I am back to a work schedule that more closely mirrors that of the majority of people in the United States: 5 days and 40+ hours a week. Fortunately, I get to do this while living on a subtropical island on the edge of Everglades National Park. I will be here until the end of April, recharging my road weary batteries and reloading the bank account before heading back to Spain for another mini-retirement.
Consider this:
Just taking a career break or sabbatical for six months would allow you to travel the equivalent of the average American’s 13 years of vacation time (at two weeks per year), and a one-year sabbatical would be equal to 26 years worth of travel and vacation.
Ryan Shauers in Big Travel, Small Budget: How to Travel More, Spend Less, and See the World
Life is short, and there is no guarantee any one of us will make it to that mythical day when we can use our hard-earned savings to take the trip of our dreams. Besides, even if we do, by the time retirement rolls around our bodies might not be in the optimal condition to get the most out of it. Myself and many others are by-passing the traditional route and spreading out retirement over the course of our lifetime, taking advantage of doing things now instead of waiting for a far-flung someday.
So ask yourself, what are you waiting for? What is 13 to 26 years worth of vacation worth to you?
This is excellent. I’d love to hear your thoughts about how to do this without a seasonal job…. that is, I love my job and am not sure if and how I can take a big chunk of time off. Do you have any ideas you can share in an upcoming post?
Nice one John,
Hope the Glades treats you well. As teachers, we get the same holidays as the kids. In NZ, they have us go 10 weeks on then 2 weeks holiday. With about 6 or 7 weeks off for summer break. These mini-retirement breaks come at a great time and are the “light at the end of the tunnel” that helps our whole family get through a school term. God help me if I ever had to go to a “real” job and have just 2 weeks vacation a year.