We Quit Our Jobs to Travel the World

It still doesn’t feel real. It feels like I’m reading someone else’s story, wishing that I was living their life of travel. Except I’m not. This is now OUR LIFE!

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It’s been about a week since I handed in my resignation letter proclaiming that I’m quitting my job to travel the world. Max resigned 3 weeks ago and we are still trying to process what happened and most importantly what’s happening next.

But this wasn’t a rash decision. The truth is I have been dreaming about quitting my job to travel the world for many years. I fell in love with travel a long time ago, but until 2012 I was perfectly happy to work a full time corporate job and pack travel into my vacation time. Last year I even wrote a post called “Why You Don’t Need to Quit Your Job to Travel the World” to show you how I managed to travel for 2-3 months a year while still keeping up a full time job.

Oksana on Fraser Island, Australia
Exploring Fraser Island on my first ever solo trip to Australia in December 2010
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Don’t get me wrong, I still believe in every word and every piece of advice the other travel bloggers shared in that article. If you read it, you’ll know that it wasn’t my love for the corporate world or for my day job (that disappeared a long time ago), that held me back from traveling full-time before. It was my debt. I racked it up doing something that changed my life forever and I don’t regret it for a second, but it did force me to put my dreams of traveling the world on hold for over 2 years.

Read Next: Why Studying Abroad Was The Best Decision I Have Ever Made

It took 2 years of hard work, ridiculous budgeting, and many sacrifices to get to this point. After all, $100,000 in debt is a LOT of money to owe the bank.

Selfie from the kayak! Whyte River. Corinna
We are ready for more adventure!

But today, the debt is gone (well, almost) and we are ready to start a new chapter in our lives.

It’s INCREDIBLY EXCITING!

Our lease runs out in just a few weeks and we’ll be packing our bags and embarking on an exciting adventure that will take us to 5 continents, multiple countries and dozens of cities!

We have saved a bit to keep us afloat for the first 3-6 months of travel (we are talking budget travel here). But this isn’t a long vacation, its not a gap year or a sabbatical, this is our attempt to transition to living the life of digital nomads…and that means working on the road.

Max and Oksana. Cable Beach. Broome. Western Australia
Our campervan home on Cable Beach in Broome, Western Australia. Budget travel has its perks!

Thanks to every single one of you, this blog has now actually gained a bit of a following, which is going to help us in our quest for alternative income streams. Over the last 6 months Drink Tea and Travel has helped Max and I land freelance website design jobs, writing jobs, and even a few digital marketing consulting gigs. We’ve also been able to sell some of our photography! And we know that there are more opportunities out there!

But no matter how much we have planned and how big of a safety net we have cast, the truth is, we are still taking a HUGE LEAP OF FAITH!

Max and Oksana at the Cradle Mountain National Park. Tasmania. Australia
Ready to take a leap of faith!

There will be bumps in the road, and I’m sure at one point or another things won’t go as planned. We’ll run into issues, and things will get scary and we know that traveling on a tight budget will be tough, but regardless of what happens and where we end up in 6 months time, this will be THE MOST AMAZING TIME OF OUR LIVES!

Mandatory Stopover in Singapore selfie!
Soon we’ll be back on the road snapping selfies all over the world!

It’s a risk worth taking!

I hope our story and our experiences will inspire you to re-evaluate your lives and reconsider how you want to be living it!

If you love your job, love your city, and are happy with 2-4 weeks of vacation a year, then let us inspire you to look beyond the major tourist hot spots and convince you to explore off-the-beaten track countries, regions, and towns.

If you dream of a life of travel, let us show you that it is possible to leave it all behind and chase the wildest dreams! Let us prove to you that NOTHING is impossible if you put your mind to it and that life truly does begin at the end of your comfort zone!

Inspirational Travel Quotes: Life begins at the end of your comfort zone
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” – Unknown

Have you ever taken a leap of faith in your life?
Was it a risk worth taking?

 

13 thoughts on “We Quit Our Jobs to Travel the World”

  1. I will follow your travels every day Oksana. My stomach got butterflies when I read what you are doing. I have backpacked and taken a similar leap of faith to go outside my comfort zone and that was in the pre-internet days where a well worn paper Lonely Planet was my best friend. If I see you are going somewhere where I know fellow travellers live and will offer hospitality I will contact you while on the road. I pray you will have a wonderful adventure! Blessings from a kindred spirit. Leonie

  2. I’m so excited for you and your upcoming travels! If you find yourselves in Costa Rica or Tennessee please get in touch and come stay with us. I can’t wait to follow your journey. Buen viaje!

    1. Thanks Katie! We will definitely end up in Costa Rica at the end of this year. We are getting married in Guanacaste on New Years Eve. Will drop you an email with more details!

  3. That is amazing news, I’m excited for you guys and can not wait to read about your adventures!

  4. Shirly Warren

    Hello to Okasna and Max ! Joel mentioned your web site to me, and I have spent the last few minutes enjoying your comments and pictures!
    Mike and I wish you the very best on your travels, and a wonderful meaningful life together.

    Hugs and best wishes

    Mike and Shirly Warren
    (Max’s Chatham connection)

  5. So happy for you two!!!!! I just stumbled upon you through Instagram and am excited to follow your travels. Our family is taken a Gap Year this year, but I have a feeling we might just become digital nomads… See you in this great big world~

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