why we choose to travel part time

It’s no secret that we travel part-time. We haven’t sold all of our belongings, we haven’t quit our jobs and we haven’t put our life ‘on hold’ travel around the world.

Don’t get me wrong, I do admire people have quit their jobs and travel the world full-time. There takes a certain kind of bravery to be able to do that. I can only imagine what it would be like to pack up and go. Not knowing where your next paycheque is coming from or where you’ll sleep next. It all sounds exotic.

The unknown is what keeps me traveling part-time. I need to know where my money is coming from and when. I need to know where I’m going to be next week, next month or even tomorrow. I also need to have a home life.

photos of the algarve

unique things to do in iceland

I bet those of you who live the nomad life are thinking “ugh, boring” but I don’t think so. I don’t think I need to be on the go constantly to be happy.

I’m writing this post for those of you who don’t feel the need to pick up their lives and go either. Being able to travel part-time is amazing. Let me explain further:

| More money to travel |

Working full-time means you’re going to have a steady paycheque. It means I don’t have to stay in hostels or 2* hotels when I travel. That is a big plus to me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a snob, I don’t mind roughing it when I need to (although apparently, Ben does). The thing is though, I don’t have to anymore. I can afford to book 4 or 5-star hotels when I travel. That’s a nice feeling. When you work hard, you deserve to treat yourself with little luxuries here and there.

The one downside to all of this? Paying more for flights. We can’t just book a flight next week on a Wednesday and take off. When it comes to maximizing my vacation daysΒ it often means I’m booking vacations over holidays. However, I’m saving myself time, and to me – time is worth more than money.

It’s also great not to have to worry about eating out when I’m traveling. While we do keep a budget, we don’t need to count every last penny. On our trip to MontrealΒ we ate at some of the best restaurants and honestly, the food and drinks are what made our trip what it was!

Having more money means I’m able to go out at night and get a super fancy drink for $14 if I want to because, dammit I’m on vacation. More importantly, though, we don’t have to miss out on extraordinary activities at a destination just because we’re watching our budget.

alcazar of seville

24 hours in lisbon

| Research, organization and maximizing time |

Because we travel part-time, we have to be very careful with our time. We don’t get the luxury of spending days on end in one destination. That’s not a bad thing though. Our days are full and busy. If there’s anything I love more than travel it’s making lists, itineraries, and plans. This is where I shine.

This type of travel doesn’t appeal to everyone, we know that (and some people have learned that the hard way – sorry Tony!). However, it works for us. Ben and I take our time before visiting a destination to really plan out what it is we’re going to do and see. That’s part of the fun, isn’t it? Researching the destination before going gets you even more excited.

Somewhere I read that more people are happier planning and leading up to a trip than they are actually on it. Makes sense though I think. Anyways, when you travel full-time, you don’t always get the luxury of researching a destination before going. You also don’t get that same sense of build up. I could be wrong though.

| What travel burnout? |

I’ve heard a lot about travel burnout, mostly from the other bloggers I read. At one point or another, picking up constantly and living out of a suitcase gets exhausting. I can only imagine what that would be like month after month after month. For some people, it sounds like a dream. I’m not so sure.

Having routes is something I value. There’s nothing quite like coming home to your own bed and enjoying the familiarity of everything.

st lucia the bodyholiday

st lucia the bodyholiday

The thing about being able to travel part-time is that you’ll never experience burnout. Sure, you get burnout from work (if your unfortunate to hate your job) but never travel. Travel is your escape from reality and it’s a wonderful thing to have.

| Having stability |

Stability comes in many forms but because I’ve already talked about having more money to travel I’ll talk about two other things that matter; saving for the future and loved ones.

Having more money to afford the luxuries you want while on vacation is important but what about the future? I find it hard to believe that the majority of people on the road are putting money aside for their retirement. Most of the time they’re using their retirement savings to travel. Sure it’s boring as hell to talk about but honestly, it’s SO important. I’ve been lucky enough to have figures in my life that have driven this point home very clearly.

Whatever you end up putting away for your next vacation, match it for your retirement. If you handle your money wisely, your money will grow and grow and you’ll only have more and more to travel within the future.

The second is having loved ones around. When I’m having a bad day, when I’m feeling lonely or just need some company I can call up my family or friends and have someone there almost instantly.

photos of iceland

| I get to shut off |

When you travel all the time, you’re worrying about your budget, where you’re going to be next, where your next job is going to come from. I feel as if I would constantly have this in the back of my mind all the time. Nagging and nagging me, over and over.

When I travel part-time, I get to just completely shut off. I know where my money is coming from and guess what? Thanks to beautiful things called vacation days, I’m likely even getting paid for being on a trip. I know I have a job to come home to and I know where I’m going to be next.

It’s a wonderful feeling. This is all to say, sometimes I have moments when I wish I could pack my bags, get up and go. Perhaps this article was as much to convince myself as it was you. Either way, there are drawbacks and positive attributes to both choices, it’s just whatever works for you.

travel part-time travel part-time

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44 Comments

  1. This post is great! I think that some of us can be happy with staycations in the meantime we save for big travels and important house investments. Plus, travel burnout, jetlag, food poisoning is SO common when you travel. It more often than not takes a toll on you later. Yay for part time travel!

  2. I traveled part time for two years, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be! There are a lot of perks, like not having a super tight budget like you mentioned. I just spend a lot of time anxiously awaiting the next one! haha

  3. Great post & cute cat! Although I blog full time, I still am a believer on part-time travel. I run a business which also means that I need to be in a place with reliable internet support. I live in a city that I love (DC) and want to spend time in it as well. I think it makes the travel much more worth it.

