a woman smiling on a beach
Jo Fitzsimons is a full-time travel blogger.
  • Jo Fitzsimons left her job as a lawyer in 2010 for a career break and never went back.
  • Now, she's a full-time travel blogger who supports herself by writing about her trips.
  • She misses having colleagues and leaving work in the office, but she much prefers her nomadic life.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jo Fitzsimons, a 47-year-old lawyer turned travel blogger. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

After eight years of working as a lawyer in London, I started to feel burned out. Looking back on those years, I realize I spent most of my waking hours at work.