Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

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2Birds1Stone
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Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Looking for some insight from those of you who have either considered or pulled the trigger on something like this in the past, present, or future.

I'm currently 30 and my SO is 26.

We are considering taking a gap year (6-12 months) off of work to spend time with family in other parts of the world, travel to some places that require more than the traditional week long vacation, and gain some worldly perspective.

We are both working white collar jobs (software sales, recruiting) and currently have ~8X annual expenses saved/invested. We are targeting April 1 2020 for our adventure. By then we should have accumulated ~12-15X annual expenses. That will mark my 10 year anniversary in the Megacorp world, and almost 17 years of nearly non stop full time employment (started full time @ 14 running an ice cream shop).

There is a strong possibility I will be employed with my current employer when the time comes, and my SO's work situation is likely to change.

What are your thoughts on taking 6-12 months off @ 32/28 years old with about 12-15X annual expenses saved.

For what it's worth, we don't have kids and plan on staying DINKS indefinitely. Since we have a decent nest egg, working part time jobs while we get back into our respective industries is not a big stress.


From the Bogleheads who took these sorts of breaks, any recommendations, advice, or suggestions?
flyingaway
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by flyingaway »

Next Friday (12/15) is my last day of work, then I am out for an 8-month sabbatical leave. The main purpose of the leave is to see the world and be with my parents, and experience retirement life. I plan to visit as many places as possible, January in Mexico, February in China, Thailand, and Vietnam, March and April undecided yet, May-June in Peru, July-August in Europe.

As I said in other threads, I am having a hard time to decide if I should retire formally. Since I work at a university, the only thing that I could not do with my job is long-term travels and stay with my parents. So I just want to see if that is what I really want for my next phase of life. Frankly speaking, I do not know what will be at the end of August.
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Watty
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by Watty »

2Birds1Stone wrote: Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:17 pm I'm currently 30 and my SO is 26.
One red flag is that when you say significant other I would assume that you are not married and when you talk about your finances "we have" likely really means that you have and your SO have different amounts that would leave you in much different situations and likely unequal situations if you split up. If your assets are very unequal then the person with a lot less could be in a bad situation if you break up and they have no job and not much money.

Even if your companies do not have a formal sabbatical program you might be able to get them to agree to let you take a six week of absence and then come back to your jobs which would be a lot less risky.

One of you works in recruiting so it would be good if they talked with their employer contacts to find out what they would think of someone taking a year off then applying for a job.
Cycle
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by Cycle »

flyingaway wrote: Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:28 pm Next Friday (12/15) is my last day of work, then I am out for an 8-month sabbatical leave. The main purpose of the leave is to see the world and be with my parents, and experience retirement life. I plan to visit as many places as possible, January in Mexico, February in China, Thailand, and Vietnam, March and April undecided yet, May-June in Peru, July-August in Europe.

As I said in other threads, I am having a hard time to decide if I should retire formally. Since I work at a university, the only thing that I could not do with my job is long-term travels and stay with my parents. So I just want to see if that is what I really want for my next phase of life. Frankly speaking, I do not know what will be at the end of August.
When in Peru look up Santa Cruz Trek, best experience, and I've been back two more times to climb in the Cordillera Blanca.

I'm extremely interested in this topic, I am curious on the perspective of engineers who left megacorp for 1yr then rejoined megacorp. No kids yet but might do with kids.

Vagabonding is a good read on this subject
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TravelGeek
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by TravelGeek »

My wife and I each took 6-12 month unpaid sabbaticals (separately, at different times). About 10 years later in our careers than you, but we both returned to our jobs with the same employer. It was a good choice for us and it made little financial difference on our path to financial independence and early retirement (FIRE), other than to perhaps confirm that this was something important to us.
FraggleRock
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by FraggleRock »

Get married and go.
Thesaints
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by Thesaints »

One caveat in using “annual expenses” as a yardstick is that the OP is using annual expenses at age 30, likely at tne start of his career. If one is satisfied with his living standards remaining the same throughout his life, than it is a valid yardstick. Otherwise, it is not.
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by AlohaJoe »

2Birds1Stone wrote: Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:17 pm From the Bogleheads who took these sorts of breaks, any recommendations, advice, or suggestions?
I know lots of people who have done this. I don't know a single person who has said they regretted it. Every company on the planet offers unpaid leaves of absence. Whether they will let you take it or not is a different question, of course. I'd guesstimate that around 75% of the people who took an unpaid leave of absence of that length ended up never returning to the job. A year of travel made them reevaluate what they wanted from life and they ended up changing their career path somewhat, even if it was just taking a similar-ish job at a different kind of company.
MrJones
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by MrJones »

Definitely do it! I did it in my twenties when I barely had 1x expenses saved, and only regret that I didn't do more of these. The year off I took opened up my thinking so much.

You're in much better shape. You will definitely look back and thank your good senses for having taken the break.
chipperd
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by chipperd »

Just Go
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mouses
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by mouses »

Unless this looks like a financial catastrophe in term of future employment, do it. I wish I had done it. As one gets older, physical problems can rule this out sooner than you expect.

(Ignore the get married chorus. Being single has many advantages, esp. divorce is a financial disaster.)
gypsylady
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by gypsylady »

As you can see by my username, I'll join the 'do it' chorus. Prior to marriage, at 25, my now-husband and I did this for a year. We did it again in 2000,
and again in 2003, when we moved to our home in NM from the east coast. We have never regretted doing any of it, and never had difficulty finding jobs after one of our 'big trips', as we call them. We both worked in high level jobs, and have graduate degrees. Neither of us ever had an employer ask
about the 'gaps' in our resume's. Because we loved traveling so much we both decided we wanted to 'retire early' and travel. We retired at 50/51
and thank the collective wisdom of this board for being retired for 8 years now. It helps that we were DINKS. The trips change your perspective, and your life, in a good way!
'You are never given a dream without also being given the ability to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however' R. Bach, "Illusions"
flyingaway
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by flyingaway »

Anyone did this after 50 and fond a similar & comfortable job after a one-year leave?
WhyNotUs
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by WhyNotUs »

Yes, I have done it a couple times and encourage my children to do the same. Living below ones means creates opportunities for personal growth.
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2Birds1Stone
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

OP here,

Thank you to all of those who took the time to respond.

While we are not married, we are recently engaged, have been together for over 7 years and cohabiting for over 6.

We may get married before this gap year, or not. Time will tell, but we have very similar goals and priorities in life. Even if it takes us 1-2 years to get back into the workforce at the level we are at now, in the grand scheme of things we will still have a portfolio well over 10X expenses, in our early/mid 30's.

I find it most interesting that folks who have gone on this sort of adventure, have taken away valuable life lessons, perspective, etc. While this is not the primary goal for us, it's definitely a welcome side effect.

:sharebeer
Last edited by 2Birds1Stone on Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
TravelGeek
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by TravelGeek »

2Birds1Stone wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:41 pm While we are not married, we are recently engaged, have been together for over 7 years and cohabiting for over 6.

We may get married before this gap year, or not.
Combine the two - elope to somewhere beautiful and exotic :)
halfnine
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by halfnine »

I took a year off to travel back before I met my spouse. A few years later took another year off and traveled with my spouse. And then we both took a year off after the birth of each child. Just do it. You won't regret it.
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by staythecourse »

2Birds1Stone wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:41 pm
I find it most interesting that folks who have gone on this sort of adventure, have taken away valuable life lessons, perspective, etc. While this is not the primary goal for us, it's definitely a welcome side effect.

:sharebeer
Interesting. If you are not going to learn something about life or yourself why go?

I am in the minority because I have YET to see one place in my life I was impressed with or glad I did see. Saw the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, etc... and just shrugged my shoulders and went on with my life. Now gaining perspective on life (working in a small village in some third world country) or learning more about yourself by seeing it is a different story and well worth it as it shapes and appreciate what you have or don't have.

Good luck.
"The stock market [fluctuation], therefore, is noise. A giant distraction from the business of investing.” | -Jack Bogle
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by SkierMom »

Do it.

For perspective, I just turned 50 recently and have two kids in HS now with a mortgage and college expenses on the horizon. I took two large sabbaticals in my professional life to travel and get off the grid when I was 26 and again at 30. I hiked the PCT and hung out climbing in Yosemite and Jackson Hole, lived a summer in Bozeman, Montana. The second sabbatical I explored South America and China via bicycle.

Upon return to professional life, I always spun it as a positive. Explaining holes and gaps in your resume makes you memorable and much more interesting than any other candidate. I thought I had a great story, but my present manager (who interviewed me) had me trumped (he self-contained a ski trip in the Arctic Circle). This is likely why I've fit in so well with my present company.

