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Considering a career break can be overwhelming as fears and questions flood your head. You need some inspiration - well, we have it! We will discuss the circumstances that brought you to this point and examine ways that you can take advantage of channeling them into a career break. You can also find out the many benefits of taking a career break (trust us, there are many) and be inspired by hearing others' stories of self-discovery, inner-growth, and re-examining goals.

Check out articles in the following categories:
Circumstances | Benefits | Supporters | Testimonials

Recent Posts

Career Break Terror
Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Your heart races, you start to sweat, and a state of intense fear overcomes you; this is terror. Chances are that on this journey to achieving your career break dreams you have experienced it. We all have. But the question is, will you let it stop you?

We recently had one of our participants in our Career Break Basic Training Community have this reaction to planning a career break:

Please someone tell me I am doing the right thing. I know I am but I am second-guessing everything right now. Why you ask?! I literally just booked my international flights ten minutes ago. Why this is freaking me out has me beside myself. It’s not like this was the first step of my planning process. I have gotten all of my vaccinations, I have bought my rucksack and have started to fill it, I have already put money down on a hotel (oh, a hotel!) to meet friends halfway through my trip and I booked an internal flight within Chile…yet booking my international flight scared the absolute crap out of me!? WHAT? WHY? HELP!

This is pretty typical Career Break terror that many feel when contemplating or planning.

I recently came across this video by one of my favorite actors, Edward Norton, who one would think should be more confident in his ability than ever. But he speaks instead about fear and terror in his profession that never goes away and how to deal with it.

I thought about his interview about fear in acting applies to fear in taking a career break and traveling. I agree with so much of what he says so it’s worth putting it in those career break terms.

It is 100% certain that your decision to take a break to travel will feel completely half-baked and you will think you will fail at it.

Everyone goes through this when contemplating a big change in his or her life; especially when you are taking a road less traveled. The fears might appear in the form of a constant state of irritation, it may be panic attacks (like our training class participant!) , or it may tears. But if you don’t push through those fears of failure, then you’ll never make change in your life. Change means fear. Change means potential failure. But always remember that change is good and necessary to grow.

People will tell you that your plan won’t work.

People will also tell you to work your butt off until you are 65 and then live your life. If you think that’s the answer, then fine, believe the people that tell you it won’t work. But seriously – when did you start listening to what others tell you to do? You are no longer a kid or a young adult. You can make your own decisions, take your own risks, and craft your own life. Make sure that you surround yourself with people who think it will work and thinks it’s a damn good idea!

As Edward Norton points out, “Getting used to that sensation of fear is a good thing. Get to a point where you realize you are in ‘that’ phase where you feel like you are sweating off three t-shirts a day because you are about to go off the side of a cliff. But you realize you can always buy more t-shirts.”

The key is to get used to the sensation of fear. Because this won’t be the first time on this career break journey that you will encounter it. In fact, know that this is only the beginning. There is inherent fear in traveling, fear in being alone, fear that you will get sick, fear that you will be robbed, fear that you are lost, fear that you are running out of money, and in a cruel twist – you will even have fear in returning to your home when the break is finished. Anticipate and embrace the inevitable sensation of fear. It’s not easy, but it must be done to get anywhere. You’ve been doing it your whole life from the first day you went to school, to the first time you dove off of the high dive at the swimming pool, why can’t you do it now? Don’t balk at the sensation of fear – push through it.

The good news is that as I type this – our career break training participant has started her career break! She pushed through and she’s having the time of her life now.

Will you let fear stop you?

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Taking the Time to Step Back
Monday, January 2nd, 2012

Lacey Laken has been “on the road” since September 2011 and so far her career break has taken her to Spain, Morocco, Italy (where she lived with a family for six weeks), Paris, London, Kenya, Tanzania and is now in India. She plans to be traveling through the summer of 2012 and blogs about the food she encounters along the way. She shares with us what led to her decision to take a career break from a law career that she actually enjoyed.

I lived in New York City and worked as a corporate bankruptcy and restructuring lawyer during the four years leading up to my departure. Before that, I spent nearly six years living in Melbourne, Australia where I went to law school (and also received my bachelor of arts degree). Australia is where I first became attuned to the concept of taking a year “off” to travel, because it is such a common practice there. For various reasons I never considered doing it while I was a student, but it was an undertaking that I admired.

Lacey Laken in Italy

When I got a job as a lawyer in New York, I finished my studies early by taking summer classes and handing in assignments before the end of the semester to get to the U.S. in time to study for the bar exam. I suppose since then – June 2007 – I never paused; it was go, go, go for the next four years. During the financial crisis, I was fortunate to be employed in an area of law that was made very busy by the downfall of the economy.

One thing I always managed to do, despite how busy work could be, was to take my vacation time, which I mainly spent overseas. In those four years, I visited Belize, Peru, Israel, England, the Czech Republic, Austria, Turkey, Egypt, and also went back to Australia four times.

It was after I returned from Turkey and Egypt in July 2010 that I decided to take a career break. I suddenly became so aware that there was a whole world to see, and I would never be able to do it in four weeks per year maximum (a year is not long enough either, but at least it is a good start!). I also realized that it was important for me to pause to think about my future and make a conscious decision that I was doing what I wanted to do and living where I wanted to live, rather than continuing both out of habit. I know that many people do not have the opportunity to take a break to reflect, and because I did, I think it would have been a mistake if I had not taken advantage of it.

