For most of the time I’ve been running Career Break Secrets, I’ve connected with you from afar, from the ether of the internet and social media. No matter where I am, the internet allows me to publish and stay in touch. I’m still amazed at how things have worked out so far.

• I’ve connected with people from all over the world, in all parts of the world.
• I’ve had the chance to work with some great travel companies.
• I’ve been invited to speak at a number of travel conferences in the US and Europe.
• I was asked to be part of the initial group of authors to launch a new travel publishing brand.
• And, most recently, I have a TV show on a new travel channel that’s going global.

All of the above has allowed me to live overseas wherever a decent internet connection exists.

Not bad for a guy who grew up in rural Texas.

BUT SOMETHING’S BEEN MISSING

It hasn’t all been rainbows, sunshine and ice cream. There have been many failures and disappointments along the way. I tend not to write about many of them because my transition to digital entrepreneur never seemed like something relevant for an audience interested in learning about how to take a career break from their jobs to go travel.

On balance I can’t complain. The short-term stumbles have not prevented me from moving forward on the vision I laid out for Career Break Secrets back in 2009. But, there’s still something missing.

For most of the time in building up Career Break Secrets, I’ve had to be behind the screen of a computer – writing, Facebooking, tweeting, editing, etc. While on the one hand I’ve met (even if only virtually) thousands of people from around the world – some at their planning stage, some during their traveling stage, and some who are career break veterans – I’ve felt isolated. Being a digital nomad has in some ways reinforced the isolation and lack of camaraderie that only comes with in-person, face-to-face interactions. On the one hand social media and blogging meets my social needs and allows me to have a positive impact on people’s lives – just what I always wanted to do. But, it’s also perversely made me a shut-in, making it harder to connect with the very people I want to inspire and help take a career break.

The motto of Career Break Secrets is, ¨because life is out there.¨ And, I feel like I’m not out there with the people I want to be meeting. Sooooo,

IT’S TIME TO CLOSE THE GAP, REENGAGE AND RECONNECT

Simply put: I’m returning to the US to perform at live events.

I’m getting away from my seat behind the computer and moving directly in front of people – Real. Flesh and Blood. People. I’m going out to meet people who want to take a career break – those that just want to find out more, those that want to do it and just need a bit of a nudge, those that are already planning and want to share their story with me. The online world is incredibly powerful in helping make connections. And I won’t back away from the online world. But, I’ll use it increasingly to facilitate in-person meetups. After all, there is still nothing like face-to-face interactions.

STEP ONE: THE ONE-MAN SHOW IN JANUARY

As the old saying goes, think global and act local. For me that means going back to my hometown of Fredericksburg, Texas in the Hill Country of the state. While it may seem like an unlikely place to start, but that town has turned into a cultural hub in the region with tons of festivals, plays and a great variety of restaurants. And, while I haven’t lived there since 1995, I feel the need to reconnect with the family, friends and community there in central Texas. Frankly, I wanted to start in a friendly environment.

Here’s a fun fact. The last time I was on a stage in central Texas, it was to perform in a summer production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. No shit.

QUICK SHOW SUMMARY

I’ll write more about the one-man show soon. But here’s what I can tell you.

• Name: Am I There Yet? Tall Tales and Life Lessons From a Global Journey
• Type of Show: It’s a one-man show in which I share how a guy from central Texas transformed into a world traveler. I’ll share my quirky stories about the crazy stuff that’s happened to me while traveling and lessons I’ve learned about travel and life along the way. No doubt my self-deprecating humor will make an appearance. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, we’ll bond. And then probably meet up at a local bar for a nice German beer.
• Time and Date: 2 nights only on January 17th and 18th, 2014, at 7:30PM
• Where: Fredericksburg Theater Company, Fredericksburg, Texas
• Tickets: Tickets are on sale via Eventbrite as of November 1 for $29.99. And, I’m offering a Christmas special for those that buy a ticket early. For $34.99 you get a ticket and an autographed copy of my book, The Career Break Traveler’s Handbook.
• Who Should Attend: Theater goers, travel aficionados, armchair travelers, groups of friends, my high schools friends who live in the area, my family, tourists going to Fredericksburg for the weekend.

Buy your ticket today at Eventbrite. And, don’t forget, it makes for a great gift for your friends and family. What else are you going to be doing in the dead of winter?

The Show That’s About to Go On is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

• Monday: 1:30AM

• Tuesday: 3:30AM, 8:30PM

• Wednesday: 10:30PM

• Thursday: 4:30PM, 10PM

• Friday: 7:30PM

• Saturday: 8:30PM

• Sunday: 5:30AM, 9:30PM

Career Break Travel Show on Roku is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Copyright FlashpackatForty.com

Today we have a great guest post from Craig and John, a couple of experienced career breakers currently traveling the world. Based on their personal experience, they’ve got some great tips for finding out if a career break is for you and how to get started. They have an eye to becoming nomadic and give you an insight into their lives and what they’re going through as they make that decision. It’s a post that balances their personal story with great advice for anyone thinking of taking a break. I’m really thrilled that Craig and John took the time to share it with all of you.

Inspired to Travel Long-Term

In 2008 we took a vacation to Bali. At this point in our lives, we had about three luxury holidays a year, many to exotic destinations in an attempt to satiate our yearnings to travel. However, this turned out to be our last of such trips.

On this holiday we met a couple who had spent many years travelling around the world. They had both left their jobs years ago and had lived in the UK, Germany, Turkey, India and travelled the world extensively. Dave & Debbie were about the same age as us, but they weren’t exhausted from working tirelessly earning money to secure what maybe a better future. They were fit and active, and most importantly very happy with their chosen lifestyle. We asked ourselves, whether this was something we could do.

