I took a career break to travel for a year and couldn’t find a job afterward. My solo trips helped me realize it’s OK.

Nabila Ismail says there were moments when she thought quitting her job was a huge mistake.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nabila Ismail, a 30-year-old from New York who quit her corporate job to travel. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

When I was in pharmaceutical school, I promised myself I’d take a year off work to travel before I turned 30. I figured I’d be settled into my career as a pharmacist but not too anchored to let it hold me back.

When I unexpectedly transitioned into a six-figure healthtech job that I loved, my plan went sideways. I found myself at 28 years old with no plans to travel. Then I stumbled on an old diary entry that made me realize it was now or never.

I quit my job and left two weeks later.

Traveling wasn’t always glamorous, and I faced a great deal of loneliness and directionlessness. Doubt crept in during vulnerable moments, and I questioned whether I made the right choice to leave my job. My career gap changed how I approach my career.

I had a job I loved but still felt dissatisfied

After receiving my doctorate in pharmaceuticals from the University of Buffalo in 2019, I started working as a retail pharmacist in Los Angeles. It was a really challenging job.

I worked seven days on and three days off and was on my feet for most of the 12-hour shifts. I didn’t have a life outside work. On my days off, I rested at home alone and ran a personal pharmacy and travel blog, which I started in 2012. I’d been looking for a new job when I stumbled upon a marketing position at GoodRX. I used my blog as my portfolio and got hired.

My new job was fully remote, so I started renting monthly across the US and creating more travel content on my blog.

Nabila Ismail wearing her backpacking gear at the airport. 

I loved working at GoodRX. Every day was unique, and I enjoyed having so much creative control, but I couldn’t fight the nagging desire to travel more. I talked myself out of it for months, scared I’d never find a job this good again. I thought I should be focusing on my career and starting a family.

The old journal entry I wrote in pharmacy school about my meticulous plan to travel for a year at 28 encouraged me to immediately put in my two weeks’ notice and commit to a yearlong unpaid leave.

The timing was perfect, but it felt like a bad breakup

I had upcoming PTO scheduled to host my first-ever group travel trip, a two-week vacation in Bali with female travelers. I decided that when the trip was over, I wouldn’t come home. Leaving my job felt like a bad breakup. It was a really tough decision, but I knew it was my opportunity to take a risk.

I had been earning a living wage from my travel content, so I felt confident I could afford my travels if I stayed calculated.

Nabila Ismail traveled to Pakistan for the first time since her childhood. 

I went into my career break just wanting to do things without monetary attachment. I volunteered as a healthcare worker with refugees in Lebanon and learned Arabic in Jordan while volunteering as a social media manager at a hostel.

One of the most special moments was spending two months in Pakistan, where my parents are from, and my grandparents live. It was really beautiful to nourish my sense of identity as a Pakistani-American.

There were moments where I thought I made a mistake

My travels weren’t just about exploring a place but exploring myself. I journaled, cried, read, and went inward, deeply contemplating what I wanted from life. Strangely enough, I missed the predictability of a full-time job.

I got tired of planning and constantly being on the go without a home base. Every move I made required looking up where to go, how to get there, and what to buy. I had to constantly be “on” just to keep myself safe. At around the six-month mark, I just wanted to go home and take a break.

I told other solo travelers about my overwhelm and most of them expressed having felt the same. They advised me to stay put in each spot longer or go home if I needed to. I decided to stick it out and follow through on my goal.

I struggled to get rehired after 12 months of travel

During my final months of travel, I started applying to full-time content marketing roles in the health and tech spaces. I didn’t hear back from any companies and worried my career break was a huge mistake.

I went home at the one-year mark, but I left two weeks later for six more months of travel. I’d received more demand to host group trips and build upon my travel-influencing brand.

Nabila Ismail in Mexico. 

When month 18 of travel ended, I’d traveled to over 30 countries and reached a decision point. I could keep fighting for a job in healthcare or lean into what is fulfilling me at the moment.

I decided to stop looking for jobs and turn my group travels into a company. It’s been about six months, and I’m living fully nomadically while facilitating group trips and growing my brand.

I’ve realized it’s OK to forge my own path

I had a really hard time letting go of the fact that I wouldn’t be returning to healthcare. But my solo travels helped me realize it’s OK to forge my own path, even if it strays from the norm.

I also realized how often the social pressure to follow a certain formula and climb the corporate ladder impacted my decisions. Being left to my own devices allowed me to tune in to what I truly want and who I truly am.

One day I’d like to return to healthcare in some capacity, but I’m fully committed to my unconventional path and trust where it will take me.