Leaving my job ended up being one of the hardest things I have ever done. It became clear to me how much I respect my colleagues, who are also my friends and mentors. Since I have been traveling, one of the biggest realizations I have had is that I do really like my job and where I worked. I am proud of the projects I worked on and hope I have the opportunity to do so again. It is also now very clear to me how much I love New York, which I was glad to confirm. Like I said, because I worked in a sometimes all consuming field, it was so easy to slip into a routine, without taking the time to step back and think about what I was doing; for that reason alone this trip has been worthwhile.

Over the course of a year, my itinerary slowly evolved. I started off by choosing the places I most wanted to visit in the near term that I had not been before (in particular, Spain, East Africa, Japan, and Russia) and structured the rest of the trip around those destinations. I have left some flexibility, but do have a skeletal international flight structure booked. This way, I keep moving but am also able to make new plans as I go if I have a new idea or am invited to go somewhere.

Anchovies in San Sebastian

One of my favorite things about travel (and living in New York) is finding and experiencing good food. I have been documenting my culinary experiences on my travel and food blog – 365bitesaroundtheworld. Before I left, I had actually decided I was not going to write a blog because I thought it would be a burden. Eventually, after many suggestions from friends, I changed my mind. I find there to be two challenges to keeping a blog – staying disciplined and keeping readers interested.

I chose to focus on food because it is something I already devote far too much attention to and a topic many people are curious about. In the end, 365bitesaroundtheworld has been a great project for me. It keeps me on my toes while traveling and it has been a great way to keep in contact with people. It will also provide a great record, beyond the scope of photographs, of my trip, which is something I probably would not have had the discipline to do otherwise.

Food is an obsession many travelers share. What has been your favorite meal on the road?

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2011 Recap: Contemplation
Monday, November 21st, 2011

This past year we are thankful to all of those career breakers who shared their contemplations & dreams with us. And in case you missed any, here are the highlights of those who are in the process of fulfilling their dreams or already have.

What is the American Dream?

Mehdy Ghannad of The Hostel Life shares with us the journey his father took from Iran in order to pursue the American Dream and how he is now pursuing his own American Dream.

What is the American Dream? The first person that comes to mind in pursuit of my answer is my father.

My father immigrated to the United States in 1965 at age of 21 from Tehran, Iran with only two hundred dollars to his name. To my own surprise I only recently asked him this question, “Dad why did you take such a leap of faith with hardly any money in your bank account?” Before he could answer the question, my father had to put everything in context for me. In doing so, he had to begin by explaining the environment that he lived in at the time in Iran. Continue…

Beware Responsible People – Embrace the Crazy

Contemplating a career break but others around you think you are crazy? Listen to this advice from Ryan and Jen Fuller, recovering management consultants who recently returned to the US after a six month career break in Argentina and Chile. Prior to hearing the term ‘career break’ they just called what they were doing ‘rehab.’

Because the concept of a career break is still quite novel (at least in the US), most of us don’t have very many people in our social groups that have ever taken one. Unfortunately, this often means that all of your excitement over the idea of leaving your job in favor of long-term travel may not engender the kind of enthusiasm you are hoping for amongst your friends/co-workers/family. Even if you are just looking for support rather than advice, you should expect to be assaulted with many, many reasons why it is a bad idea and you are crazy for even contemplating it. Continue…

Teaching Traveling: Inspiring Teachers to Travel

“Why should we care if teachers follow their travel dreams or not? Here’s one reason: if we teachers are telling students they can and should follow their dreams… shouldn’t WE do what it takes to follow our own travel dreams as well?”

Wise words from our MPG Boston Host Lillie Marshall, who followed her dream and took a year-long Leave of Absence to travel around the world after 6 years of teaching in Boston Public Schools. But that dream almost didn’t see the light of day.

“Part of what nearly stopped me from taking a Travel Leave of Absence from my job as a public school teacher was guilt. ‘What will my students do without me?’ I wondered, worry gnawing at my stomach. ‘How can you do this to us?!’ wailed my coworkers when they found out about my impending Leave of Absence. ‘Do you realize how much you leaving will screw everything up?’” Continue…

Quality of Life Priority Number One

Matt GoudreauAfter his five month career break with his now fiancée, Matt Goudreau sees how that time helped them set both their life and work priorities.

It all started on New Years Day 2009. After two months of dating, my ladyfriend Shara and I made an impromptu decision to celebrate our upcoming birthdays in London and Paris, which would be my first big international trip.

So, one month later, we went. We ate, drank, saw the sights – loving every second of it. You could say we caught the “travel bug.” At that point we had a similar revelation: we were merely content with our jobs; the word “happy” was never used. She being 29, me 31, and both kid-free, thought it was the ideal time to take a leap. Like many other dreamers, we wanted to leave our jobs and travel the world. Easy decision, tougher reality. Continue…

A Life Changing Year Ends Full Circle

Abby TegneliaAfter losing her job and spiraling into debt, Abby Tegnelia found herself living in a small Costa Rica village for a year. It was the life change she needed to recharge and fall in love with her career all over again.

The logistics of how I ended up living in a small pueblo in Costa Rica for a year were a happy accident, one small step that led to another, leading me to the life change that I so desperately needed. I had been a workaholic. But that lifestyle started to wear on me, leaving me impatient and unhappy, confused as to why the magazine career I had always wanted had left me wound so tight, yet empty.