After being inspired by our new friends, we started to follow many travel blogs, researching others who had made this giant leap from a career to become a long-term traveller.  What we discovered is that there aren’t that many people dismissing the virtues of taking a career-break or saying that their lives have been irreparably damaged from taking a few years off work.

On the contrary, the empirical evidence suggests that the majority of people who pursue their travel dreams benefit in many ways from starting such a journey. Always a bit sceptical, we needed to explore in detail the personal impact of making such a life changing decision.

Copyright FlashpackatForty.com

The Career-Break Quandary: To Travel or Not To Travel?

We asked ourselves all the questions that any person considering long term travel and leaving their job would. Questions such as, can we spend so much time together as a couple, what happens if a family member gets ill, what will we do after the trip, do we have enough savings etc?  I won’t go into the hours, days and years we spent discussing these questions and many others, but there are answers and solutions to all these quandaries.  Travel websites, like Career Break Secrets, provided us with the knowledge to know it was possible.

Our problem was as soon as we answered a question, another would arise; maybe we just didn’t want to travel on a long-term basis enough.  No, that wasn’t it, the more we learned the stronger our desire to travel became.  We knew if we didn’t take a career-break, we would only ever be able to see a small fraction of the world, at the mercy of our annual leave entitlement from work.  Even if we finished work in our 60’s (more likely to be 70’s with the constant changes in the age of retirement legislation) assuming we would live that long, there just wouldn’t be enough time.

We certainly weren’t running away from our lives, heck, we enjoyed them. We realised that we were frightened of our dream becoming a nightmare, and would be embarrassed to return after just a couple of months on the road, having missed our home comforts. We needed to try this out and see if we could hack it.

Copyright FlashpackatForty.com

Try Before You Buy

We’d never had the privilege of travelling on a long-term basis, prior to or immediately after graduating from university, as we are both from large working class families and our first priorities were to pay off our debts and progress with our chosen careers.

We had nearly always travelled independently, unless we were doing an all-inclusive holiday to somewhere like Mexico or Goa. So we were pretty good at making travel plans and visiting several destinations in one trip.  One thing we hadn’t done, for decades, was travel on a budget.  We appreciated that it wouldn’t be financially sustainable for us to travel the way we’d travelled in the past. Not that we’d been totally frivolous, but as we both worked very hard, our leisure time together was of great value and so we placed a premium in ensuring that our holidays went smoothly. So we both decided to take three weeks annual leave, and travel around Morocco to see if we could stick to a tight budget and hopefully our plans of travelling around the world wouldn’t be shattered.

Travelling in Morocco we stayed at hostels, and budget accommodation using public buses and trains to get around.   We ate where the locals ate or in budget restaurants, the food was amazing. One thing we did quickly realise is that we wouldn’t be staying in ‘dorms’ as we valued our space and privacy too much, to compromise on sharing accommodation. We managed to keep to a tight budget and thoroughly enjoyed touring around Morocco.  To our relief and surprise we didn’t miss the little luxuries of chocolates and rose petals on our pillow, or spending too much time in the hotel/resort sipping cocktails. In fact, we felt we’d experienced and learnt more than on many previous holidays combined.  This trip was our ‘eureka’ moment and fixed our conviction to take a career break.  After this we developed our ‘flashpacking’ travel philosophy, for our around the world trip.

Copyright FlashpackatForty.com

Making your travel dreams a reality

The first decision was when to depart and how to break the news. Once our employers had agreed to our exit (which wasn’t that easy) and suitable dates set, it’s explaining your decision to family and friends. We didn’t want people to think we were having some sort of mid-life crisis, well I don’t think we were, so we explained to people we were going flashpacking.

What’s flashpacking? Unless you’re a fully paid up member of the travel community you probably haven’t come across this term. If you haven’t, you can find out a bit more about flashpacking and us, in our travel blog.  The reason we chose this way of communicating our decision, was it allowed us to answer follow-up questions and explain in detail our reasons. Therefore, people were aware we weren’t running away to join a commune or on the hippie trail, not that there is anything wrong with either of these choices, just not something we’d choose to do. Once all the tears had been shed, everybody was really supportive.

We started to deconstruct our lives, well possessions really.  This takes a very long time, from selling everything, cars, properties, and placing in storage what you want to keep.  The amount of administration is onerous, from changing addresses and cancelling direct debits.

It’s all pretty straightforward but don’t underestimate the amount time this takes, so start work on this as soon as you set a travel date.  The whole process is very cathartic, and you begin to appreciate how much junk you’ve accumulated, and after over 20 years of living together you’d be surprised at just how much two people can own. We certainly won’t be purchasing any tourist souvenirs whilst on this trip!  The hardest thing for us, was emptying our vast bookshelves, this proved quite an emotive process. To make this a little easier, we got an e-version of those publications available.  However, being old romantics our books held memories more than just the words printed on the pages.

Copyright FlashpackatForty.com

Life on the Road 

We started our around the world journey in Melbourne, Australia and are currently in India.  It was a bit scary spending our first month in Australia, as the Australian dollar was at an all time high and we completely smashed our budget. Although, we easily managed to recover these costs in cheaper destinations such as Vietnam and Cambodia.  We especially enjoyed our travels around Cambodia, Japan and New Zealand.  We absolutely fell in love with South Korea and would highly recommend people place this country on their travel itinerary.

We plan to travel to every continent on this trip and are looking forward to touring the USA in 2013.

We’ve not really experienced any problems whilst on the road. We do find ourselves replacing travel gear and gadgets now and again, as they really do get a hammering being used almost daily.

