10 Ways To Travel More While Working A Full Time Job

It’s January and the first month of the new year. And I’m sure you’re wondering how you can travel more this year while holding down a full-time job. Well, you’re in luck – because it is definitely possible! I’ve managed to combine work and travel for the last eight years – below are my top ten tips and tricks.

I’m actually one of those people who prefer a routine. I follow many travelers on social media who explore the world after quitting their jobs and become digital nomads or influencers. Although I used to envy that they get to travel so often – I still really enjoy the balance of working and traveling. Even though my job isn’t the best, I enjoy a steady paycheck. I love caring for my houseplants and struggling to go to Pilates every morning at 5 am. I even love having the neighborhood cat waiting on my porch in the evening.

Even though my travel bucket list is never-ending, and most of my money goes toward traveling, I do enjoy the mix of work and travel and repeat.

Which is why I’ve discovered the perfect harmony between my full-time career and my passion for adventure. I plan my life around travel and make it a priority. I refuse to wait until I’m older to travel – because who knows how long I’ll live? And if I’m blessed enough to get old and gray, what if I have a bad hip or my vision goes bad? No ma’am. Not me. So here are my tips for traveling more with a full-time job; consider it a late Christmas gift.

1. Take Advantage of Public Holidays

In the United States, most of us worker bees get 11 federal holidays off. As I type this out, the next upcoming holiday is Martin Luther King Day. It falls on a Monday, so if you have weekends off, you can use two PTO days before and after and have a total of five days off! That is more than enough time to visit a city here in the U.S. or, depending on your region, enjoy a quick international trip. For example, if you live in the South and Midwest, you can visit a Caribbean island; if you live out West, you can visit Central and/or South America.

Flights tend to be more expensive around the holidays, so book your flight early. Also, consider traveling right after work if it will get you to your destination quicker. I often keep a change of clothes and my suitcase in the car to head directly to the airport. Don’t be afraid of the red-eyes, they arent that bad and its less crying babies!

2. Get FMLA

When I lived with my grandmother six years ago, I was taking her to tons of doctor’s appointments. Sometimes up to two a day, three times a week. Two of her doctors suggested that I get FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) since I was missing a lot of work to take her to doctor appointments. Who knew such an amazing thing existed? With FMLA, I had twelve weeks of unpaid leave, and I could not be penalized for using it. The amount of leave does vary depending on your condition, though.

Now I know what some of you guys are thinking,” Well, how can I get it?”

There is something wrong with all of us. This world is hard, especially after surviving Covid-19. Everyone and their momma suffers from some form of depression, anxiety, disease, or ailment. And you can get FMLA for all of them. Print out the form and take it to your psychologist. When I’m feeling depressed, being stuck in bed with matted hair and a strange odor gets me nowhere. Now, being depressed, laying in the sun, with a fruity drink, and gazing out at the ocean blues will perk me up in no time.

3. Flight Deals

This post would not be complete if I didn’t shout out my favorite travel website, The Flight Deal. I have been a subscriber to them for almost a decade. They send out a daily email newsletter with around ten or so flight deals. These deals have saved me thousands! If you’re a flexible traveler and want to go almost anywhere like me, then you’ll love them. Some deals are good, some deals are great, and some will have you running to your wallet. Last year, I was able to snag a flight to French Polynesia (#1 on my Bucket List) for $650 thanks to them! During my ride on the airport shuttle to the hotel, I met a couple who spent $2800 each on their ticket. That was more than triple what I paid.

Also, start opening up the emails that you get from the airlines! In the past, the emails were pretty sucky, with no true deals, and I would instantly delete them. I’ve noticed recently that they have gotten much better! On my last international trip to Japan, my roundtrip flight with Delta was only $880. Japan wasn’t even on my radar because it’s normally expensive to fly to from my state; I was so surprised that Delta sent out an email with such a low price! American Airlines also sends out really good emails with great mileage redemption rates. Last year, some European cities were available for a round trip of only 5,000 miles.

If you would like to read more about how I score cheap airfare, click here.

4. Plan Your Trips Well

Be mindful when selecting your travel destinations. Depending on the length of your vacation, opting for places closer to home or those with direct flights can help minimize travel time, allowing you to make the most of your time off.

Create a list of essential activities for your trip to avoid wasting time and getting overwhelmed when you get there. This is especially crucial if you have limited time at your destination. I have wasted so much time and money not planning out trips well. I also missed countless events because I didn’t do enough research on the cities that I visited.

You don’t want to miss excursions, restaurants, and exhibits because you didn’t research opening hours and days. I also tend to group activities, I chose two that are in close proximity and do one in the morning and one in the evening. This allows plenty of room for error in case you get lost or an activity lasts longer than expected. It also saves on transportation costs.

5. Ask

I know this is going to sound super cliche and illusory. But I would not be sitting here writing on a travel blog if it wasn’t for a life-changing TED talk. By Oprah Winfrey, nonetheless. I know, right?

She said the profound quote, “Never be afraid to ask for what you want.” I wrote this story a few times on this blog, but I was 22 and at work and not living the life I imagined. I was on my lunch break and watching the TED talk. After I watched that video, I approached my supervisor and told her I needed to get out and see the world. I told her that I was not happy just working and paying bills and felt like life was passing me by. She actually agreed and thought it was a great idea to start traveling while I was young! Fortunately, during the mid-week my job wasn’t as busy, so I was able to use leave without pay to travel.

