Sabbaticals and career breaks continue to make big news (if you look in the right places).  Moreover, the definitions keep expanding—for better or worse—to include everything from two-days of tax-free shopping to checking into treatment for the umpteenth time.  Serious students of Sabbatical Theory should consider:

• The “Snap Year.” Brits have forever provided the world’s best role modeling for taking a “gap year.”  Youth strap on the backpack—and BreakAway—to see the world, celebrate graduation, and delay career commencement.  The number of volunteer heroes has plummeted, though, as has the time period set aside to wander.  Snap year?  My bum!  This most dreadful news.

• The Annual Tax Sabbatical. This break lasts only two days—an absurdly short sabbatical by any measure.  Still, whenever you give people a haitus from taxes, they get giddier than Tea Party fanatics at a Michelle Bachman rally.  So whatever you call it, a welcome sabbatical it is!

• The Addiction Career Break. Melanie Griffith is pushing spin-dry.  Again.  We wish the best for Melanie, of course.  But really now, how come all that a celeb has to do to get a “career break” is relapse into addiction?  The rest of us would be shipped off to “rehab.”  No, no, no!

• The Un-digital Sabbatical. Once again, someone smart has been studying this site and taken our advice not only to BreakAway, but to do so sans digitalia.  In this case, our follower shall also pursue much unplugged meditation.  While impressive, it does beg the question:  Why do so many people who do this feel the need to tell all about it on the internets?

• The Pirate Break. After a summer of untellable pillaging, high-end parenting, and stormy weather, this BreakAway advocate has snuck away to Okoboji—a neverneverland where pirates rule the day and few other rules apply.  We all need a few places that provide such good booty and revelry.  Happy sails!

In late May, an email arrived with the poignant header, “The Break is Over.”  But next came the good news: “The trip exceeded all expectations (and I had high expectations going in).” Could you ask for more?  Sure:  “Now I just have to figure out how we can do it again!”

Welcome home, Dan Woychick and family.  As we reported in October, Dan ditched his thriving Minneapolis design business, embraced the challenge of home schooling, and flew off into a career break featuring an ambitious Euro itinerary—including the Cinque Terre in Italy, as seen in this photo.

One can only hope Dan found much time to relax because—sheesh!—he sure created an impressive family blog and took time to share insights on his business blog.

But that’s the beauty of a career break:  You make time to do excactly what you want—and work on a mission of choice.  For family Woychick, it appears they hit for the cycle:  Relaxation; education; exploration; and illustration (drawing was of Dan’s personal goals).

Dan and fam made it back in time for summer—brilliant!  Here, Dan takes on the 11 questions every career breaker must answer upon returning to reality.

• Biggest getaway challenge

Initially, the biggest challenge may have been wrapping our arms around the trip planning – every day a new detail to add to the list, then each one splintering into little sub-problems to solve. Eventually we pieced together a workable travel itinerary thanks to a small group of trusted advisors and websites. One of the biggest challenges was deciding how to have enough reading material for three voracious readers. Solution? Two Kindles, plus leaving paperbacks as presents whenever and wherever they were finished by all.

• Grandest arrival

Arriving in Paris on a fine Spring evening and dining al fresco in the Marais district with our giddy boys. We floated home around midnight, slept in until 10:00, and the beignets, pain au chocolat, and incredibly fresh strawberries the next morning were a wonderful welcome to France.

• Favorite place

There were a lot of great moments and great days – most of them involve watching our boys having fun – but I don’t know that I could single one out. I’d like to return to England, Paris, Rome, Cinque Terre, and the Greek Islands, and visit lots of other places we didn’t get to on this trip.

• Logistical nightmare

We had some inconveniences, but I wouldn’t categorize any of them as nightmares.

An unspecified strike in Rome the day we were scheduled to arrive left us a few train stops short of Roma Termini station – with no idea where we were, why we were there, or how to get to our apartment.

Similarly, an announced strike in Greece had us reshuffling our plans. We switched from a two-hour ferry to Sifnos to a six-hour ferry and cut our stay in Athens by one day.

