How To Travel More With A Full Time Job | 9 Easy Tips To See The World Without Quitting Your 9-5

June 26, 2022

Film photo of palm trees against blue sky.

In recent years, there’s been a huge movement towards the Digital Nomad lifestyle. But, what if the digital nomad lifestyle isn’t for you? What if you don’t want to quit your job to travel? What if you like your 9-5 and you just want to be able to travel more with a full time job?

If you’re a full-time employee in the UK you’ll have a minimum 28 days annual leave to use in 12 months. That’s a lot of time for travel and adventure. But, you have to be smart and savvy with both your time and budget to see more of the world while still working your full time job.

So whether your goal is to use ALL your annual leave for travel, or just to squeeze in an extra long weekend, here are 9 easy tips to see the world without quitting your 9-5.

How To Travel More With A Full Time Job

Utilise The Bank Holidays

Bank holidays are a wonderful thing. Leisurely days dotted through the year for us all to enjoy a long weekend. Now, I’m a great advocate of using these weekends to do nothing. You know, to just chill at home. But that means I’m also guilty of not using them to their full potential in terms of travel. The bank holidays are a great excuse to enjoy a European city break or explore somewhere new in the UK.

Alternatively you can add on 4 days of annual leave and take a 9 night holiday! Yes, that’s 10 days away for only 4 days annual leave if you utilise a bank holiday to travel more with a full time job. It seems like a no brainer. May day bank holiday for example, you’ll have Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. Take 4 days annual leave for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and you have 10 days off!

It’s always worth planning in advance for bank holiday trips though. Prices can increase so the more you plan, the more you’ll be able to stretch that budget.

Silouhette of palm tree against an orange sunset and the sea.

Be Flexible With Your Destination

One top tip to travel more with a full time job is to be flexible with your destination. Skyscanner is an absolutely fantastic app to use in this situation. Use the “everywhere” search function and a list of destinations will be listed in price order. And you might be surprised at what comes up.

You could find £30 flights to Barcelona or flights to New York for £250. This is especially handy for any last minute trips if you have a spare day of annual leave to use. Of course, if you have a dream destination in mind, save your money for that. But if jetting off to anywhere is your main agenda, this is a great way to travel on a budget.

Another great way to get a good deal if you’re flexible with your destination is to sign up for Jack’s Flight Club. There’s a free version and a paid membership but either way you get great deals sent via email from local and national airports to destinations all over the world. Recently they’ve featured £26 flights to Majorca and flights to Iceland for between £50 and £60!

Person looking over hill edge towards the sea.

Take Weekend Breaks

What do you have planned this weekend? Nothing? Nada? Zero? Well, this is your sign to go somewhere! Go on an adventure! Weekend breaks are the best way to have a change of scenery and feel refreshed for the week ahead! Book that gorgeous hotel you’ve had your eye on, go camping if the weather’s going to be nice, take a train to your nearest cool city and explore like a tourist.

Alternatively, plan ahead and book a flight or train somewhere on a Friday after work and plan to come back on a Sunday. Paris, Dublin, Barcelona, Rome, Berlin and Brussels are all great places to enjoy a weekend break without dipping into annual leave.

Black and white photo of Millennium Bridge in London with St Paul's cathedral in the background.

Find Out What’s In Your Local Area

It’s easy to take where we live for granted. We might think that there’s not much to do around our home. However, it’s likely there are some gorgeous walks, peaceful nature reserves, exciting coffee shops and independent stores, beautiful view points, maybe even food tours just waiting to be enjoyed in your local area.

Ask About Taking A Sabbatical

This might not be an option available to some people, but if you know your work offers sabbatical leave, why not enquire about it?

Sabbatical leave is often unpaid, so it means you’ll have to save hard, but if you want to travel for an extended period of time it’s such a great benefit.

You could take 12 months off and do that working holiday in Australia or working holiday in New Zealand you’ve always dreamed of. You could use 3 months to go learn Spanish in a Spanish speaking country. 6 months could leave you free to really travel the world and tick off all those bucket list destinations.

However you want to use your sabbatical leave, it’s worth having a discussion with your manager to see what your options are. Plus you’ll have the security of knowing you have your job to come back to with lots of stories to tell.

Pink flowers against the background of the sea.

Work Remotely

After the pandemic, a lot of people, especially those who work in offices, have the benefit of still working from home part of the week. If this is you, do you have to stay at home and work or could you work remotely?

Do you simply have to be somewhere you can easily access the internet? If so, could you take time to work somewhere different? Sure, you might not see as much as you might do on holiday but you’ll have the evenings to explore a new area. It’s also a great way to stretch out your annual leave. You could only have 3 days annual leave left but use another 2 to work remotely and suddenly you have a week to travel more.

Take Advantage Of Reward Programmes

Ever wondered how some people always manage to get upgraded? Whether it’s an upgraded flight ticket, upgraded hotel room, a free travel ticket for their friend…it’s likely they’re part of some kind of reward scheme. This might be through their credit card provider, sites like Top Cashback where you can swap money for Avios, or hotel loyalty programmes. Things like this might not only enable you to travel more with a full time job, but also better as well.

A peach cocktail in a champagne glass being held against a back ground of palm trees.

Put Money Aside Each Month For Travel

If you have the luxury of having money to put aside money each month to travel, do it. Treat it like a bill you have to pay each month. A great way to do this is to use a bank like Monzo where you can set up pots to separate your money each month. Before you know it, you’ll be able to go on that additional long weekend break you’ve been dreaming of.

The green Pentland Hills in Scotland with blue sky and clouds.

Make The Most Of Layovers

Dreaming of Australia, New Zealand or LA? When travelling to long haul destinations like this, you can easily tick off 2 places in one trip. Stop off in Singapore or Dubai for a day or 2 if you’re travelling east. Make the most of an Iceland stopover on the way to the USA. It’s a great way to break up a long journey, but also see somewhere new without taking much more annual leave, or spending money on a separate ticket.

What are your top tips on how to travel more with a full time job?

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How To Travel More With A Full Time Job | 9 Easy Tips To See The World Without Quitting Your 9-5