I lost my job in October 2008, and my world seemingly ended. Like so many other career-focused men and women, I had let my identity forge itself to my career. I was my title. And then it was gone. It was a long time before I could get out of my lease and put a stop to my expensive bills in Los Angeles. I dove into debt, something I’d worked so hard to never do. Still, I did not reach out to every contact I had or pound the pavement looking for a job. Continue…

Worried What Others Think of Your Career Break Plans

headacheWe hear it often that one of the biggest decisions career breakers make is when do they come out of the “career break closet” to family and friends. A big concern is that they won’t be supportive of the decision – and not everyone will be. So how do you cope with that? Katie recently “came out” to her family and friends and shares with us their reactions and how she has dealt with it. (We can now share that this is Katie Aune of Katie Going Global).

How long have you been planning for and what inspired your career break?

I have always loved to travel, but usually in 2 weeks stints. The idea to take a break and travel for several months first popped into my head about 5 years ago when I was thinking about leaving the practice of law and changing careers (possibly a career in travel). It was a very fleeting thought and I didn’t think about it again until about 3 years later after I had gone through a tough breakup, become disillusioned with my second career and realized I just wasn’t that happy in Chicago. I started thinking about moving back home to Minnesota and decided to take the summer of 2010 off to travel before finding a job in the Twin Cities. Continue…

Supporting a Career Break Dream

Kim and BrianKim Dinan and her husband Brian are planning an around the world trip in 2012. They’re currently in the process of planning, packing and preparing to see the world. You can follow their journey on their website So Many Places.

I’ve followed a very traditional career path. I graduated college and spent a year as an AmeriCorps volunteer before landing my first job in 2004. I moved across the country and settled in Portland, Oregon where I began climbing the ladder in my field. In 2006 I changed employers. In 2008 I changed again. With each new job I acquired a larger salary and more impressive title.

In March of 2008 my husband Brian and I were hiking in the Oregon backcountry. It had been a long, gray, Pacific Northwest winter and we were feeling disillusioned and unsatisfied. As we hiked we discussed a big, looming life question “Isn’t there more to life than this?” Continue…

The Anticipation of a RTW Trip

Venice, ItalyIt’s common to experience a variety of emotions in the weeks leading up to your career break departure date. In the two weeks before Val Bromann departed on her career break, she still didn’t feel like it was her trip that she was about to depart on. She shares with us the emotions that she experienced before departing earlier this month.

People keep telling me that Berlin has good currywurst. A fact that would appeal to me if only I enjoyed eating sausage. Besides that, I don’t know anything to do or see or eat in Berlin. When, in February, I booked a plane ticket there I figured that I had plenty of time to sort such things out. But now it’s June and I’m leaving in two weeks and have hardly picked up a guidebook. Life happened, work happened, extreme procrastination that haunted me throughout 20 years of school happened.

And I now have two more weeks to figure out everything I’m going to be doing for the next year. Berlin is just the first stop of many, each I’m less prepared for than the last. Continue…

Consulting to Pay for Long-Term Travel

kristin zibellDon’t think you have the funds to take off and travel the world? Feel like you are chained to your job for financial stability? Consulting could be the answer to both of those concerns. Kristin Zibell, the author and editor of Take Your Big Trip, a web site dedicated to helping would-be travelers live their travel dreams, shares how she made consulting pay for her travels and how you can too.

My career break to travel wasn’t planned, but once started, it lasted two years and took me to 16 countries across four continents. I’m not independently wealthy, nor have some secret to blogging success that others haven’t figured out. Instead, I used 10 years of professional experience to sell myself into short-term consulting gigs during an economic downturn and pay for long-term trips to India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Continue…

If Not Now…When?

In 2004 Jane Stanfield discovered an idea for an extended international trip that had her totally entranced. At the same time, she learned that when you ask a question and are serious about finding the answer, the universe complies.

I came on the topic of volunteer travel from an article entitled VIRTUOUS VACATIONS. As an avid volunteer and international traveler, it sounded like a perfect fit for me. The dilemma was I had no idea how to do it. As I focused on the trip, a little voice in my head kept chanting “if not now, when?”

When taking a class – Volunteer Vacations – Traveling on Purpose at Colorado Free University, I MET someone who had some of the answers. Next I began reading Transitions Abroad, a magazine about living, teaching, and volunteering abroad. Then I attended a local Earthwatch event about international volunteering. Now it was time to narrow down my options and figure out how to pay for it. Continue…

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The Importance of Support
Monday, October 24th, 2011

We’ve said again and again how it’s important to have a support system in place when you are planning any type of life-changing event – especially when pursuing your dream of a career break or extended travel. But don’t just take it from us. Here are some others who have been in your shoes. [video]

And here is some feedback from those who recently attended our events around North America.

Going to the 2011 Meet, Plan, Go! event was more than I expected. To be around so many people who want to travel and to talk to and listen to people who have indeed traveled in bigger ways than I had considered was mind-opening and thrilling.
- NYC Attendee
It’s great inspiration for anyone considering either a long-term travel experience, or even just a change in their lives. The “good vibes” throughout the room would give anyone motivation to make a change.
- San Francisco Attendee
So many people could use the inspiration this event offers for taking the travel plunge.
- DC Attendee
It was really uplifting and inspirational to hear about people’s adventures and lives from all different age groups and stages in life.
- Toronto Attendee
It was inspiring and encouraging to hear the stories and meet other people who have a desire for world travel like I do.
- Los Angeles Attendee
For anyone intending to travel, as well as friends/family of those intending to travel, it’s a welcome support community of like-minded individuals. The process is so overwhelming, it’s nice to feel one’s not alone.
- Denver Attendee
It’s so valuable to hear from other people that have gone on these long trips when you’re contemplating going on one yourself. It validates it, and after attending you really feel like you can make the trip a reality sooner than I thought going into it.
- Chicago Attendee
It is great to hear from and talk with diverse group of individuals who have comepleted a career-break trip. In addition it is nice to connect with people in the area who are interested in pursuing the same thing, who have the same questions and concerns.
- Boston Attendee
For those interested in travel and career breaks, I think it is a great place to meet like-minded people, be exposed to resources, and get inspired with ideas!
- Austin Attendee

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MPG Panelists – Inspiration Part 2
Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

We recently highlighted a few of our 70+ Meet, Plan, Go! event panelists – all of whom will be sharing their inspiring stories across the country on October 18, 2011. And since there are so many, we thought we’d share a few more!

