Briefcase to Backpack Podcast

We recently contributed a podcast to Indie Travel Podcast, exploring the great travel cultural divide: adult gap years/career breaks/sabbaticals and how they differ between Americans and the rest of the world.

Sherry Ott and I talk about the traveling career break, including:

• Why is there such a large cultural divide between how Americans, Brits, Canadians, and Australians look at travel, and
• the number of social hurdles you face if you do consider taking a traveling career break.

We also feature an interview with Barbara Weibel of Hole in The Donut, an American who took a six-month career break and traveled the world. She also provides some travel tips and inspiration for those considering taking a traveling career break.

So tune in at Indie Travel Podcast where you can listen online, download, or access it through iTunes.

Unpaid Leave Can Boost Your Career

CNN recently posted an article discussing “Why taking unpaid leave could boost your career”.

Included among the story highlights:

• Many see a career break or sabbatical as a chance to further their careers
• Economic downturn means more companies are willing to offer sabbaticals
• Overseas volunteering projects are a chance to develop managerial skills
• Staff return from sabbaticals refreshed, more creative and more productive

The story mainly focuses on organizations in the UK, but the message can easily be translated to us here in the United States, including the notion that:

…career breaks, whether enforced or voluntary, can be a chance to further your professional training or move your career in a new direction.

Visit CNN to read more about this relevant topic.

Dominique Doron – Feeling Fortunate for Taking a Career Break

Dominique Doron took a 2-month career break in the beginning of 2009. She shares with us how she adapted to life in Ghana and how it became a reaffirming experience for her.

ADAPTING TO A NEW CULTURE
I was somewhat prepared for the cultural differences of an undeveloped country, but hadn’t thought about how it would affect the passing of time, being productive, and general organization. Getting places took forever, mail and packages often weren’t received, taking a child to a doctor’s appointment meant waiting in line all day, and various tribal languages made for difficult communication, even in an English-speaking country.

I was also surprised by how oppressively hot it was. I prefer warm, tropical climates, but I wasn’t prepared for the unusually high heat and humidity and how it would affect my energy and mood. The people were very friendly and welcoming, but I was surprised by how resistant they were to progressive or westernized ideas.

I was most surprised by how quickly and easily I adapted to a new culture. I expected the transition to bucket showers, no indoor plumbing, and rice three times a day to be frustrating. However, I quickly learned to embrace the differences, while being creative and resourceful. Read more

Dominique Doron – Finding a Way to Make it Happen

Dominique Doron took a 2-month career break in the beginning of 2009. She shares with us how she came to make this life-changing decision, the anxieties she faced in doing so, and how she ended up spending it volunteering in Ghana.

MAKING THE DECISION
From Alternative Spring Breaks in college, to working for a non-profit in NYC, I have always tried to find time to volunteer. Traveling has also been a hobby of mine, although while working full-time, travel usually means a week of vacation here or there – not the culturally fulfilling experience I long for.

While working at Marie Claire as an events coordinator, I met some filmmakers who gave up their jobs and devoted their lives to making a difference in the lives of young Cambodian women. I was so moved by their bravery and dedication, yet felt a sadness come over me because I didn’t foresee an opportunity in my life to make a similar impact in the world.

I was married, needed to work full-time, and didn’t have any money to travel, but I quickly decided that if travel and volunteerism was important to me, that I would find a way to make it happen. Within a week, I decided I would quit my job to spend a few months volunteering in Africa. I wasn’t sure what I would do, where I would go, or how I would afford it, but I had a plan and started doing some research.

Read more

Career Break Post on BootsnAll

We recently contributed an article to BootsnAll Travel highlighting the “Top 10 Reasons to Take a Career Break…and Travel”.

Some highlights include:

2. View Your Screensavers in Real Life
Do you feel like your cubicle walls are shrinking in around you? Has carpel tunnel set in to your thumbs from too much Blackberry-ing? Do you find your eyesight decreasing from staring at your computer screen too long? Sounds like a great time to take a break longer than a cup of coffee!
Think about all those times you’ve come back from another long meeting and found yourself mesmerized by the serene images coming across your screen. Now think about how much more mesmerizing those cascading waterfalls, coastal sunsets, and sky-scraping mountains could be in person.

5. You can’t unplug from your job?
Does your Blackberry make you available 24/7? You no longer know the difference between your home and your office as they have morphed together? Is the line dividing work and play non-existent? Then go to a destination where there are no plugs.

9. Cure your Hurry Sickness and Return to Simplicity
Many Americans are plagued by ‘Hurry Sickness’. The more we speed up, the less we can slow down. Not only do we multi-task at work but we multi-task our leisure time as well – watching TV and surfing the web, or working out on the elliptical and reading a magazine. We are no longer capable of simply doing one thing and being happy about it.

To read the complete list of “Top 10 Reasons to Take a Career Break…and Travel”, visit BootsnAll. And be sure to pass it on if you like it!