Hello! This is a great post from a blog friend of mine. Sarah runs an inspiring blog and I highly recommend checking it out.
When I was 18, I believed that earning $15 an hour would solve everything.
It was my first year of college and I worked full time to cover tuition and living costs. I earned about $12 an hour including commission and bonuses, and despite working hard I lived paycheck to paycheck.
I never imagined that eight years later I would be earning four times that amount, and that I would willingly leave a job that paid well above $15 an hour, offered a generous pension plan, excellent health insurance, and an office environment I couldn’t have pictured back at my retail job.
If someone had told me then that I would have both the money and the freedom to travel, I would have thought they were crazy.
Yet in February 2015, the day after my 26th birthday and on my last day at work, I boarded a one-way flight to Europe to explore a bit of the world before returning to pursue meaningful work I love.
I’m not exceptional, wealthy, or especially privileged. With deliberate planning, you can do this too—yes, even if you have a mortgage, bills, or family responsibilities.
I had all of those things and still made it work. Here are four practical steps I took to prepare for that transition.
1. I Increased My Side Income
Side income is one of the most practical ways to create financial and career flexibility. I began making money on the side four years earlier through blogging. Because my full-time career was stable, I initially didn’t feel the need to grow extra income.
By mid-2014, I grew dissatisfied with the traditional career path. I wanted to travel more and three weeks of vacation per year felt limiting. I launched a second side venture—an Etsy shop—which started generating income quickly. Combined with other online revenue streams, my side income grew to nearly match my day job earnings.
Don’t assume you can’t start because you don’t already have a side hustle. Think about one thing you could do right now to earn $100. Most people can identify at least one opportunity fairly quickly. Once you make that first $100, you can repeat and scale the idea.
2. I Kept More of What I Earned
Increasing your income matters, but retaining that money is equally important. When I committed to quitting my job to travel, I accepted that I’d need to make spending adjustments—without resorting to extreme deprivation.
My husband and I cooked at home more, invited friends over instead of dining out, carpooled to work, and negotiated lower bills where possible. I still had a mortgage, so that expense remained, but we cut back in other areas. As a result, our savings rate rose and we held onto more of our earnings.
3. I Created a Backup Plan
Even though I never had to use it, having a backup plan was a critical part of my decision-making. Leaving a stable income is scary—even for entrepreneurs—and worrying about all possible worst-case scenarios is natural.
To ease my anxiety, I mapped out what I would do if my side income disappeared or if unexpected circumstances drained our savings. My worst-case scenario was straightforward: I could return to a professional job in my field. Planning that path in advance made the leap less intimidating.
4. I Positioned Myself for the Future
Quitting my job wasn’t only about travel. I knew I wanted long-term flexibility and a way to sustain a location-independent lifestyle after my trip. To make that possible, I concentrated on building a business that supported remote work and meaningful projects.
I committed to growing Unsettle the same way I had committed to my degree and a demanding office job. While I could have taken another job when I returned, my goal was broader: to steer my career on my own terms, choose when and where I work, and protect a lifestyle of freedom.
While continuing to diversify income streams is wise, I chose to focus on creating a primary business that enabled the life I wanted and left other ventures as side projects.
The internet gives anyone with access the tools to pursue work they love. It may take time, late nights, and steady effort while you keep your day job, but starting something—taking action—makes it possible.
Even if you’re currently living paycheck to paycheck, studying while working, or dreaming of a modest hourly wage, progress begins with one step. Begin with small, repeatable actions and scale from there.
Sarah Peterson is the author of Unsettle.org, where she helps people stop settling for mediocre lives and careers.