Have you ever had a bad day at work and wanted to quit? I think we’ve all been there. But does quitting your job, especially to do something like travel full time work? It does for this guy. Here’s a story from Mike, the Fit World Traveler himself.

Guest Post From Fit World Traveler

If you’re a points and miles hoarder – which you shouldn’t be because the currency is always subject to devaluation – a good way to burn them is to take a year off from your full-time job and use the miles and points or if you’re like my friend where your job quit you, you’ll put your miles and points to good use with the new found freedom.

About a month ago, I took the plunge and left my day job to finally get that freedom and independence to travel whenever I want without conferring with my superior at work or tallying up my measly vacation time.

With the freedom, Mondays come and go without the dread of starting another workweek and waiting for the weekend to come.  Flights are a lot easier to book because I have more flexibility with my schedule without a full-time job.  

Life Is For Enjoying

Chris Guillebeau wrote a short post here emphasizing that life is to be enjoyed.  No amount of planning will prevent the inevitable of growing older.

I’ve collected sizable balances in several different loyalty programs that it would be difficult to use them with the meager vacation time.  This also factored into my decision to leave my job.  I can say with 100% certainty, I much rather be staring at pictures from a trip than staring at a black and white number on a screen.

The Big Adventure

My big trip after college graduation was a road trip across the USA. I had a friend who was finishing up an internship on the West Coast and she needed someone to drive back with her.  Without any hesitation, I signed up for the task. We allocated three weeks to drive back to the East Coast.

The trip was an amazing experience.  We visited awe-inspiring national parks throughout the west cost.  There were mishaps like the dumb and dumber like moment where she accidental drove in the wrong direction for two hours while I was sleeping.  Whatever the case, it was an adventure and experience that I’ll always remember.

When I first heard about the Mongol Rally, my experiences from the cross-country road trip came flooding back to me.  I knew I immediately had to take part in this crazy adventure.  The Mongol Rally is an event where teams drive from London to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

I found two teammates willing to take part on this trip and another one on the Mongol Rally Facebook group.  All four of us carry a U.S. passport so we’ll have a common denominator as to which countries we can transit through.

I volunteered to fly over to England for a week in January to buy and store a car that we’ll use for the Mongol Rally.  After all, the miles and points is what enables our team the luxury to give the good ole’ tire kick test rather than blindly buying a car and hoping it holds out in the end.  Though, the latter makes for a better story.

I’m excited to be able to partake in this experience all thanks to the freedom I now have.

Final Thoughts

I know that people have commitments such as debt and family that they simply can’t pick-up and leave.  When I told my colleagues and superior about my decision to leave, they all applauded my decisions and I was really surprised at the amount of people and who showed up. Including my superior’s boss and folks I haven’t seen in years. A lot folks expressed a strong desire to stay in touch because they simply wanted to know where and what I was going to do.

Here’s a video of Mike in his flight to Kathmandu from Lukla airport.

About the Author

Mike is an avid world traveler.  When ever abroad, he tries to visit Crossfit affiliates as a great way to meet locals off the beaten tourist path.  He also enjoys watching and participating in the local sports.  And certainly not least, he seeks adventure whether it be hiking a mountain or driving a car to Mongolia.

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