In my case, the timing was always off. My friends wouldn’t be free and then when they were, I had something to do, just my luck eh?!
So don’t make the mistakes I made by continuing to wait and relying on others. As full-time employees, we simply do not have the time to be waiting around.
If you’re ready to travel and have no one to go, don’t let that stop you!
6. Use Business Trips and Extending Business Trips to Travel More
I appreciate that not everyone is able to travel abroad for work (myself included!) but the option is there for those of you who do.
Some places of work have offices abroad where you can possibly work there temporarily. If you do get the chance to work there temporarily, it is 100% worth asking your employer for an extra day or two so that you’re able to explore more!
Don’t worry if you don’t get the chance to extend your business trip, you can always explore the area during your lunch break and in the evenings after work.
If your job does not offer the option to travel abroad, maybe you can pitch the idea of a short trip, conference meeting or team building activity in a neighbouring city to your employer?
7. Change YOUR MIND SET TO MAKE TRAVELLING A PRIORITY
I’ve left the most important tip till the end as this for me is what changed my whole outlook on travelling whilst working!
I honestly didn’t think it was possible to travel and work and it was only until I changed my thinking and made travelling a priority is when things truly changed for the better.
Your time is valuable and as much as you may love your job, you want to make the most of your time by making wonderful memories and travel to new places.
It is also vital to get a break for your mental health and well-being, so it’s time to not make excuses and make the time to travel! Plus this will make you so much more productive and energised when you’re back at the office. It’s a win-win situation really!
For me, I used to not take days off because I was too scared about the workload picking up whilst I was away or because I wouldn’t be able to switch off and enjoy myself. So I have a few tips that have helped me, and I hope can help you:
Do you work before you leave:
Try getting everything that you can possibly get done before leaving for your trip, at least that way you can keep reminding yourself that you’ve done everything you possibly can.
Leave handover notes:
Leaving notes for your co-workers is so important for the workplace and your peace of mind!
I usually start my hand over notes a week before I leave and add everything I can possibly add on there for my fellow co-workers to be able to rely on if anything did come up whilst I was away.
This is also useful if you’re not able to get everything done before you go, and have a particular deadline that you have to meet.
Unplug from everything:
If you can, leave everything work-related at home before heading on your trip.
That means, no logging in to work on your phone, not checking work emails and don’t even think about taking your work laptop with you (if you can)!
Unplug from the world, immerse yourself in your travels and you will be feeling so much more relaxed and re-charged.
Of course, this isn’t possible for some, so if you have to check try doing so in the mornings or evenings so that you can at least still switch off during the day.
Now if you are still thinking it’s not possible to travel because you simply can’t afford to, remember, travelling doesn’t have to be expensive. You can even:
Book off-peak:
You can find some amazing deals whilst booking during the off-peak season and best of all you won’t have the large crowds around in some of the areas.
Book during the weekdays:
You can also try booking during the weekday! I find train and plane prices to be a lot cheaper on weekdays (oddly a Tuesday!) which is perfect for those wanting to travel but only have a small budget.
There you have it, some of my tips on how to travel whilst juggling a job! I hope you’ve found these tips helpful and let me know if there are any other tips that I haven’t mentioned that help you, I would love to know!
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