You can never get that time back in your life. Our savings and retirement accounts might not be as high as they could, and I could have progressed a little more in my career, but no regrets. It's not a rehearsal.

And Cycle -- I'm an engineer
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by flyingaway »

staythecourse wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2017 11:16 am
2Birds1Stone wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:41 pm
I find it most interesting that folks who have gone on this sort of adventure, have taken away valuable life lessons, perspective, etc. While this is not the primary goal for us, it's definitely a welcome side effect.

:sharebeer
Interesting. If you are not going to learn something about life or yourself why go?

I am in the minority because I have YET to see one place in my life I was impressed with or glad I did see. Saw the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, etc... and just shrugged my shoulders and went on with my life. Now gaining perspective on life (working in a small village in some third world country) or learning more about yourself by seeing it is a different story and well worth it as it shapes and appreciate what you have or don't have.

Good luck.
Sometimes, I have the same feeling. But, what are the alternatives?
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siamond
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by siamond »

I took 3 months of sabbatical in my early 40s, and this was one of the best times of my life, and definitely changed my perspective on the rest of my trajectory (now early retired). I was able to come back to work in the same company, having negotiated ahead of it. I would not have been able to do so with a longer sabbatical though.

I know a software engineer who used to work for 2 or 3 years, then go on a crazy trek with his wife for a year, then resume work, etc. This was never a problem for his raise in the workforce, on the contrary, everybody was quite amazed at his trajectory. Last time I checked, he was VP of engineering in a multi-B$ tech company.

OP, your sanity is perfectly fine. Such a trip will probably do wonders for your sanity, actually. By all means, go. The nature of your job (and of your finances) is such that you are really not taking much risk, in truth. And we have only one life, better live it fully.
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Watty
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by Watty »

Keep in mind that with the anecdotal stories that turned out well don't have any way to knowing what percent of the time things worked out OK.

Many people, mostly woman, are out of the workforce for a year or more when they have kid to be a stay at home parent. There are lots of stories about how hard it can be for them to get their career back on track. You would be in much the same situation after taking year off to travel. Things often do work out well but if you know anyone that has taken time off to be a stay at home parent for a while it would be good to ask them about their experiences when they returned to the workforce.

A lot really depends on your line of work too.

flyingaway wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2017 11:43 am Sometimes, I have the same feeling. But, what are the alternatives?
It would be a lot different but one alternative you might consider would be working overseas for a few years.
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by 2 bits »

Been there and glad we did that. My wife and I took leaves and moved to Asia for a year. It was relatively easy to get time off approval and then, another year extension. We were a bit older but had less of a financial cushion.
We are certainly glad we went. Met so many people and learned so many different perspectives. You may not look at things the same way again.
The thing about culture shock is that you will notice people do things differently in other parts of the world. It's not wrong, it's just different. Things that make you go hmmm.

It's a big world, you have to go see it.
I sometimes think that I am living the life of which my immigrant ancestors dreamed.
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by LarryAllen »

I personally think a person should work their butt off for about 20 years before they get a sabbatical but maybe I am old school. At 30 you haven't even really worked that hard or made very much money yet (usually). I'd work another 10-15 years and work HARD! Earn your time off.
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by cbr shadow »

LarryAllen wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2017 5:57 pm I personally think a person should work their butt off for about 20 years before they get a sabbatical but maybe I am old school. At 30 you haven't even really worked that hard or made very much money yet (usually). I'd work another 10-15 years and work HARD! Earn your time off.
Is Time Worked the only metric that matters? It sounds like they've earned the time off based just on $$$ saved, getting an education and jobs that were flexible enough to allow for this situation, etc. Those are my thoughts anyway. That's not surprising though, considering I'm in a near identical situation as OP.
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

LarryAllen wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2017 5:57 pm I personally think a person should work their butt off for about 20 years before they get a sabbatical but maybe I am old school. At 30 you haven't even really worked that hard or made very much money yet (usually). I'd work another 10-15 years and work HARD! Earn your time off.
At 32 I will have worked full-time for just a hair under 17 years, and 10 at Megacorp.

Like many of the posters above, I feel that time > money at a certain point. No kids, no mortgage, and no strings to keep us from taking some risks that can really enrich life. You can always go back to work, sure it might take a little while, but with two professional income earners with solid resumes and job performance history, I'm pretty sure we will take the year off, and then work for another 5-10 years before pursuing a more permanent early/partial retirement.

