6 Legitimate Reasons I Will Never Quit My Job To Travel (Because I Don’t Have To)

I see so many posts along the lines of “How I quit my Job to Travel” and it has been troubling me. Just google these words, and you would have post after post explaining how people have quit their jobs for traveling and are having these amazing experiences, with a follow-up post on how you should also “Just go for it !”

It has been such tiring news now as everyone is doing that – which is, of course, their choice and I am nobody to judge! Don’t get me wrong here. I will admit, I do admire people who can quit their jobs, sell everything, pack up and just leave to travel with a one-way ticket. I don’t deny the fact that these Digital Nomads have the time of their lives, while doing so. I also totally get the fact that one can explore a place more extensively without jobs (aka number of leaves) holding them back.

So, why am I bothered?

It’s just that what these posts don’t portray is that along with these extraordinary experiences, also comes the not-so-amazing side effects, which sadly don’t make it to their posts or timelines. I also feel readers (like me!) sometimes assume that this is the only way to do it, that the only way to travel the world is to quit your job and go on a RTW (round the world) trip. This is sadly not the case. So, having travelled to 10+ countries countries across 3 continents while holding a full-time job, here are my 6 reasons why I will never quit my job to travel.

1. Never get travel burnout.

If you read about the long term travelers, who quit their job to travel full-time, you will see how most of them have become susceptible to travel burnout i.e sick of traveling, at one time or another. They have had enough of travel, just want to settle down now, stay at one place – and that is because in their impulse to leave the “routine” life (as they like to call it) , they made travel their new “routine” and now they are bored of it too. Too much of anything is a sure shot way to get bored of it. One thing which I really like about traveling is how excited I am about it even before and after the trip. I love all the stages of traveling be it pre-traveling which includes bucket listing, researching about the place, booking the tickets etc and post-traveling which includes narrating these stories to my friends, sharing souvenirs with them, and inculcating learning from my traveling into my daily lives. I don’t want to get bored of that, like ever!

2. Money, honey ! More money to spend on travel.

I love the finer things in life and I want to enjoy them while traveling. And let us accept the fact that traveling requires money. Whoever says, that it doesn’t, is just spurting a truck load of BS! Right from the airfare, the hotel bookings, the transport to the attraction entry fees, it all requires money. As much as I love local food, I also love eating at the best restaurants, and honestly I remember some places for these fine dine outs! For me, having money to afford the luxuries of travel is what makes it such a memorable and rewarding experience. I don’t want to trade that for anything.

3. Stability is number one factor for my peace.

Having a stable job, means having a stable income. Some people say that although they quit their job, they do freelance! I really admire them but I’m not the kind of person who can live pay-check to pay-check. I need to see that steady inflow of money into my account. I’m all in for splurging your money to do what you love to do the most, in this case – Traveling! But, I also believe in saving and having a good financial future. I can’t picture myself without any savings.

4. I’m a planner and an organizer.

I’m a Type A Personality (Think milder version of Monica! – don’t ask me who?) . I need to know how my day is going to pan out. I don’t overdo it. But, I like to be organized. Pre-planning is something I really love, right from checking how the weather would be, what clothes will I wear, what not to miss and more. I often have weeks and sometimes months between travels, which gives me enough time to plan my itinerary to the tee – drilling it down to which place at what hour of the day too ( yes, may be not that milder). It gives me a big high if I have covered most of the items that I listed in my itinerary. I can’t just hop on and hop off from one place to another. To really enjoy, I need breaks , to research about the destination so that I can appreciate it better.

5. Sleeping on my own bed after a vacation.

Nothing and I repeat, nothing gives you the comfort of your own bed. I’m sure you would agree with that. The first night when I’m back from a vacation, I just need to crawl up to my own bed. And it instantly feels home. It feels like that – because it’s mine, it’s familiar and I love it.

6. Souvenirs!

As much as I love digital memories, I really like ‘real things’ which I get back from my travels too. I love getting back souvenirs. Sometimes, they are decor items, sometimes magnets, sometimes plushies, and sometimes food ! I need my house to keep them. I can’t ration the souvenirs according to the size of my backpack.

So, what’s the verdict?

Admittedly, there are times when I daydream about leaving my corporate job to travel full time. Questions like how much better would it be to blog full-time or to be a digital nomad? But, as they say the grass is always greener on the other side. It’s important to weigh both options heavily before making the plunge! We all have our priorities. Everyone of us have our own way to work things out. As for me, I have made the choice – to never quit my job to travel and I’m sticking to it.