- Jo Fitzsimons left her job as a lawyer in 2010 for a career break and never went back.
- Now, she's a full-time travel blogger who supports herself by writing about her trips.
- She misses having colleagues and leaving work in the office, but she much prefers her nomadic life.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jo Fitzsimons, a 47-year-old lawyer turned travel blogger. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
After eight years of working as a lawyer in London, I started to feel burned out. Looking back on those years, I realize I spent most of my waking hours at work.
I started using my vacation days and planned a one-week trip to Egypt, a two-week trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, and a three-week trip to California in one year. I became enamored with spending time in new countries and learning about different cultures. When I wasn't traveling, I would daydream about it at work.
I knew it was time for a break
In 2010, I decided to take a career break to travel the world. Within a few weeks of being away, I knew I didn't want to return. Since I love writing, I created a business plan to become a full-time travel blogger.
I researched how to launch a successful travel blog and took courses online to learn about search-engine optimization and the Google algorithm. I decided that if I couldn't make enough money doing this within a year, I'd return to being a lawyer.
I grew my audience and made enough money through affiliate links, website ads, and sponsored posts to cover my travel expenses.
Now, I'm a full-time travel blogger
Before I officially quit my job, I took a gap year. I thought I'd get traveling out of my system and return to work. But six weeks into my time off, I knew I couldn't return. I left my job, sold most of my belongings, and gave up the apartment I was renting.
Since then, I've traveled to over 50 countries. While I fly, take trains, and drive, I love boat trips and cruises the most.
There's something so beautiful about spending multiple days at sea and admiring the vast horizon. It's romantic to arrive somewhere by boat and step from the sea to the shore. It beats landing on the tarmac at an airport and taking a car to a hotel.
In 2023, I combined my love for cruising the sea with one of my hobbies, and I went on a seven-day yoga-themed sail around Greece that started in Athens and went to Monemvasia, Pylos, Katakolo, Kefalonia, Itea, Corinth Canal, and Aegina.
I'd been practicing yoga a few times a week and saw that a luxury yacht I'd been on before was hosting a yoga retreat on board their tall sailship. There were excursions, two one-hour yoga classes, and four meals every day on the cruise.
While I'd do a yoga-themed cruise again, I want to take other sailing trips, like taking a boat to see the northern lights.
My daily routine while traveling is planned around sightseeing
When I'm traveling, sightseeing usually comes first. As a travel blogger, I write about what I do and see, so it's important that I spend time exploring places. Before traveling, I list places I want to visit and put together a loose schedule of how I'll spend my time.
My favorite way to plan for trips is by reading guidebooks. I like to avoid tourist traps and Instagrammable spots and instead find more historical places to stop and see. I build in time to work around that, whether early in the morning, on the weekends, or during lunch.
I choose my next destination on a whim
I decide where I'm going next on a whim. I'll ask myself what type of trip I'm looking to take. Sometimes, I crave adventure; other times, I just want to relax. Typically, I'm chasing warm weather and tend to go to sunny places.
Going somewhere inexpensive is another factor, but because I'm flexible with the travel dates and times, I usually can find cheap flights to any continent I want to land. I bounce around to different places once I get there.
I use tools like Skyscanner to help me search for cheap travel and often end up booking directly through the airline provider's website because I find other platforms often charge extra hidden fees.
I love this life, but there are some downsides
Traveling as much as I do can be tough on your body. I've had food poisoning, dengue fever, and the common cold quite a few times.
I've had moments when I felt very burned out and found myself not appreciating the amazing things around me. When you're constantly on the go, it can be hard to see the magic in where you are. It can also be lonely because I often travel alone and go to places where I don't know anyone.
I miss parts of my old life in London, like having work colleagues I see daily and leaving work behind in the office when the day is over. As my own boss, I've had some moments where I feel so stressed about how I will pay my bills and continue as a travel blogger. I've found ways to monetize and now earn a comfortable living, but my income changes monthly.
Being a travel blogger has its challenges, but it's the lifestyle I want. I'm 47 years old and proud of this life I've created for myself. It's different from other people's journeys, but I don't want to own a house or a fast car — I want to see the world.