The experience has been exhilarating and we both feel more relaxed and healthier than we did working long-hours at home.

Copyright FlashpackatForty.com

What does the future hold?

We’re enjoying ourselves so much, that we can’t see this journey ending anytime soon. If we reach a point when we do become a little travel weary, we’ll look at teaching or voluntary work in a foreign country. We’ve been amazed by the stories we’ve heard, whilst on the road, at just how viable long-term travel is, whatever your budget or finances.  An example of one story, told to us by a Spanish couple we met in their mid-thirties, which has allowed them to travel for the last 10 years.

They take temporary jobs, preferably working in different countries to fund a minimum of 6 months travel every year. We met them diving in Gili Air, Indonesia, just before they were departing for Denmark to plant Christmas Trees. They have no savings or property, and most importantly no worries.  They are one of the happiest couples we’ve ever met and have no plans to stop travelling.

Finally, I mentioned earlier about our friends, Debbie & Dave, who inspired us to travel. Debbie contacted us by Skype, when we were in Thailand recently, and informed us that Dave had been rushed into a Turkish hospital and was in a critical condition after suffering massive heart failure. Dave hadn’t been to a doctor in over 20 years and was in excellent health. Dave is now in the UK awaiting major heart surgery, and will hopefully make a full recovery, and no doubts, they’ll be back on the road again soon. For us, after our initial shock, it reaffirmed our decision to follow in their footsteps pursuing our travel dreams as you just never know what the future holds.

What we do know is, we are completely smitten with our chosen travel lifestyle. We don’t have any regrets, but if we had to have one it would be that we didn’t start our career break sooner.  When the money starts to run out, we’ll look at a career that can incorporate our desire to travel and experience new destinations around the world.

About the Authors

Flashpackers, Craig & John, embarked on their around the world trip in December 2011. The couple of forty-somethings, agonised for three years before eventually making the decision to travel on a long term basis. Here they describe why they found the idea of taking a career break difficult, and how life on the road is for them now. The travel bloggers write about their around world trip and the destinations they travel to at  FlashpackAtForty.com/

Taking A Career Break Isn’t Easy is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Copyright ACoupleofTravelers.com

Today we have a great guest post from career breakers Dave and Vicky who are currently traveling the world. When planning our breaks, there’s a natural concern by others around us about what we are going to do post-career break. We career breakers aren’t immune from this concern, but we figure it out and come to peace with a bit of uncertainty that exists when thinking about the re-entry phase. Dave and Vicky share their experience and put that uncertainty about the future in perspective.

“What are you going to do when you get back?”

I get asked this question all the time. I usually want to say:

“Honestly, I’m way to busy planning this trip to even think about what I’ll be doing two years from now.”

But that might come off as a bit rude, so I usually tone it down a bit and unenthusiastically list off a few things that I could potentially do two years from now. Find a job or go to graduate school usually suffice.

But actually, that I’m too busy planning my trip isn’t 100% honest, because even though we ARE too busy planning this trip, I do think about what I’ll be doing two years from now. It’s a legitimate question, and I probably think about it daily, and usually with a bit of anxiety (OK, a lot of anxiety).

And today I had an epiphany.

I think I understand the source of the anxiety, and it’s not what everyone probably thinks it is. What most people think is that we’re going to come back broke. We will have been out of the workforce for two whole years. We’re not going to know what we want to do next. We will probably be living in someone’s basement (most likely chez parents). Above all, this will be 100% because of our decision to travel. If things don’t work out, travel will be to blame, and we’ll be back at square one. Worse, square zero.

Now it’s true we’ll probably come back broke.

It’s also true we’ll have been out of the workforce for two years.

We hopefully won’t be living in our parents basement, but you never know.

Is it crazy that none of this really concerns me?

What concerns me is simply not knowing what I’ll be doing two years from now – general uncertainty of what to be doing with your life and less and less time to figure it out.

And I realized that this doesn’t actually have a lot to do with travel. Actually, if you asked me today what I’d be doing two years from now (if we weren’t traveling), I wouldn’t know. And if I decided to continue working for two more years, and you asked me two years from now what I was going to do next, I probably STILL wouldn’t know.

In fact, I can’t remember the last time I knew what I was going to be doing two years from now and whenever I thought I knew, it never ended up turning out how I pictured it. When I went to school to become a physicist, did I imagine that I’d graduate and have my first employer be a major, financial services company (doing anything BUT physics)? Nope.

So either way, travel or not, I still have this general anxiety. Moreover, I actually feel a bit more comfortable knowing that we’re traveling. Frankly, after two years of work, I don’t feel any more prepared to answer the question regarding my future than I did two years ago. I also think, with two MORE years of work, I’d be marginally more prepared to answer that question, but basically in the same spot.

However, through traveling, connecting with other people, learning more about myself, and finding out what life is actually like “out there”, I feel like I might be setting myself up to answer this question after all. This is how it was back in college when I was preparing to become a physicist, but ended up as a business analyst. I was simply preparing myself to be marketable to a whole bunch of job fields and to naturally go where the tides took me after graduation. So right now travel is about as good an idea as any I’ve thought of, and in light of this, traveling actually calms my nerves about what I’ll do “when I get back.”

Sure, if I wasn’t traveling, I’d certainly end up with a lot more money two years from now, but what would I do with it? I certainly can’t buy myself a career or some sort of future, so forgive me if I don’t regard it very highly. Power isn’t in small amounts of money, but in large potential value that can be exchanged down the line.

So at the end of the day, while traveling certainly prompts a lot of questions about what you’re going to do afterwards, it really shouldn’t be the focal point of the conversation. In fact, I could probably ask most of the people who won’t be traveling what they’re going to be doing in two years, and I don’t think too many of them would know, but nobody is asking that question, are they?

Author Bio:

Having spent 2 years in the working world, Dave and Vicky are ready to exchange their briefcases for backpacks, dress shoes for sandals, and beds for sleeping bags. In September they set off on a 2 year journey across Asia and Europe. You can follow along at A Couple of Travelers.

“What are you going to do when you get back?” is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Copyright LandingStanding.com

This is a guest post submitted by Tony from LandingStanding.com. You may remember that I recently featured him and his wife, Meg, in a Who’s Out There Now interview. This post has been delayed for a while and I’m glad I can finally publish it. One of the top activities for career breakers is volunteering and giving back. For the past few years, WWOOFing (Weekend Workers on Organic Farms) has become increasingly popular. Tony and Meg recently spent time on a farm in Italy and agreed to write about their experience and tell you how you can get involved. Thanks to Tony for writing this post. Happy farming!

A machete in my right hand, a thick glove on my left, and bloody scratches covering my arms. Thick foliage blocked most of the Italian sun, but I was still dripping in sweat. It was my my first day at the agriturismo site, Barbialla Nuova, and I was loving life.

Just one year before (back in the US), my days were spent either in meetings, on the phone, or pounding away at the keyboard writing up credit reviews so that my commercial banking customers could get financing. It is amazing how far I’ve come as I travel around the world… and I’m not just talking about miles.

Copyright LandingStanding.com

When taking a career break, there is always that freaky blend of apprehension and excitement that preludes doing anything uncertain or unknown. There are many reasons why you might make the decision to travel, but for me, my reasons were finally clarified 6 months into our trip. As I whacked away at insanely sharp thorn vines on an Italian truffle hunting trail, I realized that I took my career break and traveled around the world so that I could:

• Experience more.
• Experience something different.
• Experience life.

As tired as my shoulders felt, as bloody as my arms got, and as hot as I became, I had never appreciated work or life more. This was why I quit my job to travel.

The best part about working at this agriturismo site? I only had to work at various jobs around the farm for 4-6 hours per day and I had 2 days off per week. Oh, and even better? On some days, part of my 4-6 hours of work consisted of me helping host a giant lunch for people staying at the farm’s villas… where I got to eat and drink right alongside the guests.

Yes, it was as dynamite as it sounds.

So how did I end up working for 2 weeks on an agriturismo site in Tuscany?

Copyright LandingStanding.com

WWOOFing

My wife and I spent almost 2 years planning our around the world career break. Much of that time was spent researching and dreaming about all of the different ways we could experience our travel.

We have rented apartments, slept in hostels, lined up house-sitting gigs, camped, stayed with friends, taken overnight buses, but had never tried WWOOFing. Luckily, a friend of my mine had secured herself and her boyfriend a great 5 month job as assistants on a lovely agriturismo in Tuscany. She let us know that the farm was looking for WWOOFers to come help for a couple of weeks and we knew we had finally found our WWOOFing opportunity.

WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and is an organization that links organics farms with volunteers. The farms list what type of work they need, the hours required per week, and what they will provide the volunteers. In return, volunteers typically get a free place to sleep and often get free food as well. At the agroturismo site, we received full payment for any groceries we bought in addition to a private bedroom and bathroom in a quiet tuscan villa. Not too shabby.

Copyright LandingStanding.com

Who Should Try WWOOFing?

WWOOFing really is not for everyone.

You need to be open to performing physical labor, actually working during your travels, and getting dirty. But you are thinking about taking a career break, right? Why else would you be reading this? So scratch that. Let me amend my statement. WWOOFing is for everyone who wants to try something different and is looking to experience life while on their career break.

If you’re considering a career break, then you’re probably exactly the type of person who would enjoy WWOOFing. There are jobs posted for people of all abilities.

How To Sign Up

Anyone can access the list of available opportunities and it is a great way to see what you might like to try. But if you want to actually inquire about a job, you need to sign up for that country’s specific WWOOFing list.

It costs $25 to sign up and you have to sign up by country, so plan on where you want to apply before you start paying for a ton of lists. But the list does provide you with the contact info you need to contact the farms, so it’s a must.

There are a lot of amazing opportunities on these lists, so give them a try!

Copyright LandingStanding.com

Would We WWOOF Again?

Definitely.

We see WWOOFing as a great way to save money while we travel (especially in more expensive places like Europe), but we also like having time to just work on our own projects, which WWOOFing does not always allow (we were always too tired at the end of each work day).

This means we would not do back-to-back WWOOFing gigs. We loved our experience on the farm and had an amazing time getting to know everyone who worked there, but it was actual work for us.

Bottom-line: WWOOFing is a great way to save money while you travel and get an incredibly rich life experience. We maintained truffle trails, picked wild cherries, played with truffle dogs, took care of chickens, and worked our butts off. If any of that sounds interesting to you, then you are perfect for WWOOFing.

Your Turn: Is anyone considering WWOOFing? Has anyone tried and had a different experience from ours? We’d love to hear so please share!

About the Author: About Tony – Tony Rulli is the co-founder of LandingStanding.com and has been traveling around the world with his lovely wife, Meg, for the past year. They are passionate about food, travel, and all things ridiculous. They are always eager to meet new people and you can say hi on Twitter or Facebook.

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WWOOFing It on Your Career Break is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

The authors, Betsy and Warren, in front of an exploding volcano in Ecuador. Copyright MarriedwithLuggage.com

I’ve known Betsy and Warren for a while. They are the kind of people that once you meet them, you feel like you’ve known them your whole life. They have a passion for life that even amongst the traveler community is notable and infectious.

