How to Travel More (Even with a Full-Time Job)

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The ability to travel is an extraordinary privilege. Even if you get to take an occasional vacation, having a full-time career can leave you feeling like you just don’t have the time nor the means to really get out there. Let me say this – it’s okay to want more. More travel. More experiences. More adventure. You deserve that actually. And I can absolutely help you get it, even if you work a full-time job. I know this because I live it.

I used to think that corporate life excluded me from frequent travel, but now I’ve mastered the art of coupling meaningful, immersive travel experiences with limited vacation days. As someone who is well-acquainted with the realities of a 9-5, I’ve learned how to balance a full-time job with my unquenchable wanderlust, and I want to let you in on my secrets! 

This is your guide on how to travel more, even with a full-time job.

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How to Travel More (Even with a Full-Time Job)

Prioritize travel

STOP SCROLLING! It may sound a bit too simplistic, but this really is one of the best tools you can use to travel more when you work a full-time job. Prioritizing travel will help you find both the time and the means to do so, and it’s the key that opened up the world of travel for me.

Let’s first talk about how it will help you afford to travel more.

When your priorities are clear, it’s much easier to save money for what you want. Would you rather buy that latte or put the money toward a trip? Do you need all of the clothes in your closet, or could you sell some of them? Do you want to use your tax return for a shopping spree or to go on your dream vacation? While I absolutely believe in the power of an abundance mindset, having clear priorities will help you see what you really want in this life and then go after it.

But what about time? How could prioritizing travel possibly give you more time?

While it won’t necessarily give you more time, it will help you find the time that is already there. In one of my favorite Ted Talks, Laura Vanderkam describes this phenomenon perfectly. She proposes a scenario wherein you’re asked to clean all the blinds in your house. You’d likely respond with something like, “I don’t have time,” or, “I’m just too busy”. But what if someone offered to pay you $100,000 to clean your blinds? In that case, you’d probably find the time to do it pretty easily. It’s not that you don’t have time, it’s that it’s not a priority. The same can be true for travel. When you make it a priority, you’ll find yourself getting the most out of your weekends, holidays, and days off.

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Use travel points

Think, for a moment, about that dream trip. That one you think you can’t afford. Now, what if I told you that you could get a $500 discount on that trip? How about a $1,000 discount? Does it seem more affordable now? Those discounts come in the form of travel points, and they’re how I’ve taken numerous trips for free! There are a number of ways to earn travel points, but the fastest and easiest way is with a travel credit card. Using a points-earning card, you can start racking up points just by making your everyday purchases. Many of these cards also have big bonus offers that will have you earning that free trip in no time!

Read More: My Favorite Travel Credit Cards for Earning Free Trips

In addition to credit cards, there are other ways to earn points as well. Nearly every travel service offers loyalty programs for customers to earn points toward future travel. Airlines, hotels, car rental companies – you name it, there’s probably a loyalty program for it. Be sure to sign up for these free programs so that you’re earning every time you use a service. Some companies also have partnerships that can help you earn points on other purchases. SkyMiles members (Delta’s free loyalty program) can book their AirBnB through Delta’s portal to earn points on their stays. Starbucks has also partnered with Delta to earn you airline points on your daily coffee. Lyft has partnered with Delta and Hilton so customers can earn travel points when they ride.

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Be flexible with your destination

If you have a particular dream destination in mind, then, by all means, go after that with full force. If your goal is simply to travel more, being flexible with where you go and when is one of the best ways to do so. Snagging deals when they pop up will help you stretch your dollars (or points) to cover more trips.

If you don’t have the time or desire to watch for airline deals, there are a couple of amazing newsletter services that will do it for you! These newsletters watch for significant dips in flight prices and then send you deal alerts based on your departure airport. Thrifty Traveller offers a free daily newsletter rounding up the best deals of the day. Upgrading to a premium membership will get flight deals sent to your inbox in real-time so you don’t miss a price before it’s gone. Going (fka: Scott’s Cheap Flights) is another leading flight deal newsletter. Their free service covers some economy flight deals, but upgrading to premium will get you every economy flight deal, both international and domestic – including mistake fares. Upgrading to premium with either service easily pays for itself with the savings you’ll see.

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Take shorter trips

While we would all love a long and leisurely vacay, using up your entire PTO reserve on one trip isn’t going to get you that “well-traveled” feeling that you’re after. Taking shorter trips will enable you to see more with your time off, and you might be surprised by just how much you can experience in a few days. This site is filled with weekend and day trip guides to help you get the most out of your experience within a limited amount of time.

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Use weekends and holidays to explore close to home

One of the best ways to save on using up that precious PTO is to be strategic with your weekends and holidays. While traveling during these times typically means large crowds and higher prices, it can be a great time to explore close to home! Consider day trips in your area like small towns or state parks. Use the weekend to explore your home city like a tourist or to go on a short road trip. Staycations are a perfect way to satiate your wanderlust in between trips while also being cognizant of your time and expenses. You might be surprised by how much the world has to offer right outside your door.

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Avoid long travel days

Another way to maximize your time exploring is to avoid using your limited vacation days just getting from Point A to Point B. Opting to pay a little more for a nonstop flight, for example, is well worth it when you only have a few days to spend in your destination. Why waste all day with layovers when you could make the same trip on a shorter, nonstop flight? On the same note, multi-day road trips will also eat into your travel time. Unless your “destination” is really in the journey itself, you may be better off taking a quick flight than trying to save money by driving.

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Work remotely

What’s one way to travel more when you have limited time off? Don’t take any time off! One of the only positives to come out of the pandemic has been the shift to allow many employees to work remotely. While this tip won’t apply to everyone, if you’re one of the many who have this option, you could spend your day (or even just a half-day) working remotely and then your evening exploring a new city. As long as you have access to solid Wi-Fi, you’re set!

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Take unpaid time off

This is another tip that won’t be available to everyone, but employers can be surprisingly flexible around unpaid time off. If working remotely isn’t an option, and you can afford a few unpaid days, it’s definitely worth asking! My husband has worked for several companies that didn’t offer good PTO benefits. By asking to take a few unpaid days off here and there, we’ve been able to have much more freedom in getting to travel more.

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For most of my life, I operated under the widely accepted delusion that seeing the world is an activity reserved for either the rich or full-time travelers. But here’s a not-so-secret secret: that’s just not true. You don’t have to be wealthy to be well-traveled. You also don’t have to sell all of your stuff and become a nomad. Working a full-time job doesn’t exclude you from a life filled with travel experiences. Using these tips, I’ve been able to get out of my cubicle and utilize my PTO to the fullest.

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