How to swing an 'adult gap year'
Barry Kluczyk and his family explored Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, near Sequim, Washington, during the monthlong sabbatical he took in 2021. He worked remotely while enjoying the change of place. Credit: Barry Kluczyk via AP
If you daydream about getting a break from stress, you might picture a restful week of vacation. But some people opt for something bigger.
Call them mini sabbaticals, adult gap years or just gap months. The breaks range from quitting a job to taking a leave to just working remotely somewhere new. It’s about stepping out of the expected.
That’s not entirely new, of course, but the pandemic’s upheaval caused more people to question whether they wanted to work the way they had.
Barry Kluczyk, a public relations professional who lives in suburban Detroit, had long wanted to spend more time in Seattle. But it wasn’t until the pandemic pushed him to fully remote work that he felt able to spend a month there with his wife and daughter.
“I wish we could have done it sooner,” he said.
AVOIDING BURNOUT
In a 2022 survey of more than 10,000 global workers, think tank Future Forum found that 42% reported burnout. And more companies are offering breaks as a low-cost way to address employee exhaustion, said Kira Schrabram, assistant professor of management and organization at the University of Washington. She is among the leaders of the Sabbatical Project, which aims to create “a more humane relationship with work” by encouraging extended leaves.
“Companies are starting to realize burnout is an issue,” she said.
American attitudes toward taking time off are very different from European ones, which value vacation more, said Schrabram, who is German.
BETWEEN JOBS
Roshida Dowe took advantage of the time she suddenly had when she got laid off. She wanted a break before looking for her next position, and was struck by how many people asked how she could take time away to travel. So she decided to hang out her shingle as a career-break coach.
Dowe partnered with Stephanie Perry to launch ExodUS Summit, a virtual conference and community for Black women “interested in developing your Location Freedom, Financial Freedom and/or Time Freedom plan.” They bring in experts to talk about practical and philosophical issues surrounding extended travel.
“When I coach women who are looking to take a sabbatical, the main thing they’re looking for is permission,” said Dowe.
DOLLARS AND CENTS
Cost is a common obstacle to a break. There are creative ways around that, Perry said.
“Housesitting is the reason I can work very little and travel a lot,” she said. She teaches an online class for travelers interested in getting started as a housesitter.
Ashley Graham took a break from her work at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., and planned a road trip through the South. She visited friends along the way who could give her a free place to stay.
“It was a great way to connect with my past life,” said Graham, who subsequently relocated to New Orleans after loving the city during her sabbatical tour.