They’ve been blogging about their travels and their perspective on life for a while now on Married With Luggage. But, as time has gone one, they’ve focused less on travel advice to more lifestyle advice to help people either achieve their potential or at least realize a key goal they have in life. They’ve helped me directly. For a speech I gave earlier this year in Italy, they gave me invaluable advice that helped turn it from from just OK to a real barn burner.

Late last year, they published Dream. Save. Do. A No-Nonsense, Step-by-Step Blueprint for Amassing the Cash You Need to Live Your Dream. That’s quite a mouthful. And, it’s quite a brand promise. Anyone who’s been reading their site knows that they excel at no-nonsense advice. It’s raw, it’s honest, and knowing them like I do, I hear Betsy and Warren talking to me when I read their writing. What you see is what you get.

Why this book is worth your attention

• It’s action oriented. The book isn’t about rehashing tired cliches like spend less, save more. While this is true, Betsy and Warren remind us that, ¨It takes more than this basic knowledge to set yourself on a path to amassing the kind of cash that can change your life.¨ Dream. Save. Do. Is more than a cute title, it’s the structure of the book.
• The stories. It’s easy to give advice. But, Betsy and Warren pepper the book with real experiences from their life that grounds the advice they give and the lessons they’ve learned. They’re personal and raw like the health issues from young members of their family, from opening talking about their marriage, and previous divorces. You get a real sense of where they are coming from and what has shaped their lives.
• The checklists. Tied directly to the action orientation of the book, Betsy and Warren give you real tools, real exercises from turning your dream into reality, including how to dream in a way that leads to action. This is not an exercise in simply daydreaming.

Your dream may not be to travel. No worries. This book is for anyone who has a dream and just needs a little push, a little realism and a lot of support to help you get there. I definitely recommend that you buy this book.

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Getting Off the Dime: A Review of Dream. Save. Do. is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

The Career Break Traveler’s Handbook, by Jeffrey Jung

Part of a new breed of travel books focused on various ways in which travelers experience the world

October 25, 2012

This week the new travel book, The Career Break Traveler’s Handbook, written by Jeff Jung, launches in booksellers globally. The book is filled with tips, stories, and photos from around the world. But most importantly, it is a tool that will assist any would-be career breaker dreaming of taking their trip of a lifetime, the advice needed to plan and finally take that trip.

Know as the Career Break Travel Guy, Jeff is host of the new global TV series, The Career Break Travel Show and the publisher of Career Break Secrets. He is the leading career break expert in the world and has appeared internationally on TV and radio, in print and online talking about the various issues related to career breaks. An international traveler since his first trip to Australia at the age of sixteen, his career break made him a true citizen of the world. In The Career Break Traveler’s Handbook you will find:

• Real career break stories
• The emerging science behind career breaks
• “Peace of Mind” planning
• How to create a career break budget
• How to get the most out of your trip
• Safety, loneliness and budget stretching travel tips
• Ways to leverage your career break upon re-entry
• Dozens of resources to get you started

“When I left my job, the term “career break” didn’t really exist. But there certainly was a community of people from around the world who were already doing it,” said author Jeff Jung. “I want to show that a career break is possible for you, how to plan it, how to get the most out of your time on the road, and how to use your career break to you advantage once you re-enter the workforce.”

This new series of travel books will launch focusing on how you experience the world. While most publishers produce destination guides or focus on logistics, the Traveler’s Handbooks are a new breed of books focusing on travel styles – the various ways in which travelers choose to experience the world. The books offer practical tips and advice, and inspire through first-hand stories on how people like to see the world, acknowledging that today how and why you travel is as important as where you go.

“The response to the series has been outstanding,” said Janice Waugh, of new independent publishing house, Full Flight Press. Janice, author of The Solo Traveler’s Handbook, and the inspiration behind the series added, “The Traveler’s Handbooks deliver reliable information on the various ways people are choosing to see and experience the world.”

The Traveler’s Handbook Series is available now in paperback and eBook, through Amazon and Barnes & Noble in the US and other online book sellers globally.

For more information or interviews with the author contact:

Jeff Jung, Career Break Secrets

jeff @ careerbreaksecrets.net (remove spaces)

www.careerbreaksecrets.net

512-782-9670

or

Janice Waugh, Full Flight Press

Janice @ fullflightpress.com (remove spaces)

www.thetravelershandbooks.com

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Career Break Secrets announces launch of The Career Break Traveler’s Handbook, by Jeffrey Jung is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

It’s here!

This week is the culmination of months of behind-the-scenes work. My book, The Career Break Traveler’s Handbook, is finally here. Since I started my trip back in 2007, I had dreams of writing my own travel book. Then when I started Career Break Secrets, I had dreams of writing my own book. And all along the way, my aunt kept encouraging me to write a book. But, the management of the site and working to get The Career Break Travel Show (coming soon!) launched precluded me spending any time on trying to figure out the publishing world.

The Power of the Network

Late last year Janice Waugh, author of The Solo Traveler’s Handbook, told me that she wanted to expand her book into a series. As you can see from the review of the Solo Traveler’s Handbook (1st edition), I was a fan. She offered me the chance to be a part of the first wave of travel style books under her label, Full Flight Press, and I accepted without hesitation. At the same time, the other authors came on board: Jodi Ettenberg to focus on food travel, Sarah & Terry Lee to focus on luxury travel and Shannon O’Donnell to focus on volunteer travel. Janice took the opportunity to produce the 2^nd edition of her book on solo travel. It’s always great to work with smart people who are experts in their field. The Traveler’s Handbooks series was born.

