I quit my stable 6-figure job to travel the world. It was lonely, and I worried I'd made a mistake, but I learned to forge my own path.

25.10.2024 - 11:41 / insider.com

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nabila Ismail , a 30-year-old from New York who quit her corporate job to travel. It's been edited for length and clarity.

When I was in pharmaceutical school, I promised myself I'd take a year off work to travel before I turned 30. I figured I'd be settled into my career as a pharmacist but not too anchored to let it hold me back.

When I unexpectedly transitioned into a six-figure healthtech job that I loved, my plan went sideways. I found myself at 28 years old with no plans to travel. Then I stumbled on an old diary entry that made me realize it was now or never.

I quit my job and left two weeks later.

Traveling wasn't always glamorous, and I faced a great deal of loneliness and directionlessness. Doubt crept in during vulnerable moments, and I questioned whether I made the right choice to leave my job. My career gap changed how I approach my career.

After receiving my doctorate in pharmaceuticals from the University of Buffalo in 2019, I started working as a retail pharmacist in Los Angeles. It was a really challenging job.

I worked seven days on and three days off and was on my feet for most of the 12-hour shifts. I didn't have a life outside work. On my days off, I rested at home alone and ran a personal pharmacy and travel blog, which I started in 2012. I'd been looking for a new job when I stumbled upon a marketing position at GoodRX. I used my blog as my portfolio and got hired.

My new job was fully remote, so I started renting monthly across the US and creating more travel content on my blog.

I loved working at GoodRX. Every day was unique, and I enjoyed having so much creative control, but I couldn't fight the nagging desire to travel more. I talked myself out of it for months, scared I'd never find a job this good again. I thought I should be focusing on my career and starting a family.

The old journal entry I wrote in pharmacy school about my meticulous plan to travel for a year at 28 encouraged me to immediately put in my two weeks' notice and commit to a yearlong unpaid leave.

I had upcoming PTO scheduled to host my first-ever group travel trip, a two-week vacation in Bali with female travelers. I decided that when the trip was over, I wouldn't come home. Leaving my job felt like a bad breakup. It was a really tough decision, but I knew it was my opportunity to take a risk.

I had been earning a living wage from my travel content, so I felt confident I could afford my travels if I stayed calculated.

I went into my career break just wanting to do things without monetary attachment. I volunteered as a healthcare worker with refugees in Lebanon and learned Arabic in Jordan while volunteering as a social media manager at a hostel.

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