Reflection: Setting Goals for 2010 Part 3

The end of the year always inspires reflection. But it also offers an opportunity to set goals for the future. We’ve already featured some of our favorite travelers and career breakers travel and career goals for the upcoming year, so now it’s our turn to share!

BRIEFCASE TO BACKPACK – MICHAELA POTTER
I’m embarrassed to admit that my passport has collected a fair amount of dust and not enough stamps over the past couple of years. After returning from my career break travels with Michael at the end of 2007, the only other overseas trip for me was volunteering on an educational production to South Africa in February of 2008. And I haven’t stepped foot out of the country since then.

To be fair, life “got in the way”. During 2008 Michael and I focused on new careers, buying an apartment, planning a wedding, and building Briefcase to Backpack. And in early 2009 we launched the site and I have spent a great deal of the year focused on inspiring others to travel abroad. But “life” also brought up many weddings and family vacations – most of which involved domestic travel. So I did get to travel to Florida, Washington State, California, Las Vegas, and the Jersey Shore.

So in 2010 I resolve to dust off my passport and travel to at least one new country. And chances are looking pretty good so far! We have a trip to Italy planned with Michael’s family (which I’ve been to twice) and plan to add on Croatia afterwards.

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Reflection: Setting Goals for 2010 Part 2

The end of the year always inspires reflection. But it also offers an opportunity to set goals for the future. So as 2010 approaches, we asked more of our favorite travelers and career breakers to share their travel and career goals for the upcoming year.

HOLE IN THE DONUT – BARBARA WEIBEL
After three years of devotion, my blog has finally started to take off. I even had to move to a virtual private server with a dedicated IP address because my previous host could no longer handle the traffic. When I first deserted corporate life to recreate myself as a travel writer and photographer, my plan was to write a book (a best-seller, of course) and break into traditional travel magazine and newspaper travel markets. The universe had other plans, however, and I am thankful that I was open to the path that was laid out before me. Instead of magazines and newspapers, I found opportunities for online travel writing, which provided exposure for my blog through backlinks and bylines. I am happy to report that my blog, along with my other contract online writing, has become my new career, and I couldn’t be more delighted.

I have been so busy building my new business that I have not been able to travel as much as I would have liked since returning from my R-T-W trip in 2007. However, I hope that will change in 2010. At the moment, I have tentative plans to go to Mexico in February and just keep going south. The countries on my radar include Guatemala, Belize, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru. A few travel bloggers are informally discussing a possible meet up at Machu Picchu in April or May. Then it will be back to the States for 3 or 4 months before heading for China, ending up at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Afterward I hope to continue to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Macao, Myanmar, and spend a month in Laos before heading for a Yoga retreat in Thailand. If possible, I’d love to do side trips to Borneo and perhaps the Philippines. But, as with all travel plans, this is all fluid, but at least it’s a beginning plan.

Blog: Hole in The Donut | Twitter: @holeinthedonut

NOMADIC MATT – MATT KEPNES
I’m planning a big year in 2010. It’s only fitting since it is the start of a new decade. Career wise, I plan to launch a contest right after the New Year giving away a free trip to Costa Rica. I’d also like to increase my Google rankings. I plan to travel through Australia, Asia, Europe, and drive across America in 2010. I’m going to live in NYC for the summer learning French and Swedish as well as improving my Spanish.

Blog: Nomadic Matt | Twitter: @nomadicmatt

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Reflection: Setting Goals for 2010 Part 1

The end of the year always inspires reflection. But it also offers an opportunity to set goals for the future. So as 2010 approaches, we asked several of our favorite travelers and career breakers to share their travel and career goals for the upcoming year.

MARRIED WITH LUGGAGE – BETSY & WARREN TALBOT
Betsy and Warren Talbot will be starting their round-the-world adventures in Fall 2010. Here are some goals they have set before they take off.

• Sell our house. Know anyone looking for a great townhouse in a funky neighborhood?
• Get interviews, guest blog posts, articles, and reviews of our ebook on How We Saved Enough Money to Change Our Lives (and How You Can, Too!). Know anyone who could help?
• A steady stream of side jobs for both of us so we can maintain a small income as we begin our travels in October. Warren is developing WordPress sites for small business, and I am still doing some business consulting for solo entrepreneurs.

