Sunday evening rolled around again like it always does but one thing that wasn't quite as ordinary was my view. I gazed out to sea at the stunning sunset the Caribbean was treating me to and allowed myself to think about what a Sunday evening would normally be like for me.
Right about now I should have been cleaning up after a dinner that had taken much of the afternoon to prepare. I'd then be ironing clothes for the week, finishing my never ending list of chores that then started over again on Monday - the same old list of thankless tasks that never get any more exciting and always needed doing.
I'd be making sure that I was in bed by 10pm so that when the alarm went off at 5am the next day I'd be able to get up. I felt fifty seven, not twenty seven.
Sipping on my cocktail I smiled to myself and wondered how I'd lived that life for so long. Or more importantly, why?
You see, after 10 years of forging a successful career in the magnificent city of London and enjoying all the amazing perks it has to offer, I quit my job to start my own business and travel the world.
That makes it sound easy. I actually spent a whole year planning my escape, building my business and breaking down my life so that I could turn my back on a successful career and start living the life I had always dreamed of. And now? Well now I live out of a back-pack and I couldn't be happier!
The 9-5 life isn't for all of us and with the ever expanding opportunities presented to us by the internet more and more of us are looking at new ways to make money, ways that also allow us to live with flexibility and get much more out of life.
Here are 5 reasons why you should quit your job to go travelling:
- You won't do it later
How many times have you heard somebody say "I'll travel when the kids have left home"? Newsflash! By the time the next generation of children leave home you'll be staring at retirement and at that point will you really want to pack up and drag yourself all over the world? No. You'll want to nag your kids for grandchildren and be home by 8pm to watch some futuristic version of EastEnders.
- Travel has never been more affordable
- It's easier than ever to make money whilst travelling
- Your C.V will look great
- You'll learn a lot from being on the road
What with budget airlines, the rise of couch surfing and travel friendly credit cards popping up all over the place, travel has never been cheaper or easier. I currently reside in a pretty swish apartment in Thailand where I eat really yummy food, do loads of exciting activities and drink far too much alcohol and this costs me on average £14.70 per day. That's just £441 per month. Can you really afford not to travel?
House sitting, teaching English, freelancing online and even making money from blogging - generating an income whilst on the road is now easy to do and that means you don't have to be rich to travel. Combine this with cheap living costs (see point 4) and you're well on your way to saving money whilst travelling.
Being able to get yourself all over the world on a budget and with hilarious language barrier issues to contend with is quite impressive on its own, but when you throw in CV friendly life skills like 'working in a group' or 'being able to make friends with anyone' you're on to a winner. If you manage to pick up some language skills along the way you're gold!
The biggest lessons I've learnt have all been about people - namely that most of us are good. It can be hard to believe that when the news is constantly bombarding us with horror stories but those people really do make up a small minority, and the rest of us? Well, we're pretty great.
The next biggest lesson I learnt was to always carry tissues!
Follow Claire on her world trip and discover budget travel and money making tips at Couple Castaway.