After working in corporate America for 20 years, one man quit his job to build a new life traveling abroad

Two decades in the corporate world was enough for 47-year-old Dan Givens.

In April 2015, he quit his job as the head of financial planning and analysis for OpenTable, rented his house in San Francisco, and set off for the coast of southern Chile.

"I got tired of working so hard for corporate America and longed for work that was more impactful to others and more meaningful to me," he tells Business Insider. "I decided to take time off from the working world to explore the 'actual' world. I didn't have a formal plan, but I figured this was as good a time as any to do something radical. I was single and I had a few passions that I wanted to explore: sailing, travel, photography, and helping others."

Since trading in his home and career for a backpack, camera, and life on the road, he has spent time in Chile, Germany, and Thailand, volunteering for "host families" in exchange for room and board.

We spoke to Givens about his new lifestyle: what it looks like, the reality of living and working abroad, and how he's affording it.