Why a Career Break Book?

Frankly, I wanted to have a resource that made it easy for anyone with a dream of a career break to get started quickly. There’s a lot of information out there about taking a career break and blogs filled with stories and adventures of people who are out there doing it right now. That’s great for amplifying the amount of information that’s available for the people planning their trip right now. But, it also adds to the time you need to comb through it all to find what they need. And, you still have to piece together your own plan.

My goal was to take the information and put it together in a way that helps you get going and get planning. Not only that, I want you to be able to have a process to follow so you don’t forget any important details.

Finally, there are so many people that I’ve met during and after my career break who have stories worth telling. I try to cover as many as I can on the site. And, the book has many more. Some are stories I’ve told on the site already while others I haven’t. I could have included so many more and I felt bad that I couldn’t include more. I tried to focus on one aspect of their story to help illustrate the various themes of the book. Having those stories also highlights that there are a lot more people than known taking breaks, they come all walks of life and do it for a variety of reasons.

What’s Inside

• The book is only about 110 pages. So, you can get through it quickly
• There are over 20 photos from around that world that I took that will hopefully fuel your wanderlust
• 13 stories from current and former career breakers
• 4 sections covering the career break lifecycle
  • Deciding puts the career break in perspective of your overall life and career, explains why it’s not selfish to take a break, highlights the scientific benefits of taking a break and ends with a pep talk
  • Peace of Mind Planning takes you step by step on how to prepare so you can fully relax once you leave knowing you are ready for anything that comes your way. I cover what you need to do before you quit, how to come out of the career break closet, the art of career break budgeting, planning where to go, dealing with your health, packing and tech tips and more
  • Making the Most of Your Trip gives you ideas for how to maximize the time you have whether you have have one month or one year. I start by highlighting the 3 types of activities that career breakers do, how to adjust to a ¨free¨ life, how to deal with loneliness, how to stay safe physically, digitally and protect your belongings, my list of budget stretchers and discuss whether you should work or not
  • Re-entry helps you get going again once you’re back from adjusting to life back home, how to restart your networking and how to position your career break to prospective employers
• Resource lists (over a dozen) that cover the following:
  • accommodation
  • career break and related books for further reading
  • career break TV and films
  • other career break resources
  • budgeting and money management
  • connecting with locals and other travelers
  • finding great dining experiences
  • flights
  • health and health insurance resources
  • re-entry resources
  • registering your trip
  • free blogging and communication options
  • volunteering resources
  • naturally a list of the other books in the series

And finally, you can check out the Table of Contents and read a sample chapter.

Reviews of the Career Break Traveler’s Handboook

I’m trying to capture the reviews as they come out. Here are the latest of what I’ve seen so far.

“I found the taking of sabbaticals the single most successful strategy in helping me to look at my work as a calling, rather than just as a job. Jeff Jung tells you how to go about it.”
Stefan Sagmeister
Grammy Award winning Art Director and Graphic Designer
Author and TED Speaker
___________________________________________________________________________________
“Jeff Jung helps us realize that Career Breaks are important aspects of our work lives. As a 5-time career changer, talent and career take time to play, study, explore and really live. We are so much more productive, imaginative and interesting when we do these things, and that leads to innovation and a competitive advantage for our careers and the organizations we work for. Taking a Career Break is a “must-do” and this book is a “must-read.”
Ginny Clarke
CEO of Talent Optimization Partners, LLC
Author of Career Mapping: Charting Your Course in the New World of Work
___________________________________________________________________________________
“This book covers everything. From how to quit your job to how to pack your bags, it’s all in there. If you’re ready to turn that secret travel dream you’ve been ignoring all these years into reality, this is your starting point.”
Dan Clements
Author of Escape 101
___________________________________________________________________________________
“Perhaps you have been dreaming about taking a career break. After reading the career break travelers handbook, you will move from dream to action. With inspiring stories, practical advice and an overall can-do, should-do, will-do spirit, this book will have you asking yourself why you’ve waited so long. Even if your career break is not possible today, you will get step by step strategies to ensure your career will not slip away without one.”
Julie Bauke
CEO, The Bauke Group
Author of Stop Peeing on Your Shoes: Avoiding the 7 Mistakes That Screw Up Your Job Search

Where to Buy The Career Break Traveler’s Handbook

The book is in both paperback and electronic versions. It is currently rolling out around the world. Here are the places where you can buy them

• US
  • Amazon.com (paperback and Kindle)
  • BarnesandNoble.com (paperback. Nook Coming Soon)
  • Sony Coming Soon!
  • Kobo
  • iBook Store Coming Soon!
  • Copia
• UK
  • Waterstones (paperback)
  • W.H. Smith (paperback and Kobo)
  • Amazon.co.uk (paperback and Kindle)
  • iBook Store Coming Soon!
  • Copia
  • Hammicks Legal
  • The Book Depository (paperback)
  • Eddington Hook
• Canada
  • Amazon.ca (paperback and Kindle)
  • iBook Store Coming Soon!
  • Kobo
  • Copia
• Australia
  • BetterRead
• Croatia
  • Superbookshop
• Estonia
  • Kristosomus
• India
  • BookAdda
• Japan
  • Amazon
  • Junkudo
• Italy
  • Bol
  • IBS
• Latvia
  • Kristosomus
• New Zealand Coming Soon!
• Norway
  • Bokklubben
  • Studia
• Romania
  • Books Express
• Sweden
  • Bokus
• Wholesalers
  • Baker & Taylor Coming Soon!
  • Alibris (UK) 
  • Gardner’s (UK)
  • Lehmann’s (Germany)

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Book ‘Em Jeffo is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

At a protest in Buenos Aires. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

How to stay safe while traveling around the world on your career break is something we all think about. For some, it can cause paralytic fear, but for most dealing with safety issues is a matter of preparation, making smart decisions, becoming more comfortable with the world as you find it and learning as you go, from your own travel experiences and from other travelers. Smarter travel is possible in this case to help avoid getting into nasty situations.

In January at the Year Out Expo, I met fellow speaker Charlie McGrath. He runs Objective Travel Safety, an organization that helps train all types of people and organizations on how to be safe while abroad and how to respond in case there is a crisis. I had the chance recently to talk to Charlie about staying safe while traveling on a career break.

1. Do you have an overall philosophy about how travelers should approach safety to plan properly?

Researching their destinations is the key, the need to understand enough about the culture, environmental issues( earthquakes etc) crime rate etc so they can ‘aim off’ and so avoid trouble.

2. What’s the scariest safety situation you’ve been in or been called to help with?

I was hijacked at gunpoint in Iraq which wasn’t too good! But cooperated and therefore survived.

3. For people thinking about taking a career break to travel the world, what are the biggest safety or security issues that are most likely to face?

Crime and road traffic accidents are the big 2 with disease/illness some way behind.

4. What are the concerns that people typically have about traveling the world that are least likely to happen?

Getting blown up or kidnapped. Its inevitable that the threat of terrorism dominates the media but the reality is very different. India is a good example, remember the Nov 2009 Mumbai bombing- huge headlines, 180 odd people killed but on average 250 die on India roads every day!

5. What are the biggest safety mistakes that career breakers tend to make while traveling?

Difficult question! I suppose being too worried about safety and not exploring enough, in general terms the further off the beaten track you go often the safer you are,

6. Are there some steps you can take before you leave that are either preventative or can help you in case something does happen while you’re traveling?

Yes many. Acknowledge that crime and road traffic accidents will be greatest threat and prepare. Know where the crime areas are, travel with a mixture of money- casdh, cards, possibly travelers cheques and expected to be mugged at some stage. There only go out with what you need, some cash perhaps one card and leave rest behind in hotle safety deposit box or with host. If you get mugged you just hand over enough to satisfy aggressor (having a reserve in a shoe or bra is also handy. Wear a seat belt at every opportunity.

7. When I was traveling around, I noticed that as my confidence as a traveler grew, my fears of something bad happening dropped. Is that normal or had I lulled myself into a false sense of security?

No I would say this is normal and looking confidence is good (but not over confident). To avoid crime there are 3 key things; lower your profile (rings/watches off), Be aware( know where the dodgy parts of town are)  & look confident.

8. There are any number of products being sold out claiming to help you keep yourself and your things safe. To me many of them seem unnecessary and a waste of money. Are there any that you recommend that really are worth buying?

I agree. A couple of padlocks are useful to hotel/hostel lockers, a door guard/wedge can be handy to stop unwanted visitors in the night- amazing how many female report the hotel heating engineer needing to check their radiator at 2 am.

9. Given the role that the internet plays in helping the traveler do research, stay in touch with friends and family, bank, etc., what tips do you have for people to help keep their personal information safe and secure while traveling?

If possible get money transfers done by a friend or relation at home rather than internet café. Travel money credit cards such as Caxton FX (separate from you bank accounts) are good.

10. Staying healthy and not getting sick on the road is a concern for all travelers. Is there a basic first aid kit you recommend for travelers? What types of medicines should travelers just buy on the road?

A simple travel pack is good but do take some antiseptic cream, oral rehydration salts if you get the runs. Ciprofloxacin is a good broad based antibiotic. Be very careful buying anti malaria tablets abroad, especially if they seem too cheap, too many counterfeit drugs around. ,

11. What is your take on the US, UK and other governmental safety warnings?

Are they really useful to travelers? I ask because in my opinion, they seem to cast countries in very black and white terms – safe or not safe – with no room for nuance. Or, am I just cynical? I do think they are a good starting point as many travelers will do very little research. Yes they may over stress risks but I find the Brit FCO always has some useful advise.

12. What are some of the things you personally do or pack to help you be better prepared while traveling?

I always take a head torch – vital, hand gel to keep hands clean/reduce disease threat & know what the local passionate sport so I can chat to taxi drivers & hotel staff.

12. Finally, what are your favorite places to travel that are a bit off the beaten track?

Romania, was N Pakistan but probably too dangerous now, Chile.

About Charlie:

Charlie McGrath

Charlie McGrath spent 15 years as an Army Officer. He spent five years on operations in Northern Ireland but also saw service in Central America, Southern Africa and during the First Gulf War. He was awarded the MBE for his work in South Africa during the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.  Prior to joining the army he spent a year traveling in South America and has traveled widely thereafter. His company, Objective Travel Safety, provides safety training to a range of clients including journalists and NGOs operating in hostile environments, business professionals and young students travelers embarking on their Gap Year. Objective also provided the training to Ewan McGregor & Charlie Boorman prior to their ‘Long Way Round’ and ‘Long Way Down’ motorbike adventure.  When possible he continues to travel whenever possible. During his time in the army led an expedition across the Sahara desert, spent his honey moon in Papua New Guinea. His second gap year was in India, Pakistan, Burma & Thailand and more recently has travelled in Malawi, Zambia, Romania, Laos, Thailand, the Lebanon and Israel.

