Tips on How Office Workers can Travel While Working Full Time
I was not that fan of travel when I started working; probably because on my first job I had work from Mondays to Saturdays. Sundays were my personal time and rest days. However, there came a long holiday and my workmates and I decided to go to a province; And lo and behold, I loved traveling and adventures. In case you have full-time work, here are tips on how to travel while working full time.
It’s not impossible to travel while having full-time work; a lot of people I know, do. You sure can’t quit your job just to travel especially if you don’t have savings or money. Most need to work to feed ourselves and help our families. But sometimes, you wish to get away or travel and discover someplace new. In case you want that, check that might be a big help.
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Table of Contents
1. Plan your leaves
When you work in a company, you would know how many vacations leave you to have, if they follow the Philippine Holidays, or also enjoy holidays in other countries. I worked for a Japanese company, before, and we followed Philippine Holidays; too bad Japan Holidays were not included. So with that, you can check when you can leave. For Filipinos, read the official Gazette of the country where the President declares those specific days as holidays.
This is what you can do when you have the official holiday dates:
- Check which ones are on Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays, even Thursdays, and Tuesdays. Why? Because that would be an excellent opportunity to travel
- If you have Monday to Saturday work, look for a holiday that’s a Friday – file a vacation leave on a Saturday. You can have 3 days of travel
- If you have Saturday and Sunday offs, then file a leave on Monday or Friday; with that, you can travel for 4/5 days
When I went to Japan, I actually filed a leave for 3.5 days during the Holy Week. Thursday to Saturday was a holiday, so I left Wednesday afternoon (Undertime) and came back Thursday the next week (leave from Monday to Wednesday.) Spent a week in Japan and it was worth it!
There are a few people who say they are on sick leave but actually are traveling. I think it’s better, to be honest with your superiors and file your leaves early and plan them when your company is not so busy, or you don’t have crucial tasks. For example, you are the only one working on payroll, and you plan to leave on the dates near it – either you need to look for a sub or change the date of your plans. You don’t want to be left hanging, don’t you? So don’t do that to your colleagues, either!
2. Research your destinations
Since you don’t have all the time in the world to travel, then research the place where you are off. There might be impulsive travelers, but there’s a lot of benefits if you know well your destination. You can go to spots where you are interested in, know what is near them, have an idea on public transportation, etc.
Sometimes, not knowing what to do and where to go will waste your time. Like, in Japan, most attractions or museums close on Mondays – if I haven’t researched, I probably got disappointed learning that one place I wanted to go to wasn’t open plus I don’t know where else to go. Researching is a really good thing to do, you have limited time, so don’t waste every second of it.
3. Travel during the night or dawn
To allocate more time for fun and adventures, you can travel during the night or dawn. For example, if you have filed a leave on Friday and come back to work on Monday, then you can travel on Thursday night. So, on Friday, you can start following your itinerary rather than spend your time traveling to your destination. You can also go back on Monday dawn or Sunday night, but be sure you can still wake up early for your work.
4. Save Money
Traveling is not free – even if your living in a friend’s house abroad, you’ll still have to pay for transportation, food, etc. so you will need money. Since you are regularly earning, you can give a percentage every time you get paid to your travel fund. Set your priorities like buying only needs rather than wants. Having discipline in spending and saving money is really useful for those who want to travel while working full time. You can read more here: 7 Ways to Save For Your Travels.
5. Budget
If you want to travel regularly, then don’t spend your travel funds in one go. You can budget for your travels. E.g. You’ll spend PHP 5,000 for your trip to Bohol then budget PHP 20,000 for your trip to South Korea. To avoid spending a lot of money during your travels you can book seat sales, stay in hostels rather than hotels, or travel with friends. Research so that you know how much you will spend and discipline yourself to not go overboard!
Those are the tips on how to travel even if you are working full time in an office. It’s pretty easy even if you work remotely since you can travel anywhere, trust me, I’ve experienced both! I wish you all the best in your future travels!
About the Writer
Hey, I’m Lyza! I once was a person who just imagined going to places “one day” but decided to pursue my dreams. My first travel abroad was in Japan, solo, last 2018, and fell in love with the journey since. I’m aiming to visit 10 countries before turning 30 and 2 new places in the Philippines every year. Besides traveling, I love organizing trips, taking pictures, reading, and making new friends. Follow my adventures through my Instagram.
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Awww..this post is very commendable..thanks for sharing this…
The real tips!
I myself too WILL BE in the same position, lol! Just starting my own little free travel blog site and about to start travelling next month (will balance my career and travel adventures).
Been very serious with the planning thing lately. Hoping all my efforts will come to success! ;D
Thanks for this article! Good to know that I’m not alone in trying to balance my corporate job with my travels. 🙂
I love everything about your blogs/articles. I soooo love travelling! Problem is its hard to schedule trips with my friends since most of them are my ofcmates. Like u said, we cannot be gone from the ofc at the same time..iv been to a lot of places in the phils and i’d love to explore more..you inspire me. Looking forward to reading your next adventure.
