“Stay hungry, stay foolish” – Steve Jobs
A few of you might have read a recent interview of mine floating around the internet on the financial blog ladyyoucanbefree. I’ve never really spoken about the financials of quitting my job to travel and do my own thing before, so I guess it’s time to share my experience given the recent interest.
I’m going to break this down into the past, present, and future.
Why I decided to quit to travel the world
In September 2013, I left my job and have since traveled to 10 countries, done 14 trips, and spent 215 days out of 536 days outside Singapore (about 40%).
Traveling has always been something dear to my heart, but I never found the time and energy to do so in a normal 9-5 job. The push finally happened when I realised that I was tired of working endlessly for others and not owning my work. I wanted to leave to do my own thing, but I had no idea what.
Some talk about working hard before retiring early. But I feel that the best time to travel is while we are still young, fit and healthy. Before our minds get clouded and got jaded with life. So I figured that the best thing to do would be to travel first and figure things out along the way.
I had faith because from my previous experiences, I knew that travel is an awesome teacher. When you expose yourself to different cultures and get uncomfortable, you see things differently and make connections you normally wouldn’t. I just trusted that the dots would connect. And connect they did! Though that’s for the last section.
How I managed to do it
There were two main problems I faced when I decided to QUIT to travel on a budget. Money and Family.
MONEY
The most obvious problem. How can one survive while traveling? I originally wanted to travel for a year, but I also knew that I couldn’t give myself an end date. So I needed savings, and a way to continue earning money while traveling.
Savings
Back then, I was drawing a fresh graduate salary of about SGD2.9k/mth. Thankfully, I was quite frugal in my expenditure, and had about 16k in my bank account by the time I was going to quit. To give you an idea of what this is like, here’s a fairly generic breakdown of my monthly salary.
- Contribution to Family: $400 (not a lot but still significant)
- Living Expenses: ~$800 (I ate on a budget, but still go out fairly often with friends for drinks, did the usual leisure activities, bought stuff now and then, and had the occasional holiday)
- Misc Bills/Loans/Insurance: $600
- Savings: $1100
The savings added up to about $13.2k (12mths x 1.1k), and with some of my existing savings, made up the 16k. I’m sure some may do better or worse due to your own commitments, but this was what it was like for me. I’m used to traveling on a budget (you can learn about it from my 76days around South America trip), so I knew that I probably wouldn’t spend more than what I normally did in expensive Singapore.
Hence the 16k would last me about 8-9 months. Enough for a start, but I still needed to earn money while traveling.
Working while traveling
I could be plucking strawberries in New Zealand or teaching English somewhere, but i wanted to continue doing stuff I was decently good at so I wouldn’t get rusty. Things were tough initially, but I eventually found the following to work for me.
- Leveraged on strengths – Coming from an advertising and media background, I leveraged on the skills I picked up and ventured into freelance graphic design and social media management. Understand your strengths and use them to start an alternate career. You could do consulting for businesses, coach a sport, or be a freelance writer!
- Found jobs that allowed me to work remotely – This is key to the lifestyle I want to have. In fact, I only take jobs that allow me to work remotely and have minimal face to face meetings. This gives me the freedom to continue working even while traveling.
- Kept learning – Being comfortable is the worst thing we can do to ourselves. Keep learning and that will open new doors. I was clueless about web design before I started. Now I can design simple websites!
- Sacrificed – A traveling lifestyle requires a lot of financial sacrifices. Instead of saving money for shopping or splurging on expensive meals, I keep them for travel. After setting aside money for bills, living expenses, and the rainy day fund, everything else goes into my travel kitty. This is necessary because I wouldn’t want to end up in a situation where I can’t do certain activities overseas because of a lack of funds.
FAMILY
The next biggest hurdle was getting my loved ones to understand. I come from the most typical of Chinese families in Singapore. My parents would have been happy if I worked in a government job all my life. But I wanted more. I wanted to be rich, not just financially, but rich with experience.
My family and friends did not understand, and some of them still think I’m just traveling non stop for fun, leading the life and being irresponsible. But the truth is that it’s more of a lifestyle choice. I gave up on stability and relationship building to work on myself first. In fact, I had to work a lot harder to maintain a lifestyle of work and travel. Finding that balance and earning enough to pay the bills is a real challenge.