I know that I was very lucky to have an understanding boss, but I feel like if you want something bad enough, you should ask for it. I feel like we all struggle with a lot of the same issues and if you’re honest and open about it, people will relate to you and work with you. It doesn’t hurt to ask and the worst that they can say is no.

And don’t forget to ask for more vacation time when you get a raise or promotion!

6. Negotiate

In my opinion, negotiating and compromising are the keys to life. Negotiating actually pairs really well with #5. If you ask your job’s management for more time off to travel and they say no, then now is the time to see if they are open to negotiations. You could ask if they are open to changing your schedule. Possibly work 4 10-hour shifts and then have three off days. You could ask if you could work two weekends out of the money, bank the four days, and use them all at once to travel. Work longer shifts, come up early, and stay late; once you reach 40 hours, you can take off. The possibilities are endless. There is no harm in asking.

7. Combine Business Travel with Personal Travel

In my head, “work trip” and “mini vacation” mean the exact same thing. I volunteer to go on almost all of them! The way I look at it is that they are paying for half your trip. Typically, your job pays for a roundtrip flight and your hotel. But what you do while you’re there and when it’s to leave is up to you. If your job flies you out to new cities with things to do – when you get off, instead of returning to the hotel, you can visit attractions. When it is time to fly back home, you can extend your trip by staying over the weekend and/or using a few days of paid time off.

Even better, you can save money if you want to fly to a city that’s close by. For example, if you have a work trip to San Diego, California, and you’ve always wanted to go to Los Angeles or Vegas, flights are cheaper to those cities because they are less than 90 minutes away by plane. If you live far from California, like in Delaware, a flight and travel time to California is going to be way more expensive.

I’ve used the method several times. When I was on a work trip to Tampa, Florida, on the weekends, I would go down to Disneyworld in Orlando and Key West. While working in California for extended periods, I explored the state and also took trips to Utah, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Mexico.

8. Save Up Your PTO & Sick Leave

I recently had this conversation with a co-worker at the end of 2024. I saved up a bunch of leave to travel to Japan in November/December for two weeks. He was curious about how I had so much leave left, and he was in the negative. The crazy thing is he never travels! He uses his vacation time to take random days off during the week to do errands like. Like what? You have two off days for that.

I treat my annual & sick leave like the precious treasures they are. I don’t use them for anything else other than TRAVEL. I schedule all my medical appointments before/after work. If my house needs a repair, they need to come in the morning, and I’ll just be late for work. If it’s a baby shower, i’ll send you a gift card. If someone dies, did I like them enough to sit through a funeral? If my car won’t start, I put it in the shop and catch a ride to work. I’m not taking off for anything unless it’s a super emergency. Same with sick leave, I have to be feeling like death is knocking before I miss work. I take some Vitamin C and cough medicine and keep it moving.

9. Take Unpaid Leave

This is, hands down, how I’ve been able to travel so much! This one can be a bit tricky, though. First, you’ll need to speak with your management/hr and see if it’s possible without discipline. Second, this works best if you have a good relationship with your employer and have been at the job for some years. Some jobs look for the slightest reason to terminate you, and taking some unpaid time off could be one of them. I tend to volunteer to work on the popular holidays and school breaks when everyone takes off. I hate holiday crowds and don’t have kids, so I will gladly work when everyone wants to be off. People tend to be more grateful and willing to pick your slack when you’ve covered for them.

Lastly, you need to make sure you have some money to sustain you so you don’t get into debt! Unpaid leave works great when you work plenty of overtime and have money saved, have a side hustle generating income, or do something strange for a little piece change, i.e., only on the side.

10. Travel More Local/Domestic

I love traveling here in the United States. I remember being on a flight headed towards Hong Kong, and the guy I was sitting next to had just spent three months exploring the U.S. He showed me all these fantastic photos of places here that I’d never even heard of! It was low-key embarrassing. How has he seen more of the U.S. than I’ve seen? I was born and raised here!

The man on the plane actually influenced me to travel more in the U.S. I set out on a goal to see all 50 states before I was 50. I have completed my goal super early, and I have one state left, Alaska! I’ll be heading there for a cruise this summer!

Even locally, there are a bunch of cities and attractions that I’ve never been to in my state. I go to Atlanta, Ga, for work every month and always discover new neighborhoods, restaurants, and things to do. If you live in a state with several major cities that are close by, you can do mini vacations. You don’t always have to stay in your aunt’s guest room, pretend to like her cooking, and watch Netflix. You can stay in a nice hotel in the city and get out and explore.

Also, there are several places in the US that rival international destinations! The French influence is still super relevant in New Orleans, Louisiana. Aspen, Colorado, is a reminiscence of the Swiss Alps, and town hours away is Vail. Vail, Colorado, has many Bavarian-style buildings that remind you of Germany. Virginia Wine Country has similar landscapes and beautiful wild lavender growing like Provence, France. Maui has beautiful beaches that rival any island in the world and even a huge bamboo forest like Kyoto, Japan with way less tourists.

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Any more tips? Let me know in the comments!