From estate agent to full-time traveller

Getting paid to travel the world is the ultimate dream. Who hasn’t fantasised about packing a bag, jumping on a plane and getting away from it all. But have you ever wondered what would happen if you actually followed through on that fantasy? Canadian native Kashlee Kucheran did just that. Not only did she quit her $250K estate agent job to travel the world, she worked out how to make a living while on the move. Here’s how she did it.

Name: Kashlee Kucheran

Job title: Full-time traveller, author and mentor

Years since changing career path: 3

Town/city: Kelowna, BC (Canada)

TAP: You walked away from a high-paying job to travel full time. Talk us through that

KK: Walking away from my $250k a year job was the best thing I ever did. I know that sounds absolutely crazy, but the pressure, stress and financial irresponsibility that came with that job were killing me. I was working in real estate when I decided to take a ‘gap year’ and do some serious soul-searching. That time off was terrifying (because I had no idea how I was going to pay the bills!), but ultimately it was necessary to determine how I was going to craft my best life.

I quickly learned that material things, status and brands were not what made me happy. Travelling, tasting new foods, hearing different languages and having unique experiences were the things that made my life complete. I knew in my high-stress job I would never have the time or freedom to travel the way I wanted to, so I decided to dramatically re-design my career so I could travel while supporting myself.

Once I had made that decision, I sold my house, 90 percent of my things, paid off all my debts and started travelling the world full time. Today, life is MUCH lighter!

TAP: Getting paid while travelling sounds like a dream job. But what exactly does your job involve?

KK: You’re right, it’s a dream job and there isn’t a day that I take it for granted. My job entails a few different things. Firstly, I’m an author and a writer, so most of my day revolves around writing articles, blogs, chapters and other types of content. That goes hand-in-hand with spending time on social media where I share as much about the minimalist traveller lifestyle as I can.

Secondly, I also work as a coach and mentor because I love helping others. I do free 30 minute calls with readers of my book – The High Maintenance Minimalist – as most have lots of questions or just want to connect and chat more. I also offer different mentoring and coaching packages for people looking for in-depth support. My goal is to help them to go from ‘I have an idea’ to ‘omg I’m actually doing this!’. My mentorship advice revolves around everything from making a business plan and managing social media accounts, to packing and travel advice.

TAP: How are you making a living from travelling and what can a person realistically expect to earn if they follow this path?

KK: I earn a living through freelance copywriting, the sales of my book, the clients I mentor, brand sponsorships and affiliate marketing.

It’s so hard to estimate what someone else might earn if they follow my path because it really comes down to how much effort they are willing to put in. While my life might look like I just get to bounce from hotel to hotel, there are a ton of 12 to 16 hour days in there, hunched over a computer, no makeup, grinding away. The possibilities are endless, but it will take a while to build up your brand, income and systems. Depending on your business and work ethic, it could take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to become profitable enough to travel the world while working.

I always suggest that you should have at least 6 months of cash stashed away for living expenses before becoming a full-time nomad. If your goal is to travel the world while earning an income at the same time, there are many different ways you can start. You could find out if your current career has any scope for remote working or you could even negotiate with your boss to allow more remote work. If you’re already an entrepreneur, look into countries where you can live and operate more cheaply than at home to make your income stretch further.

TAP: Can you share three resources that you think are invaluable for following in your footsteps?

1. The documentary Minimalism is a must watch if you need help with your mindset about consumerism and why experiences are more valuable than things.
2. The book that originally had me dreaming about working from the beach was Tim Ferriss’s The Four Hour Work Week.
3. For personal branding inspiration, I love Lauryn Evarts of TheSkinnyConfidential.com and The Him & Her Podcast. She does branding better than anyone else I’ve ever come across. I use her as my role model for consistency and staying in my own lane.

TAP: What’s the biggest misconception about travelling full time?

KK: From the outside looking in, it’s pretty easy to assume that it’s all sunsets, flowy dresses, breakfast in bed and incredible vacation-like experiences. While I wouldn’t trade this life for anything, it’s not as picture perfect as it appears to be. There are a lot of missed flights, delays, upset stomachs, translation issues, wrong turns, lost items and very long work days sprinkled throughout it all. No matter what you do, life will always bring uncomfortable, awful and frustrating moments. My life is definitely not exempt from that!

Read more about Kashlee’s amazing life transition and her travels at her website: traveloffpath.com and in her book The High Maintenance Minimalist.