Shaun Henderson
As a typical adolescent, Shaun’s imagination was boundless. As a teenager in 1980s era New Jersey, somehow the ocean inspired him. Searching for waves along the Jersey Shore and eastern United States is what first introduced Shaun to exploration. The roots of his passion for travel are part adventurous and part philosophical. Adventurous in the sense of exploring mountains, rivers, oceans and trails through various sports. Philosophical due to a growing interest in trying to understand how people develop their cultural identity. The rest of the story is a mixture of adventure travel, soul searching, and a long list of ridiculous jobs in faraway places.

The word ‘career’ was not part of Shaun’s vernacular until much later in life. Nor was the word ‘vacation’ for that matter. Instead, a book titled “Work Your Way Around The World”, by Susan Griffith served as his trail map. Consequently, Shaun has traveled extensively and worked a variety of jobs including guiding multi-day mountain bike tours, freelance illustrator, and hot air balloon chase crew. Unburdened by any singular mission in life, he was able to spend most of his second decade on planet earth seeking adventures, learning about new cultures, falling in and out of love, and living life to the fullest as any selfish, idealistic, privileged middle class citizen of a developed country should.

Nowadays, Shaun takes vacations. And he is no longer afraid of the word ‘career’. He still travels more often than most, and still has his life lists and wild dreams. Most of his journeys are still centered around some adventure or another. His knees hurt a bit more than they used to, but they still work. Currently, Shaun lives in Hawaii with his beautiful lilikoi vine and two loving fish.

Want to attend the Honolulu event?

Julie DuRose
When Julie quit her teaching gig at The Ohio State University to travel the world for a year, she let her appetite guide her. She shucked oysters at the Russian River; picked cranberries in the Arctic; tried stingray in Malaysia; ate jellyfish in Singapore (that was revenge); popped oven-roasted tarantulas in Cambodia, and ate fruit she’d never heard of – jackfruit, salak, rambutan, and the sexiest of all, the delicate mangosteen. All of it surprised her, as did the hospitality of her fellow humans. From Carmel to Anchorage to Kona, HI, throughout New Zealand, India, and S.E. Asia, she never imagined how many folks would be part of her extended travels – not to mention her life thereafter.

Julie DuRose is former chef and current M.F.A. candidate in nonfiction, currently writing a memoir entitled Wake Me For Meal Service. She lives in St. Paul, though she dreams of Myanmar.

Want to attend the Minneapolis event?

Charlotte Piper
Charlotte grew up in Canada, the United States and the UK. She believes international travel is an important educational experience and has prioritized it in her life. In May 2010, she left her corporate job in NYC to begin an open-ended, solo backpacking adventure. In 7 months, she made her way through 10 countries, mainly in South East Asia. Upon her return, Charlotte worked as business development manager at Wanderfly, a travel start-up based in NYC. She is currently developing a personal website of travel photos and journal entries.

Want to attend the New Orleans event?

Rita Foley
Rita is a co-author of the recently published book Reboot Your Life. Energize Your Life by Taking a Break. After her first sabbatical, in 1982, Rita changed careers and entered the burgeoning computer industry with Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), where she held increasingly responsible positions over 17 years. Her sabbatical nine years ago, ended in another career change when she became President of MeadWestvaco’s $1B+ global consumer packaging business. Her most recent sabbatical led her into a portfolio career.

Today, Rita spends one third of her time serving on corporate boards, PetSmart and Dresser-Rand and leading Crenshaw Associates Board Director’s practice, one third on her passion — the nonprofit field where she has been chair of a microfinance organization, Pro Mujer, and serves as a trustee of Healthcare Chaplaincy and the final third on having fun which consists of lots of travel and delivering workshops and consulting on the topic of Rebooting.

Website: Reboot Break | Twitter: @RebootBreak

Want to attend the NYC event?

Ben Reed
Ben is an Orlando-based Travel Blogger that will try (almost) anything once. His travel blog, Adventures with Ben, encourages readers to do the same as they learn how to plan, explore and enjoy some of the world’s top destinations. Ben also hosts a weekly podcast about Florida Travel & Tourism called Florida Travel Cocktail – available for download on iTunes.

Ben’s travel expertise has been highlighted in FoxNews.com, FareCompare.com, and VISIT Florida – Florida’s official tourism portal. He also writes a monthly travel column for an Orlando-area newspaper and in 2009, was selected as one of five winners in a social media travel competition sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

In addition to his writing, Ben launched the Central Florida Chapter of Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) and operates an online travel store. Ben will never eat Jellyfish again and counts bungee jumping in front of Victoria Falls one adventure everyone should try… but he won’t do it again. And for the record, he planned his “Epic Trip to Australia” way before Oprah did.

Website: Adventures with Ben | Twitter: @adventureswben

Want to attend the Orlando event?

Kim Dinan
Kim & Brian moved to Oregon in their early twenties with $700 in their pockets, two dogs, a car, two spoons, two forks, two plates, a mini television, a bag each of clothing, and a few boxes of mementos. Five years later they’d built an entire life: married, bought a house, and filled the house with stuff. They’d climbed our way up our respective ladders and were earning good salaries.

Knowing that the 9-to-5-in-a-cubicle kind of life is not what their lives are for, they decided to “give it all up” to travel the world. Kim & Brian are in the middle of planning for their big trip departing in the next year.

Website: So Many Places | Twitter: @RTWsomanyplaces

Want to attend the Portland event?

Spencer Spellman
Spencer is a traveling writer and blogger, originally from North Carolina and outfitted with a fierce Southern drawl, who currently calls San Francisco home. While he has traveled around the world, Europe is his first love, a love that is sustained back home by micro brews, fish and chips, soccer and golf.

Spencer took a more non-traditional approach to his career break, choosing to use writing to support himself while traveling, instead of saving money to travel. This allowed him to travel indefinitely, spending most of his time road-tripping across the U.S. and living and traveling in Central America. When he arrived somewhere he didn’t want to leave, San Francisco, he decided to settle down until the road calls again.

Website: The Traveling Philosopher | Twitter: @spencerspellman

Want to attend the San Francisco event?

Ryan and Jen Fuller
Ryan and Jen are recovering management consultants who recently returned to the US after quitting their jobs, getting married and taking a six month career break in Argentina and Chile. Prior to hearing the term ‘career break’ they just called what they were doing ‘rehab.’ Since returning in Sept. of 2010, They have been getting reacquainted with real life in Seattle.

Website: Consulting Rehab

Want to attend the Seattle event?

Stephanie Sappington
In October 2006, Stephanie left with her family to go on a round-the-world backpacking trip. They traveled to 15 countries in 11 months and camped for a good part of the way. They took their 2 daughters, aged 12 and 14, whom they had been homeschooling. In fact, the main reason that they homeschooled was so they could travel more during the school year.

They called it The Ultimate Field Trip and got to view platypuses, koalas and kangaroos in the wilds of Australia, and hiked miles to see seals on the beaches of New Zealand. They learned a lot of history in the temples of SE Asia, where they got to pet wild tigers, and the cathedrals and castles of Europe. They read The Odyssey while cruising on Greek ferry boats, and worked on the Pythagorean Theorem while cruising from the Isle of Samos – which was the home of Pythagoras. If they had a chance to go again, they certainly would!

Want to attend the St. Louis event?

Rick Storey
The # 1 goal on Rick’s Bucket List was to travel the world for a year with his wife and three young children. They traveled to 36 countries in 11 months and returned a happier and closer family. Rick was between careers and his wife took a career break. They even coordinated schooling in two languages for their children.

Rick will share some of his adventures and experience, and answer your questions. He says: “the great news, it’s a lot easier than you may think!

Want to attend the Toronto event?

Kinnari Patel
Kinnari graduated from the University of Maryland in Physiology/Neurobiology. Before beginning med school, she took a year off to visit India, her homeland. This led to a decision not to pursue medicine and instead she went on to work in Internet technology for almost 10 years, for companies such as Marriott and Conde Nast Publications.

After surviving the rat race in NYC and the economic downturn in 2008 she left to travel the world. On her journey she explored Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Boliva, Chile. She also spent a month in Nepal volunteering at an orphanage and traveling through Tibet. She lives a spiritual life, practicing meditation and yoga, and believes in self realization and making life choices that fulfill your own personal truth.

Currently, Kinnari is the owner of Be Healthy Vending, a company that provides natural, healthy food options to schools and gyms in the DC metro area, a cause she is very proud of. And, as always, she continues to realize her bliss.

Want to attend the Washington DC event?

Check out all of our 17 event locations on October 18th!

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MPG Panelists – Inspiration Part 1
Monday, October 10th, 2011

We love sharing career breakers stories to help inspire your own career break.  And with our upcoming event, we are so impressed and inspired ourselves by our 70+ panelists. So we thought we would share some of their stories and hopefully you will find yourself close to one of their cities to meet them in person.

Angela Petitt

“If not now, when?” Unable to shake the nagging desire to travel and live life to the fullest, Angela took a step of faith and quit her corporate IT job in August 2009 to go on sabbatical. In spite of being in the throes of the recession, she decided that she would rather take a chance on her dreams to see the world instead of continuing on in the ordinary daily grind. When she made the decision, Angela really had no clue what was next. But, a few days after her last day at work, she was on a plane to Italy! From that point on, she found herself on a different adventure every month!

Angela’s sabbatical has enabled her to enjoy new experiences such as playing golf, horseback riding, flying a small airplane, climbing the Great Wall in China, narrowly escaping the earthquake in Japan, zip lining in Cabo, cave diving in Punta Cana, and freezing with bone-chilling temperatures in Siberia. She has also traveled to Egypt, Israel, Greece, Colombia, Nicaragua, Germany, Turkey, Panama, and many other amazing destinations.

The adventure continues as she is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership…but the travel definitely continues. When not traveling, Angela makes her home in Houston, Texas.

Website: Sabbatical Scapes | Twitter: @angelwings1723

Want to attend the Austin event?

Janet RileyJanet Riley

Janet is just returning from a career break year. Following a layoff from her programming job, Janet accepted a volunteer position at a children’s hospital in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Janet spent eight months working on a software project, and missed one of the snowiest Boston winters in memory. When not working, she visited Phnom Pehn, got her scuba certification in Sihanoukville, and visited Bangkok with other expats.

