Editor’s note: guest post by Alexis Grant.
When I was 27, I left my reporting job to backpack through Africa.
The trip itself was amazing. I rode a camel in Timbuktu, discovered the howling lemur in Madagascar and bonded with a polygamous family in Cameroon. Those six months changed how I see the world.
But the coolest result of my career break was totally unrelated to travel: it catapulted me into a Life of Awesome.
Successfully taking that one big risk helped me realize I should take more. So I decided to write a book, a travel memoir. Then, two months ago, I left my day job to pursue my business full time. Now I’m launching an e-guide called How to Take a Career Break to Travel, daring to make my project public. I probably wouldn’t have made any of those moves if I hadn’t gone on my solo backpacking trip. Because of that trip, I now know the potential that lies behind each (scary) risk.
What I’m getting at is this: Once you’ve taken one leap, you’ll itch to take another. And another. And another. Once you’ve followed your dream once, you will want to do it again. You might even recognize or create big opportunities you wouldn’t have seen before.
That means that whether your next big goal is changing careers or seeing the world or crossing some other daunting item off your bucket list, taking the first step toward what you want is even more important. Because the effects of that leap will multiply over time, lasting far beyond the experience itself.
Unfortunately, taking a big risk will probably be most difficult the first time, which is why many people never take it at all.
In the case of a taking a career break to travel, one of the big risks is leaving your job. Some travelers are able to negotiate a sabbatical with their employer, but if you want to spend more than three months seeing the world, you’ll likely need to leave your job.
That’s risky because it means you’ll have to find another job when you get back. And who’s to say you’ll be able to do that, especially in this not-so-great economy?
Here’s the key to taking that risk successfully: use your travels to enhance your resume, making yourself a catch no employer would give up. And weave a financial safety net to give yourself a little wiggle room in case you need it.
On the resume front, think strategically about what skills and experiences you can gain while traveling that will make you a stand-out job applicant when you return home. Of course, you don’t want your entire trip to be about this goal–you want time to explore and reflect–but put enough time and effort into learning Spanish or working as a freelance writer or volunteering at a school so you can show how your year away from the traditional workforce makes you more valuable as an employee. Or sets you up to work for yourself, if that’s your long-term goal.
No matter how well you do that, you’ll still need a savings account to hold you over upon your return home until you land a new job. Start growing that savings now, even if you’re only thinking about traveling, so it will be there when you need it.
One great way to save–which is often more effective than minimizing your expenses–is to use your skills to make money on the side of your day job. Are you good at web design? Tutoring? Cooking? Social media? Identify your strengths and figure out how to make money off them as a coach or consultant.
And then, once you’ve accumulated the money you need and set out a plan that will turn your travel into a career booster, make the commitment to your trip. Don’t wait until you feel totally ready.
That nervousness in your stomach? It’s normal. In fact, it’s probably good that you feel some anxiety before making room in your life for a new priority. Most of us have to leap over a few nuggets of doubt when it comes to committing, have to push ourselves a bit. So once you’ve planned and prepared and put the pieces in place, once you’re almost ready to commit to your goal, go ahead and do it.
For soon-to-be world travelers, committing means choosing a departure date. For wannabe consultants, it means making the push to land that first paying client. What does committing mean for your goal?
So if you have a big dream–and I imagine most readers of this blog do–remember that accomplishing it is about more than that one goal. It’s about opening yourself to opportunities in the long term. Taking one (calculated and smart) risk will change how you approach risks in the future–and before you know it, you’ll be riding a camel in Timbuktu.
Alexis Grant is a journalist, social media strategist and author of new guide How to Take a Career Break to Travel. She also offers a free newsletter that provides inspiration and practical tips for taking your next Leap in life. She tweets as@alexisgrant.
Traveling is great because it’s fresh and exciting. Even traveling 30 minutes to a place never explored is great.
And so is risk taking. You are definitely right, the first is the hardest but it gets easier and easier. Same thing with making changes.
