Five Easy Ways to Find Your Career Path While Traveling and Exploring

Finding your perfect career is no easy task. You may change your college major ten times before finally settling on one that you enjoy. Even then, there's no guarantee that you will discover the perfect career path. Sometimes, though, all it takes a little bit of inspiration, and there’s nothing better than traveling and exploring in order to find that inspiration. Check out these five easy ways to land the right career for you by traveling.

Be a Tourist in Your Hometown

This is, by far, the easiest and cheapest way to discover your career path through traveling. If it’s not in the budget to visit another state or country, travel and explore your hometown (or the town you are currently living in). For starters, change up your routine. If you normally take a certain road to get to your job or a certain appointment, try taking the back-roads if you can afford the few extra minutes. I assure you, if nothing else, you will see things you would not normally see and possibly find places to stop in that you never knew existed. Another way to be a tourist in your own town is to eat at a restaurant you’ve never been to before, or even do something as simple as trying a new dish on the menu. If you are feeling outgoing, trying talking to strangers and find out what they do for a living. Maybe you’ll feel inspired to chase your perfect career right where you live.

Take a Road Trip

Travel by car across the country to the best road trip destinations to gain inspiration. When you take a road trip, you have the opportunity to be flexible. You can make planned or random stops to explore. Camp out in nature to get the space and freedom you need to think about your career goals. But remember, your goals do not have to be unreachable like the stars you may be staring at, so start making them small and attainable. For me, landing an internship at a lifestyle magazine company in a town about twenty minutes from my home was the small but exciting push I needed. It was closeby, but allowed me to gain knowledge about the life around me. Stop at a major city and discover what you like and dislike about them. You could even schedule tours of big name companies like Google. Be spontaneous, because road trips are allowed to be unpredictable!

Travel by Train

You can travel across the United States by train for under $500. Amtrak runs from San Francisco to New York City and stops in a lot of major cities like Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Denver. You will not only be able to explore those cities, but you can also see all of the amazing sights of America along the way.

From the Colorado River to the Great Plains, you can experience it all in under a week. You will have plenty of time on the train to brainstorm your way into your career path. Plus, the train has great food and sleeper cars! You will dine with strangers on the train, so you can start conversations and discover people’s stories and be inspired to create your own.

Travel Abroad

Did you know you could fly to Europe for around $200? That’s an incredible deal when it comes to traveling the world! Satisfy your wanderlust and discover your career path all in the same trip. Europe is the perfect place to get inspired! Make sure to bring a great camera to capture all of the things you’ll see that bring out your hidden talents, skills and passions. You might even discover that you want to live in a different country!

Volunteer

Volunteering is a great way to discover what you really want to do with your life. There are so many opportunities, both national and international. If your passion is working with children, find an orphanage to volunteer at or teach English in Southeast Asia. If you want to learn more about the medical field, travel with nurses and physical therapy students who go to third world countries to help villages.

And if you enjoy sports, there are international organizations who set up sports camps in third world countries for kids and adults alike. The opportunities are endless when it comes to volunteering. You just need to find your niche, and, consequently, you will find your calling.

Choosing a career path has its challenges, but in order to choose the right one for you, you need to be inspired. Try traveling the world or just exploring your own city to discover your passions and goals.

Ready to get started? Here's a few resources that I found helpful and will get you on your way: 

Best Road Trip Destinations Across the U.S. - This infographic is a great starting point for planning a road trip that allows for some more flexibility than scheduled travel, like flying or taking a train. I like this option for people interested in taking a different approach to figuring out what they are interested in, what they want to see, where they like to be, etc.

U.S. by Train for Under $500- I loved this article that outlines how to see the country for under $500. It gave me the motivation to believe that I can gain valuable benefits by traveling without spending a fortune. 

How to Fly to Europe for Under $200- This article helped me understand how I can use travel to find out what I'm interested in career-wise, without spending a ton of money. 

About the Author: Kacey Mya Bradley is a lifestyle blogger for "The Drifter Collective." Throughout her life, she has found excitement in the world around her. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations, cultures, and styles while communicating these endeavors through her passion for writing and expression.