Shortly before leaving for Cambodia in September, Janet attended the first Meet, Plan, Go! in Boston. She entered the MPG raffle, and won the Conversation Corps prize donated by 2010 sponsor GeoVisions. The Conversation Corps program focuses on cultural exchange through English conversation practice with a host family. On the way home from Cambodia in June, Janet stayed with a family in Lyon, France. In addition to conversation practice, Janet got to attend a wedding, visit a first grade class, meet the family’s friends and relatives, and watch and discuss the fine points of the Simpsons, It was an invaluable chance to learn French and experience everyday life in another culture.

Website: Janet Riley

Want to attend the Boston event?

Keith Savage

Keith spent nearly eight years as a writer at a high-tech electronic medical health software company before trading it in for a shot at his passions: travel and writing. Though married and saddled with a mortgage, Keith and his wife Sarah refused to give up his professional happiness and plotted a course to make a new lifestyle work. After more than a year of strict budgets and hardcore saving, Keith was ready to take the plunge.

Since November 2010, Keith has spent one month in Argentina and two months in Scotland under the moniker Traveling Savage, where he blogs. Currently, Keith spends 3-4 months each year traveling around Scotland searching for the perfect dram of whisky and those unexpected liminal moments of transcendence. Otherwise, you can usually find him in Madison, Wisconsin catching up on his writing and enjoying a green smoothie.

Website: Traveling Savage | Twitter: @TravelingSavage

Want to attend the Chicago event?

Jim & Wendy PearsonJim and Wendy Pearson

Jim and Wendy have been intrepid travelers since they married in 1997. A motorcycle adventurer at heart, Jim’s dual-sport escapades have taken him across Alaska, Central America and even the Australian outback. Wendy’s less dusty travels have landed her in place as diverse as Russia and Manila, Brazil and Singapore. Together and apart they’ve traveled the Americas and beyond, but each time with one pesky restriction: two week trip maximums.

After many years of feeling of being held hostage by their lifestyle of “live to work, work to live,” they decided to make a change. In November 2011, Jim and Wendy are leaving corporate America and embarking on a three-year around the world trip by road. They are packing up their 2006 Ford F550 camper, giving away all their belongings, renting out their house and taking their marketable skills on the road with their dog Neva. Not sure what they will find, they are taking stock in the fact that whatever it is will bring them happiness and growth.

Website: Global Road Trekker | Twitter: RoadTrekker

Want to attend the Denver event?

Diana Edelman

In 2010, Diana decided she needed a change. She was no longer satisfied with her career in public relations, she had always dreamed of traveling the world so, on March 7, 2010, that is exactly what she did. Diana put her belongings in storage, drove her car back to Maryland and parked it in her parent’s drive, strapped her backpack on, and headed over to Europe and Africa. For seven months, she backpacked solo, writing about her adventures on her blog, D Travels Round.

When she returned, she relocated to her former home, Las Vegas, and accepted a position with MCC Hospitality Group as the Director of Communications for the company’s many restaurants in Las Vegas and LA. She still writes for her blog and is also a contributing travel writer for OneTravel.com.

Website: D Travels Round | Twitter: @dtravelsround

Want to attend the Las Vegas event?

Doris Gallan and Jacob Frank

Doris and Jacob quit the rat race in 2006 to pursue their life-long passion of traveling. The two left their corporate jobs, sold their Los Angeles-area home and everything they owned to travel the world for five continuous years. The couple went around the world twice, visiting all seven continents and 50+ countries.

The first ’round-the-world trip lasted 26 months, spread through 42 countries on six continents (including Antarctica), and used up three backpacks. The second RTW voyage was less ambitious: a dozen countries on three continents over two and a half years. The much slower pace was due to the decision to live nine months in Mexico, six in Costa Rica, and a year in China where Doris wrote books while Jacob taught English as a foreign language.

Website: Baby Boomers Traveling | Twitter: @boomertraveling

Want to attend the Los Angeles event?

Check out all of our 17 event locations on October 18th!

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If Not Now…When?
Monday, September 12th, 2011

In 2004 I discovered an idea for an extended international trip that had me totally entranced. At the same time, I learned that when you ask a question and are serious about finding the answer, the universe complies.

I came on the topic of volunteer travel from an article entitled VIRTUOUS VACATIONS. As an avid volunteer and international traveler, it sounded like a perfect fit for me. The dilemma was I had no idea how to do it. As I focused on the trip, a little voice in my head kept chanting “if not now, when?”

When taking a class – Volunteer Vacations – Traveling on Purpose at Colorado Free University, I MET someone who had some of the answers. Next I began reading Transitions Abroad, a magazine about living, teaching, and volunteering abroad. Then I attended a local Earthwatch event about international volunteering. Now it was time to narrow down my options and figure out how to pay for it.

By the end of the year, I received a legacy of money that would allow me to make my volunteer trip a reality. I selected three “must-do” projects, but ended up adding nine more for an even dozen for my yearlong trip around the world. As a single woman in my mid-40’s, I had some trepidations, but I kept hearing, “if not now, when?”

During my PLANning year of 2005, I went from exhilaration to sweat-inducing fear. I wisely enlisted four people who kept me grounded and on task. When I spiraled into panic, they simply said, “Oh no! I see you out there. Will you just leave already so you can come back and tell us what it was like?” I was nervous but committed, and it benefited me to be organized. A planner at heart, I would just tick things off my to do list as I moved closer to departure.

What was it like to GO round the world for one year as a volunteer? Absolutely fantastic! The main reason my 2006-year abroad was such a success is I picked countries, locations and projects that I could not wait to experience. I chose seven species of wildlife that I had seen and I learned a lot about them and myself. A wombat named Wiggles taught me to appreciate the unexpected. From a baboon named Nigel, I was reminded to be myself always. Purdy, a timid yet lovely giraffe, showed me the benefits of patience and quietness.

