Briefcase to Backpack Feature

One of our favorite career breakers, Barbara Weibel, recently wrote a nice post about Briefcase to Backpack. And we didn’t even ask her to!

I’ve added a new blog to my list of favorites - BriefcaseToBackpack.com.

Now, you might think that I’ve chosen it because the authors, Michaela Potter and Sherry Ott, recently published a feature article about me. And indeed, my initial introduction to BriefcaseToBackpack occurred when Michaela contacted me about an interview. But from the moment I began surfing around it, I was hooked.

One of the reasons we love Barbara’s blog, Hole in the Donut, so much is because her philosophy is right in line with ours. She writes:

In my opinion, Michaela and Sherry are definitely on the right track. Not only did my six-month around-the-world trip allow me to realize a lifetime dream, it pointed me toward my true purpose in life. If career breaks were an accepted part of the American cultural landscape – as they are in Europe and Australia – I believe everyone would benefit. Travelers would return from their journeys full of vigor and fresh, creative ideas. Corporate America would reap the benefits of this new paradigm. I wish Michaela and Sherry the best of luck in their efforts to bring about this change in our cultural mentality. I will definitely be following their progress.

Read more of the article at Hole in the Donut

And learn some great travel tips and safety advice that Barbara shared with us.

Letting Go: Project Plan – Packing

CHOOSE A SUITCASE/BACKPACK
The first step is to decide what you are going to carry – suitcase or backpack.

Look at your itinerary and think about the types of places you’ll be staying, the types of transportation you’ll be using, and how often you are going to be moving from place to place. If you are staying in hostels, camping, and traveling in less developed countries by bus or car, then I personally think that a backpack is the way to go. However, if you are staying in nicer hotels, traveling by air, and focusing on developed countries, you can simply take the weight off your back and use a traditional suitcase with wheels. Look for something durable, yet lightweight.

I actually compromised and purchased an Eagle Creek Switchback (a suitcase with wheels that turned into a backpack), a great solution for me since I was planning on doing both types of travel. My Eagle Creek Switchback was made of heavy-duty nylon which was lightweight and ‘moldable’ – good for stuffing a lot of items into it!

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Favorite Gear: Eagle Creek Switchback

Suitcase or Backpack…why not both?

One of my favorite and yet to be retired travel items is my suitcase…I mean backpack…I mean suitcase; yes, it’s actually both.

When I started planning my around the world trip I had the typical dilemma of how I should carry my stuff. I knew I wasn’t a hard-core backpacker and I knew I wasn’t a luxury traveler either; my itinerary included both experiences. I was going to be backpacking through Africa, but staying in moderate places in Europe.

I knew that most of the time it would actually be possible to roll my luggage, but there would be some times when it was not an option and I would need to strap my possessions onto my back. I wanted functionality, yet a bit of sophistication. What a dilemma!

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Circumstances: Meet Sherry…That Was Then

Contemplating a career break and think you’re alone in how you feel? Read how Sherry Ott came to the decision to leave her life behind and travel. This post was originally written at the beginning of her 16-month career break.

Someone once called me a tumbleweed – I only stay somewhere about three years and then I must tumble to the next place. Yet this time, I’m tumbling to the next adventure – the globe. This propensity to tumble around is strange considering I grew up in the midwest (Peoria, IL) in the same house for the first 18 years of my life. Then something happened…I got out…and never looked back. I slowly moved to bigger and bigger cities. First the midwest (Omaha, Minneapolis), then the west coast (San Francisco), then the big, big city – NYC. I’ve been in NYC three years now and I’m itchin’ to tumble again!

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Reflection: Meet Sherry…This is Now

As Sherry Ott approached the end of her trip, she reflected on how her career break opened up a new world to her.

Sixteen months…wow…I’ve surprised myself. All of you out there (specifically my brother and sister), who bet that I would never make it past a month…hand over your money.

I was looking at my original ‘This is Me’ post I did in July 2006 and I was taken aback. First of all, I looked a lot thinner, younger, and very blonde…but looks aren’t everything. The important thing is how you feel. Sixteen months have gone by and I feel like a completely different person. I honestly have no idea what I used to do at work any longer.

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Travel Tips from Hole in the Donut

Barbara Weibel of Hole in the Donut shared with us some of her favorite travel tips she utilized on her career break – and we want to pass them on to you!

BEING CULTURAL RESPECTFUL
It’s very important to understand the culture and etiquette of a country you are traveling to so that you can be respectful to the people you may encounter.

Travel guides are a great source for this information, but during her six-month trip, Barbara didn’t want to have to drag these heavy books with her. Instead, she visited sites like Wikipedia (type in “Culture of [insert country]”) and Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree Forum to find this information.

Then, she uploaded text files to her iPod for reference. When she was getting ready to enter a new country, she could easily read up on their customs and etiquette to avoid doing anything that might be offensive.

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How Sabbaticals Benefit Companies and Individuals

If you are fortunate enough to love your job AND work for a company that offers a sabbatical program, it would be wasteful for you not to take advantage of the opportunity to take a sabbatical.

yourSABBATICAL is a firm that partners with businesses to deploy programs that attract, retain and accelerate top talent through the use of highly planned and structured leaves of absences. Having worked with many Fortune 500 companies and their employees, they are experts in the area of creating sabbatical programs with defined goals and measurable results. Here they discuss the benefits to both you and your employer. Read more

Favorite Blog: Hole In The Donut

When I first came across the blog “Hole In The Donut” and read the description of its author, Barbara Weibel, I immediately knew she was a “Briefcase to Backpacker”.

After years of working 70 hours a week at jobs she hated, baby-boomer Barbara Weibel felt like the proverbial “hole in the donut” – solid on the outside, but empty on the inside. Searching for meaning in her life, Weibel abandoned her career and set out on a six-month solo backpacking trip around the world, during which she pursued her true passions of travel, writing, and photography. Since returning, she has continued to travel and blog about her journey, both physical and spiritual.

It is always interesting to learn what inspires people to make life changes like this, and for Barbara, it was being diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. Being practically bedridden for nearly six weeks gave her time to analyze the way she was living her life. During this time of reflection she decided that in order to live a life with purpose, she needed to figure out what brought her joy. And what brought her joy was photography, writing, and of course travel.

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