i'm quitting everything... what would you do?

[Coffeecuppony]

I can't believe i'm saying this. I'm so scared and excited

I'm in my late 20s, live in a large UK city, have run a small business that has afforded me to live but not thrive. I have had the same panics and stresses day in day out for the last few years and something has to change.

My friends make four times my salary in their corporate jobs and dislike their jobs. i just know that life isn't for me. I just need new experiences so I can figure out what excites me.

I am going to quit everything, sell all my stuff, move country, and start a whole new life, and try and become a writer.

I have enough savings budgeted to last two months so wherever I go I will need to find work - preferably doing something fun and different e.g. tourist guide. Hopefully one day I can be a full time writer.

I would love to write business books and also comedy but have a lot to figure out yet.

I need somewhere inexpensive, warm climate, exciting new experience and safe for a lone women.

I currently own and live in a small derelict flat which I need to renovate before I move so I can rent it out and have a little income but at least cover my mortgage. I will spend most of my savings on these renovations.

I have given myself until June next year to move which feels very close but is enough time to plan.

I don't yet have kids but would like to in the future which is a lot easier for moving. I just have no idea how to go about moving and getting work in another country.

I just know I can't live my current life anymore.

What would you do ? Where would you go? Do you know of any opportunities? How do I not become broke? How do I become a writer?

Here's an overview of where you can still work without an employer-specific visa post-Brexit (note, some of these you can't work, but can stay for 6-12 months and look for a job/apply for residency which might let you work). If your existing business is something you could run online, the digital nomad visas might work. (Some people also "telecommute" internationally on tourist visas, but it's usually not legal).

As you're under 30 a Working Holiday or Youth Mobility Visa might be an option; Uk has arrangements with several countries. Rules vary, but it basically lets you prove your age, citizenship, and that you have a certain amount of savings then you get a year or two in the country and can do different kinds of work. For example, you wouldn't be able to get a visa in most countries for a job like tour guide, bartender, live-in childcarer, office temp, etc. but you can do them on these visas and switch locations and employers around the country. Note: I posted that link because it has what I think is a current list, but if you're interested in any of these make sure you check the official country-specific source (e.g., Australian government or Aus Embassy London website for an Australian WHV) because there are organisations out there who will charge you to do the paperwork you can easily do yourself.

I'd have more than a two-month cushion if I were you, unless you have a job lined up before you go. Income from renting out your flat is great if you find someone reliable to rent long-term, but uncertain and a hassle if you're planning to rent it out a few days/weeks at a time, eg via AirBnB. Also keep in mind you'll need a way to deal remotely with any issues that come up like plumbing, electricity, untilities, etc. - even dropping off/picking up keys - so may need to have someone local who can help with these.

Don't want to rain on your parade, OP, but it takes YEARS to build up the skill set to write professionally, let alone try to live on it. It's not just something you can pick up and run with, unless you have something unique to write about, or you just happen to be a literary genius (and even most of them have to learn the tools of their trade).

So firstly do up your flat and make sure your mortgage allows you to let it.

Could you start writing now? Do you have any contacts who would help you to publish?

What skills/education do you have that would help you find employment? I think holiday companies might be the best bet for you to be able to have a steady income.

So on reality you are off to work in a few bars and cafes abroad, maybe on a boat....and try to become a writer at some point?

If you want to be a writer, then how many books do have you have published?

I know plenty of people who did manage to make a living out of writing, but many in their first YEAR were lucky to make ten pounds in a month & they had to spend money to make money as well as keeping on writing.
Some made a loss for the first couple of years while learning the business.

Most made the move to leave their existing jobs after 5-10 years of publishing more than one book a year because that is how long it took them to make it earn enough.

If you haven't even written one book yet, why not sign up for NaNoWriMo & see if you can get a first draft out then.
If you do, you can then go for a rewrite, pay for an editor & start looking for a cover artists etc..
Once you can produce a book AT ALL, then I'd think about the rest of it.

Most people who have the idea they want to live somewhere lovely & be a writer, seem to think that deciding to be a writer is all it takes.
Finish a manuscript, get it prepped & released, market it, find your beta readers, sort your author brand & THEN you can see if it's for you.

If you can't even knock out 3- 5000 words a day now, why do you think it will be different anywhere else?

What part of the OP made you think she wouldn't be abiding by national and local laws?

Hello. I'm a writer. I've been doing it for years and had some success (publications, money, awards) but I can tell you that most successful writers don't write full time. Hardly any writers make a living from writing alone. Your plan sounds very unrealistic to me.

I would seriously consider finding a writing group, maybe doing an evening class, and getting a better sense of what writing entails before packing everything in with only two months income to support you.

However, you own property, so that's good. You can certainly rent out your flat while you travel. Lots of opportunities to work abroad - lots of writers teach, as it can be pretty flexible. No reason why you can't explore the world and experience different parts of life, and hopefully it will help to form you as a writer.

Several south-east Asian countries meet your criteria and it's easy to get work as an English teacher in that part of the world. It doesn't have to be in a school, you can also teach adults in private languge centres. You would obviously need to be able to speak some of the national language, but it may be possible to get a job teaching only intermediate level English speakers and up so that you wouldn't need to be totally fluent in order to communicate with your students, I'm not sure. You're likely to need more than £4k in initial costs though - the flight out alone would eat up a significant amount of that.

