Sabbaticals, Slow Travel, and Safe Job Perceptions

Hanging with my family for a year in Mexico

Or an alternate title: “Show this to your travel naysayer relatives.”

Anyone who has taken off on a long bout of travel has heard the negatives and seen the disapproving looks. Some people will look at you as a slacker, as someone running away from reality. “Why don’t you settle down and get a real job?

Next time you get some barely traveled friend or relative advising you of what a fool you’re being, send them this: Why a travel break can be the best career move you ever make.

I’m quoted a couple times in it, so you could say I’m biased, but I’m one of many who has defied the expectations after long-term travel.

One of the commenters chimed in after that the article could have been better if the writer had included people with more traditional jobs. So here’s my story. Twice I returned to the U.S. and both times I hit the ground running getting a “traditional job” in cubicle land. I didn’t love what I did—in fact I couldn’t wait to take off again—but I got three promotions in four years at the second one and left making more than double the salary as when I was hired. Lucky? Maybe a little, but I’d chalk more of it up to my superior creative problem-solving abilities after circling the globe three times.

After I avoided multiple rounds of layoffs, only to get caught in the 5th round, I took my severance and never looked back. See here’s the thing—those “traditional” jobs are the last thing you want if you’re looking for safety. You’re better off depending on your own initiative, which will be greatly sharpened after living somewhere else for a while.

Here’s an interesting tidbit from a recent survey on American job attitudes:

“When it comes to staying financially secure in today’s economy, nearly a third 32% of Americans believe that being their own boss is best. Working for a large corporation (24%) and the federal government (21%) are also viewed as safer employment options than working for a small business (17%) or for a state or local government (15%).”

Some of those attitudes are displaced: small firms are hiring far more people than multinationals or the budget-cutting government. Still, the overall sentiment is correct: you’re really on your own in this environment.

So why are you worried about a gap in your resume anyway? Unless it’s a rising economy, working for a big company is more risky than taking that sabbatical anyway. Those big corporations are just plain not creating jobs. The solopreneurs are faring much better in this recession.

The future is in your hands. So how are you going to spend it?

As the article says, “You need to realize that there will never be a perfect time. There’s always an excuse to stay home. There’s always a reason not to go.”

So tune them out and go.