:sharebeer :moneybag
travelnut11
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by travelnut11 »

Did this when I was 30 and was gone 9 months on a leave of absence from my job. Had a great time and went back to my regular job to no ill financial effect. I even still maxed out my 401k both years (trip spanned 2007 - 2008). Go and have a great time. You'll be fine.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrowmindedness ...and many of our people need it solely on these accounts. - Mark Twain | | Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing. - Helen Keller
JBTX
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by JBTX »

Do it.
dolphintraveler
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by dolphintraveler »

Do it.

We did it. I was 30, DH 31, DINKs at the time. 2 years of travel.

We lucked out on the timing, as we traveled where the $ went far, and came back with a higher net worth because the market was soaring. (And, we weren't buying in at the peaks). When we returned I got my job back for more $ than when I left (engineering) for the same employer. He too earned more. Not long after my employer had a hiring freeze (2008-2009 crash) for a period of time, so it might have been harder had we returned then. But with the crash we could now contribute again, so we really really lucked out. Everyone we talked to during interviews (for those jobs and since) was either envious or just didn't care, it has not seemed to be negative for us.

I feel like not only did we see the world, but the travel in and of itself helped me grow as a person. I rapidly rose at my employer after my return. I had plenty of degrees, but what I learned about myself helped my confidence significantly and things worked out well.

There are so many times we look at each other and say, man are we glad we did that. We could not travel the same way we did then, and that was a decade ago. We have a kid now, and wouldn't change that for the world either. But traveling with the kid is a whole different story.

We are still BH's, and on track to FIRE at 55 should we so choose. LBYM really pays off, as does choosing fields that can be well paying.

Long term travel on the super cheap can be taxing, so we found we had to take mini-vacations from our travel - for us that meant staying in a single place for a week or so and getting comfortable. Again where the dollar went far.

Enjoy - you will savior it in memories for the rest of your lives!
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by CFM300 »

Travel while you are young. You will almost certainly have life-changing cultural experiences overseas, perhaps even unexpected professional opportunities. Go.
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by flyingaway »

CFM300 wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:06 am Travel while you are young. You will almost certainly have life-changing cultural experiences overseas, perhaps even unexpected professional opportunities. Go.
The outcome may be good or bad and is debatable. I would think doing such things blindly is irresponsible.
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by bampf »

I have worked non-stop since I was 14. Many times I have had two or even three jobs (although not in many years). I have done well financially and I am in pretty good shape. I have never had just a year to think about what I want out of life and live as I see fit. Kids have made that somewhat impractical if not impossible right now. I would very much like to just take a year and not be beholden to anyone or anything other than myself (and my spouse). If you can, why the hell not? Sales is sales. If you are good at it, you can get back in pretty easily. Do it.
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halfnine
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by halfnine »

LarryAllen wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2017 5:57 pm I personally think a person should work their butt off for about 20 years before they get a sabbatical but maybe I am old school. At 30 you haven't even really worked that hard or made very much money yet (usually). I'd work another 10-15 years and work HARD! Earn your time off.
While I agree people should work hard I feel by the time they are in their late 20s they've probably got a pretty good feel for what work is all about. As such, the late 20s is the opportune time to take a year off when individuals are old enough to have some work experience, a bit more maturity, and a bit more money than they did when they were younger. Yet not so old that they are burdened with commitments and yet they are still young enough that their experiences can make a significant impact in their lives or completely alter their path.

However, I do think it is important that for those of you who are going to do it to go as big as you can as it is only going to be more difficult to push the boundaries as you get older.
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2Birds1Stone
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Hi Everyone,

OP here! Nearly two years later, and updating anyone who is still here on the forums after this time has passed.

Since my post upthread, we've both switched jobs, cut our expenses fairly significantly (~20%), and are currently sitting around 18 years of our actual trailing twelve month expenses.

We are eloping in just a few short weeks, and still targeting approximately the last week of March 2020 to start our trip. Flying to Portugal with a one way ticket, and working our way across Europe over a 90 day period, then staying in my home country in Eastern Europe for an additional 90 days (entire family is there). In the fall we will travel to SE Asia for 6 months, and the plan is to return to work (back in USA) in spring of 2021.

We've saved what we believe will cover the year of travel, plus an additional year of expenses to readjust back into the workforce. We will be 33 and 29 years old when we leave. Even if it takes a full year upon return to get our incomes back to where they were, we have our sites set on reaching ~33X expenses by age 40 & 36 thanks to our fairly minimalist lifestyle and high savings rate.