Beware the travel days!

• Most meaningful moment

On one of our last days on Sifnos, near the end of our trip, as the boys played in the surf and we enjoyed beverages from the beachside bar, I turned to Rebecca and said: “We did pretty good.” I was proud of what we had set out to do as a family. The trip exceeded expectations at every turn.

• Worst disaster

See the story of our lost day in a Paris train station as our overnight sleeper car to Florence never showed up.

• Serendipitous experience

On a day trip to London, after seeing the city from the London Eye, we wandered the banks of the Thames enjoying the street performers. Eli, our youngest son, was chosen by a Charlie Chaplin impersonator to become part of the act. The kid may have a future in show business! Here’s his story.

• Strangest encounter

The strangest – for Lucas, our ten-year-old – was when he decided to be adventurous and ordered a seafood platter that included some creatures that would have been better left in the sea. Most annoying? Pushy street vendors attempting to sell their wares while we tried to enjoy a meal in Rome.

• Requisite health dilemma

This was one of our worries, but about the worst we experienced were some blisters from walking so much in Florence.

• Profound take-away

This was the right thing to do at the right time for the right reasons. Many have described it as “the trip of a lifetime.” I hope not. I plan to keep on living – and taking trips. Whether going to Cub Foods or the Caribbean, just about any trip can be a worthwhile experience with the right attitude, a little good fortune, and the right companions.

• Re-entry vibe

The first few days back I saw Minneapolis with fresh eyes – I like my home and my home town! There’s maybe a little letdown in that there isn’t currently something big to aim toward, a sense of being neither here nor there, but I’m sure we’ll dream up something.

Thanks to the miracle of Google Alerts, tracking Sabbatical news is a cinch.  Or is it?  Those incoming info-blips can hit the inbox like a hailstorm—and many supposedly relevant links have nothing to do with actual faraway fantasies.  So sometimes a Sabbatical Editor is in order.

That’s where BreakAway comes in.  Our Editorial Board has assigned one writer and five interns to monitor the situation and create a series.  Today, in Installment 1, we learn about three Sabbaticals in the News.

• #1:  Miss Britt’s family hits the road

StrollerDerby, a savvy and sassy parenting blog, recently reported that Blogger Miss Britt and her family are running away to look for America.  In a 24-foot RV.  For one year!  They’ll be home schooling, shunning schedules, enjoying lots of recess, and taking their time while they still can.

As Miss Britt so sagely states,

I could die.  Any day.  Not because I’m sick but because that’s just the way life works.”

• #2:  Kiwi rugby stud flies to France

If you’re looking for the perfect career-break place, look no further than New Zealand.  Our first family sabbatical took us around the world with a two-month stopover exploring the Kiwi coasts.  A gentle-bloke who had once played for NZ’s beloved rugby team, the All Blacks, took me fishing one day.

So naturally, I picked a NZ pic for this post.  And naturally, this NZTV story caught my eye.

Dan Carter plays for the All Blacks, just signed a mega-million dollar contract, wisely took less money to stay in NZ, and couldn’t be happier.  Oops!  Oh yes, he could.  He needs a Sabbatical—before settling down with all those Kiwi dollars and rugby balls!

So he’s off to France.  Good on ya, mate!

• #3:  (Bear) market maven takes the money…and runs!

CNN.com reports that a really, really rich guy stepped away from his trading desk—where he had made great returns even during the prolonged bear market—and did some cool stuff.  Now he’s back at work.

But there’s even worse news:  He believes America faces another severe financial crisis by 2018—due to government debt.  So if you’re worried about your financial future, DO NOT read this story.  If you long for a BreakAway of your own, well, hurry up and make it happen before the fiscal future gets ugly.

This particular sabbatical alert story barely mentions the word, and instead tells us all about what one Robert Rodriguez thinks of the current investing climate—which ain’t much. Still, our hats go off to this obviously lucky man, who…

traveled the globe, read about the fall of Rome, and indulged in his car-racing hobby.”

