Amanda Pressner – Losing Myself on the Road
November 30, 2009 by Michaela Potter
Filed under Career Breakers, Contemplating, Testimonials
I can still remember staring at a bizarre, other-worldly reflection of myself as I zipped up the skirt on a black Ann Taylor sale-rack suit just before heading out the door for my first-ever internship interview. My hair had been yanked into some sort of severe French twist and I was wearing matching black pumps that I probably thought made me look older and more professional. Realistically, I probably looked like I was my way to a funeral.
Perhaps to some degree, I was.
Back then, as my teens were transitioning to my twenties, I simply assumed that becoming an adult meant the death of childhood, a sacrifice which would require me to toss out the flip-flops and frayed jeans I’d worn growing up in Florida and totally abandon my carefree ways of being. No longer would I ditch class to hit the beach with my girlfriends, watch sunsets over the rim of a rum runner and sneak back home just as morning rush hour was starting for somebody else. Now was the time for me to dive into that very rat race, to begin a new the chapter of my life. It was time to get a real job.
Reflection: Giving Thanks for Career Breaks Present
November 25, 2009 by Michaela Potter
Filed under Re-Entry, Reflection
In celebration of Thanksgiving this week, we’ve asked career breakers past and present to share with us what makes them thankful for having taken their career break to travel.
CAREER BREAKS PRESENT
I’m thankful for taking a traveling career break because…
- it opened my eyes to a world and cultures beyond my imagination.
- it unleashed a creative side of me that I didn’t know existed any longer.
- it helped me understand the definition of patience.
- it provided me options for new careers.
- it provided me a new friend support network all around the world.
- it taught me how to give back through hands on volunteering.
I am no longer doing something that made me miserable wondering what lie outside my cubicle walls.
Jason: I am thankful that I have the ability to financially enjoy a trip like this. My parents ensured that I received a good education and I have worked for many years earning a good living. Now, more than ever, I realize the world has much to offer and we should all get out and see it!
Aracely: I am thankful to my mother for all her hard work everyday of my life. She gave up everything she knew in Ecuador and took a huge risk to immigrate to U.S hoping for the best. Because of her courage, I have enjoyed great opportunities and been able to experience really amazing things.
Reflection: Giving Thanks for Career Breaks Past
November 23, 2009 by Michaela Potter
Filed under Re-Entry, Reflection
In celebration of Thanksgiving this week, we’ve asked career breakers past and present to share with us what makes them thankful for having taken their career break to travel.
CAREER BREAKERS PAST
We’re very thankful to be spending this Thanksgiving back at home, surrounded by family, friends, and the proper food! Even though it caused me to miss out on those things last year, I still owe my career break a huge debt of gratitude.
So thank you, career break:
- for helping me build a stronger relationship with the most important people in my life;
- for shattering my misconceptions and stereotypes about other countries & cultures;
- for teaching me to appreciate the good things about my own country & culture, and putting the bad stuff into perspective;
- for introducing me to so many wonderful people all over the world, who continue to help and inspire me every day;
- for showing me so much beauty;
- for showing me how silly most of my fears are;
- and most of all, for giving me time to evaluate my priorities and lifestyle choices – and for presenting me with lots of other options that never would have occurred to me otherwise. I can’t wait to try some more of them out!
I’m thankful for having taken a career break because it allowed me to fulfill a personal dream of mine to travel for an extended period of time. I felt completely free and it was everything I hoped for and more.
In addition to the travel itself, I learned a lot of practical lessons before leaving home which I will be able to apply for the rest of my life. For example, how setting short-term financial goals can make achieving a big, long term goal more realistic of an endeavor.
I’m also thankful that I had the guts to go through with the whole plan! It was incredibly fulfilling, and I returned home a more self-assured person.
Life on the Road: Ben & Alonna
November 20, 2009 by Michaela Potter
Filed under Life On-the-Road, On-the-Road
We’re checking in last with Ben & Alonna, who started their travels in Europe, where they visited Amsterdam, Belgium, France, Spain, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy and Greece. They have just returned home to Boise, Idaho this week, where they will celebrate the holidays with family before hitting the road again.
What has been the most difficult thing to adjust to on the road?
Alonna: Two things….
Trip planning on-the-fly. I’m the travel planner of the two of us, and in the past I loved planning every detail of our 1-week vacations. However, for 3 months that’s not possible, and we wanted to allow flexibility to our schedule anyway. But finding somewhere to stay, transportation, and food is a decent amount of work while you’re traveling. At first it was an adjustment and I spent way too much time planning head. But now I’ve gotten used to finding a “good-enough” hotel, and I even think it’s better for negotiating rates when you’re booking last-minute.
Figuring out the right pace. Our initial itinerary seemed pretty relaxed – at least 3 nights in each place, and we prioritized where we wanted to go. But very early in our trip we realized that we needed to slow down. This meant staying in places longer, and also not packing too much into a single day. Instead of trying to see everything the guidebook tells us to, now we just pick a couple things and spend the rest of the time walking around and enjoying the city.
Ben: Everything. Living out of a suitcase, moving constantly, choosing from the same 5 shirts, trying to figure out what to eat every day, figuring out basic communication and orienteering in every new country, etc. It’s not as bad as it sounds, but it’s a lot of adjusting.
Life on the Road: Bert & Patty
November 18, 2009 by Michaela Potter
Filed under Life On-the-Road, On-the-Road
We’re checking in next with Christine and Paul of Bert & Patty, who started their travels by getting married in the Cook Islands! They have just started exploring Australia after spending that past couple of months in New Zealand.
