How I travel so much with a full-time job

People always ask me how I afford to travel so much, and how I find the time when I've got a full-time job in IT. The answer is pretty simple. Travel doesn't have to be expensive, and you don't need to quit your job to see the world. You just need to use your time well.

I'd rather do ten cheap weekend breaks than one week in a fancy overwater bungalow. That's the whole approach really.

Weekends are your secret weapon

A weekend away costs you no annual leave at all. When I lived in London I had Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton all an easy train or tube ride away, and I did loads of weekends like this. Most of Europe is two or three hours from London, and if you book at the right time, return flights can be ridiculously cheap. I used to say a weekend in Europe is cheaper than a night out in London. I still think that's true.

Here's a real example from a few years ago, a weekend in Monaco. Monaco is expensive, but it's also tiny, so it's perfect for one night:

Early Saturday flight to Nice: £20
Bus from Nice to Monaco: £6
Hotel for one night: £50 between two, so £25 each
Bus back to Nice: £6
Sunday evening flight home: £20

Total: £77. Yes, £77! That was a very typical weekend for me back then, and the deals are still out there. In December 2026 we're off to Castellón de la Plana in Spain for two nights: £100 return for both our flights, and £100 for the hotel. That's £200 for the two of us, or £100 each for a weekend away. Bargain!

There are extra costs, sure. But you'd have eaten at home anyway, so food doesn't really count.

TOP TIP: Have your nice restaurant meal at lunchtime instead of dinner. The lunch menus are often a fraction of the price.

Fly Friday night or first thing Saturday

For anywhere within about two hours of London, I like to fly on Friday after work. Anything between 5pm and 7pm is perfect. You land at a sensible time, even with a time difference of an hour or two, grab some food on the way to the hotel, and wake up on Saturday morning in a city you've never seen. That feeling never gets old.

Sometimes a crack-of-dawn Saturday flight is the only option. It's an early start, but it means only one night's hotel, which cuts the cost massively.

Pick the right city for the time you've got

Small cities like Ljubljana are easy in 48 hours. Big ones like Berlin need longer, so save those for a bank holiday weekend. You won't see everything in a weekend. You'll get a good taste, though, and you can always go back.

Travel light

On a Saturday-to-Sunday trip you're wearing your clothes for the first day, so all you need is clean underwear, a clean t-shirt and a toothbrush. You could fit that in a coat pocket. No checked bag, no queues, no waiting at the carousel. How liberating.

I travel the same way for two weeks, and pretty much the same for six months on an overland truck. Here's exactly what I packed for six months overlanding Africa.

Make your annual leave go further

I'm always trying to stretch a long weekend. Every bank holiday gets used, and if I can get away with a half day on a Friday using a bit of flexi-time, I will.

Here's the bit most people do the other way round: I pick trips based on the flights, not on a place I've set my heart on. Whatever's cheap and leaves at the right time on a Friday wins. That's how I've ended up in cities I'd never have thought of.

When I do take a proper week off, it's nine days at most: two weekends and the days in between. Those trips are jam-packed from start to finish, and I usually need to go back to work for a rest!

My two big overland trips were different. I work contracts in IT, so when one contract ended I went off overlanding for months, then found a new one when I got back. If you can line up a gap like that, take it.

For the 2027 dates, I've worked out exactly which days to book in my 2027 annual leave planner.

Just do something

You don't need to quit your job, sell your house or be rich. You need a cheap flight, a small bag and a Friday night. Pick a city you've never been to and book it this week.