Blog: Married with Luggage | Twitter: @betsytalbot

THE PROFESSIONAL HOBO – NORA DUNN
In 2009 I was relatively stationary (for a variety of reasons) and it led to putting full-time hours into my writing. This worked well with the release of my first book: 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, and allowed me to achieve some big career goals. But as a lifestyle, this is not what I intended. I want to write part-time and continue to earn enough money to sustain my location independent full-time travel lifestyle. (Because really – what’s the point of traveling if you’re stuck in a room 60 hours/week working for it?!)

2010 is the year to kick things into second gear; to ease up on effort expended and stop spending time on unnecessary things. This goal will be tangibly achieved when I can comfortably fit my work into 20 hours per week or less and maintain a similar or increased income. Wish me luck!

Blog: The Professional Hobo | Twitter: @hobonora

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In the News: Millican Giveaway

Jorrit and Nicky Jorritsma shared with us how they turned their passion for travel into a business after their career break. They started Millican, a travel and outdoor lifestyle brand for eco-friendly travelers, and produce and sell classic, sustainable travel bags and outdoor gear.

And now you can win one of their beautiful products!

We are giving away “Jonathan The Roll Wash” (a $72 value). Inspired by artist, bed and tool rolls, this shape has been used by travelers for centuries. This compact wash bag is a great travel companion with enough space for all your grooming needs.

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:

• Leave a comment below about what “next steps” you would take (or already have taken) after a career break

AND

• Sign-up for the Millican newsletter

We’ll accept entries until January 7, 2010.

Thanks for participating in our first giveaway and we look forward to more in the future!

Next Steps: Turning a Passion into a Business

We have shared many inspiring stories of Americans who have taken a career break to travel. But then we were contacted by Jorrit and Nicky Jorritsma, a couple who reside in the Lake District of Great Britain with their 11-year-old daughter Kiah. They are self-proclaimed “Briefcase to Backpackers” and wanted to share their story of how they turned their passion for traveling into a business. We found their story to be incredibly inspiring and felt you would as well.

Hi, we’re Jorrit and Nicky. Today we produce and sell classic, sustainable travel bags and outdoor gear but it was a long journey to get here. Here’s our story of how we went from backpack to briefcase, then back to travelling, and finally re-designed our lives to bring our work and our love of adventure together.

We hope that our story will inspire you to take some time out to travel – and to draw on your travels to reinvigorate your life on returning to the workplace. Having married and later set up our own business as a result of travelling, we passionately believe in mixing the worlds of work and adventure!

OUR FIRST TRAVEL ADVENTURE

Jorrit - In Europe, many teenagers go travelling in a Gap Year between school and university. However, despite the fact that we’re both European, that actually wasn’t our story. After our school studies, neither of us took the option of a traditional Gap Year. Instead, we headed to university and, on completing our degrees, immediately entered the world via work and military service. Nicky joined the management programme of United Distillers, part of the Guinness Group, while I did military service in Holland (my homeland) as an officer in the Strategy Department. And it was for very different reasons that we each ended up travelling after that.

Nicky – For me, I came to a point where I felt that I needed to review my career plans. I’d been working for United Distillers for a couple of years. But, within a short space of time, my Grandfather died, my Dad fell ill, a four-year relationship ended, and I found myself in two car crashes. Chatting with a girlfriend at work, I decided to plan to head to South America for a year and see where to go from there. My key motivations were:

• Realising that life can be short and alter quickly – it’s important to grab chances while we can.
• To feel the freedom of making my own choices day by day.
• To experience the excitement of exploring unknown countries.
• To test my ability to deal with whatever happened while travelling and hopefully grow in confidence.

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Favorite Gear: Stocking Stuffers

When traveling for long periods of time, it’s essential to pack as light as possible. Here is some of our favorite travel gear that we feel is essential to add to your packing list. And as a bonus, they take up little space and make great stocking stuffers for the holidays!

And by purchasing these items for you or your favorite traveler, you will be spreading glad tidings of income for us here at Briefcase to Backpack.

