Why You Should Quit Your Job and Travel in Your 20s

By: Matthew Kepnes

If you want to grow and make the most of your twenties, do it somewhere overseas. You have your entire life ahead of you to work -- and with the way the economy looks now, you'll be working until you die. Why plow through your best years, hoping to spend your last years doing all the stuff you could have done better in your youth?

I say quit your job and travel the world. Discover yourself on the road. Become a better you. Here are all the reasons why you should quit your job and travel instead.

Credit: Flickr/Images Money

You don't have money, but you don't need it

Working at Wal-Mart or waiting tables isn't going to pay your $100,000 student debt. If you're unemployed or underemployed, traveling is a better option. You have nothing to lose. There are plenty of overseas jobs out there, and the Internet has made them easy to find. Teaching jobs or seasonal work abroad can be found very easily on websites like Helpx.net and Workaway.info. I made enough money teaching English in Thailand to keep me on the road for close to a year!

Wait out the economic storm and come back with skills and experience for your career when there's more opportunity.

Your skills aren't going anywhere

Got an amazing job? Second in your class? Probably going to invent the next Facebook? Awesome. You're a highly skilled, in-demand person. With natural talent like that you'll be in demand in a year or two, too. Quit, travel, and get a job when you come back. After all, how many unemployed rocket scientists are there? Not many.

Credit: Flickr/Jason Saul

You'll learn to talk with anyone

On the road, you have to talk to people. You either get good at making friends or you end up alone. Traveling the world will improve your ability to engage in small talk, turn strangers into friends, and be extroverted. The ability to form an instant rapport with someone you've never met will help you in both your professional and personal life.

It will put your day-to-day in perspective

You've hiked Mt. Everest. Gone on safari in Africa. Wined and dined a beautiful girl in Argentina. Backpacked around Australia and navigated unknown cities with ease. In short, you've become the most interesting man in the world. Crossing a few chores off your office to-do list looks a helluva lot less daunting when you've already knocked plenty of events off your bucket list.