Archive for October, 2009

Next Steps: Career Choices & Resources
Monday, October 26th, 2009

Even before you’ve returned from your career break travels, you probably put some thought into what you want (or don’t want) from your next job.

If you are anything like us (Michael, Michaela, and Sherry), you probably fall into one of these categories:

You want to return to the Briefcase, but on a different career track
You want to utilize your skills and talents to pursue freelance work
You want to pick up the Backpack again, never to return to corporate

BACK TO THE BRIEFCASE
You had an incredible around-the-world experience but are ready to re-enter the corporate world. Michael always knew he’d return to corporate, and used his career break to refocus on what his career goals were. These were some of the resources he utilized to get a job upon his return:

Job Boards:

Monster
Yahoo Careers
The Ladders – Operations Manager and Executive Positions

Executive Search Firms:

Networking:

And don’t underestimate the power of your network. Keep in touch with your former colleagues and mentors during your travels and they can be extremely useful for opening up doors for you upon your return. LinkedIn makes this easier to do than ever.

And if you wish to seek employment from a firm that embraces the sabbatical mindset, YourSabbatical offers a comprehensive list of companies that do so.

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Tags: career resources, resume
Posted in Next Steps, Re-Entry | 6 Comments »

Favorite Books: My Travel Journals
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

These days many people who venture off on RTW travels tend to keep a blog. Whether it’s to keep in touch with friends & family or share their experiences with other travel dreamers, blogs have become a common place for detailing trips.

In addition to blogs, it’s just as important, if not more so, to keep a handwritten travel journal, especially if you are embarking on a trip for self-exploration such as a career break.

Blogs are great for sharing details of your hike up Machu Picchu and the crazy street food you tried in Cambodia, but a journal will allow you to open up more about what those experiences meant to you in your journey for self-discovery. And even in this day of sharing just about every aspect of your life online, there are moments that you will want to keep to yourself.

In her book, Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler (Travelers’ Tales), Lavinia Spalding offers advice on using your travel journal to help you through personal development, starting with even the most basic of steps: selecting the ideal journal and writing device for yourself.

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Tags: book review, reflecting
Posted in Books, Favorites | 5 Comments »

Manali & Terry – Adjusting to Life on the Road
Monday, October 19th, 2009

For many experiencing long-term travel for the first time, the first few weeks on the road can sometimes be the most emotional time. You may feel like you’re on an emotional roller coaster as you feel excitement about your new environment one moment, and stress about what you left behind the next. But it’s all part of the journey!

Manali and Terry, a couple from Atlanta, Georgia who started their one-year career break in August of 2009, shared with us the emotions they experienced in their first weeks of travel in Asia.

1. What has been the most difficult thing to adjust to on the road?
Manali & Terry: Routine things taking two or three times as long as before. Certain small everyday things themselves are not difficult, but we feel that the general departure from the familiar to something new can be challenging at times. For example, at home we would hop into our car, drive to our favorite grocery store, pick up our favorite flavor of ice cream, know the price and pay.

This now becomes: figure out how to communicate that you need something to eat, act out that you want to go to a store, get directions, reconfirm the directions on the internet, reconfirm again with a local that you are walking in the right direction, get to the store, try to figure out where the ice cream is located, make sure it’s mint flavored (not green tea or lime or any another green item), make sure it’s not expired (most items we have found are way past expiry!), haggle over the price, then pay in local currency. Although, still fun, it can be exhausting when it occurs multiple times a day. Whew!

It feels like no matter how flexible you are and whatever lifestyle you live currently, you will still have to expect a departure from your routine and be prepared to be patient for everything from finding a place to eat to finding a new way to unwind after a long day.

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Tags: adapting, blog, personal experience, travelogue
Posted in Career Breakers, Life On-the-Road, On-the-Road | 1 Comment »

Vietnam: Saigon as an Expat
Friday, October 16th, 2009

After her original 16-month career break, Sherry Ott decided not to go return to the “Briefcase” world and settled in Vietnam, teaching English for a year.

As an expat living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Sherry wanted to embrace life as a local, which included learning to navigate the hectic streets by motorbike. For many countries, motorbikes are the main source of travel – it’s not uncommon to see people transport livestock, refrigerators, and families of 5 or more on two wheels, even during a monsoon. And rather than just become another passenger, Sherry decided that she wanted to take control of the motorbike.

Though her rented bike spent it’s first weeks parked in her living room, Sherry eventually got over her fear of taking it on the road, even obtaining a “license” in hopes of being a legal driver.

In her “Motorbike Diaries”, Sherry opens up about the ups and downs of this experience, with witty observations of the motorbike culture in Vietnam. And within time, she finds herself to be fitting right in – masks and rain ponchos included.

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Tags: adapting, blog, personal experience, SE Asia, travelogue
Posted in SE Asia, Vietnam | 2 Comments »

Where to Go: Itinerary Round-Up
Monday, October 12th, 2009

We’ve already offered some tips on where to go based on timing, your interests, and comfort level. And we’ve shared how to decide on what to do based on our experiences. So we thought it would be fun to share what others are saying about planning an itinerary!

Unique Ways To Pick Your Next Destination
From Enduring Wanderlust

This article offers up some unique methods of selecting your next destination, including throwing a dart at a world map, which is what editor Gennaro Salamone did in 1998. Where did he end up? Doing a summer of study in the Czech Republic.

Where Would You NOT Travel To?
From NoDebtWorldTravel

Brian Peters addresses concerns you may take into consideration when deciding on where to not travel, including political beliefs, human rights concerns, and safety. And you may be surprised to find that the United States shows up on some peoples lists for these same reasons.

Secret of Round-the-World-Travel
From Hole in the Donut

Barbara Weibel shares the secrets she learned when planning her six-month career break and how she took advantage of the Star Alliance program to book her RTW ticket. And be inspired by the destinations she chose to visit as she circumnavigated the globe.

How to Travel Around the World Without Flying
From Matador Traveler

This feature piece on Matador’s Travelers Notebook follows a couple who planned their round-the-world trip by boat, train, and automobile – just about every form of transportation but flying! Who knew you could be a passenger on cargo ships? Very useful when crossing oceans!

Travel Budgets
From How to Travel the World

Budget is a big factor in deciding on an itinerary. Have a lot of time but little money and want to stretch your dollar? Think about Southeast Asia where you can survive on $20 compared to the 60-70 Euros you would need in Europe. This article will give you a great idea of average living costs across the globe.

How to Use Social Media for Travel Research
From Mashable – The Social Media Guide

How often do you seek out a friends advice for a restaurant or hotel? Well, why not use virtual friends to help plan your travel itinerary as well! With the advances in social media, there are many great outlets for seeking out recommendations – even while on the road!

What unique ways have you chosen your travel itinerary?

Tags: inspiration, Websites
Posted in Preparation, Where to Go | No Comments »

Favorite Tips: Updating Your Resume Before Your Travels
Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Now that you’ve made the decision to take career break and travel I, bet you have an extensive Excel sheet with all the items you need to pack and do before you go away.

Do a test pack of backpack to make sure it’s not too heavy – Check
Make extra copies of visas and passport – Check
Create blog to stay in touch with family & friends – Check
Update resume – wait, what?!?!?!?!

I know you just left your job and can’t wait to focus on your travels, but updating your resume before you leave is one of the best pre-trip activities you can do. In his post, “How My Career Break Helped My Career”, Michael Bontempi noted: