• Jordan Carlyle and Christen Puckett recently finished traveling for six straight months.
• The two friends left their jobs with thousands in savings to use.
• They shared some of their travel expenses and some budgeting advice.

After Jordan Carlyle and Christen Puckett met in a study abroad program based in Rome in 2018, they hoped for a chance to travel together in Europe again. Fast forward to 2023 and the duo toured not just Europe but 20 countries across the world in a six-month trip with just a backpack and suitcase each. However, both had to quit their full-time jobs in the US to facilitate the adventure. Other people have quit their jobs to travel in some form. Some are traveling full-time and making money simultaneously. Carlyle, 26, and Puckett, 27, thought their savings would only be enough money for three months of travel. However, they were able to extend that another three months by using a budget goal for each week and putting some money they earned while traveling toward their budget too. “What we learned is if you’re willing to live outside your comfort zone, live simple, gain a new perspective on everything that you’re experiencing, you can make the money go really far,” Puckettsaid. “What we realized is all we really cared about at the end was safety and cleanliness. And if it had those two things it was great.” Together, the friends visited Chiang Mai, Thailand; Petra, Jordan; Salzburg, Austria; Cape Town, South Africa; and Byron Bay, Australia, along with many other places.

Courtesy of Christen Puckett and Jordan Carlyle

Carlyle and Puckett have shared their travel experiences in videos, including on their TikTok account @wheretonextyall. Puckett said their intention wasn’t to be travel influencers. Instead, she said they wanted to document their trip for friends and family members. Here’s how they were able to go on a six-month trip and what advice they would give others who want to quit or take a career break to travel.

Here’s how they stayed within their budget

Courtesy of Christen Puckett and Jordan Carlyle

With asavings budget of $25,000 each, Puckett said they committed to $1,000 a week during their travels for all expenses. Puckett said they found “you can easily get away actually with less than that.” However, they did spend more or less some weeks. Puckett said that’s “because we chose to stay in countries that were more affordable longer, such as Southeast Asia.” For example,their accommodation at a hostel in Bangkok from September 6 to September 7 was $28. However, staying at a place in Byron Bay from September 27 to October 2, ended up costing $690, averaging out to $138 a night. Puckettsaid staying for free with new friends they met also helped. Carlyle and Puckett also would stay in hostels and noted this is also a good way to meet others while traveling. “You go from America where you have these big rooms, and you think that you need these massive bathrooms and bedrooms to sleep in and to work, and what you realize is your whole perspective changes,” Puckett said. “We spent our entire days exploring, and then we would come back and go to bed. And so what we realized is we didn’t need to spend that money on accommodations.”

Courtesy of Jordan Carlyle and Christen Puckett

They also spent money on activities during their travels. That included $178 New Zealand dollars, or about $100, for a visit of the Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand. They also successfully completed a bucket list item by spending hundreds of dollars on trying the Nevis Swing — a giant swing that soars over the Nevis Valley — in New Zealand. Food can also be a big expense when traveling. One thing they would do is go grocery shopping and cook at their accommodation when they could. They also tried not to spend too much per person when they would go out to eat. “We never really treated ourselves, but to us treating ourselves was being able to be on that trip,” Puckett said. “That was a trip of a lifetime.” Transportation was another main expense during the six months. For instance, they spent about 713 euros on two plane tickets from Athens, Greece, to Amman, Jordan. That’s about $780. The two friends made some money while traveling through social media content, including a partnership they ended up getting after a viral video about Yacht Week. Carlyle said she was shocked that they were able to stick to the budget “because I feel like once you’re over there, it’s really easy to go over a budget and want to do all these things and experience nice restaurants.” However, she added, “once you take a step back, you kind of realize if I want to travel long term, you have to give and take some things.”

Travelers need to plan ahead and budget for unexpected expenses

Courtesy of Christen Puckett and Jordan Carlyle

Carlyle suggested not only saving up for a realistic budget but also accounting for any extra money you may need. That includes emergencies. For instance, Puckett had to go to a hospital in Thailand. Carlyle said she thought “it ended up being decently budget-friendly in comparison to what it would’ve cost in the states.” Puckett said having travel insurance helped when she was in the emergency room. But travel costs can add up. Carlyle added, “if you are looking to be more budget-friendly, look at going to countries in their off-seasons.” While she said this can have both pros and cons, she said it can be “less populated, more inexpensive, and you can still get great experiences from that.” Another travel tip from Carlyle is looking for long-term rentals, such as Airbnb stays. “A lot of times you’ll get a discount for staying places longer, so it’s great for digital nomads or people who are working throughout the week and then want to explore on the weekends and then they get a discount if they stay as well,” Carlyle said.

The trip made them think about life’s meaning

Courtesy of Jordan Carlyle and Christen Puckett

With the two friends traveling for so many consecutive months to all different places, Puckett said their perspective on success has also changed. “I think what we learned is we had to be OK with taking a financial step back in the short term in order to create an opportunity to live our passions over the long term,” Puckett said. Puckett said the hardest part was “preparing your mind to be open to getting a whole new perspective from the world.” Puckett and Carlyle are planning to travel again and want to build Where to Next Y’all. For now, Carlyle said she’s working at the family business and then hopes to find a job she can do remotely. Puckett is doing corporate event management, running her own company that she did as a side gig previously. They are looking forward to the next “season” of traveling. “This past six months we closed season one, and we are in the planning phases of trying to figure out what season two looks like,” Carlyle said. Have you left a job or taken a career break to travel? Reach out to this reporter to share at mhoff@businessinsider.com.