I love to travel – who doesn’t? But I’m not retired, self-employed, independently wealthy, or European (Europeans, you’re swell but you get tons of vacation time and I, as an American in glorified serfdom, hate that).
I started out making due with what I had. Trying to cram a lifestyle of travel and adventure into 10 vacations days and some scattered three day holiday weekends kind of worked, but not perfectly.
So, I got the brilliant idea of working to travel! Sitting in my office I googled “how can an American work abroad” and the U.S. Foreign Service popped up. On a whim I applied, and was shocked to be hired. I got very, VERY lucky in my first assignment of a two year tour to Malaysia and dedicated myself to the very serious undertaking of going on as many vacations as humanly possible around the region.
I spent two years planning long weekend trips. I spent weekends in Singapore or at luxurious Malaysian beach resorts. I would decide on a whim to go visit friends in India. I would fly to Vietnam for $60. I was so spoiled and so looking forward to my next assignment so I could keep living my travel dreams.
I got very, VERY unlucky with my second assignment to Ecuador.
I’ll get to that later. Maybe. Probably?
Anyway, 2019 and 2020 were very formative years for me. I joined the Foreign Service with the mindset that I wanted a stable, 9 to 5 job that allowed me to travel. I came out of it realizing that life is short, and precious, and sometimes you just have to take a risk and do what will make you happy.
I want to travel. I love going on vacation. I don’t want to wait until I’m retired and possibly too old or ill to enjoy it. I worked hard and was super responsible, saving up money and now I’m getting ready to do one of the scariest things I could imagine. I’m getting ready to leave a steady source of income and health insurance to go on a long term vacation.
I’m panicking.
This could either be the best or worst idea of my life. I have no idea what I’m going to do after this trip. All I know is that I’m taking 2021 to save as much as I can and prepare. I’m going to research, and plan, and make excel sheets until my eyes bleed.
So, come with me. Plan with me, see how I put together obsessively detailed itineraries months in advance. I know myself, and there is absolutely no way I’m going to be able to set foot in a country with no lodging, no plan, and no onward ticket. I’m going to be a crazy person and have an entire Google drive filled with reservations and points of interest and restaurants I need to go to. I’m about to spend the next year planning the following year of my life, probably down to the hour because I’m insane.
I figure someone, somewhere out there may be interested in what goes into one of these “quitting my job to travel full time” situations. So, here it is. Enjoy the madness as I plan and check out my trip reports from where I’ve been.
Wander Where 