4 Signs You Need To Quit Your Job And Travel ASAP

So, you’ve graduated college and here you are – the real world. It was exciting at first; your very own desk, a work phone, your name on a shiny gold nameplate at the front of your desk. You even had free reign to personalize your office space – you had your seashell collection from around the world in a mason jar, some inspirational quotes, perhaps some flamingos hanging from the ceiling?

If you were going to be spending the majority of your life in this office, it was going to be a place you wanted to be. At the very least, it would remind you of the best moments of your life when you were traveling during those summers between classes. Here you were, an adult with a career, and life was grande. Until you realized that this was what it would be like day in and day out, five days a week, for the rest of your life, and suddenly your 9-5 wasn’t so grande anymore.

If you, like me, have found yourself doing any of these 4 things, then you might as well just admit it: it’s time to quit your job and travel. The 9-5 life might satisfy you someday, but that day is definitely not today. Pull up that flight you’ve been secretly pining over for the last month, quit your job and get out of there while you still can.

Your Office Space Has Turned Into A Shrine Of Your Past Travels And Future Plans

Everywhere you look is something that resembles a trip you’ve taken. You have a string of photos to your right, a giant picture of the ocean to your left. Your wall is one big inspiration board of all of the places you still need to go. Your travel journal? Yeah, it’s perched on top of your work books just in case you need a stroll down memory lane.

You Need To Keep Clearing Your Browser History

Not because of inappropriate video watching on your lunch break, but because for the last hour and a half when you should have been writing case notes, you were browsing the best deals for a one way ticket to anywhere.

You’ve Taken 1 or More Vacations and You Don’t Even Have Vacation Time Yet

The true travelers among us will figure out a way to travel even when they shouldn’t be. You have to wait for a full year of employment to earn a one week vacation? Well, it’s only been 8 months and you’ve already gone on three trips! Unpaid time off is no biggie compared to the loss of your sanity.

Your Bag Is Already Packed

You know, the emergency bag that is tucked beneath your bed with a few changes of clothes, toiletry essentials and a fresh journal. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. You never know when the opportunity for an impromptu adventure might arise – a long weekend might sneak up on you, you might be genuinely ill and are requested to stay home from work (but God forbid you don’t take this as an opportunity from the heavens to go somewhere new), you spontaneously quit your job – you just never know.

If you relate to these 4 signs, or even just one of them, then it’s time to really think about why you haven’t quit your job. If you KNOW that this is not the lifestyle that will keep you satisfied, what are you sticking around for? Maybe you don’t need to travel forever and maybe you do – just do what makes you happy for now.

You have years ahead for working a 9-5 if that’s what you want. You might not have years ahead to travel, so if you have the resources to do it and the finances to support you then quit your job, get out there and see the world. I promise it will be a lot more entertaining than staring at the slide of travel photos on your desktop every day.