Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Nellie is a career-driven gal who works as an accountant while also finding every opportunity possible to travel the world, and of course, share her adventures through her blog. As you know, I love chatting with other part-time travellers to see why and how they make it work. See what Nellie had to say…
Tell me a bit about what you do for a living.
I am currently working full time as a tax accountant for a big corporation. My days are filled with numbers, calculators and lots of research.
Do you have a certain amount of vacation days a year at your job?
Yes, I have a set amount of vacation per year (to date it is 20 days), but I also have the option to ‘buy’ five additional vacation days per year, which is a great perk!
How often do you try and travel within a year?
I try to do international trips at least once a quarter and local trip (within my state or neighbouring states) once a month.
Do you ever feel limited to how often you can travel because of your job?
Yes, sometimes I do feel limited, however, I do also understand that without my career I would not have been able to afford most of my travels, especially when I want to splurge a little bit. So it is a give and take. I also think it is a matter of prioritizing and fully utilizing weekends to ‘extend’ my vacation.
Do you find it hard to unplug from work when traveling?
I do not have that problem or else it defeats the purpose of traveling. I travel not only to visit new places, meet new people and experience a new culture, but also to recharge my batteries and come back a better coworker, daughter, sister, friend, mother and girlfriend. It is necessary for me to unplug from work, so I leave laptops and other work related devices at home and check my emails/voicemails upon my return. I am also especially lucky to work for a company that respects a person need to take time off!
Why is it important to you to have a career but also incorporate travel into your life?
I could never be an eternal nomad. I like routine and I like a place I can come back to regularly and call home, which would not make sense to have if I was constantly on the move. I prefer combining career and incorporate travel because both bring me two things that are extremely important to me: stability (a constant paycheck) and freedom (time to get away and enjoy it). I believe that stability and freedom can coexist without any problem, one does not stifle the other, you just have to choose which one is important to you at a particular time!
What inspired you to start a travel blog?
There really are so many great travel blogs out there. Mine is a little bit different as I am trying to not only have a travel blog where I share my experiences/tips, but also incorporate a philanthropic component to it. I strive to provide scholarships, events and educations to other women who either do not have the funds or the knowledge needed to travel or be adventurous.
If you had a piece of advice for someone that is trying to maintain a career, and also see the world, what would it be?
We all follow one or more traveler(s) that have managed to quit their job and travel full time, GREAT for them. But we have to keep in mind that we do not all have the same path. Our path is different: we choose career and travel. We have to be grateful to the fact that yes, we have professional responsibilities but despite all of that we have been able to manage to see the world, one plane ticket at a time! We may not see all of it as fast as the full time traveler, but with time, perseverance and planning, we will!
You can check out Nellie’s blog here, follow her on Twitter here and check out her awesome travel photos here.
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