Real life: ‘I quit my job to travel and then the pandemic hit’

Lise (27) went straight to work full-time after completing her studies. All her friends were still busy studying; Lise was one of the few in her friend group who didn't take a gap year and didn't experience any study delays. Last January, she made a resolution: in 2020, I will travel and quit my job.

‘I have always been a bit of an overachiever. Getting good grades, never being sent out, always on time… I was a bit of a goody two-shoes. Not that it's a bad thing, of course, but it did mean that I finished my master's at 22, as I was also an early learner. Doing nothing is not in my nature, so I immediately decided to start applying for jobs. It went quickly, because within a month I already had an incredibly fun job.

After a year and a half, I got promoted there. Working very hard, but incredibly fun with nice colleagues and work outings. However, I did notice that I sometimes missed the freedom that my friends still had. Many were still studying or didn't work part-time. I was never really focused on building a career, mainly just to keep myself busy. And I really enjoyed my job, so I wasn't too bothered by it. They would go out after the pub on Thursdays, I would go home. They were also used to me doing that.

With my vacation days, it was not possible to ever really go on a long vacation. And because I went straight to studying after obtaining my high school diploma, I never made a long trip. For a long time, I didn't mind that, but I noticed that it started to itch. Did I really want to do this until my retirement? Just working? No, I thought. And that's why I entered the year 2019 with the plan: save, save, and save some more, and then quit my job in January 2020. And travel.

So said, so done. I was never particularly good with money, but saving with this goal in mind went surprisingly well. At work, I told them about my plan in August. They were sorry to hear it, but understood: I was also the youngest in my team. Bit by bit, I started planning my trip. South America it would be, and then maybe finish off in Indonesia. I had been to Bali before and I was looking forward to celebrating three weeks of real vacation after traveling and doing nothing.

I booked my ticket, I would leave in mid-February. In Buenos Aires, I had booked a Spanish course, where I would stay for the first few weeks. And ultimately, that was also the only city I saw, apart from a few outings, of course. The coronavirus came, and where I initially thought it would all be manageable, it quickly became clear that I had to go home. That was a drama: my airline was unreachable, everything was shut down, and I couldn't get through anywhere. In the end, I had to book an incredibly expensive ticket home, because otherwise I risked not being able to leave at all.

And before I knew it, I was back home. What was supposed to be a months-long adventure turned into a very short adventure. I had canceled my house, my job was gone, and I had no idea what to do. Of course, I had saved, but that ticket was so incredibly expensive and I had already paid for a number of things in advance. So far, I haven't received anything back except a voucher from the airline.

Now I live back at home with my parents. I'm busy applying for jobs, but despite my good CV, I'm not getting anywhere. Understandably, due to corona, but I really fell into a hole when I came back. I was always busy, always had a job, always had everything well organized. And now this? Jobless, homeless, almost broke?

I really know that this will eventually be okay again, but I have given up on my dream of traveling for months. To save that much money again, to look for a job again, and then ultimately take the — for me — big step to quit everything again… I really dare not do that anymore.’

In this unusual time, we asked people to share their honest story. To avoid hurting others, Lise's name has been changed.