Why I Quit My $80K Job to Travel the World More

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Ugh, it sounds like such a cliché right? Here goes another person shouting from the rooftops “I quit my job to travel the world!” Blah, blah, blah. Yep, I did it. And it felt good y’all. But did you notice in the title of my post, I put the word ‘more’ at the end? That’s very important to this story. Let me explain.

WHAT I MEAN BY ‘MORE’

I’m not selling all my stuff. I’m not getting rid of my mortgage (I’ll be done paying my house off soon anyway). I’m not gonna ask my dad to adopt my rambunctious boxer and husky. I’m not dragging my husband away from his comfy video game chair to become a wandering nomad with me. I quit my job to have the freedom and flexibility to travel more and for longer periods of time, not so I can leave everything behind to travel the world and not come back. That’s just not me and that’s okay. Everyone travels differently.

Sure I’m a travel addict, but I’m not the kind of traveler who’ll give up my life back home in order to do it. I’m the kind of traveler who enjoys the rush of last-minute packing, nearly missing my flight, jet-setting off to somewhere new and exciting, and then returning home to my sexy husband and two adorable dogs after my adventure is over. And I’m perfectly fine repeating all of it again and again and again, no matter how many flights that means I have to constantly take. The longest I could probably travel consecutively without coming back home would be a year I think. But to just leave everything behind and travel constantly without having a home to come back to? Naaaahhh.

I just got so tired of requesting vacay time. Like, no. I don’t want to ask for permission to do what I love. And, let’s just be real. For someone who is reeealllly passionate about globetrotting, 2-3 measly weeks of vacation time just ain’t enough. Corporate America really needs to get it together. Learn a thing or two from countries like Sweden who know how to do it right! I’ll never forget when I met an Australian who told me he got 6 weeks of vacation time minimum as a part-time employee. Cray.

ANOTHER REASON WHY I QUIT

At the end of the day, quitting my job was above all else, a decision I made to achieve freedom. It wasn’t just about travel for me—it was also about walking away from my monotonous day-to-day routine of waking up, rushing to get to an office even if I had nothing to do, and hustling every day to hopefully get that little raise and bonus the following year. Ooh, and maybe if I do exceptionally well, I’ll get a promotion in 5-7 years!

Orrrrrr, maybe I could just leave and work for myself. For years, friends and colleagues told me they didn’t understand why I wanted to climb the corporate ladder. Apparently they all saw something in me that I didn’t see. They saw talent that I didn’t realize was there. I didn’t know I had the skillset to make it without a 9-5. But I do! It just took me awhile to arrive to that conclusion on my own.

This past weekend I was hired to film the Women in Travel Summit in Milwaukee (3 days after my last day in the office). Just got back Sunday night and woke up the next morning to pack my bags for South Africa. And to think—none of this would be happening right now if I didn’t start believing in myself.

My whole life, I was taught to go to college, graduate, work for a fortune 500 company, and work my way up. Entrepreneurship was for people who couldn’t get a ‘real’ job. Boy was I wrong. This whole time, I was actually the one that entrepreneurs felt sorry for. While I was in the rat race trying to prove myself to the powers-that-be, entrepreneurs were out here thriving and on their own terms.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

I know, another cliché. Follow your dreams. But it’s true guys! It’s priceless. When I put in my two weeks (and watch the video to see footage from when I did), I wasn’t scared at all. It was a proud moment for me. Let’s be clear though. I’m not telling you to quit your job—I’m telling you to go after what you love with all your might.

I love traveling. I love making videos and creating cool content. I’ve found a way to marry those two passions and pursue it. Personally, I couldn’t pursue it from a cubicle. I needed to take a leap of faith and cut that umbilical cord in order to really go after my dream.

So here I am. Typing out this blog post on a flight to South Africa. Are you willing to stick around with me to see what happens next? I have a feeling it will, at the very least, be entertaining. If you haven’t done so already, subscribe to me on YouTube (it’s free) to keep up with my vlogs and…well…to see where this crazy decision I made takes me! Wish me luck y’all. ☺

xoxo,

Ashley Renne

Are you considering quitting your job to pursue a dream? Let me know in the comment section below!

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