Knirps X1 Compact Umbrella – heavy duty, but tiny for travel. Comes with hard case that’s the size of an eyeglass case!

Humangear GoToob Travel Bottle – the soft squeezable tubes for bathroom products.

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Life on the Road: Away for the Holidays

Traveling long term is a gift; the ability to see and experience new cultures, to step away from your own rat race, and slow down. However, when you’ve been on the road for a while and the holidays roll around, it’s easy to get the blues. You’re away from your own culture and traditions, and you miss your family and friends, so it’s easy to get a bit homesick. I spent my last Christmas Eve alone eating leftovers watching a movie; I was so lonely in Vietnam that I vowed to never be alone again during the Holidays.

If your career break travel happens to fall during the holidays, then consider what you can do to avoid the holiday blues.

When I first traveled around the world I actually planned out my itinerary with the holidays in mind. For me Christmas is all about family. Luckily I happened to have family living in Singapore so when I planned my itinerary, I planned to be in Singapore in December. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I could have made. The familiar food, customs, and humor of my family was just what I needed. Plus, they were able to introduce me to different Asian holiday customs in Singapore – so even though I had slowed down my travel to spend time with family, I was still experiencing new things in new cultures!

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What to Do: Learn a Language

If you’ve ever dreamed of learning a new language, there’s no better time than on your career break!

August Flanagan, co-founder of Lenguajero.com, a startup that helps people practice conversational Spanish, has 5 tips on how to make it happen.

1. Go to a/the country where the language you want to learn is spoken.
If you are like me and want to learn Spanish, it is pretty easy to get to the Spanish speaking country of your choice from anywhere in the U.S. Frequently, flights into tourist hotspots like Cancun or Buenos Aires cost only a couple hundred dollars one way. Once you are there, you can catch either a domestic flight or a bus to just about anywhere for a whole lot cheaper than an international flight.

2. Settle down somewhere and spend time in a new community.
If you take a few months (or longer) and stay in just one place during this time you will learn a lot more of the language than if you just travel from place to place during that time.

Forming a routine means that you’ll see the same people day in and day out. You’ll stop to chat with the same store owner or vegetable vendor, get to know your neighbors, and, of course, you’ll make new friends. Which, in my opinion, is really the best way to learn a language.

When you first get to your new home try using CouchSurfing to organize a few nights out. Aside from being a website that helps you find a place to crash, CouchSurfing is a great place to meet new people in cities all over the world.

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Favorite Website: Passports with Purpose

Since launching Briefcase to Backpack, we have found that the travel blog community is a very supportive network. So it’s great to see travel bloggers come together to also support a great cause.

Passports with Purpose was founded in 2008 by four well-respected travel bloggers: Beth Whitman (Wanderlust and Lipstick), Debbie Dubrow (Delicious Baby), Michelle Duffy (WanderMom), and Pam Mandel (Nerd’s Eye View). Together with over 60 bloggers they represent the “Passports”.

So what’s the “Purpose”? Raising funds for American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC), an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia. The goal this year is to raise $13,000 to help build a school in rural Cambodia.

In order to raise funds, the participating travel bloggers are hosting giveaways ranging from cameras, books, hotels, and gear. A highlight of items include:

• A Flip Ultra Video Camcorder (donated by Heather on her Travels)
• A Casio Exilim Digital Camera (donated By Anil Polat – Fox Nomad)
• Five Nights at Los Suenos Resort in Costa Rica (donated by Ciao Bambino!)
• Two night stay at Monteleone Hotel in New Orleans (donated by Vera Marie Badertscher – A Travelers Library)
• A pair of Kuru shoes (donated by Donna Hull – My Itchy Travel Feet)
• A Kelty backpack (donated by Nomadic Matt)
• $100 Amazon gift card (donated by Shannon Hull Lane)

(For a complete list, visit Passports with Purpose – Donation)

For each $10 donation that you make to AAfC before December 21, you will be entered in the giveaway(s) of your choice. What a deal! Even if you don’t get the item of your choice, it’s a winning opportunity.

We love this idea and will be sure to participate in it next year. But that won’t stop us from shopping this year!