How many people out there don’t wish they had more time to travel? It’s one of the most widespread desires around; after all, few of us have the desire to look back at our lives and wish we spent less time at the office and more time seeing the world.
But let’s face it: a career that has us working 9-5 and then some is pretty difficult to balance with a life filled with travel. Still, it’s not impossible. A lot of people simply give up, assuming that their hectic career will prevent them from doing the travelling they want to do. But this isn’t the case. Here are a few tips that can help you see more of the world without having to sacrifice a great career
Start earning more money
Yes, I know what you’re thinking: “easier said than done!”. But it’s definitely something you should start thinking about more actively. A lot of people feel pressed for time due to money pressures; they feel that they can’t afford to take the time off, or that the time off will affect their chances of earning more money in the future. Getting yourself to a point where you don’t have to worry about this so much requires more work now, but it can pay off big time. Consider taking further training or education – something like an online MBA can help increase your value.
Be strategic with vacation days
No employer should expect even their star employees to abstain from taking time off. You have vacation days; your aim is to use them wisely in order to maximize the bulks of time you get off. Consider using your vacation days to bookend national holiday weekends. This will grab you a good four or five days off while using only one or two of your vacation days – and that’s a good amount of time to go on a trip! Remember: travelling more doesn’t require you to spend weeks in each location.
Consider a transfer
If you want to see more of your country, then why not consider getting transferred to one of the satellite offices of your company? In the United States, a lot of companies have offices in both the east and west, so someone working in New York City may be able to get a temporary transfer to, say, Los Angeles or San Francisco. Your company may even offer exchange problems, allowing certain workers to work in their main headquarters in exchange for someone going to work elsewhere for a while.
Get good at negotiating
Negotiating is always a handy skill to have, and this is especially true if you want to better balance travel and business. Consider negotiating with your boss to get more time off. A negotiation, of course, will require something from your end – many employees are willing to take a slight pay cut in order to get more time off, or even get more time off instead of accepting the offer of a pay rise. This is also good to consider when you’re negotiating terms and a salary when you first accept a job.