How to Balance a 9-5 and Wanderlust
With the rise of digital nomad lifestyles, it almost seems impossible to feed your wanderlust and hold a full-time in-house office job. But is that actually true? In this article, we'll be focusing on people working and living in the EU, but some of the facts could easily apply to other countries. Happy travels!
1. Check your holiday entitlement
Each company has a specific holiday entitlement, usually outlined in the initial job specs. Workers in the EU are usually entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holidays per year. If you’re working to 5 days per week, you’re entitled to 28 days of holidays per year. This, of course, doesn’t include weekends or bank holidays.
2. Plan your extended weekends
Many people get to enjoy extra days off due to national and local holidays. Keep an eye on those in advance and take advantage of an extended weekend. If you’re working in a 9 - 5 environment, you can easily catch a flight on a friday evening and book a 3-day holiday practically anywhere.
3. Keep an eye on company's travel perks
Working a corporate life can be exhausting, but it sometimes pays off when it comes to perks. Companies like Airbnb offer their staff a travel allowance of more than £1,000! Travel perks and extra travel days are now a part of most bigger companies as well as startups. It also never hurts to ask! Need to catch a flight on a Friday but you can’t use up your holidays? Ask if you can leave earlier!
4. Take weekends into consideration
Weekends and bank holidays are a perfect starting point of planning your holiday days. It automatically gives you three days off without even taking any days off from your holiday entitlement days. That leaves you with 28 days out of the year to plan your travels - that’s plenty!
5. Do short weekend trips
There’s a lot you can do in a weekend. Unless you’re the workaholic type, your weekends will most likely be completely free. Explore the cities near you, catch short flights or trains, and see what’s out there!
6. Work remotely
If your company allows it, you might get away with working remotely for a few days. Always make sure you ask in advance and that everyone in your team knows you won’t be in. If you’re the manager, you might want to confirm the rules on working remotely with the CEO.
While many digital nomads seem extremely grateful of their lifestyle, it doesn’t always work out. There are plenty of benefits a 9-5 can offer to an individual, including financial stability, and some other company perks which are also included in this article. Even though being on the road 24/7 is appealing, it doesn’t mean that being stuck in the office means you won’t have any time to pursue your wanderlust hobby. Go see what’s out there!
“I'm in love with cities I've never been to and people I've never met.” – John Green.
Liked this article? Find more here: