Should you quit your stable job to travel? 5 reasons to say YES & 5 reasons it's not for you

Have you ever dreamed of quitting your job to travel the world? We did. In May 2024, we left our pharmacist jobs behind to spend a year exploring.

If the reality of that sounds far away for you… it was for us too. Our decision to quit our jobs and travel didn’t come out of nowhere. In 2022, our dream, month-long honeymoon was derailed by a near-death experience. That experience obliterated our priorities and we spent the next two years planning and saving. Allthewhile asking ourselves: Is this the right move?

In this post, we’ll share five reasons why quitting your job to travel might be the best decision you’ll ever make—and five reasons why it might not be the right path for you.

5 Reasons You Should Quit Your Job to Travel

Sometimes long-term travel means enjoying sunrises

1. Short Vacations Aren’t Enough

Two or three weeks of vacation time won’t cut it for faraway destinations. Imagine flying from Canada to Sri Lanka for a 9-day trip… you’d spend 2-3 days just in air transit and battling jet lag. Longterm travel gives you the flexibility to slow down and immerse yourself.

2. You Have No Major Responsibilities (Yet)

If you’re not a caretaker for children, pets, or older family members, this is your moment. You may never be this free again. While traveling with kids is possible, it’s harder and more expensive, why not take the leap while it’s easier?

3. You’ll Discover Who You Really Are

Away from work, social expectations, and routines, you’ll learn what truly excites and inspires you. Are your interests really yours, or were they shaped by your environment? Travel helps you strip away external pressures from your family, friend circles, and workplace.

4. You’ll Learn to Appreciate the Simple Things

When you slow down, small moments (like a conversation with a stranger or a slow morning at a cafe) become the highlights of your day. You may have never had time for those things during your hectic life. Travel shows you that you ultimately don’t need a lot to be happy.

5. You Won’t Wonder ‘What If?’

The biggest regret most people have? Not going for it. The worst case scenario? You go home. Remember, you’re not locked into a timeline. You can travel 3 months, 6 months, or a year, it’s up to you.

5 Reasons You Might NOT Want to Quit Your Job to Travel

We skipped many tours on the local Maldives islands to keep our budget on track.

1. Life on the Road is Less Comfortable

You’ll face language barriers, cultural differences, unpredictable *ahem sketchy* accommodations, and a lack of routine. If you thrive on stability, longterm travel might be a challenge.

2. You Need to Be Financially Prepared

Travel isn’t free, although there are options to make it cheaper like points and miles, house sitting, or workaway programs. You’ll have to budget wisely and sometimes skip cool experiences to save money. If not having income stresses you out, consider remote work. We recommend looking at part-time work to still allow yourself time to explore.

3. You’ll Be Away from Friends & Family

The longer you’re gone, the harder it can be for loved ones to relate to your experiences. Birthdays, weddings, and small moments back home? You’ll miss some of them and it will feel bad.

4. Travel Burnout is Real

Believe it or not, (yes it sounds spoiled to say this), you can get tired of travel. Constant movement can be exhausting. Living out of a suitcase, planning logistics, and adjusting to new cultures can wear you down.

Slow travel can help a lot. The definition of slow travel varies from person to person. For you, slow travel could mean spending a week in each destination while for others, it may mean no less than a monthlong stay before moving on.

5. You’ll Never Be the Same Again

Once you experience longterm travel, it’s hard to go back to “normal life.” Your perspective will change… sometimes in ways that make it difficult to fit back into your previous career or lifestyle. And you may find that you don’t even want the same life you did before your trip.

Final Thoughts: Is It Worth It?

Quitting your job to travel is a life changing decision that’s equal parts exciting and terrifying. Whether it’s the right move depends on your goals, finances, and willingness to embrace uncertainty.

If you’re curious but hesitant, consider taking a short sabbatical or unpaid leave before making the leap. For some people, 3-6 months is the travel “sweet spot.”

If you ultimately decide it’s not for you? That’s also okay. There are infinite ways to enjoy travel. What are your biggest concerns about longterm travel? Would you ever quit your job to travel? Let us know in the comments!

Should you quit your stable job to travel? 5 reasons to say YES & 5 reasons it’s not for you