How I Quit My Job And Traveled For A Year

In 2022, I packed up my home in Denver, loaded the car, and moved to New York for a year. The goal was simple: explore the East Coast’s many incredible destinations and spend more time with family in New York.

There were so many places in the Northeast I’d been dying to see — Boston, Philadelphia, Maine, Upstate New York — plus cities I can never get enough of, like NYC and Washington D.C.

So, I decided to quit my job and experience this corner of the United States in a way I never had before.

Taking extended time off to travel has become increasingly common, especially among Millennials and Gen Z — and there are so many creative ways to make it happen. Backpacking, digital nomad life, volunteer programs, seasonal work abroad — the options are endless.

But I don’t often see people taking the route I did, so I wanted to share my story. My hope is that it shows how, with a little imagination, there are countless ways to pull off an extended trip — even if it doesn’t look like anyone else’s.

Here’s how I quit my job to travel for a year, everything I did to prepare, and a few tips I wish I’d known before I started.

How I Quit My Job And Traveled For A Year

No matter what your dream trip looks like — whether it’s RV life, backpacking through Southeast Asia, or a whirlwind around-the-world adventure — almost every plan will follow a similar pattern:

Conceptualize the idea. How long will you travel? Where will you go? What kind of lodging will you use? Start mapping out a rough itinerary, even if it’s flexible.

Figure out how much money you’ll need. Research the cost of living where you’re headed, the cost to get there and back, and how much you’ll want as a nest egg for when you return home.

Decide how long it will take to save. Once you know your target number, calculate how much you can save each month. If your budget and plans don’t quite align, adjust the plan — not the dream.

Get your affairs in order. What will you do about your current housing situation? Are you selling or renting your home? Moving between leases? Talk with your employer about a leave of absence, remote work option, or prepare to give notice.

Book the trip. Secure the essentials — flights, visas, vaccines, travel insurance, and any major logistics.

And finally… do the damn thing.

Below is exactly what my process looked like:

The Idea Phase

In 2021, the idea popped into my head that I could live in New York for a while. Like so many others, 2020 made me step back and reevaluate how I was spending my time and money.

I thought, I love New York, I want to see more of it — and there’s so much of the East Coast I’ve never explored. I have family there… why don’t I just live with them for a bit?

So that’s what I did. For a year, I lived with family in Sag Harbor, New York.

From Sag Harbor, we spent quality time with family, explored more of New York State, and took the time to see the East Coast in a deeper way.

(Obviously, not everyone has a family home in The Hamptons. By luck, my husband’s family settled there in the 1700s and got in long before the home prices exploded — but that doesn’t make the experience itself unattainable. I truly believe most people have more opportunities than they realize. The location of my home base could have been anywhere; the travel opportunities would have been the same.)

Determine The Budget

With an idea in place, I was able to sort out how much I needed to save in order to make this trip a reality.

I put together a budget which covered estimated cost for things like:

• Monthly bills — insurance, cell phone, car, etc.
• Cost to get from Denver to New York and back.
• Estimated living expenses.
• Budget for traveling around the East Coast.
• Miscellaneous spending money, including an emergency fund for unforeseen expenses.
• A nest egg for the return home — this is a big one and shouldn’t be missed. 

Upon doing this, I determined it would take a year to save enough money for this trip. I also realized I could travel for longer than I thought. I’d originally imagined the trip would be 6 months, but it ended up being closer to a year.

How Much We Saved & How We Cut Costs

Saving around $20,000–$30,000 is common for a year of travel; we saved about $35,000 for our year in New York. Free lodging was the reason we could live there on that budget, sans jobs.

Without that opportunity, we would’ve chosen a more affordable destination — somewhere like Southeast Asia or Central America. If an expensive destination is calling to you, plan to save more or consider a seasonal job that provides housing (this is a common setup in places like the Hamptons).

It was also important for us to keep our day-to-day spending low. In the Hamptons, we cooked most of our meals at home and rarely spent on attractions. Because we were living there, not vacationing, we didn’t feel the pressure to constantly be doing something — which kept our everyday expenses much lower than a traditional trip.

For the additional travel we did, we cut costs to make our savings last longer. On trips to New York City, we packed sandwiches or leftovers (I once brought mashed potatoes to Central Park — a random but very happy memory). We limited expensive excursions and stayed with friends or family when possible.