I'll be sure to pop back in here when we pull the plug, and at some point throughout the trip. We really appreciate all of the words of encouragement, as well as those who urged us to think this through. There is no doubt in our minds that this is the right choice for us, and we can't wait to see what a year of travel and exploration does for our lives.

Best,

2B1S
mako171
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by mako171 »

Nice!
3504PIR
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by 3504PIR »

2Birds1Stone wrote: Sat Sep 21, 2019 8:49 pm Hi Everyone,

OP here! Nearly two years later, and updating anyone who is still here on the forums after this time has passed.

Since my post upthread, we've both switched jobs, cut our expenses fairly significantly (~20%), and are currently sitting around 18 years of our actual trailing twelve month expenses.

We are eloping in just a few short weeks, and still targeting approximately the last week of March 2020 to start our trip. Flying to Portugal with a one way ticket, and working our way across Europe over a 90 day period, then staying in my home country in Eastern Europe for an additional 90 days (entire family is there). In the fall we will travel to SE Asia for 6 months, and the plan is to return to work (back in USA) in spring of 2021.

We've saved what we believe will cover the year of travel, plus an additional year of expenses to readjust back into the workforce. We will be 33 and 29 years old when we leave. Even if it takes a full year upon return to get our incomes back to where they were, we have our sites set on reaching ~33X expenses by age 40 & 36 thanks to our fairly minimalist lifestyle and high savings rate.

I'll be sure to pop back in here when we pull the plug, and at some point throughout the trip. We really appreciate all of the words of encouragement, as well as those who urged us to think this through. There is no doubt in our minds that this is the right choice for us, and we can't wait to see what a year of travel and exploration does for our lives.

Best,

2B1S
Just a minor warning based on experience that may or may not impact you as it did us, but I had a ticket agent at Dulles try to prevent me from flying back “home” to Germany while I was working/living there on a one way ticket. I had an open visa from Germany and a diplomatic passport from the US at the time so I was more than legally justified for the flight. It may have been a one off occurrence, but the agent essentially refused to issue a boarding pass until I had the senior manager apply some common sense. My guess it was a one off, but worth mentioning as they may make you buy a return ticket.

Aside from that, glad you are going and you will never regret it!
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by HawkeyePierce »

3504PIR wrote: Sun Sep 22, 2019 12:00 am
2Birds1Stone wrote: Sat Sep 21, 2019 8:49 pm Hi Everyone,

OP here! Nearly two years later, and updating anyone who is still here on the forums after this time has passed.

Since my post upthread, we've both switched jobs, cut our expenses fairly significantly (~20%), and are currently sitting around 18 years of our actual trailing twelve month expenses.

We are eloping in just a few short weeks, and still targeting approximately the last week of March 2020 to start our trip. Flying to Portugal with a one way ticket, and working our way across Europe over a 90 day period, then staying in my home country in Eastern Europe for an additional 90 days (entire family is there). In the fall we will travel to SE Asia for 6 months, and the plan is to return to work (back in USA) in spring of 2021.

We've saved what we believe will cover the year of travel, plus an additional year of expenses to readjust back into the workforce. We will be 33 and 29 years old when we leave. Even if it takes a full year upon return to get our incomes back to where they were, we have our sites set on reaching ~33X expenses by age 40 & 36 thanks to our fairly minimalist lifestyle and high savings rate.

I'll be sure to pop back in here when we pull the plug, and at some point throughout the trip. We really appreciate all of the words of encouragement, as well as those who urged us to think this through. There is no doubt in our minds that this is the right choice for us, and we can't wait to see what a year of travel and exploration does for our lives.

Best,

2B1S
Just a minor warning based on experience that may or may not impact you as it did us, but I had a ticket agent at Dulles try to prevent me from flying back “home” to Germany while I was working/living there on a one way ticket. I had an open visa from Germany and a diplomatic passport from the US at the time so I was more than legally justified for the flight. It may have been a one off occurrence, but the agent essentially refused to issue a boarding pass until I had the senior manager apply some common sense. My guess it was a one off, but worth mentioning as they may make you buy a return ticket.

Aside from that, glad you are going and you will never regret it!
Here’s a tip when traveling on unconventional itineraries: figure out the right set of inputs to TIMATIC so airline agents can see that your itinerary is legal.

