How To Travel The World While Holding a Job

Many people think they can easily quit their jobs and travel the world. That is delusional and self-destructive. I am not saying you can not do it, but it is not the best thing for most of us to do.

I have seen fellas post on YouTube and other social media platforms that they travelled to Thailand on a one-way ticket with only a few hundred dollars. Why should you even be granted entry to another country in the first place if you do not have a means of upkeep? Why take such a risk? Who do you think will take care of your accommodation, medicals, meals, and administrative stuff such as visas? Foreigners? Friends? Family?

Do you think you can backpack and sleep in cheap hostels for less than $3 a day for months? Not in Australia, though, for there is no such thing as a $3 hostel. And, hey, the Australian Border Force won’t let you in any way. Sorry, mate. LOL.

Honestly, I find that conduct irresponsible. I advise you to avoid taking such risks unless you have significant savings. Living abroad comes with substantial risks.

Although several countries, specifically Southeast Asian countries, are cheap compared to Western countries, you must have a regular source of income. If you can’t live in the West without income, what makes you think you can do so in other countries?

In this post, I help you understand how to travel the world while holding a job. Yes, several people have done it including myself. Why not you?

Who Am I To Believe?

I write and vlog about things I see and experience. My knowledge is primarily based on my travels and work around the world over the past two decades.

These are the reasons you should believe me.

a) School of Hard Knocks

This is probably the best experience, and I don’t really care what people think of me.

In the streets, kids used to say “ffa kululwo”, meaning die on your own. That means, when caught, don’t drag in other people. It is selfish, but it teaches you discipline and self-sufficiency.

Another standard warning was “beera steady”, meaning, be prepared, at all times, to face trouble because it was on its way to you.

However, in Australia, I became comfortable and snoozed, and was caught off guard, becoming a victim of a scam.

Comfort is bad. Never again. Stay alert, baby.

b) Academic qualifications

I studied marketing at Makerere University Business School and Social Sciences at Makerere University.

My master’s degree in project management was earned in Australia. I have also completed courses at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Centre for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Finally, I am a law student, although I do not intend to practice. That is because I know too much and, therefore, a risk to the system.

Yes, I can draft and file an application to a higher Court seeking a writ of mandamus, prohibition, certiorari or an injunction to prevent the making of an unlawful order or to decapitate a judgment that has already been obtained, for example, without jurisdiction or by fraud.

And that scares a lot of people – ego, reputation, money, family, career!

c) Work experience

Back then, I was a go-getter.

I regularly travelled with my boss to Nairobi, Kenya, to meet sponsors. I never knew he was grooming me to take over.

Six months after I joined the organisation, he left for Nova Scotia, Canada, to pursue further studies and left me the organisation to manage [Rest in Power, Sir].

Shortly after, during my tenure as manager, I was invited to an all-paid trip to Durban, South Africa, and Asmara, Eritrea, in late 2002.

Four years later, in 2006, I applied for an overseas placement in Chipata, Zambia, and I have never looked back.

I have worked as an international development specialist in Africa for five years and in Australasia for more than fifteen years.

With these personal, academic, and cross-cultural experiences, I am well-positioned to advise you about travelling while working. 

Let’s go.

7. Take paid leave

This is the easiest way to travel the world while holding a job. Instead of quitting your job, take paid leave, say for 30 days.

If your leave days are not enough, talk to your boss or HR Manager about taking leave without pay so you can have more time.

6. Accumulate extra work hours

I recently spoke to a Sudanese friend who was leaving for Africa.

“How long are you going for”?

“Six months”, he answered.

“Six months? And how are you going to feed yourself in Africa?”

He told me he was working extra hours, which would be paid while he was in Africa. This would make it easy for him to enjoy life in the motherland with his family.

So, speak to your manager to find out whether you can work extra hours which can be paid while you are on leave.

5. Save money

It is easier said than done, but it is the best way to travel while keeping your job. If you want to go for six months, why not draft a budget, start saving, and work towards your goal?

Also, you can pay for fixed expenses such as flights, accommodation, tours, etc., way in advance—it is a form of saving, so when the time to leave comes, you do not have many expenses to cover.

4. Travel local

Many people think of travel as going overseas—that is wrong. You can explore your country by visiting game reserves, national parks, beaches, lakes, rivers, historic sites, trails, hot springs, and many other attractions.

You can take a train, fly locally if you can afford it, visit a zoo, buy a camera and take some lovely photos etc. Whatever you decide to do, retain your job.

3. Buy an Adventure Bike

This has been on my radar for years, and next time you see me in Africa or around Australia, I might be on a huge Desert X or Tenere 700 Rally LOL.

I want to do the Cape Town-Botswana-Namibia-Zimbabwe-Zambia-Tanzania-Kenya-Uganda trip. Inshallah, I will in 2026.

Adventure biking is the best way to see your country and travel across neighbouring countries quickly without quitting your job. It is especially good for Africans, I think, given our roads.  

I have followed and watched several adventure bike riders for many years. My fav African riders are the Nigerian girl Go, Ebaide, and the Ghanaian dude Flying Flags.

Check them out, follow and support them on social media to see more.

2. Blog and Vlog

This is the new normal, to earn some income while travelling, without quitting your day job. Every one can now create a youtube, tiktok or Instagram channel to share content. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are.

Depending on your popularity you will be paid for the content. However you must post regularly to succeed.

1. Volunteer

This is probably the best strategy to travel and see the world. Volunteering, in my view, is a job.

There are different types of volunteering.

• There is volunteering for a fee – you pay an organisation and they find a placement for you. This is very common with young western youth wanting to venture overseas for short periods of time in Asia, Latin America and Africa, to gain work experience.
• There is free volunteering – you find an organisation and ask them whether you can volunteer. You do not pay them and they do not pay you. This is common with experienced professionals or older volunteers wanting to do something meaningful while travelling.
• Then there is paid international volunteering – here, you are hired by an international organisation or national agency, such as the American Peace Corps, and placed to work and live overseas. You are paid a monthly stipend, accommodation, flights, insurance and provided with training. This type of international volunteering looks for highly skilled and experienced individuals, and is highly competitive and difficult to get. In 2006, I obtained one and never looked back. When I moved to Australia, I worked with a similar program, the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID), to recruit, train and send Australians overseas to Asia, Pacific, Africa and Latin America.

Conclusion

So, tell me, will you retain your employment after reading this? I think it is the best thing to do.

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