You’re young and if don’t have any ties where you are, then why not? You just need to plan and consider if your savings are enough of a buffer yet.

What qualifications/ skills do you have? What type of work would you consider? If you can fix up and rent out the flat, it will provide some steady income, but think about how you will manage a tenancy remotely. A live- in position would avoid the cost/ complication of finding somewhere else to live, but they are often lower paid jobs.

Honestly? I really admire your courage and spirit.

Suggestions of where to go...

The Isle of Wight. Sorry, but that's the best I can come up with!

In my opinion you only live once, I guess the worst that happens is that it doesn't work out and you come back to the UK and get a job. Why not give it a go with of course all the practicalities sorted.

Meant to say you're also typically employed for only ~20-30 hours a week in those jobs but paid enough to live on, so you'd have plenty of time to work on your writing as well.

What writing have you done already?

It all sounds like a nice fantasy, but generally when people try to run from their problems they come along for the ride - you're still going to be the same person, thinking and reacting in the same way, so your daily panics and stresses will come with you.

Have you written anything that you've been paid for?

Well, you've got guts. But there has never been any money in writing, and there never will be. There are so many aspiring writers out there that the competition is insane. Also, the vast majority of books and manuscripts are rejected, and even the ones that get published often fail to sell. I'm not being a killjoy, just realistic. How funny are you? Even P. G. Wodehouse, the greatest comedy writer who ever lived, got so many rejection letters he said he could have wallpapered his house with them.

You would be better writing about someone who chucked everything and went abroad with little to fallback on and got in many scrapes/ met some amazing people / spent 6 months in a Saudi jail....

🤣🤣🤣

Two months of savings that you plan to live on in another country whilst renting out your flat?

1. You need more than that level of savings (contingency fund) to be a landlord - for those rental management set up costs, those LL unexpected repairs or cover mortgage emergency fund should your tenants default on the rent

Also two months of money to live on in another country with no plan to get a job or no job to go to? No money to pay for may be essential visa & work applications in another country "I come to write a book in your country .., no I haven't a publishing deal and payments upfront ... no I've no money for health costs or insurance or even a full tenancy or to support myself ..and no right to work in your country..."

Sorry OP but I don't think you've realised what either plans genuinely involve or may cost.

New Zealand now has a three year working holiday visa for Brits. Do that. I'd get a TEFL qualification before you go.

Canada and Australia also have two year working holiday visas for under 30's.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/new-zealand-working-holiday-visa-age-b2116330.html%3famp

The visa costs around £60. Flight would be under a grand I reckon.

I'd try and have a a job lined up before I got there. But no worries if not, I'm sure you can temp/waitress etc before you get settled.

Don't forget healthcare cover and costs if you are leaving the UK. You need space for that in your budget. If you are non-UK resident for a length of time it affects your eligibility for NHS care and social security on your return.

Also, pension. How many years of NI contributions will you miss or do you have a plan for that? Private pension?

Navigating unfamiliar bureaucracy in a language you don't speak in a culture you don't know with laws you don't understand also isn't the most relaxing.

If you have a UK source of income (the rent) plus income and residence overseas you are potentially looking at navigating the complexities of meeting tax obligations in two different countries with different laws. I'm not sure I could face trying to get my head around that but you may feel differently!

All of which you may be totally fine with, just don't be imagining your proposal won't have any of its own stresses or frustrations.

Living in a different country isn't the same as a holiday - you have to engage with all the dull, tedious parts of daily life.

I am a New Zealander. It is an expensive place to live. Rent is expensive and places are hard to find. Food is equally expensive. It also costs a lot to get here (and get back to the UK). This is not a cheap bolt hole.

Why would you write a book about being an entrepreneur when you aren't one. The only people who can write books like that, that other people will want to buy, are successful . You aren't successful.Sorry to be harsh but no one has any need to buy your book.

Go abroad for sure, do TEFL, au pairing etc.

But the bit about writing is a whole other ball game.

Thank you so much to everyone who gave me practical advise on places to travel and jobs to get.

I have started writing a business book and I do have an unusual twist that would be very identifying but I think it would make me stand out a bit.

My business has made over seven figures but that is in revenues not profits so some people would say thats successful others not.

I understand that income from writing won't come immediately, thats why I think a job in tourism alongside would work best. At the moment I work sometimes 12 hour days so although im writing a book currently it is very tricky to find time to write.

My current problems include managing five staff and making monthly pay roll, it has been very tricky with cost of living crisis but we are surviving. I don't think these problems will come travelling with me.

I have written a short book before but only for pleasure and I really enjoyed it and could write all day. I know I will have to learn everything about writing and rely on the job for income for a while but if I didn't go for it I would have zero chance of making it as a full time writer. Worst case scenario I move in with my parents/ move back to my flat in the UK and get a job/ just work abroad in tourism.

I am not set in becoming a world famous writer after one year, just having an amazing adventure, not going broke, and writing every day and having a shot at self publishing and see where it goes.

@LynetteScavo I am very good with sales, customer service, teaching, and marketing, I'm really bad at language. Do you think I can do anything with this?

@littlegreenheart thank you for being so helpful