I agree, Jake. You don’t have to go far to have a real experience. And yes, that first leap really puts your heart in your stomach!!
The safety net of having one leg in the water and one leg on land will make us nether a fisherman nor a hunter. I would rather suggest that people decide if they want to be in jobs or want to be on their own and get down doing it whole heartedly.
Sometimes, lack of options will make make it difficult to quit and that’s very important for making a venture successful.
I dunno, Raj. I just don’t think everyone can be happy without that safety net. Some are quite comfortable with that level of risk, others have it forced upon them. But I say if you can live your dreams with a safety net, why not?
I loved this post, because at 70+ I’m planning to move from Massachusetts to Mexico. Why? Because I’ve wanted to for years but had a husband with Alzheimer’s. Now it’s my turn to take a leap, and I can’t wait.
Yay, Jean! I want to hear ALL about your leap. Give it a few months and let’s talk about a guest post. I think it’s wonderful.
Thanks, Jen. Maybe I’ll do a whole new blog! 😉 I can’t go until I sell my house, so it’s apt to be a while . . .
Great to hear, Jean! Go for it!
I would love to be able to take a “break” to travel. Once you have a family, though, doing this does become a bit more difficult to do. But I can still take advantage of making big leaps in other ways. Thanks for sharing this great post!
I dunno, Grady. Seems like I’m hearing about more and more families taking long breaks to travel the world. I think the greatest barrier to that was the commitment to homeschooling, if you aren’t going to stay in one place, but even that phenomena isn’t the barrier it once was. If it’s something you really want to do, I wouldn’t rule it out of hand just because you have a family!
Hey Grady — There are definitely more moving pieces once you have a family, but plenty of people make it work!
I absolutely love this post as it’s so relevant to what I’m doing right now. I was terrified to quit my job, but my husband got into a competitive med school in the Caribbean and I wanted to be with him. We thought long and hard, crunched finances, and after two months here, have things mostly figured out with me freelance writing and him going to school. That funny feeling in the pit of your stomach is exciting as it is excruciating. We had it for months before we moved, alternating between really, really excited and really, really scared. We still have moments of “What are we doing!?” but know that life is short and that this is the experience of a lifetime. Thanks for sharing this post!
Cat — That’s awesome! Kudos to you. Glad you found me on Twitter because it sounds like we have a lot in common 🙂
I love that all you brave souls are coming out to share your stories, and reveal that yes, it’s scary, but it’s still DOABLE. The funny thing is, you can ask yourself that “What are we doing?” question about the most mundane things–I know I have. You might as well ask it about something that matters. Good for you, Cat! I’d love to hear an update from you at some point. How long do you intend to stay?
Before kids and a mortgage, I quit my high powered corporate job after 8 years for a 2 year sabbatical. I left Boston and travelled the west and spent a month+ in Costa Rica. I had butterflies at first but, just like you say, it became easier and easier. As far as a safety net, I didn’t have much of one but worked as a waitress, lived/worked on a guest ranch and trained horses to get by when I needed to.
With kids, a mortgage and lots of animals, we’re living our dream on 20 acres in the mountains of Colorado. I’ve returned to the grind a few times but know there’s another way. We homeschool and I know of families with younger kids who have sailed the world (learn French in France) and gone on plenty of adventures with no problems. Kids and mortgages are only limits if we choose to see them that way. Our kids love all the adventures we go out and experience.
For the longest time, I let my cats be the reason I didn’t move overseas. I finally took the plunge, and it’s true that I nearly lost one in quarantine. But she survived, I survived, and now we’re all very happy. The reasons we usually give ourselves for not doing something aren’t as fixed in stone as we think they are. Love your story, Paige!
I planned to take a year off to travel and fortunately I worked at an advertising agency where the culture is a bit more accepting. The only problem is that it has been 18 months and I still have no desire to go back.
It is a scary step to leave a job and head off into the world, but definitely worth it. I think the hard part is getting the motivation to stop the exciting life and head back to an office!