After a year and lots of communication, I think the important people in my life finally understands. Although my parents sometimes still catch themselves accidentally saying that I don’t have a job when their friends ask. If I were to do this again, I would probably involve my loved ones much earlier, instead of telling them after I made the decision.
What lies ahead
If you read my post on one year on after quitting my job, you’ll realise that I’m thankful with how the dots are starting to connect. The original plan was to travel for a year before settling. But amazingly, things changed along the way and opportunities came up. Now I’m traveling while freelancing, and working on my own travel startup.
If I am to give a word of advice to anyone who plan to do something similar, it would be to assess your own situation, make a plan, and just do it. There is a saying that “if you love what you do, the money will follow.” My reply to that would be not everyone is lucky or capable enough to be so good at something that money will follow. But even if money doesn’t follow, at least you enjoy what you do and have no regrets. My rule of thumb in life is that if you think you might regret not doing something, you better do it.
If you like what you’re seeing, share, like, subscribe and follow more of my adventures on Facebook or Instagram! :)
something wrong with the math. You forgot cpf contribution
Nothing wrong. I just calculated from take home and didn’t include cpf. Why put in pointless info right?
In case you are curious, gross is about 3.6k.
COOL! keep it up you can do it, I started traveling in 2009 and I am still on the road now hehe :)
Therefore I can say that it is possible._.v
Nice!! do you document your travels anywhere?
yap but its in mandarin haha http://blog.omy.sg/smallwhite/
you can add me in facebook too danick smallwhite
test test
Hi 5! I m planning too
Good to hear! Do share your stories on my Facebook Page wall. http://facebook.com/pohtecktoes. Would love to hear more and connect with like minded people.
nice to know that u’ve done that! i started at the same time and i’m still on the road. but i’ve been working for quite some years :)
I wish I could be young and do it all over again.
Good stuff and inspiration for everyone :)
Never too late! Though commitments might have to be adjusted based on your own situation.
Man, can really to this post.. Great to know people like you who’s taking the path less taken. I’ve just started not long, still learning the ropes, and have been doing video work for travel/adventure. Maybe one day, we can work something out!
Always open to discussing more. Keep in touch Shawne! Would appreciate feedback on my videos too. http://pohtecktoes.com/gopro-videos/
Well done.
Age is at your side but I think you should have saved up even more, that you have a nest egg that pays perpetual income. This way, “using my (reducing) savings” will not be a worry.
That is true. But hopefully you can find some compromise to work for you too. I believe in not giving up your dreams totally, otherwise there are lesser things to look forward to in life! It’s short.
u must be damn good to get $3.6k in a advertising/media agency in 2012.
Hey S,
I was in advert, but the last job I was referring to was a teaching job! Was doing contract teaching in Anderson Junior College! That’s why can get that kind of pay.
Impressive Hendric !
Nice to read up your posts and I had learnt lots from your sharing.
I am someone who loves travelling too…and happy to know people who are doing what they love to do for their life.
Actually…the most interesting fact is that my name Is Teck Poh….so is ur real name Poh Teck ? that’s cool to know haha
Keep it up for the inspiring spirit and would love to read more from you!
Enjoy ur Vietnam trip ya :)
OMG Teck Poh? Are you serious? Teochew as well? hahaha
you were an MOE teacher?
drawing 3.6-3.7k per month as a fresh grad isnt the norm unless your bonded or a scholar.
anyway brave choice. im sure the benefits outweigh the cons for you but for many with commitments like getting married or having dependents this may seem like an irresponsible lifestyle.
hope to see your fulfilling trips ahead!
Hi Jam,
Yup MOE Contract Teacher. My pay was the standard Male 2nd Upper Class Honours. It’s quite the norm actually.
Definitely difficult if you are to get married or need to support the entire family yourself. I’m lucky cause I only need to contribute to family but not support entirely.
Good thing is that other than traveling, I have a pretty decent freelance career now, and am working on my own startup! :)
Hi Hendric!
Thanks for the great advice! Can I ask what sort of job allowed you to work remotely? Also, was language a barrier?
Thank you very much! :D
Smooth travels!
Benji
I’m doing freelance and social media and usually take calls on skype or through emails! But I’m still based in Singapore, typically leaving 1-2 times a month, so can take a wider variety of clients.
Language will always be a barrier unless you take some effort to learn some words! Tourism industry is usually ok, but if you really want to interact and talk to others, learn some basic phrases and people will open up to you more easily. Cause you’ll show that you made some effort to understand them! If all else fails, just smile.
Hello!
Would like to drop a quick note to say that your post is motivating to people who have similar aspirations like you! I’m currently holding a 9-5 job as well with extremely limited leave till the point I have to plan out a year’s travel. Keeping my travels on a blog (secretly hoping to be a travel writer instead) as well- now all I need is the courage to quit the job + savings. Really hope I’ll be able to achieve it one day..
your post on Myanmar is also useful for my upcoming backpack trip in OCT!
Hey El, thanks and I’m glad you found the post useful!
It is indeed hard to do so on when you’re in a full time job. All the best and jia you k!
You’ll love Myanmar :)
very inspiring and brave to take that big leap to what you really like.
thumbs up!
I didnt something similar too. But kinda regret not using the money for travel. Well, instead used the money to learn stuffs which I have always wanted to, like coffee making, numerology n even found my faith n got baptised.
The 1 yr break I took n my short term stinct at coffee joint has enabled me to go back to the times when I just started my journey in the work force, n re-recognise the worth of each dollar as I see those around me working doubly hard for their dollar.
overall it had been a yr to find myself, to nurture health n to learn more abt others in our surrounding thrn the volunteer work done.
Then reality sink in…abt being questioned by recruiter for the break taken, undercutting of pay n worse some dont even consider my appn as im deemed to b out of touch w my expertise for a year…
Tht’s the stigma of an asian culture I reckon
Actually I beg to differ and think one can use the lessons from the year taken to increase your employability. That said, I think it also depends on your industry of work. Certain industries are still pretty narrow minded it comes to such things.
I hope you have gained a lot more than you lost though!
Hi
Agree that the type of industry pretty much play a critical role too.
Was previously from audit/finance, hence trying to go back there again. Partly bec I wouldnt wanna spend too much time venturing into sthg which the outcome is uncertain. Since a year break has seems to b pretty detrimental to my career path.
Of cuz, meanwhile I still pray for the best or even a miracle to drop by…
ur post was sure inspiring n it’s gd that it lead to something new for u. Definitely good if each n everyone can have a chance to do this even just once in a lifetime to search for their innerself.
This post gives me hope and motivation! :D i have always wanted to travel the world but end up i always spend all my holiday working part time and gave all my money to my parents (which is supposed to be a good thing but i left almost nth for myself) , now i am still juggling with uni and work at the same time to pay for my own rental n other stuff as i am living alone in singapore, the idea of giving myself a break and travel seems so impossible …i feel so irresponsible to just spend a sum of money for myself instead of giving it to my loved one. anw , this post really came on time :D i should learn to look after myself ,giving myself a chance to learn and experience new adventureit gives me hope that my dream is not an impossible one
Hey Jenny!
We all have our own circumstances and it’s great that you are caring for your loved ones. We always should! But yes you are absolutely right about looking after yourself too!
Great post and very glad to read that somebody is actually living out their dream while the rest of us are just living life vicariously through you! You’ve written down exactly what many of us are feeling but dare not take the plunge to leave our jobs (myself included). I hope you continue exploring the world and enrich your life in the process.. All the best!
Thanks sharlene!
Hi Hendric!
Thanks for sharing this post (: My husband and I are planning to take year off work to travel and it can be overwhelming sometimes to think of the logistics and costs involved. Did you plan a lot before you left? Or were your decisions as to where to go and what to do more spontaneous and based on local/travellers’ recommendations?
Keep in touch, and keep travelling (:
Hey Sheena,
I did a little bit of both. I simply listed down a list of interesting places I’ll like to check out, roughly fit them in a route, and just planned as I went on, getting suggestions from locals. It is quite impossible to plan out everything in detail, but maybe that’s me. Anyway it’s not that difficult if you do not have a super tight schedule. :)
Thanks for the advice Hendric! Thankfully we have quite a bit of time to research and also about a year to actually travel… so ideally we wouldn’t have a super tight schedule (: Gotta leave room for spontaneity!
Hi Hendric
Stumbled on your site. Quite a life story there. Great inspiration for many to go out and do their dreams.
I had my modest adventure about 30 years ago and understand many things you went through. Now I am semi-retired and look to travel again but the body cannot take too much rough stuff now. So do it while you can!
Do as much as you can still Michael! Thanks for your encouragement. :)
Hey Hendric,
I came across your website through “Lady, you can be free” website. I planned and quitted my job in 2013 too, to have time for myself, important milestones, important people and to be a little foolish to pursue my passions which may not be the most practical endeavors in practical Singapore. Even though it meant saying goodbye to my comfortable 6 figure job, getting ego bruising questions from some acquaintances, friends and relatives why i don’t have a job, why i am not working, my limited income since i quitted and my frugality such as a preference not to eat out so often, etc, i have no regrets quitting my job at all. Most of us are working such long hours these days. I think it is really important to have a balance and not to lose sight of what is truly important in life, this one life we have.
Hey Happy Gal! Definitely agree with you. It’s really brave of you to take that step especially after reaching that comfortable 6 figure job. I’m not sure if I could do the same if I was in your position to be honest.
Do link up and share with me your story if you can! I’m trying to collect stories of people who have taken the lesser trodden path.
Hey Hendric,
I wasn’t so brave the first time round. Actually, back in 2010, i first decided to take a year of sabbatical and quitted my job. I remember my ex boss telling me then that it would be such a waste for me, my career, to be leaving especially when i was making good progress with the organization. But i told him that i believe that career is not necessarily set in a one-way direction. And just like an arrow needs to be pulled back to gain bigger trajectory, i don’t see taking a career break as detrimental for me in the bigger scheme of my life.
(This is some of thoughts on how i feel then on having a sabbatical : http://www.sometimesjean.blogspot.sg/search/label/sabbatical )
Anyway, still my company managed to convince me to stay and i had the opportunity to take on a new role which was indeed more aligned to my interest, provided better work life balance, and was challenging and fulfilling for me. I was given two months leave instead of my initial plan of a year before returning to assume the new role. I guess the idea of the option of returning to the safety of a regular income then was comforting too. Actually, looking back, i am grateful to my company for the opportunity.
That two months break while short was fulfilling, i went for a road trip in Mongolia with my secondary school friends, had time for volunteering work, painting, time with my mother etc etc. But some plans i made initially for a one year break had to be put aside. I never regret that first attempt for a break, as it opened up the door for more opportunities for me, including a job offer for a bigger role with a company which i naturally declined as my goal then was not on career advancement.
So the next time i made a decision, it was with greater certainty, confidence and clarity that i wanted to do it. The timing and opportunity just fall in place that that will be the right time so i planned and just do it. It has been an awesome journey so far. I had time for meaningful things in life, such as the satisfaction of designing and renovating my new apartment, planning for my wedding, cancelling and managing the damages when my fiance fell ill, being there to support him, time for my aging mother who don’t have much but gave me much, completed a few courses i always had interests in, made new friends, catch up with close friends, time for books, glorious books :)) , experimenting with the possibility of switching to a new endeavor, study about value investment which i didn’t had time for when i was working and am actually making good baby steps to build my passive income, learn to play guizhen, visit my cousins based overseas whom i always wanted to visit but had been busy… And so these, plus all the little but important things like time to smell the flowers, do some gardening, enjoy my cup of latte on a weekday, even time to watch dramas, are what i exchanged for my regular income.
I am currently pursuing my endeavor and if it works out, that is great. If not, at least i had given it a try and i would not live life thinking of what if.
My email is happyhappyproject@gmail.com. Do feel free to get in touch!
Cheers! :)
Wow. You have really gone through a lot to get to where he have so far! And yes I really agree with you on getting out of the rat race to do your own things and pursue the different interests. It sounds like you have managed to find the balance between responsibilities to fulfil and doing things you love.
It’s really not easy maintaining a life like that when most people around us are focussing on their corporate career. To each their own but it’s glad to hear that there are more people out there as well. :)
I really enjoyed your entry at sometimesjean too! So true and so real.
Great read! :) Popped by after reading the feature on you in The Straits Times. Really cool how you quit your job and went travelling! That takes a lot of guts, but I’m sure the fun made up for all the sacrifices! Blog on! :)
Thanks for your encouragement Grace. Really means a lot! :)
Chanced upon your blog while i was googling where to go in south america. Didn’t even know you were Singaporean till i saw the word “kiasu” haha. GOOD ON YOU LAD!!! Very proud to see you travel around the world, breaking out of convention.
Curious, what would you recommend for a 2 week itinerary in S. America? Somewhere with good beaches and diving but also a peak into their culture?
Hi Jane!
Thanks for your kind comments. Ecuador is great cause everything is compact and you can get a taste of South America there. There are the beaches, mountains, amazon…and lots of culture.
Beaches: Galapagos (you’ll need at least 5 days… I spent a week but it was no where near enough), Montanita (backpacker style)
Mountains: Cotopaxi (5897m)
Amazon: Two areas people usually go to. Try to go for a 3D2N tour least
Culture: Otavalo, Quito (look out for petty crime), Devil’s Nose Train Ride
Adventure: Banos (super cheap outdoors: http://pohtecktoes.com/banos-adventure-budget-travel/)
The Galapagos Islands have awesome diving spots. The beaches are pretty fun too cause you can snorkel with the sea lions. See this video: http://pohtecktoes.com/swimming-galapagos-sea-lions/
Only prob is that it’s a lil expensive and you’ll be spending a lot of time traveling to get there.
Your blog is really inspiring! I am a traveller and has always wish to visit exotic places. I absolutely agree with being not just rich financially but also rich in experience. All the best and keep travelling :)
Hey Sheena,
Thank you for your kind words! Yes… it’s always a balance. You too. Do share your travel stories on my FB page too! Would love to hear and share with others. :)
http://fb.com/pohtecktoes
Like one of the other commenters, I came across your blog when I was looking up info for my trip to South America last year. 11 months later, I am drawn back here because of the travel intern ad you put up.
Dang. I thought I had to write in, even though at this hour and I am half-asleep.
Like you, I quit to travel, among several other reasons, over a period of 7 months. Wanderlust nurtured from a tender age of 8 had me land my hooves in approximately 30 countries and counting. I would have applied for the intern job if I were younger and single in a flash!
Travel writing, or other types, was also something I wanted to do, and I started a blog, naturally. But it is not so much one that connects me to the world than one that allows me access to the like-minded.
It takes courage, a plan and a lot of nerves to go against the grain. Kudos and may you find success!
Orh hor… never subscribe or come back to my blog to read. Haha
Jokes aside, thank you for your kind words. I’ve said it many times before, but comments like these really touch my heart. It’s like fuel for the engine.
Hello! Chanced upon your blog while browsing your need for a travel intern. Just wanted to say it was really nice to know that there are people out there chasing their dreams despite the pressing pressure from what is expected of the norm. I always remember the “dream” me and my friend had – plucking apples from the orchard of NZ while travelling. But we are bogged down by endless commitments. Maybe, what we all need is that desire strong enough to just do it. I am so glad you did. Jia you! (:
Thanks snip or whatever your real name is. Appreciate your encouragement!
Very inspiring and encouraging post! Chanced upon this post from Lady You Can Be Free. Looking forward to more of your post!
Dear Hendric,
You shows more mature than your age and could learn plenty of things form your site. It is my dream also to travel and write a blog and make some decent living. But far more difficult still, to leave the full time job and start writing.
Very hard to break the barrier as I have commitments. But still believe pushing the limits and more sacrificing would lead to do it one-day.
I am from Sri Lanka , working as an engineer in Singapore and saw you article (about you) on the TODAY’s news paper on 28th March. And today I’ve got time to read it fully and visited your site too. Very inspiring indeed :)
And also found, you yet to visit Sri Lanka:) If one day, you wish to travel Sri Lanka and include that trip to your site, I would be honored to have the opportunity to contribute by guiding you for free of charge.
Roshan
Hi Roshan,
Thanks for your kind words! I have actually been to Sri Lanka. But that was long before I started this travel blog. :D
Hi Hendric,
Saw your Iceland trip through skyscanner and have change my mind on seeing northern light at Norway. I would like to know driving at Iceland is same side as Singapore?
Sally
Hi Sally,
Have you seen my post on how to spot Northern lights? (http://pohtecktoes.com/spot-auroras-in-iceland/)
Iceland roads are on the opposite side from Singapore. However if your main objective is to see northern lights, Norway is a better place!