How Safe Is It to Travel While on Your Career Break? is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

It turns out, I’m not alone. After getting to know so many other people who have taken a break, I realized that I wasn’t alone. For each of us, a point came in which we said, NOW. Now is the time to take a break. Now is the time to make my break.

I’ve included a summary of my own story in case you haven’t heard it before. But, I’ve also asked a couple of other people who have taken a break to tell their story, the story that never gets talked about, the one about the moment in time when we stopped saying no and said yes.

Jeff in Greece. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Jeff:

¨What’s it going to take to make you happy?¨ It was a question I had been asking myself. But, there was something about the way that my friends Mike and Joy asked me that question on that Friday night. We are on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, feeding ourselves with margaritas and mexican spanish/mediterranean food. From all outward appearances, things we going well. But, behind the scenes, things weren’t what they appeared. Weight gain, lack of sleep, an inordinate amount of stress made it increasingly difficult to hide the fact that what I had been achieving in my professional life wasn’t being shared in my personal life. I knew something had to change, but I was having difficulty figuring out what ¨that¨ was.

UPDATE: My friends have corrected me on where the fateful event took place. What is still true is that margaritas were involved.

Mike and Joy’s question stuck with me all weekend. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I kept thinking about it over and over again. Maybe it was the fact that I realized that I wasn’t doing a good job of hiding it my unhappiness anymore. Maybe it was the mix of Texan humidity and margaritas. But, that morning I had my epiphany – I wanted to travel. And, not just take a week off to the beach to relax. I wanted to see the world. I wanted to go to all those places I had been dreaming about since I was a kid. Of course, the big question was, could I afford it?

I spent the rest of the weekend working on budgeting. I tried to figure out how much I would need for such a long trip. I turned to the internet. But, in 2006, there wasn’t nearly the information from people who had done it that there is today. So, I looked really closely at what I was spending on my current lifestyle. Shocked at how much it cost me to live, I thought, surely I can do it for way less than that. I continued working at the math, comparing it to my savings and realized that it was possible. Three weeks later, I quit my job and started my new life.

Sherry Ott:

Sherry in Nepal. Copyright Ottsworld.com

I had a job anyone would have wanted…at least from the outside.  I worked in an international luxury retailer in the upper management of their IT department.  I had a great office, a good title, and stock options. I had climbed the ladder and clawed my way up through various companies and lived in various cities to get there.  I did just what you expect of every childless, unmarried, type A female – I kicked ass because I had nothing else to demand my time and attention.  I managed people older than me from early on in my career and just thought it was normal.  But I had a secret.  I didn’t really enjoy my career except for the fact that it allowed me to accumulate things I wanted.  I accumulated and accumulated and lived the American dream.  I turned off the part of me that really paid attention to what was going on deep inside and I worried about the outside instead.

I remember one day coming home from work from a particularly bad day. I sat on my couch and looked around my beautiful apartment and started crying.  All I could think about was that I was so miserable at work – and not just my specific company – but working in IT in a field that I never felt like I belonged in. Somehow I kept getting rewarded and promoted in a field that I felt like I knew nothing in.  On top of this, it didn’t help that people I worked with were some of the most brutal, insensitive people I had ever encountered in my career. I sat on my couch and wished for simplicity, but I was surrounded by complexity. I started to wonder if I would be just happier to be less well off financially and simply do a job like waitressing or something – no money, but better work/life balance. I thought about my college days when I had so little – and longed for it again.

That was the moment where the pain of my present situation became greater then the pain of leaving the situation – and change happens when you finally reach that point. Shortly after that episode I remember realizing that I didn’t really have to stay. No one was making me stay except for myself and what I thought others expected of me. I knew I had a year contract with my employer – and I started to tell myself  I would leave when that contract was up. Once I had a plan, my whole attitude at work changed. The people that I disliked became more bearable.  I fantasized about the day I would put in my notice. Granted, I ended up staying 2 more years, but I always knew that my time there was temporary and that’s what got me through to the day I got on the plane 5 1/2 years ago!

Sherry is the co-founder of Meet Plan Go and blogs about her travels at Ottsworld.

Betsy and Warren ready for action. Copyright MarriedWithLuggage.com

Warren and Betsy Talbot:

Margaritas, friends, and an unexpected question were the perfect combination to change our lives.

In retrospect the evening started like any other great night out. We were celebrating a long weekend in Seattle and decided to head out to our favorite Mexican food restaurant with close friends. These are the types of friends where a conversation just flows and there are no restrictions. We all felt free to share ideas, hopes, and concerns with each other.

As the hours wore on Betsy and I started to reflect on our friends and family. Betsy’s brother was still managing life after a major heart attack at 35. While he had recovered it was a major shift in diet and attitude. Our close friend Maria was still in the hospital almost 1 month after a brain aneurism at 34 and no one knew what the future held. Without evening knowing it, our lives were about to be changed.

As typically happens with great friends the discussion turns to life and the future. We reflected on how short life is and posed the question, “What would you do if you knew you would not live to be 40?” (we were both 37 at the time). Without pausing to consult Betsy and I both answered, travel.

Within another hour, and thanks to the aid of another round of margaritas, we made the decision that would change our lives. We had agreed that we would take a year off to travel around the world.

The next morning, in the cold light of day, we knew that our mindset had been changed forever and we started planning our adventure in earnest. Today we are 18 months into an adventure that has morphed from 1 year to 5 years to a lifetime.

It all started innocently enough with great friends, a few drinks, and a question. This is why we advocate strong friendships with supportive people so strongly. They can literally change your life.

Warren and Betsy run the site Married With Luggage and are the authors of the books Dream. Save. Do., Getting Rid of It, and Strip Off Your Fear. 

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The Catalyst is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures