About 3 years ago, I made the decision to quit my job and travel to South America on a one-way ticket. I had been playing with this idea for a while already and at that point, everything just came together and the timing was just perfect! So off I went and 2+ years later I’m still on the road. I met a lot of people who are dreaming of this lifestyle, but think it’s hard or impossible. When I tell my story, they realize it’s not though. And indeed it isn’t. If I can do it, you can do it! So if you’re thinking of quitting your job to travel the world, keep reading. Hopefully my story will show you just how manageable it is.
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1. My dream
I had already traveled quite a lot in Oceania, South East Asia, and Europe, so the next continent I wanted to get to know was South America. I was attracted by the diverse nature, the history, and the colorful cultures with a language I felt I could learn to speak. South America is also much easier to backpack than Africa for example and relatively cheap. Bonus: with my Dutch passport I would be able to get a Work and Holiday Visa for Argentina. This would make spending some time there even easier. As it’s a big continent with lots to see and do and explore, a 2-week vacation wasn’t gonna cut it. No, I needed a longer time to really experience and get a feel for this place. So I dreamt of one day quitting everything and buy a one-way ticket to South America.
2. Timing
After finishing uni in the Netherlands, I landed a job in Prague. To be honest, I had never seen myself living in Prague, but the job sounded fun and I thought why not! I wanted to move out of my student room anyway and I could always grab a bus or a plane back home. I also knew I could always go back to my student job if it turned out Prague wasn’t for me.
That wasn’t necessary though. I loved it and had the best time there! But, as much as I enjoyed it, I never felt like this was the place I wanted to settle down and live for the rest of my life. After 1.5 years I felt like it might be time to move on soon. I started to get bored of my admin job in a shared service center and I felt like I had gotten everything out of Prague that I wanted to get out of it. I wasn’t quite ready to go yet, but I did start thinking about the next step.
As I would quit everything anyway when I’d leave Prague, I knew that this was my chance. If I wanted to travel to South America for as long as I could on a one-way ticket, I wasn’t gonna get an opportunity more perfect than this one.
3. Budgetting
As I mentioned earlier already, I chose South America for several reasons, including the budget I would need. I had a few destinations on the bucket list, like Machu Picchu, Patagonia, Uyuni, Lake Titicaca, the Amazon, Medellín and Tayrona National Park, but there would be so much more to see of course! So I started reading blogs and the Lonely Planet (yes they are commercial, but I still love them!) and marking a bunch of places I wanted to see. This gave me a general plan for a route and an idea about how much time I wanted to spend in each country.
Next, budgeting per country. A month in Chile requires a different budget than a month in Bolivia for example. With this, I calculated that I should be able to travel at least 4 months if I spend a little more than originally planned and saved up the minimum. Not bad.
Next, I started to look at ways to make a little money on the road and to save up. I started to look at possibilities to work in Argentina and average wages, online remote work and platforms for volunteer work for food and board so I could stretch my trip a little more. The crisis in Argentina was getting worse, so I figured I wouldn’t count on work there. Instead, I just saved a couple more months.
And last but not least, I made an estimation of approximate cost upfront (plane ticket, insurance, a new backpack, a lens for my camera, etc) and what I could make from my furniture I needed to sell. With this, I figured it would be a trip of 4-12 months. Awesome!
4. Making it real
This was the scariest part, but also the most exciting. I have to admit it was a little scary quitting my job without having any idea about when I would have a (fixed) income again. But whenever I feel nervous about taking a big step like this, I always tell myself I don’t have to do it. I could just stay in Prague, or find myself another office job somewhere else. But before I could even finish the thought, the next thought came in: No way! This is what I had been dreaming about and I knew I really wanted to do this. I wanted to give it a try at least.
So I scheduled the meeting with my boss. Next, I put my room up for rent and my furniture for sale. Then I started the process for the WHV in Argentina (I figured I might as well) and once I got that, I bought that one-way one ticket to adventure! Pressing that button was scary as scheduling the meeting with my boss. And now it was really happening: I had quit my job to travel! And I couldn’t be more excited.
5. Paperwork
Next, it was time to organize the more official stuff. My bank cards were still valid for more than a year, the time I was planning to travel maximum, so all good here. I did inform my bank that I was going to travel South America, so they wouldn’t get suspicious about transactions from there and block my card. I already had a Wise account and applied for a bank card with them as well. They don’t charge the usual bank fees so will save you a lot of money on the road.
I already got my insurance as part of the application process for the WHV and went with the same as always (Joho Special Isis for the Dutchies amongst you) so that was already taken care of. I unregistered from the register in NL, as I was planning to travel for a long time, and I also made appointments to get the necessary vaccines.
6. Buying/selling
One of the last things I needed to get done was buy a few things for my trip. I already had a backpack, but I bought camping gear for example and some small things I figured would come in handy. I put my room up for rent and organized viewings after which my flatmates picked a new roomie. She bought some of my furniture and I put the rest up for sale.
7. The countdown
With just a few things left to do, I was counting down the days till it was time to board the plane. How exciting! In this time I quit my gym membership, closed my Czech bank account (I kept my Dutch one together with Wise) and started packing up the stuff I had left. I had a brief look at language schools in Buenos Aires as well as my Spanish was really bad. I wanted to be able to at least communicate with locals during my trip.
And then it was time for the hardest part: saying bye to my friends. I knew it would be hard at times not to be around my friends that I would normally see at least once a week, but luckily it’s easy to keep in touch with technology these days.
8. First weeks/months
I arrived in Buenos Aires and I loved it from the start! I enjoyed the hostel, made new travel friends, and was just not in a hurry as I didn’t have a flight back I needed to make. So I didn’t need to squeeze as many things in as little time as possible, I could just take my sweet time.
After spending some time in Buenos Aires, I made a little trip of about 3 weeks to get a little taster. Then I went back to Buenos Aires for a month to study Spanish (with Porteñisima). I found a volunteer position in a hostel via Workaway to save some money and practice Spanish at the same time. I made friends at the hostel and during the many language exchanges I attended and loved it. When it started to get cold I flew to Colombia to make my way back down. If all went well, I’d at least make it back to Buenos Aires. Hopefully I’d even be able to travel Patagonia. 
9. 2 years later
2 years later, I’ve seen so many incredible things, met amazing people and learned many valuable lessons.
Balancing cost and income
One of the first things I had to learn, was to balance income and spendings. I noticed I was spending more than I budgeted for. It was hard to put my finger on what I was spending so much on though. Sometimes I thought something was expensive and not worth it while after doing the math it wasn’t so bad.
So I started to look for freelance work for some income and made a spreadsheet with what I was spending and earning each day. Turns out I was spending quite a bit at tourist restaurants. So I started to cook more at the hostel or ate a ‘menu del día’ at local restaurants. Street food is also a good way to eat cheaply. I also found a freelance project allowing me to work a little here and here for pocket money. And this is how I continued. When I saw I was spending more than I should, I checked if there was a way of saving some. Workaway helped me save a bit for example and I tried to pick up some extra freelance work as well.
and let's keep going!
Not only did I made it back to Buenos Aires, I even got to travel the Argentine side of Patagonia and met up with Miguel who I met in Chile, to travel Bolivia and part of Brazil together. I would fly home for my nephew’s 1st birthday from there, which would have been 1 year and 1 month! Amazing! More than I had hoped for.
Little did we know that Covid was lying around the corner and made me decide to stay in Brazil. We did more workaways in remote places to hide out for a few months. This is when I generated a more stable income. When restrictions lifted in Brazil we got to travel this amazing country. When we had to leave, Europe and Argentina were still a mess, so we decided to go to Mexico. From here we did a short trip to Guatemala and are now back in Mexico.
The verdict
So as you can see things worked out incredibly well. It’s been more than 2 years since I quit my job to travel on a one-way ticket and I couldn’t be happier. I can’t imagine ever going back to a full-time office job. I might not be rich, but I’m living my dream and I’m making enough to travel around Latin America, while having enough spare time to do so. So honestly, what more could I possibly ask for.
There are things I miss of course. Having my friends and family close by, for example, or having my own place. I still wouldn’t change this lifestyle for anything. And it’s always possible to make a base somewhere for a little while. Rent an apartment, make friends with locals or fellow digital nomads and keep going when feet are getting itchy again.
Honestly, this is the life I had always been dreaming about, but though was impossible. Until I tried, step by step, from a semester abroad and a WHV in Australia until I finally quit my job to travel and found out it is indeed possible. And if it’s possible for me, it’s possible for you!