How Quitting My Corporate Job Led Me to Remote Work, Travel, and a New Life in Spain

In 2015, I made a decision that completely turned my life upside down.

That year, I had everything society says you should want — a Master’s degree, a well-paying corporate job at one of the biggest FMCG companies in the Philippines, and living on my own in a condo in a prime location. Life was stable, comfortable, and predictable.

And then I did the unthinkable.

I quit my job, sold everything I owned, gave up my condo, and booked a one-way ticket to Brazil — with no concrete plans of coming back.

Before you assume anything, I wasn’t rich. I didn’t have a trust fund. I didn’t have a foreign partner waiting for me. I was over 30 and did what many would call reckless: I chose uncertainty over comfort.

So if you’re feeling stuck, questioning the path you’re on, or wondering if it’s too late to start over — this post is for you.

OK, so where do I even begin?

It started merely as an idea that wouldn’t stop haunting me, like it was something that I really had to do. After contemplating for months, I finally gave in and decided to go backpacking in South America. That decision was triggered because something just didn’t feel right anymore, despite having a comfortable life. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but I do understand that I was coming from a place of privilege—not from a financial standpoint, but from a place of having the freedom to do what I did. BTW, I would like to mention that there was one travel blogger who influenced me to go through with my decision, and her name’s Trisha Velarmino from PS I’m On My Way.

That decision led me to a 14-month solo backpacking journey across South America — Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. I stayed in hostels, did a lot of volunteering for free food and lodging, hitched hike between Chile and Argentina, fell in love along the way, lost my laptop in an overnight bus to Peru, encountered a lot of travelers from all over the world, met amazing locals who were more than willing to help you out when you need it, spent a week on a boat with locals in the Amazon river, partied too much in Rio de Janeiro because what else do you do in that part of the world? And so much more.

Those 14 months gave me more than money ever could. It gave me perspective, life experiences that I will cherish forever, and human interactions that I will never have if I never left. Ngl, it was difficult to go back home after that time but I had to because of insufficient funds. I was surprised myself that I lasted 14 months without so much money to rely on.

What saved me, besides volunteering, was my remote jobs. When I made the decision to travel to South America, I had a plan and that plan included switching to remote jobs. I was fortunate to have landed remote jobs that helped me sustain my travels for as long as it did.

And that, my friends, was how I entered the world of remote work and ever since then, I never went back to working corporate again.

Btw, I didn’t start when COVID hit like most people, I started working remotely 5 years before COVID hit which became my unfair advantage. Because you see, after COVID, a lot of countries opened up and launched their digital nomad visas. And because I was already working remotely, it was easy for me to get approved. And that became my stepping stone to starting a life in Europe.

Working remotely was not the only advantage I got from traveling to South America. That trip enabled me to be courageous or brave enough to start over completely in another country and continent that I’ve never been to. When I look back, South America seemed more dangerous and I didn’t have a stable income, and yet I was able to stay in that continent for 14 months, ergo, I should be more than fine in Europe because I have remote jobs, stable income, and enough savings to make a smooth transition.

What I’m trying to tell you is, ten years ago, which feels like a lifetime now, I made decisions that completely redirected my life: leaving the Philippines and quitting my corporate job, starting remote work— years before COVID made it mainstream, and taking a solo trip to South America. Without them, I’d likely still be climbing the corporate ladder—comfortable but unfulfilled, living a life I never consciously chose. That solo journey especially gave me the courage to keep choosing the unconventional path. Now I’m living in Spain, living a life that once felt like an impossible dream.

So when an idea keeps surfacing— the one that scares you, the one that doesn’t make sense to anyone else, when it won’t leave you alone—pay attention to it, no matter how crazy it sounds. That persistent pull might be pointing you toward something significant, even if the path feels uncomfortable or uncertain. Because sometimes the directions we resist most are the ones that lead to outcomes we never thought possible.

Just remember, the choices you make today will shape your life 5 or 10 years from now. Whether that impact is positive or negative is entirely up to you. 10 years from now, your life could be totally different but only if you give yourself permission to live boldly, to live the life you envisioned for yourself, and to pursue what you actually want—not what you’re supposed to want. And to quote Mae West, “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

And that is it. If you have questions, feel free to send me an email.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you get something worthwhile from this blog. ¡Hasta luego!