This is just what I needed to get motivated. Thanks for the great article Tody! 🙂 You certainly pointed te ways to juggle corporate work and following wanderlust. I find it very timely ans staright to the point. Two thumbs up for that! Hope to meet you soon in your travels. ☺
— JL [Viajera Cebuana]
Great article and tips! This really works for those who wish to travel extensively without letting go of their jobs.
Great article! I was once a Corporate junkie. Got tired of the rat race. So established my own Travel agency to satisfy my wanderlust needs. Never looked back
Great article! Agree on almost all points! Like you, I’ve also already planned my 2016 travels. Some of my friends laugh when they learn of it but I’m like, meh. I’m the one who scored great fares during seat sales! 😛
Age on the travel fund too! Helps a lot in making sure that you don’t use up money intended for something else when travelling.
Quick question though, i know you mentioned about researching- but is that also how you find local tour guides? Or were they referred by friends? I’m keen on doing the same!
Hi Tody,
I am also a corporate worker hustling in between my work and travel (blogging). And I know it’s not easy but there is a way…to be able to prioritize travel right? 🙂
An officemate of mine, asked me where the hell did I get the money to travel almost every weekend last May. I told him that traveling is not really expensive (which is true!). I also told him it’s just about priorities. If others will buy new clothes or shoes if they have extra money, mine is a different case, I’d rather go travel, go to the beach or climb a mountain.
Lastly, what truly resonates with me si about choosing your battle. No matter how hard we work, it is still a fact that workplace is most likely a place of intrigues, politics and sometimes negativity. And as a traveler, and knowing that your life does not entirely revolve around your corporate life, that you actually hava a life outside, it is much easier for you to just shrug off any negativity at the office. It is easy to just tell yourself, i don’t have time for intrigues and all. I will just work hard and go somewhere on weekends 🙂
Regards,
Jon
Top Ten Jobs If You Love To Travel
(10) Flight attendant
It may be the most obvious travel-related job, but it’s also one of the most accessible: You don’t need a specialized degree to become a flight attendant, and most major airlines only require prior customer service experience and a certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. The hours are frequently erratic, and the work isn’t always easy, but you’ll get a glimpse of hundreds of cities across the globe during your career. A bonus perk? Free or discounted flights for you and your family.
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If you want to travel for a living while making a real difference in people’s lives, consider working for an international aid organization like USAID. With this job, you can visit struggling countries and help its residents recover from dire situations such as natural disasters and famine. You’ll need a background in a field like health, agriculture or education and a strong interest in social work, according to How Stuff Works.
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(7)Cruise line worker
Working on a cruise ship is a travel lover’s dream gig: You quite literally make a living traveling the world, all while receiving free food and accommodations. Whether you’re a restaurant server, a shop clerk or a performer in the cruise’s entertainment lineup, there are opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to work on one of these “floating resorts.” Websites like Cruise Line Jobs list employment openings with some of the top-rated cruise lines.
(6)Travel tour guide
Imagine spending your days guiding fellow travel lovers through a bustling European metropolis, or perhaps a small local village is more your speed. Wherever you want to go, popular travel destinations are always in need of friendly, knowledgeable guides to lead tourists through city sights and cultural excursions. Study up on the history and culture of your city of choice, and don’t forget to brush up on the local language!
(5)Archaeologist
Archaeologists travel the world to recover and preserve artifacts from past human cultures. Careers in archaeology require frequent travel, often to remote regions of the earth.
A benefit of speaking one of the world’s most popular languages is that there are people all over the world who want to learn it. Teaching English in a foreign country is one of the easiest ways to get out and see the world. Many teaching positions in foreign countries do require a certification, but you can easily get one in about a month’s time.
(3)Executive assistant
It may not be the most glamorous of jobs, but playing a behind-the-scenes role in the life of a corporate executive or other high-powered professional means you’ll be right alongside your boss on his or her business trips. Since individuals in these positions travel quite frequently for important client meetings, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see new places while you work.
(2) Oceanographer
If you love traveling by sea and have a passion for learning more about it, then there is probably no better career for you than that of an oceanographer. Oceanographers often split their time between laboratories and research ships, where they can spend months away from home visiting remote regions of the ocean.
(1) International Marriage Broker Tour Leader.
If you love to travel and are single this is absolutely the best job you can imagine. International Marriage Brokers travels the world holding single events in some of the most beautiful places on earth. Each week companies like A Foreign Affair travel to exotic locations in Eastern Europe, Asian and Latin America. Business men and professionals travel in groups where they will attend single events that A Foreign Affair call socials, at these social events the men will meet 500 to 1000 beautiful single women and models. The tours consists of social, dating and site seeing, all while interacting with dozens of men and women falling in love.
Love this line – “no one should be too busy to live a well-earned life”. I couldn’t agree more on that. As a former full time employee, I know how tough it is to schedule travel during days off. What I realized on those days is that it’s really just a matter of prioritization and the willingness to work hard to make things happen. If there’s a will, then there’s certainly A LOT of ways. 😀 Love this post!