This is the first step in putting your travel plan into action! You may already have your travel bucket (Wanderlust) list. Go through that list and create a smaller version for the upcoming year. Where would you like to go in 2019? What would you like to see or do?

Jot down a few ideas of places and/or experiences anywhere in the world. Be honest with your choices! Once you have your list, prioritize and narrow it down to the places you really want to visit that year.

2. Figure Out How Much Paid Time Off You Have

Once you have your wanderlust list for the upcoming year, figure out how much paid time off you have. For instance, most companies in the U.S. allow at least two weeks of vacation time for the year. That’s usually 10 business days (factor in the 2 weekends and that’s a total of 14 days). However, every job is different, so some folks may have more than 10 days while others have less.

In addition, there are 6 major public holidays in the U.S. Pull out your calendar for 2019 and see which days these public holidays fall. Most of the time, they fall on a Monday to give you a nice long weekend. On some occasions, they may fall on a Friday (e.g. Independence Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s day vary each year).  Try to use these long weekend trips for countries closer to you, and save the majority of your paid vacation for trips that require more travel time (Africa, Asia, Europe).

Here’s an example of a possible travel schedule for this year:

2019 Travel Days

(1) May 25 – June 2

{Memorial day (May 27th)  + 2 weekends (4 days) + 4 vacation days} = 8 days

(2) July 4 – July 7

{Independence Day + one weekend (2 days) + 1 vacation day (July 5th)} = 3 days

(3) August/Early September

August 30 – September 2 {Labor Day + one weekend (2 days) + 1 vacation day} = 3 days

(4) November 23 – December 1

{Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28th) + Black Friday (Nov. 29th) + 3 vacation days + 2 weekends (4 days)} = 8 days

(5) December 21 – December 26

{one weekend (2 days) + Christmas Eve + Christmas Day + Dec. 26/Boxing Day + 1 vacation day} = 5 days

• This depends on your company’s policy. Some companies (not all) in the U.S. may close for Christmas Eve and perhaps the day after Christmas.  There are many other countries, my original home country (Jamaica) included, where December 26th is a public holiday called Boxing day. Some companies may also close for New Year’s Eve. That’s in addition to the public holidays for Christmas day on Dec. 25th and New Year’s day on January 1.

That’s 5 potential trips, a total of approximately 27 days, using only 10-12 days of paid vacation time.

*Some companies provide employees with an option to work from home (which to me means work from anywhere). If you have this option, use it! Just make sure you’re traveling to a place with free wi-fi and an excellent internet connection.

**Some companies require business trips. If you work for one of these companies, take advantage of this. See if you can extend your trip for an extra day or two to do some sight-seeing!

3. Plan a loose Itinerary for each destination

Most folks would say the next step is to figure out how much time you actually need at your destination, but to do that you first have to figure out what you want to do there.  The time you spend depends on the type of trip you have in mind and what you want out of it.

Is your trip solely for sight-seeing? Or do you want to get deep into the culture and learn more about the country and its people? Perhaps all you want to do is relax on the beach and soak up some sun. It’s all up to you, but having a general idea of what you want out of your trip will help you figure out how long you need to stay and also allow for a more enjoyable experience.

Jot down the top things you want to see and do. You may already know this – it’s probably already listed under your wanderlust list. For instance, I know for sure when I visit Peru, I will be going to Machu Picchu. So when planning my trip, I have to make sure I factor in the time it will take to travel to and see Machu Picchu.

Keep in mind, you’ll have limited time during your visits, so you’ll need to make the most of it! It wouldn’t hurt to map your attractions/sights out from your accommodations (and each other) so you can optimize your time. Take a look at my Trips and Travel Guides to get an idea of a planned itinerary. The New York, Savannah, Toronto, Lisbon, and Dublin itineraries are great examples.

Finally, try to stay flexible and keep your itineraries as loose as you can, because plans can always change during a trip. The key is to have some sort of structure, but at the same time be flexible and go with the flow when need be.

4. Figure out the Ideal Amount of Time you Need at each Destination (to cover all your must-dos/must-sees) then Work that Time into a Travel Schedule

This goes hand-in-hand with steps 2 and 3. Let’s say your 2019 Wanderlust list looks something like this:

2019 Wanderlust List

(1) Lisbon, Portugal

(2) Turks & Caicos

(3) New Orleans, USA

(4) Lima, Peru

A quick search on google and TripAdvisor may give you an idea of how much time you need to spend in each city (again it really depends on what you want to see and do during the trip). So for example, let’s say you need to spend at least the following: 5 days in Lisbon; 3 – 4 days in Provo, Turks & Caicos; 3 – 4 days in New Orleans; and 8 – 10 days in Lima.

Fit these into your tentative travel schedule (see Step 2) and plan your travel around these times. Here’s an example:

2019 Travel Schedule

(1) You’ll need at least 5 days to visit Lisbon (you could actually spend a little more time here and see more of the city or another part of Portugal since you basically have 8 days.

So let’s make it 8 days to account for extra sight-seeing time, travel time etc.) – May 25 – June 1

(2)  3 days to visit Turks & Caicos – July 4 – July 7

(3)  3 days to visit New Orleans – August 30 – September 2

(4) 8 days to visit Lima –  November 23 – December 1

As you can see, there are times when you’re going to have to give and take a little where needed. Don’t forget to factor in travel time! Also, don’t forget to consider what the weather is like during your time of travel. For instance, as much as I love Ireland, a trip in November would be torture for me (too cold), so I know I would need to visit Ireland in the warmer months, perhaps May or June.

5. Use Your Budget Travel Skills and Resources

This is a must! Do not underestimate the power of budget travel. If you want to travel around your job to see the world, you will have to look into ways that will save you money. Your travel times may not always fall on the most favorable day for travel deals (holiday and weekend travel tend to be more pricey than regular work-week travel).

Do your research and use online budget tools like budgetyourtrip.com. Use your best judgment and do what you can afford. If 5 trips for the year will break the bank, don’t do it! Notice my travel schedule example listed only 4 trips, even though there’s enough time for 5. One or two trips for the year are equally satisfying. Your main goal is to visit at least one new place every year. It’s all about doing this one step at a time.

Flights, Accommodations, Car Rentals, Tours, they all add up! Even if you work out your travel time, you need to be able to pay for it. Booking in advance usually helps. Check out my Travel Resources page to find out how I source deals and discounts that will help you plan your trips and save money (Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and CityPass just to name a few). Then use these tools to start booking your trip!

So there you have it! This plan should make it easier for you to travel the world with a full-time job and make your travel dreams a reality! Are you already traveling the world with a full-time job? What tips or advice do you have to make your travel dreams come true?