So what’s next?  Will Lindsay Lohan take a break between rehabs?  Can some preacher man abandon his pulpit to satisfy a seven-year itch?  Will the Iowa legislature really pass laws limiting the Univerity of Iowa’s Sabbatical budget?

Stay tuned.  Because there are ALWAYS more Sabbaticals…in the News.

These days “career breaks” are getting the link love and lingo buzz.  But Sabbaticals haven’t gone away; they just quietly continue to let fortunate workers leave the building. For a while. One such lucky duck, Rita Foley, has had four—and wrote this triumphant article that does a superb job of summing up the benefits, including these big 5…

• Creativity increases.

“I have granted sabbaticals to my employees, and I have seen the rise in creativity and benefits for customers and the corporation.”

• Energy re-emerges.

“More than 100 companies that offer formal sabbatical programs have close to 100 percent of the sabbatical-takers returning to the company with a higher level of engagement, loyalty, motivation and appreciation for their employer.”

• Employees need a tuneup.

“We tune up our PCs, cars and home heaters.  Why not encourage our people to give their minds and spirits a tuneup?”

• It’s a good retention investment.

“The cost of hiring and training a new employee can be 1.5 times a departing worker’s salary.”

• Collaboration happens.

“It is a chance to evaluate the potential of employees who stand in for others in a real, not hypothetical, situation.  Sabbaticals promote teamwork and better decision-making.”

In conclusion, Ms. Foley reminds us that 20% of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work for offer fully paid Sabbaticals.  One of them is Intel, and they’re doing pretty okay.

While some of us might love to work for one of those firms—theoretically—the advantages of taking breaks hold up whether you work for Intel, Molly’s Quilting Boutique, or yourself.

Life is short.  Work is long.  The challenge—and solution—to running a successful career marathon is to stretch, breathe deep, and take a break now and then.

Career break travel isn’t always postcards and peak moments.  Last week, for example, one couple’s  sabbatical got rocked by a deadly earthquake. Ouch!  Imagine enjoying the legendary beauty of Christchurch, New Zealand, only to see your dream become a catastrophe.

I spent more than two months of glorious Sabbatical time in New Zealand, so this story really popped out at me.  Then, when it turned out that the couple was from Estherville, Iowa, the experience felt even closer to home.  I still vacation near there—and love a certain roadhouse, golf course, and winery on the outskirts of town.

• Riding the quake out

Fortunately, our BreakAway couple is fine and aim to finish their time in NZ.  That takes some courage, but they’ll also take home some inspiring stories and images from amid the rubble.

They aren’t going to let a little earthquake ruin their sabbatical.”

That’s the risk you take when you leave your home and comfort zone.  Dreams have no guarantees.  And while my breaks have been pretty lucky—nothing more earth-shattering than a head concussion and the occasional jellyfish sting—travel can be treacherous.  Then again, so can staying home.

One mantra of this site is, “You can go home again.”  Many people would.  So high-fives to Travis and Carolyn Ridout for riding the quake out.

Scholars and slackers worldwide continue to debate what, exactly, constitutes a BreakAway.  So some of us fervently continue the research.  Does one measly week in Mazatlan qualify?  Possibly.  After all, a guy has broken away from the fam and fray.  Yet one week smells suspiciously like vakay.

But we’re supposed to love the questions, right?  Well then, let’s revisit some basic BreakAway theory and see how this trip stacks up.

Mazatlan Faces the BreakAway Basics Litmus Test

Did I go far away?

Maz Mex certainly is all news to me, since I’ve never biked their long Malecon or meandered their magical old town.  Yet Mexico is familiar like an old sombero.  And while worlds away, the flight from MSP sneaks here in four hours.  Hmmm…

Is there time for both solo and social?

A sweet suite with a deck view of early Paradise makes some ME time a no-brainer.  Yet I’m here to get crazy over turning 50 with two lifelong friends—one a Malibu entertainment attorney who hangs with the stars, and the other the ultimate free spirit who hangs from them.  Hmmm…

Did I travel light yet log the journey?