  4. Admittedly I still daydream about leaving my corporate job and just travel full time but it’s not possible at the moment. I agree with your list though, those are indeed the perks of traveling part-time. Having a stable job means having a stable income and at this point in my life, I cannot afford not having a steady income.

  5. Yup, I do have days where I think, how much better would be be to blog full-time or be a digital nomad? The grass is always greener though, it’s important to weigh both options heavily before making the plunge!

  6. You could be me!!! I’m a big advocate of part time travel, these digital nomads don’t have it all! I too love my own bed, and the fact I have more to spend when I travel. I also need my house because we have so many souvenirs, goodness knows what I’d do with those if we travelled full time!

  7. I love this post and I completely agree with everything you said! I really love my current job and I’ve found that I’m more motivated if I know that I have a vacation coming up. Plus I also have a cat and feel guilty for leaving him alone for long periods of time!

    http://thecourtneydiaries.com

  8. I am lucky that my work allow me to travel! But yeah, everything that you’ve said is true. Hard to travel without a constant cash flow. I think i wouldnt be able to travel as much if not for my work.

  9. I travel part-time myself and I agree on your opinion as one is freely can express whatever they feel and I really think you’re brave to admit that you don’t mind not quitting your job to travel the world. It has been such a tiring news now as everyone is doing that – which is, of course, their choice and I am nobody to judge. We all have our priorities πŸ™‚

  10. YES! Love everything about this article and completely agree. For us, having money to afford the luxuries of travel are what make such memorable and rewarding experiences.

  11. I tried part time travel but in the end it wasn’t enough for me, even with the nicer hotel rooms and fancy meals. I had to quit the job and make it full time, a few weeks a year just doesn’t cut it!

  12. I am also a part-time traveller. Most of the times, I prefer the company of good friends (or family) – sharing the happiness doubles it. However, it is quite the challenge to find like-minded people with whom to travel and, more importantly, want to see and chew the same things.

    Great article!

  13. Good read! I think it’s true. People tend to think that ‘always traveling’ is some kind of the highest thing to reach or something, but there are so many people and evenso many ways of what traveling is for you! I also love it to be home in the meantime, so don’t travel full on. But on the other hand I don’t work a normal dayjob because I don’t feel I find one that makes me happy enough πŸ™‚ Every human, all their own way of working things out right πŸ˜‰

  14. Totally agree – I’m lucky that my boyfriend and best friend are both world travelers so I always have someone who’s game to go with me, but only for short stints – which is just fine by me! πŸ™‚

  15. Ya fair enough! It’s definitely not fulfilling for everyone – but at least you’ve experienced both sides of it and know what you like.

  16. Money always helps ;). There is nothing better than enjoying a nice authentic meal when travelling, or having your beds made for you!

  17. Great points! Assessing your capacities (financial and else more) is a top thing to keep in mind when choosing between a full-time and a part-time traveler. πŸ™‚

  18. Part-time travel is a wise choice and balance is key. I quit my job to transition to a career as a full-time blogger and writer but I still have a base and don’t travel 12 months a year. This helps me make sense of the places I see at my own pace and not get to a point of travel burn-out.

  19. My reason for traveling part-time is simple: burn out. Even if I had the money to travel year-round I would get burn out so quickly traveling for that long. But I would love to become an expat one day and experience living long-term in other countries

  20. I can see why people travel like this, we have for many years but the ultimate aim for us is more than just travelling full time it is freedom to step away from the job you need to go into everyday and to live on our own terms. I guess that is probably a bigger factor for those who do it long term. I have no desire to spend time and effort on a career as such!

  21. Nice refreshing post. Now that I have my dog, I could never leave him. Ever. I also strive to plan long term for the future as well, as a part-time traveler myself. There’s always something to look forward to πŸ™‚

  22. Great post! I have been researching to teach abroad to try to get the best of both worlds. I feel I would also get burnt out from constant travel, but being able to be immersed in a country’s culture would be fantastic and also give time for rest while staying in 1 country for an extended period of time. The past few years have been a constant career transition and unfortunately I don’t really have anyone to travel with so I feel like this is a wonderful opportunity for myself. Maybe not forever because that would be too much lol..but a year or two is enough to experience, learn and grow. Then hopefully a stable career and some park time travel πŸ™‚

  23. I totally agree! Constant travel just isn’t for me but there are ways to take advantage of it no matter what your situation!

  24. Thank you for sharing a different perspective. I find that after travelling full-time for so long I need to have a home base, and balance is important. Although after almost a year with a base I’m too excited to go away again for a few months!

  25. Great points! I enjoy the balance of working and travelling – having downtime, time to research, something to look forward to and of course time to earn the money for the next trip πŸ˜€

  26. So on the same page with you on this. I travel part time and its great for me. I get to work on my future, studies and enjoy myself. Without any worries. Happy to see I’m not alone.

  27. It’s funny how many people are actually on board with this style than people realize. I think it’s just not focalized enough that you can do both! Thanks for popping in Sujenne.

  28. The money is the key point though lol. I hate missing out on things because I don’t have enough money in the bank!

  29. It’s always interesting to hear of people who have traveled full-time but want to come home and have a home base. I feel like it’s in our nature to have somewhere to call home.

  30. Hi Madi. How are you. Great post. I can so much relate to it. People always told me that you can blog only uf you are so passionate that you can quit your job and travel all the time… Your blog is a revolution to this mind set. keep it up πŸ™‚

    Bhavna

  31. I’m so glad Bhavna, thank you so much for stopping by the blog I really appreciate it. I’m glad you’ve been able to find some inspiration from the blog.

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