Garrett Gee and his wife Jessica have what many might see as the best job ever: They make money traveling the world with their kids.
Over the past two years, they've visited 45 countries with 4-year-old Dorothy and 2-year-old Manilla as "The Bucket List Family." The couple documents their adventures on their blog and social media accounts, and works with brands to build sponsored content and partnerships.
"I feel like I cheated at life in some ways," Gee tells CNBC Make It .
And who wouldn't want to leave their cubicle behind to swim with whales, scale mountains and have the ongoing adventures Gee's family has had? But before you pack your bags and give your two weeks' notice, consider the honest advice Gee has for those looking to make a sweeping change.
"Don't jump off one ship," he says, "until you have another ship to jump onto."
"For people who have a stable, full-time job," he says, "I think it's really smart that you spend your off hours or your weekends trying to spin up or build up whatever your next project or venture that you want to do is."
If you're interested in leaving your full-time job to travel the world, check out the traveling duo's three main pieces of advice:
1. Make a detailed plan
In the summer of 2015, the couple decided to sell all of their belongings, take the $45,000 in proceeds and begin exploring the globe with their kids.
"But keep in mind," Jessica writes in a blog post, "we do have our large savings as a 'safety net' if things go wrong or if we decide to simply return home."
That safety net is the money Garrett made when, in 2014, Snapchat bought a mobile-scanning app he co-founded in a deal valued at $54 million. The couple says they haven't touched the money from the deal, but it does provide peace of mind should anything go wrong.
That safety net is the money Garrett made when, in 2014, Snapchat bought a mobile-scanning app he co-founded in a deal valued at $54 million. The couple says they haven't touched the money from the deal, but it does provide peace of mind should anything go wrong.
While you might not have millions to fall back on, you can work on having a strong backup plan with savings. How much you need to save depends on a number of things, including your desired lifestyle, debt, financial goals and health.
"We highly recommend preparing with a strong savings to fall back on if/when things go wrong," Jessica writes.
In addition to saving, start your side-hustle before you quit your day job. According to Gee, you'll want to make sure that you can actually make money doing it.
"Make sure that it's feasible or even profitable," he says, "and that its working before you leave your stable job."
2. Be realistic
Though Garrett and Jessica now partner with brands like The Walt Disney Company, GoPro and Airbnb, getting company partnerships in the beginning was not easy.
"We started reaching out to companies, hotels, sometimes airlines or tourism boards, seeing if they would be interested in sponsoring us," he says. "And at first it was really difficult because we had a very small following or community on social media."
They also didn't know how long they would be able to last on the money they had made from selling their belongings. So they set a cut-off date — if they weren't making a profit by then, they'd head back to the U.S.
After about four to six months, they calculated, they'd have to make a decision.
"It was pretty close. [Our money] started to run out about five months into our travels," he says. "That was also about the time when our social media started to pick up just enough that we could not make money yet, but break even and get a lot of deals on our travels."
Today, their business is profitable. For a sponsored Instagram post, for example, they earn anywhere from $5,000 to $8,000.
"When people look at our lives it might seem quite risky the way we're doing things," he says, "but everything is very calculated especially because we have kids."
3. Have courage
If you have a financial safety net and have proven that your side-hustle is or could be profitable, Garrett and Jessica say, then don't be afraid to try turning your passion into a career.
You may not see results right away, as was the case for them, but it could pay off eventually.
"Try it," he says. "Whatever you might be capable of, why not at least give it a try?"
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