When to Give Notice You’re Quitting Your Job to Travel
So you’re quitting your job to travel! First, allow me to say… get it girl! So proud of you. But now you have a BIG dilemma on your hands. You’re going to have to tell your boss and your coworkers at some point, right? For us Type A overachievers who started burning the midnight oil somewhere in the middle of that 8th grade advanced math class… “see ya suckers, I’m just not working for a while” isn’t the kind of news that feels comfy to deliver, even if it’s a huge achievement in its own right. So from one Type A gal to another, here’s when and how to give notice you’re quitting your job to travel.
Many years ago, I was in the worst job of my life. (And that’s saying something because, well… I’ve had some real stinkers. 💩)
❌ I was super underpaid, part-time, no benefits.
❌ I had one of those Frankensteined job descriptions where I was doing three or four different half jobs.
❌ I was frequently left as the only person on staff due to crazy turnover.
❌ I was even the target of a bizarre smear campaign by a member of our board.
I was at the absolute end of my rope.
Because, even though I was about to achieve my ultimate dream of quitting my job to travel, I made two BIG mistakes. Mistakes that I want to help you avoid.
Mistake #1: I completely screwed up giving my notice.
Somehow, I thought I was doing everybody a favor by giving the heads up 6 full months in advance that I would be leaving my position.
I’m here to tell you, that is WAY too much.
Notice depends a little on what type of job you have, but in most cases, two weeks is standard and one month is generous. Anything more than that is unnecessary in the best case, and in the worst? It can actually hurt your standing at the office.
The most important thing is to understand your own company culture. Pay attention to how others announce their departures – is it normal in your city or your organization to share where you’re going next?
Keep your plans as close to the chest as possible until you give your boss notice. When you’re ready, give notice of your resignation just as you would if you had secured another job or were moving to another city.
If you want to keep things vague with coworkers, you can say something like “I’m pursuing another opportunity outside of [insert city here].”
Mistake #2: I planned my last day of work way too close to my departure.
Hear me now: give yourself a FULL week between your last day of work and the first day of your round-the-world trip.
You will have so many last-minute things to take care of. You’ll be moving stuff out of your home. You’ll want to spend time with friends and family before a long period away from them.
You don’t want to juggle all of that AND your final week of work at the same time.
Give yourself some breathing room!
So no matter where you are in your journey to quit your job for travel, you want to get 3 dates on your calendar right now.
- Your departure date (put this at least 6 months in the future, or longer depending on your savings plan)
- Your last day of work (1 week prior to departure)
- Your notice date (2 to 4 weeks before your last day)
Setting these dates now will help you SO much in staying on track with your goal!
Do you need one-on-one help setting these dates? Book an Explore Call with me! It’s your free lifeline to phone a friend on your long-term travel dreams and we’ll also chat about whether or not Round-the-World Roadmap (my in-depth long-term travel course) is a good fit for you.