When vacationing around the East Coast, we chose budget-friendly lodging and mostly skipped eating out or drinking alcohol. That doesn’t mean we never did those things — we just prioritized differently to make our money stretch further.

There’s always a way to save when traveling. What I consider nonessential might differ from what you’re willing to cut — and that’s perfectly okay.

Get Your Affairs In Order

We decided to rent out our home to long-term tenants, which covered the mortgage and other home-related expenses in Denver. The rental income also provided a small cushion to pay for monthly bills like insurance and our cell phones.

Nearly everything we owned was packed up and stored between my parents’ house and my brother-in-law’s.

We also downsized from two cars to one. My brother and his wife used my car while I was gone — they covered insurance, gas, and maintenance — and returned it when I came back.

As for work, I decided to quit my waitressing job, knowing it would be waiting for me when I returned if I wanted it. My husband quit his full-time job too, though he was unexpectedly offered an unpaid leave — a surprise that made our plan a little easier.

Book The Trip

There wasn’t much to “book” since we already had housing lined up and would be driving to New York.

One of the few things we arranged in advance was travel insurance (I use SafetyWing!) — and yes, even within the United States, it’s worth having. Many health insurance plans limit out-of-area coverage. If you don’t believe me, ask my brother how much he paid after breaking his collarbone in Aspen. He was deemed out-of-area, even though he was only a few hours from home.

(Hint: it was a lot.)

We also planned an 18-day road trip from Denver to New York, booking hotels ahead of time and staying with friends and family whenever possible.

As for the trips we’d take once we were settled in New York, we decided to plan and book those later on.

Do The Thing

After more than a year of planning, we finally did the damn thing. We left Denver in February, took an 18-day road trip across the country, and spent nearly a year living in New York before returning home.

During that time, we checked so many experiences off the bucket list. We vacationed in every state in the Northeast, took frequent trips to NYC, road-tripped through Upstate New York, and spent countless days exploring the Hamptons. In total, we visited 28 states, stayed in 33 different cities, and traveled to 2 new countries.

Read: Everywhere I Visited While Living In New York & Traveling The East Coast.

We also got something that can’t be measured — invaluable time with family we rarely see because we live across the country.

I wish I had a more poetic way to put it, but honestly… It was awesome.

In theory, the hardest part of a long-term trip is the planning. In reality, it’s convincing yourself to actually do it.

For many, the challenge isn’t logistics — it’s believing this kind of experience is possible, that you’re deserving of it, and that you can push through the inevitable doubts and uncertainties. I felt that resistance often before we finally pulled the trigger.

My hope is that when you read the story of how I quit my job and traveled for a year, you don’t get lost in the minutiae or the “how.” Instead, I hope you see that there are endless ways to make this dream your own — and that everyone’s path will look a little different.

Take the leap. Go from reading about the trip of your dreams to simply living it.

Additional Tips For Quitting Your Job For Long-Term Travel

Below are a few lessons I wish I’d realized before planning my year of travel — things that might help you if you’re considering doing the same.

• Stay flexible. Be open to different travel options and opportunities. What your initial plans look like versus how the trip actually unfolds will almost always be different — and that’s part of the adventure.
• Save more than you think you’ll need. Especially for when you return home. If you’re not going back to your old job, plan for a transition period. It took us time to settle into new roles, and we ran into a few unexpected expenses along the way.
• Document your trip. Whether that’s through social media, a travel journal, or photos, find a way to capture it. You’ll want those memories to look back on.
• Find your own path. Get inspired by other travelers if it calls to you, but don’t feel pressured to travel a certain way just because it seems popular. There’s no single “right” way to do this.

If you want to travel more, but aren’t quite ready to quit your job and travel the world, read about how I took 17 Trips With 10 Vacation Days back when I had a very inflexible job.

Any questions? Please leave a comment below or reach out on social media.

As always, thank you for reading.

Additional Travel Tips:

• Everywhere I Visited While Living In New York & Traveling The East Coast
• How I Took 17 Trips With 10 Vacation Days: Maximize Your Time Off
• Tips To Avoid Crowds While Traveling
• How I Handle Travel Anxiety (& How You Can Too!)