When escaping the January grind, can one leave it all behind?  Perhaps:  The iPhone rarely rings; the emails stay in their box; and the catamaran adventure to an island requires only shades and watershoes.  Yet here I am, working (?) on my MacBook Pro and downloading digital pics.  Hmmm…

Can I keep it edgy but keep it smooth?

Travel promises adventure—and one may ride into more when racing dilipidated bikes down steep streets, kayak–surfing waves through island rocks, and wandering foreign ‘hoods alone late.  Yet I’m soaking up hot tubs, beach feasts, and cerveza and sunshine.  Hmmm…

Will I stay on budget but forget about finance?

These experiences are, well, priceless.  You can’t buy belly laughs and heartfelt talks with old friends—or seeing the sun set into the Pacific seven times.  Yet budget-creep sneaks in like a scorpion, like when this Gringo overpaid a cabby 12-fold (my bad; his good karma).  Hmmm…

BreakAway Si?  Or No?  What’s Your Final Answer?

So in the end, deciding whether a quick, watery week meets the criteria challenges even the alleged experts.  On one hand, a bartender last night so enjoyed my enthusiasm for finally finding beer on tap that he kept refilling my glass (on the house).  What a metaphor!

On the other hand, I know that it can take a week to unwind.  And before you’ve really unpacked, you’re atop a tarmac and whisked back into your reality where larger piles await and nothing has changed—only you.

So si or no?  No se’.  (I don’t know.)  But of this much I am sure:  Deeper research is in order.

:  )

If you’re not busy this Wednesday, there’s a great gathering happening.  I’ll act as host with the most.  But the real reason to show up is to meet a real, true travel guru…my friend, Sherry Ott. 

We’ll be at Calhoun Square in Uptown, inside Chiang Mai Thai’s way cool private room, from 7 – 9p. Taps will be a mere $3 and wine $5. Food service will be available. And we’ll keep it informal; our guest will tell tales and lead the chat for the first half or so. And then we’ll just mingle and mix it up and sip as we see fit…

Sherry Ott is a world-class travel blogger, an uber-worldly traveler, and an expert on topics like going it alone or finding a travel mate, long-term stays, finding overseas employment, and making dreams come true on a budget.

Oh yes, she’s also a founder of Briefcase to Backpack. Host of Ottsworld. And of course, a creator of the recent 14-city career-break-fest, Meet Plan Go, which got written up in a Sunday New York Times story (“Making the Dream Trip a Reality.”)

She’s rarely in town, so don’t miss out!

RSVP if you can with via the official Twin Cities BreakAway Meetup site—or just drop in. 

If you have questions or need more info, let me know. Hope to see you there!

It’s hard to believe.  A week-plus has already gone by since I hosted the Minneapolis contingent of Meet Plan Go, the national meetup for career breaks.  As I sit and reflect, I’m stunned by the way days disappear, by how much time an event like this can suck up, and by the passionate attention the audience granted to my panelists and me. 

About 80 escape artists showed up to network and share stories, but mostly to listen.  While I had expected a happy-hour vibe, folks were pretty darn serious—though certainly stirred.  The travel fervor was palpable.  And all three panelists were touched by the sincerity—and range—of questions.

Now it’s “jobs, jobs, jobs”

Times have changed.  In past workshops, the dominant questions (and answers) were about money, money, money.  Now, it’s jobs, job, jobs.  This downturn has chipped away at people’s saving accounts and confidence.  Wanderlust lives on, but fear of coming home to no work makes for a tight leash. 

As one woman exclaimed:

Of course I long to go away for six months.  But come home and begin again? I’m 55!  Who’s hiring me?” 

A money man who’s got it and gets it

I’m honored to have shared the stage with Ross Levin—whose book “Spend Your Life Wisely” just hit Amazon last week.  Ross tells happy tales of his own months away, from the simple college-student phase through the raising his twin daughters (now seniors in high school). 

By anyone’s standards, Ross has earned super-success.  But he’s enjoyed it too, while never losing sight of what matters.