In addition to animals, I did things I never dreamed I could do including archaeology and working with the Red Cross. Lastly, I was privileged to experience the joy and wonder of meeting and working with orphans, school children, and over 100 volunteers from other nations.

Your goal may not be to volunteer around the world. But for your sabbatical, these three questions still apply:

WHAT DO I WANT TO DO ON MY SABBATICAL?
WHERE CAN I DO IT?
IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

After her volunteer sabbatical, Jane Stanfield was inspired to help others plan their own. She wrote the workbook “Mapping Your Volunteer Vacation” and offers consulting services. She is also the host of Meet, Plan, Go! Denver.

Join Jane on September 20 for a local meetup with a special presentation on traveling with pets.  And get your ticket to the October 18 event now!

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Consulting to Pay for Long-Term Travel
Monday, August 15th, 2011

Don’t think you have the funds to take off and travel the world? Feel like you are chained to your job for financial stability? Consulting could be the answer to both of those concerns.Kristin Zibell, the author and editor of Take Your Big Trip, a web site dedicated to helping would-be travelers live their travel dreams, shares how she made consulting pay for her travels and how you can too. She can also be found on Twitter at @takeyourbigtrip.

kristin zibell
My career break to travel wasn’t planned, but once started, it lasted two years and took me to 16 countries across four continents. I’m not independently wealthy, nor have some secret to blogging success that others haven’t figured out. Instead, I used 10 years of professional experience to sell myself into short-term consulting gigs during an economic downturn and pay for long-term trips to India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

My first big trip developed because I needed a life break as the result of a divorce. I decided to leave, among other things, my excellent post-MBA job and take some time off to travel to India. When I returned a few months later to a very cold Midwest winter, the only answer I had to the endless “what now?” questions was “All I want to do is travel again.” Where? Egypt. How long? As long as I can.

Initially, the hardest question for this security-minded Midwesterner was, “how do I pay for it?” Consulting proved to be the answer. This article contains a few tips I learned along the way to help those considering a career break to travel understand how to use consulting as a way to pay for it.

Believe in Yourself

Believe that you can do it – traveling for as long as you want AND paying for it. There may be a fear that no one will hire you if you’re a traveler or have a flight plan. This fear is extraneous for educated professionals with years of experience – most have sellable skills and wide networks ready to mine for consulting opportunities.

In winter 2009 – when the Dow Index started with a “6” – I believed I could find a job to pay for my next big trip and strove to do so. Several recruiters called for lucrative positions in Arkansas and Texas, promising full-time, permanent employment in “this economy.” But I politely declined their offers, believing I was meant to travel.

Showcase the Skills You Can Sell

As a consultant, thy name is the brand and thy resume, portfolio, and interviews the marketing. Potential clients want to know that you can step in with a professional demeanor, take charge when the way is unclear, and deliver effectively to the short and longer-term project goals. In addition to technical skills or an industrial focus, a consultant’s resume is succinct and showcases leadership and results.

My resume always includes a summary to hit the technical and industry experience and then shows actual results as evidence of my experience and expertise. In interviews, my stories elaborate on the results delivered and skills needed following a succinct STAR format: Situation, Tasks, Actions, and Results. My portfolio has a few key examples that illustrate my most successful or applicable projects. Even if there wasn’t a fit, agencies and recruiters were happy to connect me with other opportunities because I showcased well.

Get Creative

Consulting jobs are typically by word of mouth or through staffing agencies. I did not know this when I first started, so I applied for full-time jobs where I had the skills and experience. After getting an HR recruiter or hiring manager on the phone, I listened to their needs. Then, I would explain what I was looking for: a consulting or contract position and could step in immediately on their projects. Then, I’d shape the conversation to tell them what I could do for them in the immediate future. My creativity paid off during the depressed economy when companies had work, but little desire to add overhead.

Honestly, Ask for What You Want

When there’s a good job available that doesn’t meet your exact needs on travel timing or budget, it’s easy to acquiesce or stay silent in fear that something else may not come along. This is a false belief. Recruiters and interviewers will ask, “What do you want?” Stating that you’re looking for a short-term consulting position in your area of expertise to help you travel long-term is okay and honest. No one reacted negatively when I shared my plans. In fact, the travel aspect was attractive and made me more memorable as a candidate. Staying true to your desires in the details is important too. Ask for what you want in pay, location, expenses, and timing. Overall, remember that you are meant to travel and believe, “this or something better” when looking at offers.

By reading this article and reviewing this web site, you’re already on the path to long-term travel. Realizing that you can use the professional skills you’ve spent your career developing to pay for your travel dreams is the next step. Good luck!

Additional Resources:
Create Your Travel Vision
Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself

Kristen is on our San Francisco panel for our October 18th event. Come and be inspired by her and the rest of our kick-ass panelists!

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The Anticipation of a RTW Trip
Monday, July 18th, 2011

It’s common to experience a variety of emotions in the weeks leading up to your career break departure date. In the two weeks before Val Bromann departed on her career break, she still didn’t feel like it was her trip that she was about to depart on. She shares with us the emotions that she experienced before departing earlier this month. You can follow along on her journey on her personal blog www.valbromann.com and also on Twitter: @sillyamerica – Val also writes about roadside attractions at Silly America.

Venice, ItalyTwo Weeks to Go

People keep telling me that Berlin has good currywurst. A fact that would appeal to me if only I enjoyed eating sausage. Besides that, I don’t know anything to do or see or eat in Berlin.