TIMATIC is a database used by all international airlines to check itineraries against entry requirements. When you present your passport to an airline agent for a document check at the airport, this is what they’re checking against.

Anyone can access TIMATIC here: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps/v ... ?i=TIMATIC

If you’re traveling on an unusual itinerary, know the correct inputs to TIMATIC so you can guide the agent if needed. 99.99% of the time it’s not a problem but occasionally this will save you.

I used it to convince a Japan Airlines agent in Tokyo that I didn’t need a Chinese visa on my American passport for a three day visit to Shanghai because I had an onward ticket to Hong Kong.

OP: best of luck. I’m in the middle of a five month sabbatical and it’s been life changing.
chipperd
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by chipperd »

Fantastic!
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metacritic
Posts: 413
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by metacritic »

Fantastic! And don't forget to explore the possibility of finding employment in your fields in Singapore or Bangkok rather than returning here, NY. Your post has me fantasizing about how I'd use a gap year if not for kids and spending my 20s in grad school. Here's what I came up with:

Jan-Feb Thailand (six weeks)
Feb-March Vietnam (six weeks)
April Laos/Cambodia
May Malaysia/Singapore
June-July Indonesia (8 weeks)
August-September Finland/Sweden or Hawaii (8 weeks)
October Mexico
November Argentina
December Peru

I feel like maybe I'd try to shoehorn Central Asia or more time in Southeast Asia and scuttle the last three destinations. I'd rather go to fewer places and go deeper -- which would be good for the wallet and one's relaxation -- but thanks for prompting my fantasies.

2Birds1Stone wrote: Sat Sep 21, 2019 8:49 pm Hi Everyone,

OP here! Nearly two years later, and updating anyone who is still here on the forums after this time has passed.

Since my post upthread, we've both switched jobs, cut our expenses fairly significantly (~20%), and are currently sitting around 18 years of our actual trailing twelve month expenses.

We are eloping in just a few short weeks, and still targeting approximately the last week of March 2020 to start our trip. Flying to Portugal with a one way ticket, and working our way across Europe over a 90 day period, then staying in my home country in Eastern Europe for an additional 90 days (entire family is there). In the fall we will travel to SE Asia for 6 months, and the plan is to return to work (back in USA) in spring of 2021.

We've saved what we believe will cover the year of travel, plus an additional year of expenses to readjust back into the workforce. We will be 33 and 29 years old when we leave. Even if it takes a full year upon return to get our incomes back to where they were, we have our sites set on reaching ~33X expenses by age 40 & 36 thanks to our fairly minimalist lifestyle and high savings rate.

I'll be sure to pop back in here when we pull the plug, and at some point throughout the trip. We really appreciate all of the words of encouragement, as well as those who urged us to think this through. There is no doubt in our minds that this is the right choice for us, and we can't wait to see what a year of travel and exploration does for our lives.

Best,

2B1S
Stick5vw
Posts: 241
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by Stick5vw »

Sounds amazing!
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siamond
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by siamond »

2Birds1Stone wrote: Sat Sep 21, 2019 8:49 pmWe are eloping in just a few short weeks, and still targeting approximately the last week of March 2020 to start our trip. [...]
Fantastic! You made the right choice! Please share a few stories with us every now and then as your trip progresses... Congrats! :beer
3504PIR
Posts: 979
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 2:46 am

Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by 3504PIR »

HawkeyePierce wrote: Sun Sep 22, 2019 1:40 am
3504PIR wrote: Sun Sep 22, 2019 12:00 am
2Birds1Stone wrote: Sat Sep 21, 2019 8:49 pm Hi Everyone,

OP here! Nearly two years later, and updating anyone who is still here on the forums after this time has passed.

Since my post upthread, we've both switched jobs, cut our expenses fairly significantly (~20%), and are currently sitting around 18 years of our actual trailing twelve month expenses.

We are eloping in just a few short weeks, and still targeting approximately the last week of March 2020 to start our trip. Flying to Portugal with a one way ticket, and working our way across Europe over a 90 day period, then staying in my home country in Eastern Europe for an additional 90 days (entire family is there). In the fall we will travel to SE Asia for 6 months, and the plan is to return to work (back in USA) in spring of 2021.

We've saved what we believe will cover the year of travel, plus an additional year of expenses to readjust back into the workforce. We will be 33 and 29 years old when we leave. Even if it takes a full year upon return to get our incomes back to where they were, we have our sites set on reaching ~33X expenses by age 40 & 36 thanks to our fairly minimalist lifestyle and high savings rate.

I'll be sure to pop back in here when we pull the plug, and at some point throughout the trip. We really appreciate all of the words of encouragement, as well as those who urged us to think this through. There is no doubt in our minds that this is the right choice for us, and we can't wait to see what a year of travel and exploration does for our lives.

Best,

2B1S
Just a minor warning based on experience that may or may not impact you as it did us, but I had a ticket agent at Dulles try to prevent me from flying back “home” to Germany while I was working/living there on a one way ticket. I had an open visa from Germany and a diplomatic passport from the US at the time so I was more than legally justified for the flight. It may have been a one off occurrence, but the agent essentially refused to issue a boarding pass until I had the senior manager apply some common sense. My guess it was a one off, but worth mentioning as they may make you buy a return ticket.

Aside from that, glad you are going and you will never regret it!
Here’s a tip when traveling on unconventional itineraries: figure out the right set of inputs to TIMATIC so airline agents can see that your itinerary is legal.

TIMATIC is a database used by all international airlines to check itineraries against entry requirements. When you present your passport to an airline agent for a document check at the airport, this is what they’re checking against.

Anyone can access TIMATIC here: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps/v ... ?i=TIMATIC

If you’re traveling on an unusual itinerary, know the correct inputs to TIMATIC so you can guide the agent if needed. 99.99% of the time it’s not a problem but occasionally this will save you.

I used it to convince a Japan Airlines agent in Tokyo that I didn’t need a Chinese visa on my American passport for a three day visit to Shanghai because I had an onward ticket to Hong Kong.

OP: best of luck. I’m in the middle of a five month sabbatical and it’s been life changing.
Thanks very much for the insight. I wasn’t aware of this option but will be better prepared now thanks to you!
psy1
Posts: 238
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 12:40 am

Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by psy1 »

Obviously, both you and SO have put thought into it already. My wife and I did this years ago - very happy we did and everyone who knows us wishes they could have done the same thing. Just be careful to not have a child! From experience, I would say that 6 months is inadequate. If you hedge your bets, try to maintain a residence here, maintain carrying costs, etc. then you will not feel free and you will spend more than necessary. Best advice is to cut the cord, use family address as a residence, and travel for as long as budget and whim allow. You mentioned April. Keep in mind taxes, health insurance, travel insurance, etc. I would avoid working abroad unless you plan to be gone more than a calendar year or else you will be paying taxes in two places - not worth the effort.

You will, of course, decide on your own itinerary. My advice though is to at least start someplace cheap. Start in South America or Southeast Asia. There you will get a good sense of your travel skills. By the way don't get married first or else you might get divorced in Bolivia! Seriously, long-term travel is also stressful in a relationship - for good and bad - so you will come out much stronger in the end.

I would advise against making the time off a "bucket list" adventure of trying to check itinerary boxes by starting in Iceland en route to Paris and then to Africa for the safari. You will enjoy yourself much more by starting in the places that are a bit harder to travel in but cheaper and then ending in the fancy place to put a punctuation mark on the trip.

In the short time you have before the trip, give yourself a crash course in travel hacking with credit cards and you will save a ton of money.
Colorado14
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Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2011 4:58 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by Colorado14 »

Thanks for the update! Please come back and share your wonderful adventures with us, if you are so inclined, as your plan is inspiring to some of us. Best wishes!
rich126
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Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 3:56 pm

Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by rich126 »

This was interesting to read. I think most people would be afraid to get up and go for a year. I once took off 4 months between jobs but regrettably didn't do much except relax.

If I could relive my life again, doing something internationally would be on my list of things to do. And sadly, I could have worked in England or possibly even Australia for a few years but turned it down when I was in my 20s. I think at that time I was inexperienced with traveling outside the US, and when you are 20 something, thinking about moving and living elsewhere for 3 years seems like a lifetime since it is such of sizable portion of your current age. Now you realize how quickly time flies by (unless you are miserable somewhere).

