Quit Your Part-Time Job and Travel Abroad
Blog, Community, Culture, News, Travelling
Assume that you have two options in life: working in a confined office and shopping as entertainment for the rest of your life. Or, taking a journey abroad into the horizon and discovering new experiences in the process. What would you choose? What pains you more: losing a job which you can easily replace or forcing your life desires to fit into your job description. Even when you know it clearly can’t? If you chose the latter options in both questions, then it’s time you unlock your desires and look to traveling abroad.
Let’s face it: we all work to make a living. Making a living is, however, not an equivalent of making a life. Everything you do in life ought to support your innermost desire–that’s what making a life entails.
Having multiple jobs may earn you enough income to sustain your living. That doesn’t mean it is supporting your goals in life. If It doesn’t make you a better person each passing day, then you need to quit them all. You need to confront the future more purposefully so that when you eventually retire, you will look back and tap your younger self on the back for a life well lived.
Discover. Explore. Design Your Life.
Your desire in life is to explore the world, gain new experiences and interact with other human beings. It becomes a more challenging quest if you spend your entire day sitting behind a computer and then spending all your money on things that you have little to no passion for.
Think of this: there are six continents out there waiting for you to explore–Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, North and South America. All with beautiful people and exquisite sceneries, amazing food and attractions. Within each continent, there are hundreds of thousands of cities, towns, villages, physical features, and cultures for you to discover. Travel abroad, you surely have no time to waste.
What Is Holding You Back?
Could it be the negatives news report that you hear every now and then about the outside world?
First, although there are some undeniable truths in such reports. I can authoritatively confirm to you that traveling abroad or other parts of the world is not as dangerous as you have been made to believe. As a matter of fact, only about 5% of the entire world is completely unsafe for you to visit. There is a higher percentage of danger in your country than there is visiting a country abroad.
As an illustration, it is as safe as your home country could be, if not more. But nowhere in the universe is ever immune to bad things. That’s more like telling you to always be cautious in your endeavours, both at home and abroad. Don’t give in to the negative reports and flush your dreams of exploring the world down the drain.
Or are you afraid of change?
The truth is, we all fear change. No one wants to leave our friends, favorite foods, family, pets, job, house, etc. behind. It’s what we know, it’s what has become comfortable to us. As a result, taking up a completely new life has never been the easiest thing to do. How an individual handles this fear, however, makes the whole difference. Some succumb to it and stay in their comfort zone forever, losing out on many of life’s opportunities.
But what lies beyond the restraints of their comfort? Then there are other groups of people who overcome the fear by closing their eyes and taking the all-important leap of faith. Those are the people who conquer the world and live a more purposeful life. Take the leap. Don’t allow yourself to become a loser.
Is it lack of money to travel abroad?
If yes, I’d advise you to reconsider your priorities. At times, many people unconsciously spend their money on luxurious things and forget or put-off saving for the things that really matter. Others even borrow money to “upgrade” their lifestyles, only to spend it all on “stuff” and not substance.
I’ve never seen a hearse pull a U-haul — Dee Dee M Scott
Before concluding that you don’t have the money to travel, first consult your innermost self about what you really need in life. Compile a list of the things that you spend lots of your money on, yet they aren’t of any significance in your life. It could be booze, excessively big apartment, fuel guzzlers, etc. Kick them out and before you know it, you will have all the money you need to travel abroad.
Are people telling you that it won’t work?
Dream killers and naysayers are too many nowadays and regrettably, they have the loudest voices. People who have never thought of quitting their miserable jobs. Want you to bask in their misery as well. They will give you a million reasons why your dream is misplaced. They will give you examples of people who followed the same path as you and failed.
How do you overcome this hurdle? By standing your ground and concentrating on that which you truly desire. Ask for help when the need arises, from people who dare to dream like you. Naysayers are wrong most of the time and even when they are right, even if you fail on your first try. All that means is that you found a way that doesn’t work. It happens in research departments and it happens to people who live adventurously.
So, what’s the worst that can happen? If you have a job now that means you are capable of fixing another one. You will find a new job, probably get your old job back or get a better one and find the naysayers tarmacking exactly where you left them. The difference is, you tried. Keep trying.
Lastly, could it be the procrastination that is holds you back?
This is the most ruthless dream killer for a majority of young people who dared to dream. You should discard the idea that you should work hard, get rich and only after retirement can you embark on a tour around the world.
Why shelve your ambitions when you have the energy to live your life to the fullest now. Revisiting them when you get old and tired? How many seniors have you seen travel abroad, chase their dream after retirement? If you are young, the time to experience the outside world is now.
This point reminds me something…
Why Should You Travel Abroad Before Retirement?
Becoming a better human being socially, professionally, culturally and spiritually is the most golden thing that anyone can gain from traveling abroad. You will become a well-rounded great human being by interacting with people from all walks of life. Understanding their culture, learning new languages, integrating with the commonwealth and discovering your own flaws and strengths in the process. It will be easier for you to make such interactions when you are young and flexible. Than at an age where you have more things that tie you down. Here are five strong reasons why you should quit your multiple jobs while still young and start traveling abroad.