What has been the most difficult thing to adjust to on the road?
There are so many things to adjust to while traveling for an extended period of time. For us, the most difficult thing has been having to continually carry around our food, and creative menu planning. While we were traveling in the US, we had a rental car and could keep a cooler in the car and transfer our groceries to the refrigerators once in a hostel. That was really convenient. Now that we’re traveling by the Stray Bus, we have two bags of groceries that we carry with us. One bag is for food that needs to be kept cold (milk, etc), and one for food that can be kept at room temperature (apples, oatmeal, etc).
When we were at home, like most people, we would shop for 3-4 weeks worth of groceries at a time. On the road, we aren’t getting that wonderful Costco buy-in-bulk discount. We can only shop for 2-3 days of groceries since we only have two bags for storage. We’re eating a lot of the same staple foods as well: muesli and oatmeal for breakfast – rice and pasta dishes for dinner – Leftover rice and pasta dishes for lunch the following day. It can get very monotonous.
Life on the Road: Two Backpackers
November 16, 2009 by Michaela Potter
Filed under Life On-the-Road, On-the-Road
We’re checking in first with Jason and Aracely of Two Backpackers, who started their travels in Central America. So far they have experienced Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
What has been the most difficult thing to adjust to on the road?
JC: The constant get up and go, packing and unpacking. I can easily adjust to a new location, but right when I do, we have to get back on the road again. Constantly traveling does take a toll on the body and mind, and some days you just need to rest and recuperate.
AS: I don’t think I did a good job at picking the right clothes to bring. I have 3 hiking shorts that I never wear. I should have kept it to one hiking shorts and more casual clothes. We have done quite a few hikes but we are in towns most of the time. And I just wish I had a different selection of clothes. Such a girl answer, I know.
Are there any thoughts of what you left behind that keeps you up at night?
JC: Nothing keeps me up at night because I know I am not traveling forever. Other travelers that I have communicated with describe their homecoming as if they never left. I also believe that not much will have changed in a year’s time, except for my two young nephews that are growing up as I type.
AS: I have a teenage brother that I worry about. He’s at a difficult age, I worry about him often.
Let’s Go: Chris Dyer’s Prep Steps
November 10, 2009 by Michaela Potter
Filed under Let's Go, Preparation
The decision to take a career break and travel is different for everyone, just as the places you go and the activities you experience will be unique as well. But you can learn a lot from how others made the choices they made.
Budgeting Money
(Chris originally planned to do a RTW trip for a year)
After researching websites/blogs of people who have completed a round the world trip already, I came to the conclusion that I needed to have $20,000 before I left. I did not live a lavish lifestyle whatsoever, but I still kept a detailed spreadsheet with my debits and credits.
Based off my calculations, I could save approximately $1,000 a month as long as no problems arose. Saving a grand a month equated to $15,000 so I decided to get a second job serving/tending bar at a local pub. This would bring in a few extra hundred dollars a month. A few other money saving opportunities were: less clubbing/drinking (huge savings potential), making my own food at home (my average grocery bill was only $50 a month), cancel my 401k and company stock options, and end frivolous spending in general.
Favorite Blog: Almost Fearless
November 5, 2009 by Michaela Potter
Filed under Blogs, Favorites
According to Christine:
I always wanted to travel the world. Who doesn’t? But somehow I ended up trading in my 20’s for a job I didn’t love, money I didn’t need (but happily spent on things I didn’t need), and a burgeoning sleep problem. One night after I ran out of valerian root and melatonin, I stayed up all night looking through job listings in my field. I realized something—I didn’t want to do any of them. None. I could change my job, change my environment, but the work itself had become excruciating.
It was time to take the leap and start over. I would finally pick up that writing career I had been tinkering with for years. I would start living the life I wanted now, instead of waiting for some far off reward. My husband and I would sell everything and move abroad with our two dogs, Molly and Jack.
Benefits of Taking a Break Before Changing Jobs
November 2, 2009 by Michaela Potter
Filed under Benefits, Contemplating, Featured Posts
1. What are some benefits of taking a break before changing jobs?
Ovid wrote, “A field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” Often, people who are burned out at work simply need to step away to see the bigger picture.
They usually return from a career break with renewed energy and creativity, new perspectives on life and work, and clearer priorities. Your career break can not only help you restore balance, but can also provide needed inspiration for success in the next phase of your career — a “bountiful crop” of ideas and achievements.
Circumstances: Recognizing the Signs You Need a Career Change
November 2, 2009 by Michaela Potter
Filed under Circumstances, Contemplating
How do you know that you may be ready for a career break? Pamela Skillings, a successful entrepreneur, certified career coach, and the author of Escape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams
1. What gets people down about working in Corporate America?
Most of us have similar gripes about bad corporate jobs—including long hours, unfair treatment, political B.S., bureaucracy, and lack of flexibility. If you feel burned out because of heavy workloads and unrelenting demands, if you’re sick of feeling like a cog in a machine and yearn to do work that is more meaningful, you’re not alone.
In today’s economic environment, corporate employees are more stressed out than ever before. Many have been overburdened with the work of their laid-off colleagues and are living in fear of the next round of cutbacks.
In other cases, people are simply in the wrong jobs—their careers kind of just happened to them like mine did for so long. And then there are those who basically like their corporate jobs, but feel like something is missing. They have some dream that they have been denying because they’re afraid it’s not realistic or they don’t know where to start.