Good luck and enjoy.
----------------------------- | If you think something is important and it doesn't involve the health of someone, think again. Life goes too fast, enjoy it and be nice.
Freetime76
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Joined: Wed Jun 26, 2019 8:26 pm

Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by Freetime76 »

Get married somewhere exotic, and enjoy your time. Life is short, time is precious. Do this before you have too many boring :D responsibilities like aging parents, kids, houses, or concerns over healthcare and getting sick :mrgreen:

Two times I’ve done the unemployed and not looking to be employed (aka unpaid sabbatical 8-) which is a term that some people I’ve worked with really did not like ... the traditional sabbatical being a paid time to go refresh). Once for about 3 months (I was 30) and once for 2 years (about 40 y.o.). Both times I had saved money of ‘X’ amount and knew exactly how long it would last. Both times, finding my next job was OK and the time off was a good conversation piece...except just don’t rub it in someone’s face if they having a day at the office :shock:

Like Watty said, career/position may take a hit or be ready to explain and find the maverick hiring manager who loves the idea. I felt it was easier at the younger age than later, where more of my peers were settling into positions with longevity.

(For perspective, I’ve always been a job hopper - about 2 yrs, and then onward and upward...but not everyone would be comfortable with this.)

BTW, if you’re in the U.S,, the COBRA health insurance option lasts for 90 days. I’m assuming you’ll have other healthcare or something...anyway cobra is “free” if you don’t use it. If catastrophe strikes, it can be activated after the fact if you pay in full.
Please spell out new acronyms. Thank you.
michaeljc70
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by michaeljc70 »

I took many breaks over the years from a few months to 2 years. I worked as a contractor though in IT and took the breaks after a contract ended so it wasn't like quitting a permanent job. You have a lot saved for your age (relative to your expenses) so I would just consider how it would impact your career. People generally don't get taking a year off as it isn't normal (except maybe due to having a child or illness). Some people hiring in the back of their mind will think that you will have forgotten everything you learned in your career because you took a year off. I would do it though as long as I thought I had a reasonable chance of getting a similar job (or going back to the current one). One other aspect is if a recession hits say in 10 months how would that impact going back to work? That has happened to me and I just took longer off :D .
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2Birds1Stone
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Thank you for all of the wonderful advice, including some PM's with tips and tricks.

We have been avid "travel hackers" playing the CC points game for a number of years. Not hardcore like some folks, but enough to rack up a couple hundred thousand airline miles across Southwest/AA/British Airways, as well as a couple hundred thousand across Hilton, Marriott, and IHG.

We actually booked our flights for mid March, and starting the adventure in Portugal. Since we shared plans with a number of family and friends who live in Europe, we've gotten some offers to stay and explore areas that were not on the original itinerary. We also got some advice to add certain places we haven't thought of, like Morocco, which is a super cheap ferry or flight from Spain, and won't count against our 90 days in Schengen.

-Cheers
WhyNotUs
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Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:38 am

Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by WhyNotUs »

We did some biking in Portugal last March and loved it. The southern area was dry and warm enough for biking. The wine country was lovely and very low traffic. Had originally looked at biking Porto to Lisboa but it was too rainy in north.
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2Birds1Stone
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Re: Gap Year, Sabbatical, Leave of Absence - Questioning My Sanity

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Well, I guess I owe anyone who was following this thread an update!

We flew out of NYC on March 11th and landed in Porto. No issues with our one way tickets. Shortly after arriving in Portugal the country entered a state of emergency. We headed down to Lisbon after 5 days, and we've been here ever since! Our parents and siblings are back in NYC metro area, and my extended family is in Poland. We feel so lucky to have made it out of NY when we did, but had to scrap the rest of Europe due to the pandemic/travel restrictions. We are hunkered down here in a nice 1 bedroom/1.5 bath apartment with full kitchen and balcony until June 7th, at which time we plan to make the next leg of the trip to Poland. We will have to return to Europe to hit all of the countries we missed at a later date, maybe in 5 years (another sabbatical?).

Portugal has done an outstanding job dealing with the pandemic. Very low mortality rate compared to their European neighbors, with minimal hindrance of personal freedom to move about. While we've been social distancing and avoiding all human contact besides grocery shopping, it's such a walkable city and surrounding area that we've gotten to know every nook and cranny of the city. My Garmin watch tells me we've walked a hair under 600 miles in the past two months. I also purchased a second hand bicycle and have been riding that around.

The lockdown here was lifted on May 4th, and things have began to reopen. Cafes, bars, and restaurants will reopen with outdoor seating/limited capacity on May 18th, so we may get a small taste of Portuguese life under more normal circumstances.

Hope everyone is healthy and safe.

-Cheers
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