Mastering the art of overcoming obstacles early enough.
The idea of starting a new life with total strangers away from home can be intimidating, but that is nothing compared to living with foreigners. It’s hard to live with people who speak a language you don’t understand, eat foods you have never heard of or seen before, and view life from a totally different perspective from yours. Sometimes you will go to a train or bus terminus only to find that over 99.9% of the announcements are made in the local language, and probably only a few passengers can speak English. Because you must travel, you will have to navigate around that obstacle of language barrier on your own. You will have to adapt to buying groceries & hiring taxis in a foreign language, and literally adapt to an entire foreign system.
Your first days abroad will be challenging but concentrating on the brighter side, they will help you to build your confidence and learn how to overcome mammoth challenges without the help of your family and friends. When you get back home and encounter challenges, a voice inside you will remind you: “you made it in a foreign system, you can do it here”. You will never again bend to pressure or quit for the rest of your long life.
Learning new languages.
With the world quickly becoming a global village, anyone who can speak multiple languages will always have an edge over other people. There is no better way of learning a new language than living amongst its speakers for a while and experiencing its software and hardware firsthand. You don’t have to use the learnt language now or in the near future but, who knows about the unseen future?
Making international friendships and connections.
Some people argue that with the social media bringing people from all walks of life together, physical networking is now outdated. I wouldn’t say that such an argument is lame but hey! It’s somewhere close to that. The truth is that chatting with people via social media helps you to get into their minds but not necessarily in their hearts. When you interact with someone in person, hug, share your fears, and have time together, the chances of you getting into their hearts are high. The world is getting smaller and smaller and one day, the friendship you make today will come in handy.
Understanding cultures, differences and the origin of international conflicts.
There are many misconceptions, half-truths, and fallacies that people peddle around, either knowingly or unknowingly, about other people’s cultures, which then precipitate serious international disputes. You probably have heard many crazy things about Africans or Asians, for example, to the effect that you always see them through a negative lens. Your perception will change the day you will interact with them and know them for who they really are. You will understand how international conflicts arise from small misconceptions and how best to solve them. This experience will make you a future leader at home, workplace, and in the society in general.
Discovering new markets.
Have you ever dreamt of owning your own business one day? Being self-employed will give you the flexibility and the resources that you need to travel around the world. Traveling will make you wiser, give you many business ideas, and open new markets for your future business. It’s more of a vicious cycle: the more you travel, the more your business grows, and the more you get the resources to travel some more.
Traveling is healthy.
To begin with, socializing is the surest natural ingredient of a healthy brain. Secondly, sitting at a desk all day long is bad for your health. Lastly, achieving your life desires reduces stress and because stress is a major contributor to obesity, travelling becomes a cure to obesity and other weight-related problems.
How To Make Money While Traveling Abroad.
Online jobs are the most convenient for a traveler because of their flexibility. You can learn a few tricks of surviving online before quitting your regular job, then invest in a good laptop and internet connection- if you haven’t done that already. You can even start your own travel blog and be writing about your daily experience abroad. Other viable money-generating ventures for you include:
Teaching
Most countries in the Caribbean, Africa, and the Far East have a shortage of English teachers and are willing to hire native English-speaking people as teachers on contract basis. If you need money while visiting any of those regions, you can sign a 6-months teaching contract, make your money, and hit the road.
Outreach Programs
If you are into humanitarian work, you can enroll in an NGO and take part in their outreach programs. You can either get money from such humble gestures or use them to open other money-making doors.
Sports Coaching
The developing world is desperate to learn the western games. If you work out a lot or play any interesting game, you can easily get a coaching job with local sports clubs.
Preparing for Your Life-changing Journey Abroad.
Before purchasing your first one-way ticket to destination unknown, you need to do the following first:
• Do your own research as of whether your dream destination is safe to visit at that particular time. Which foods will you be eating? How cheap is life in your preferred destination?
• Undergo thorough medical tests to establish whether or not you are fit to live away from home. Can your body adapt to climate change? Are you allergic to your destination’s staple food? If you need any vaccinations, this is the time for them. The last thing you want is to be under the weather on your first day in a foreign land.
• Consult widely about the culture, beliefs, and perceptions of the locals in your destination. If you know someone who has ever lived there, that’s the best person to consult. Such a person can even host you for a day or two if he/she still lives there.
• Apply for your visa, travel insurance, and work permit.
• Once everything is ready, book your flight and go chase your dream.
Parting Shot:
If you are willing to take the necessary risk, nothing will ever prevent you from achieving your dreams. The beautiful, exotic lifestyle you yearn for is just a single leap away so you better make that leap now. After all, nothing can go so wrong. Always remember that at the end of life, a man or woman carries nothing to the after-life apart from memories and experience. That’s to say that money is important, yes, but not as important as the satisfaction of living the life you were born to live.
Originally published at postabroad.net on September 2, 2018.
