Reflecting On Our Six-Month Anniversary

It has been six months since we launched Briefcase to Backpack into the world and it’s been great to see and hear people’s reactions to the site. It especially made all of the work and passion we put into building it the year beforehand so worth it!

Ironically, we launched at a time when the economy took a nose-dive, so many people expected us to find a large audience of unemployed individuals looking to travel – but it’s been just the opposite. Everyone we’ve encountered who are planning or have started a career break are people who willingly left their jobs to follow this dream. And we are happy to be that support system for them when others told them they were crazy.

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We also knew that there were other Americans who were passionate about travel yet we never realized how many career breakers already existed until we launched the site. So it’s been reassuring to know that there are other like-minded people out there who are very supportive of our efforts. They have been a great resource not just for sharing information with our readers, but sharing the mission of Briefcase to Backpack with their loyal followers.

Here are some of the long-term travelers that we have been inspired by.

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It’s also Sherry Ott’s three-year anniversary of her career break! She left the cubicles of the IT world in 2006 and after 16-months of travel hasn’t looked back. She is now finishing up a year of teaching English in Vietnam and looking forward to what the world will bring her way. Read about her “Daring Tales of Corporate Escape”.

We have been thrilled with the people and travel resources we’ve connected with to bring you the best advice out there when planning your career break travel. And moving forward, we are also connecting with career experts and advisors to help enrich our Contemplating and Re-Entry sections. We look forward to working with these individuals and companies to help guide you through the process of leaving your job and making the steps necessary to redefining your career goals upon your return.

As Briefcase to Backpack continues to evolve, we have added some new features:

  • Editorial Calendar – we will be featuring at least two posts a week on a revolving schedule so all categories are covered! If you have something you’d like to share, please let us know. The best feedback we get is about other people’s stories!
  • Advertising & Sponsorship Opportunities – we will be actively seeking advertisers and sponsors that will interest our followers and help bring BtoB to new levels.
  • YouTube Channel – a place where followers can view our videos and those of other career breakers. Show us what you’ve got!

We are excited about the future of Briefcase to Backpack and the growing acceptance of career breaks in America. Thanks for coming along on the journey and let us know where you’d like to see us go!



Other comments

3 Comments on "Reflecting On Our Six-Month Anniversary"

  1. Chris on Mon, 31st Aug 2009 11:53 am 

    6 months ALREADY?!?!? Goodness, congratulations!! Keep it up, really like the site.

  2. Dave on Tue, 1st Sep 2009 1:17 pm 

    So glad you’re building this blog and community – I think some professional support on re-entry is much needed! Or at least some encouragement. Ok, maybe just a place to commiserate with others who have just returned from their dream trip. 🙂

    Keep up the great work!

  3. Nora on Wed, 2nd Sep 2009 9:13 pm 

    Congratulations on your six-month anniversary! It will get easier and easier with time (and traffic). And thanks for the link to my Motivation for Long-Term Travel article on Transitions Abroad! Cheers…

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