Have you ever wished you could afford to travel more?
Maybe youve dreamed of spending spring in the south of France or Christmas in London.
Or if youre like me, youve craved learning Spanish in Argentina or trekking Machu Picchu in Peru.
Youve found yourself searching flight prices and Airbnb accommodations and have even come dangerously close to booking.
Well, until you remember your bank account.
Yeah, Ive been there.
But in February, I quit my job and booked a one-way ticket to Portugal.
I spent several weeks wandering Europe with a friend.
I devoured pizza in Naples, partied at the Nice Carnival in France and wandered the picturesque streets of Barcelona until my feet bled.
Most people react to this by saying something like, “Youre so lucky!” or I wish I could do that!
But do you want to know something funny?
The people who say these things can do the exact same thing.
Im not special.
I wasnt born rich, I didnt win the lottery and I dont have any advantages you dont possess.
In fact, I have a mortgage.
I paid for a wedding last year.
I live in one of the most expensive places in the Western hemisphere.
If I can travel whenever I want, you can, too.
You just have to conquer your money, quit that job and book a ticket.
Make a rock-solid plan to quit your job and travel.
You probably cant quit your 9-to-5 tomorrow, right?
Yeah, I couldnt either.
I have a mortgage to pay, and you probably have bills to pay, too.
But what you can do is make a plan so you can figure out when you can make your dreams a reality.
Here are three steps you can taketo quit yourjob to travel the world:
1. Your Income
How much do you earn?
How much do you need for your living expenses and the occasional treat?
Plan out how much you could save each month to make this dream a reality. Make a conservative plan and an aggressive plan.
If you were to cut out most of the luxuries you currently pay for, how much closer would your dream of traveling be?
2. Your Travel Budget
Where do you want to go first?
How much money would you need each day, week and month youre on the road?
How long would it take for you to save up with the number you came up with above?
3. Earnings
What skills and abilities do you have that you can offer as a service or product?
How can you earn more money and ideally continue earning that money while youre on the road?
One of the easiest ways to be able to afford traveling as much as you want is to get paid while youre doing it.
Sound far-fetched?
Well, this may have been out of reach a decade ago, but now beingable to make money from anywhere in the world (as long as you have a WiFi connection) is a reality for many Millennials.
My entire career is location-independent, allowing me to not only spend money while Im adventuring, butalso earn it.
You need to create location-independent income streams.
When I travel, I have several systems in place that help me earn an income no matter where I am in the world.
Thats the power of the Internet.
In my case, I am a business and blogging coach, so I help people build online businesses.
I dont need to be at an office to do this; I just need Skype and a WiFi connection.
I also run a blog where I earn passive income through referrals to products that I use and love, even when Im asleep or trekking throughNepal.
Finally, I use one of my marketable skills (content marketing) to offer a service (freelance writing) that I sell to clients.
This allows me to remain completely self-employed and location-independent when I choose to be.
What skills or expertise can you offer or make a product from so you can earn money from anywhere?
If you can’t think of any right away, don’t worry; I’ve got your back.
Click here to register for a free 14-day email course to find your perfect location-independent income stream idea.
We all have marketable skills and ideas.
You just have to dig deep to find them.
If I wanted to know what you prioritize in life, Id take a look at your bank account.
If theres one skill that we as Millennials need to hone, its the skill of carefully setting our priorities and structuring our lives to feed those priorities.
That means if travel is important to you and if you want to be able to live a lifestyle of freedom and adventure you need to prioritize it, and that means financially.
How can you do this?
Well, lets start with no debt.
Debt is a huge waste of money, and it will hold you back from going anywhere, literally and figuratively.
Living a debt-free lifestyle opens doors for you that you didnt even know existed.
Another prioritization must is turning your back on consumerism.
Every dollar you spend on stuff is a dollar taken away from you seeing the world.
That $60 dress could have afforded you four days in many Asian and South American countries.
Stuff isnt important.
You cant take it with you, both when you leave this world and when you leave the country.
If you want to travel whenever you want, you cant have anything holding you back.
That includes debt and consumer goods.
What does your lifestyle say about you? How can you adjust it to reflect what you truly value?
If youre reading this, you probably have the ability to quit your job and travel the world.
You just have to conquer your money, your time and your priorities first.
So, start making a plan.
Start building those income streams.
Start feeding your values.
Before you know it, youll be booking a one-way plane ticket and achieving that goal youve always wanted to achieve.
This article was originally published on Unsettle.org