When, in February, I booked a plane ticket there I figured that I had plenty of time to sort such things out. But now it’s June and I’m leaving in two weeks and have hardly picked up a guidebook. Life happened, work happened, extreme procrastination that haunted me throughout 20 years of school happened.

And I now have two more weeks to figure out everything I’m going to be doing for the next year. Berlin is just the first stop of many, each I’m less prepared for than the last.

The idea of taking a round the world trip had been buzzing in my head for years. I’m not sure how, exactly, it got there. In grad school I took a travel writing class and while everyone else was talking about backpacking Europe or living in Mongolia, I wrote about taking a Greyhound from Chicago to Milwaukee. A few years back while on a three-week European vacation a friend mentioned how he’d heard of people traveling for a year on a round the world ticket and was contemplating doing it some day. In both of those instances I thought to myself “I could never do that.” I don’t know what happened that changed my mind, although I’m still not sure anything actually did. I’m still not convinced that indefinite travel is something I am capable of doing. But I suppose I’m going to find out.

Over a year ago I decided that in July of this summer I would leave my job to backpack through Europe. I would see the world and go to all the places I never thought I’d go. I ended up choosing Berlin as my first stop simply because it was the cheapest one-way ticket I could find.

It still doesn’t feel like I’m the one taking this trip. Like I quit my job and in a weeks time will never have to go back to the opera house where I worked for the last four and a half years. Like I booked a one-way ticket to Europe with no itinerary, no exact timeframe, no end date. It doesn’t feel like in two weeks time my whole life will be turned upside down and I’ll be living nomadically with only the things that can fit in my backpack.

Someone with a whole lot more courage than I have is taking this trip. Someone who isn’t shy and socially awkward is taking this trip. Someone who can read a map is taking this trip. I’m just watching it unfold.

Paris, FranceI still haven’t gotten to the point I normally do before a vacation where I’m crying and cursing for forcing myself to leave the comforts of my home. I’m not shaking and suffering insomnia and rationalizing reasons for me to cancel.

I suspect that will come in about a week and a half.

I’m still reminding myself that I’ve made no commitment other than to go to Berlin. I can come back home after a week and buy a condo and never leave it. I’m still reminding myself that since I’ve made no plans I don’t have to go to Asia. I don’t have to go to Poland. I can make my way from Berlin to London if I want and spend my days in a place where I can at least mostly understand what people are saying. Though, I do have a fear that I’m going to get to Berlin and never leave. Not because I’ll fall in love with the city but because I’ll never figure out how to buy a train ticket out of there.

I see a few all-nighters in the coming weeks as I desperately try to cram for what to do in Europe. I see many tears and some absolute refusal. I see feigning illness. I see calling my old roommate and telling her “never mind I’m staying.” I see telling my boss “oh you thought I was serious about quitting?”

Every time I prepare to travel I panic and cry and decide that I no longer want to go. But every time I return from travel I feel calm and rejuvenated and just plain happy.

So I’ll have to push back all those tears and all those excuses and force myself on that plane to Germany. Because I also see, in my next year of travel, adventure, art museums, cafes, monuments, new friends, wine, and maybe even some currywurst.

Val is a member of our Basic Training community, an efficient and supportive way to plan your extended travel. Need support to help turn your career break dreams into reality? Check out Career Break Basic Training.

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Supporting a Career Break Dream
Monday, June 20th, 2011

A Career Break Three Years in the Making

Kim and her husband Brian are planning an around the world trip in 2012. They’re currently in the process of planning, packing and preparing to see the world. You can follow their journey on their website So Many Places, Twitter @rtwsomanyplaces, or Facebook.

I’ve followed a very traditional career path. I graduated college and spent a year as an AmeriCorps volunteer before landing my first job in 2004. I moved across the country and settled in Portland, Oregon where I began climbing the ladder in my field. In 2006 I changed employers. In 2008 I changed again. With each new job I acquired a larger salary and more impressive title.

In March of 2008 my husband Brian and I were hiking in the Oregon backcountry. It had been a long, gray, Pacific Northwest winter and we were feeling disillusioned and unsatisfied. As we hiked we discussed a big, looming life question “Isn’t there more to life than this?”

Kim and Brian
I had become increasingly disillusioned with my job. I longed for freedom and creativity and adventure. I was making more money than I ever had before but I had no control over my own time.

I had always dreamed of traveling the world but never had the means to do it. As we hiked I slowly realized that if Brian and I were diligent about saving money we could use that money to travel long-term. In the middle of the Oregon forest I posed two questions to Brian:

“Why are we working like this if we aren’t happy? What if we quit our jobs and traveled the world?”

It took two years for that initial conversation to turn into a real plan. During those two years I realized that fulfilling my desire to travel was more than just a crazy idea, it was a critical part of who I longed to become.

Kim and BrianI had to approach the topic with Brian again and this time it wasn’t just a philosophical “what if?” I wondered, what will Brian think? And I also wondered, what will I do if Brian says no?

It took some time but in the end Brian was supportive of my dream. He wrote a post about his experience called Coming to Terms with Life Change. We are now planning and saving towards long-term travel and we hope to leave on our adventure sometime in early 2012.

When Brian and I were married we vowed that we would support each other’s dreams. We had no idea that my dream would lead our lives in this direction. I’m grateful that Brian chose to support my dream and I hope that someday I can support his dream too.

Above all else, I hope that the experience of traveling the world will open new doors for us and introduce us to opportunities we would not have otherwise. I hope that traveling the world will allow us to build new dreams together.

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