As he explained in his introduction—which also appears on page 1 of his new book:

In working with hundreds of people over the years, there has been very little relationship between owning stuff and happiness.” 

Indeed, while jobs and money played their appropriate role in the Meet Plan Go conversations, we three wise panelists had to admit that we manage to travel most when least employed—and that the uber-trekkers we know are typically not rich or career-driven. 

Life is travel; travel is Leif 

Leif (pronounced “Life”) Pettersen rounded out our panel, and our guests couldn’t get enough of him.  No surprise there:  Leif is not only that rare person who makes a living as a travel writer—including for Lonely Planet—but he got there the old-fashioned way.  Which is to say:  

He sold his house, his car, and all his things—and bought a one-way ticket across the pond.  For four and one-half years, he moved through 40 countries.  40!  And by the time he came back home to Minneapolis, he was again gainfully employed as a writer and blogger, and ready to settle down again.  Well, sorta. 

Folks were fascinated by his resume, stories, and wit.  In a roomful of journey fans, he’s a real rock star.  When asked about the difficulties of language barriers, Leif can reflect:

It’s just not a big deal.  You learn the words and phrases need to know as you go, and you can always communicate with sign language, smiles, and pictures.”

The after-party

Naturally, the two hours went too fast, just like a good vacation.  Though the night officially ended at 9, some of us hung out, sipped, and nibbled til nearly midnight.  In those hours, I realized, yet again, we are not alone—as people’s passport memories (and futures) poured out…

• The out-of-towners.  The first three enthusiasts to arrive not only came early, but from far away—as in Des Moines, Ames, and Green Bay. 
• The bright newbie.  One woman, just out of college and bursting with excitement, flies off to Thailand for her first big trip in December. 
• The Brazilian.  One happy camper reminisced about his three months in Brazil—where the poor but joyful lifestyle had him playing foosball daily in the streets. 
• The disaster reliever.  Another gentleman sees the U.S. by working for FEMA, staying in an RV, and then hanging on afterward in a nearby, fun place. 
• The Yogi.  An energetic 68-year-old woman could school us all; she lives here for half the year, and then moves to Mexico to teach yoga during the winter. 

To be continued…

These people are my heroes, our tribe, and the reason I keep tapping away on this topic and tap-dancing away on BreakAways when the spirit allows and moves me. 

My heartfelt thanks to these new friends, to Ross and Leif, and to the three high-energy women—Sherry, Michaela, and Tara—who made Meet Plan Go happen. 

Until we meet again, happy sails…

Thanks to a burst of online buzz, our Tuesday, 9-14 meetup has moved to bigger quarters.  We’re now at a HONEY of a place, in Minneapolis by Nye’s.  Time is still 7 – 9.  We’ve also added a truly great guest panelist, Ross Levin, one of the best financial planners ever, author, and brain behind the “Spend Your Life Wisely” column. 

We’re so pleased to have Ross join us.  Of course, he will answer questions and offer guidance about money—which is ALWAYS the #1 reason people don’t take BreakAways.  But even better, he also has many wise things to say about making your work for you (versus vice versa).  And reaching goals and dreams.  To wit:

Most of us already have the objects that we really need. Years from now, we will be talking about the family trips, not the living room couch. Be it a camping trip or a vacation to Europe, it is the experiences that stay with us.”

Check out this columm, for example.  He so gets it!  He’s also a great speaker, and jolly guy.

Hope to see you on September 14th.  Details are here!

Last Saturday I chatted on the radio with travel guru Rudy Maxa. The conversation went so well that he invited me back for more.

I’ll be on the air again THIS Sunday, August 29, around 4:10 CST.  The show takes place on CBS’ KFWB News Talk 980 in Los Angeles (and supposedly streams on the web).

Rudy says we’ll have about 7 minutes to tell tales and talk story about travels, sabbaticals and career breaks.

I’m also hoping to give listeners a heads up about the September 14 MeetPlanGo event. As you may or may not know, I’m hosting the Minneapolis MeetUp.

Find us!  Join us!