Posts Tagged ‘contemplation’

Take the First Step: Attend Meet, Plan, Go!
Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

Austin | Boston | Chicago | Minneapolis | New York City

San Diego | San Francisco | Seattle | South Florida | Toronto

Tickets on sale now!

On October 16, 2012, we will be hosting our third annual nationwide event in 10 cities to inspire people to fulfill their career break and long-term travel dreams – and you can get your tickets now!

For less than the cost of a movie and popcorn – just $20 – you can take the first step toward making your travel dreams a reality!

The event will offer participants the opportunity to MEET inspirational speakers and like-minded travelers; get motivation, contacts and resources necessary to PLAN the trip of a lifetime; and start taking concrete steps forward to GO on that global adventure.

Because we live in a society that doesn’t find value in taking time off, we wanted to create a community for people who want to break out of the norm and travel for an extended period of time,” says co-founder Sherry Ott. “This is the only seminar out there designed for people who are looking to do long term independent travel.”

Every event will feature individuals and travel experts who have fulfilled their own world travel dreams. Speakers will address the main concerns that prevent people from taking a career break, usually centered around financial, career-related, societal, and safety concerns.

What You Get

Breakout sessions will focus on various aspects of long term travel planning such as:


? Preparation checklists
? Packing tips
? Saving money
? How to find volunteer opportunities
? Planning a purposeful itinerary
? Choosing the right insurance, and
? How to find local experiences when you travel.

Each attendee will leave with a wealth of travel information, plus:


? Getting Rid Of It e-book – kickstart your career break planning with this e-book from Warren and Betsy Talbot!  In 2008 Warren and Betsy put their decluttering and downsizing skills to the ultimate test: Getting rid of everything to travel around the world. How much travel could your junk buy you? Only one way to find out!


? Electronic Goody Bag full of special discounts and promotions from our sponsors which will help you plan your career break travels.


? The chance to win a trip for 2 to Turkey from our sponsor, Intrepid Travel.

Stay tuned as we will be announcing more giveaways and surprises soon!

What People Are Saying

Over 1,000 people attended last year’s event – 40% of whom were in a trip planning stage pre-event. In a post-event survey, that number rose to 54%.


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.” – 2011 Chicago attendee

We were given insightful, honest and practical information from caring, professional travelers who know the ins and outs of long-term travel.” – 2011 Toronto attendee

Phenomenal panels, sponsors and just an all-round great time. Instant inspiration!” – 2011 New York attendee

 

We want career breaks to be more acceptable in America,” says Ott. “In fact, it is our goal to see a career break on every resume. And with the support of our 10 inspiring hosts, their panelists, and our sponsors, including Intrepid Travel, Insure My Trip, BootsnAll, and International TEFL Academy we are making great inroads to achieving that goal.”

Courage Versus Money
Monday, June 18th, 2012

“Viajar nunca e uma questão de dinheiro, mas de coragem.”

This line comes from the book O Aleph by Paulo Coelho and when translated into English it means [t]ravel is never a question of money, but of courage.”

Reading that quote got me thinking – while I love what it says, is it truly accurate? If you do not have a penny to your name, would you still be able to go off and see the world (or even the next town down the road) fueled simply by your courage alone? It is doubtful that you would be able to walk up to the Virgin Atlantic counter at LAX and secure a flight to Europe with nothing but a smile, but if you have the courage to get out there and take chances, you just might figure out a way to make your travel dreams a reality.

Having courage allows (or maybe forces) you to be creative and find solutions to life dilemmas.  You want to travel but don’t have enough cash? You could sit at home and click through someone’s Pinterest travel board without having to muster up any courage at all.  But chances are you won’t be seeing the Eiffel Tower in person any time soon. Or you could take action and figure something out that gives you a better chance of ending up in a new country.

You could offer to fly as a courier transporting someone else’s belongings in exchange for a plane ticket. Or find a volunteer position overseas that would cover the cost of your transport to that country. You could embark on a hard core savings plan to afford a ticket to the city of your dreams and trust that you’ll figure out the rest once you step out of the airport. I often think of that scene from Titanic where Jack, with barely a pence in his pocket, wins a card game getting him a ticket to board a fancy (although doomed) ocean liner. If he sat at home and thought “I have no money to go out and travel so I’m not even going to try,” yes, he’d still be alive but with a lot less adventure in his life (and isn’t that what life is all about?).

I believe Paulo Coelho’s quote really applies to those of us “in the middle” financially. People who have at least some money and who are able to decide how to spend it. The truth is that I DO have some money (and some frequent flyer points) but I have chosen to use it on things like rent, shopping, car payments and eating out with friends.

As passionate as I am about travel, I really could make up my mind to sell my things on Craig’s List, give up my apartment and use my rent money to buy a plane ticket. And once I’m there, what would I do to pay for transportation, food, clothes, medical expenses and accommodations in my new city? Would I take a job, rely on the kindness of strangers or perhaps rob and steal to get what I needed or wanted?

If travel is something you really want to do, you CAN do it. You just must accept that other areas of your life will change, and that it is okay that they do. You will have to let go of your current lifestyle, and that, as Mr. Coelho says, takes courage.

Nailah Hayward is a recent corporate escapee who, not long after writing this article, took her advice to heart and worked up the courage to quit her job to embark on her second round the world trip while exploring new career options outside the cubicle. You can follow her travels and her trips outside her comfort zone on www.theressomuchtosee.com.

Career Break Guide Table of Contents

Meet Plan Go