Does the thought of leaving everything behind and starting your story on a blank page scare the living daylights out of you? Travelling the globe is a great way to build character and enrich your life, but we don’t all have the luxury of financial security or free time – and travelling needs a pretty full bank account, right? Not really. These travellers may have sold everything they owned, but they still have a lot to their name, earning while they see the world. Take a leaf out of their books…

A little wanderlust with Brooke Saward

The name of her site hints at her love of travel – and then we read about her and we’re even more intrigued! Not only does she tell us all about how she sold all her things to travel the world, she also authored a book called World of Wanderlust, detailing how her restless feet took her all over the world. Of course, it’s hard thinking we can all be as lucky as to make money off our love of travel, right? Well, Brooke’s got some tips for you in this department too, with ideas about how to travel (haven’t you always wanted to be a tour guide, or study abroad?!) without it leaving you financially destitute.

Travel forever with Simon Fairbairn & Erin McNeaney

Who says that you should get the travel bug out of your system before you settle into a long, successful relationship? Definitely not these two happy travellers, who were thinking about taking the plunge as far back as 2008 – finally doing it in March 2010. They call themselves digital nomads, which helps them work on the internet, launching travel applications. Here’s what we love about them – they don’t pretend as though making a living isn’t important and they advise people to have savings and job options before they give everything up to jet set. Sounds like a sweet deal, doesn’t it?

Travel clean with Zim Ugochukwu

We’re not just interested in this because Zim made her case by living in India for a year – though that does get our interest sparking a little more than usual. The founder of Travel Noir has quirky posts and beautiful pictures, combined with her healthy lifestyle and plethora of tips about how to make money while you travel - making her one of our favourites. She’s also flown around the earth 17 times – we’re not even kidding! Pretty impressive, right?

Fun on your travels with Betsy & Warren

For the most honest, humorous (they have an entire post dedicated to how they let themselves go. That pretty much says it all, right?) travel articles, tips and tricks, there’s no one to visit but Betsy and Warren Talbot. If you thought taking a three-week vacation with your partner was a task, think over five years! Calling out anyone who thinks romance is all about the mush, here’s a realistic view on relationships, with podcasts, books, articles, hints, tips… you name it and it’s right here. We’ve fallen in love with their infectious positivity – we suggest you log on so you can too.

Make the world your oyster with James Seymour-Lock

What do you do if you have a camera, a MacBook and an urge to see the world? Make it your oyster of course! At least, that’s what James Seymour-Lock did, penning his travels down on his blog while working and advising remotely for tech start ups to fund his trips after selling all his possessions. He’s not given up on his career by any stretch of the imagination, as he’s co-owner of design studio, Simple as Milk. He blogs about how to take better photo’s on your travels, tells us about his trips and helps us see that it’s possible to both travel and earn.

Children on your travels with Josh and Jessa

Not only is this travel blog beautifully organised, we love it even more because they took their son on their travels with them! So, how do parents just get up and leave a regular routine behind, travelling the country with a little boy? Easy. They sold everything they owned, bought a bus (which makes sense if you’ve got a child) and left a huge Kansas home behind to become travellers, using their freelance skills as a way to fund their travels. Take a look at their beautiful pictures and draw some inspiration from the courageous couple the next time you think it’s too late for you to travel the world.

Keep your home in shape with Diane & Blair

Footloose, fancy free and… house sitters? The thought doesn’t quite sink in at first – here’s a couple who fell in love, sold everything they had and decided to… sit houses for a living! That’s exactly what Diana and Blair do, but oh my, do they make it sound like the perfect job. They are artists, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they can’t keep your house in tip top shape when you’re not around. They’ll repair and maintain your home, take care of your pets and don’t worry, their editing and writing won’t make them neglect the job. They look for homes to housesit so that they can work on their creative projects while getting to see the world. Want to take a chance on a stranger?

Travel for the long haul with Nora Dunn

Who would want to be labelled a hobo? Nora Dunn would apparently, adding professional to the moniker to start this fun site. She’s been on the move for seven long years, starting off way back when in 2006, leaving the security of a financial planning practice far behind. She’s travelled through over 30 countries and worked for the lifestyle she chooses, working on a little writing to tide her over. Whether it’s solo, to find love, simply traverse new lands or living on boats through the Caribbean, she makes working for her meals (often quite literally) a really fun idea. She’s got tips, pictures and books to share her experiences.

Use your experience with Jay Kannaiyan

Want to make your money off organising motorcycle tours? Then you’ve got the same idea Jay Kannaiyan did – except he did something a little more surprising first. When you’ve already moved countries, have a good job and house in the US and a green card on the way, why would you pack it all up and leave? To see the world of course! The mechanical engineer has already been to several countries across five continents, and doesn’t mean to stop here.

What’s your excuse then?

Nicole

A poet with a penchant for prose and the itch to travel, Nicole Reed is an assistant editor and features writer for a daily newspaper, struggling to find a way out of the concrete mess by dreaming of one day living and breathing off words in an idyllic country setting somewhere. Having been editor of her college magazine, written for a number of publications including Shamiana’s short film newsletter and as a current student of Literature from the University of London, Nicole sees writing like travel - an adventure – a journey to find her place, to define and redefine who she is over and over again and to live and learn through the process.