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

Taking a break in El Chalten, Argentina. Copyright LandingStanding.com

In this week’s ¨Who’s Out There Now¨ feature, we bring to you Meg and Tony, who left the corporate world to see the real world. I had the chance to meet them in Italy in April at the Travel Bloggers Unite conference. Their site, Landing Standing, has a lot of personality (no surprise having met them). So, follow their trip. You will be entertained.

1.  So, where in the world are you answering these questions?

Thanks for the kind words, Jeff! We just arrived in Berlin and are crashing with some friends that we have met on the road. Mooching is the key to any successful long-term travel plan!

2.  What’s the story behind your site’s name? How does it reflect your travel style? Who’s landing and who’s standing anyway?

Ohhhh, boy. As with most origin stories, it’s a bit convoluted. After we graduated college, we had the idea to start a blog about financial planning for recent grads. The name Landing Standing was hit upon as the perfect way to describe the transition from college to adult life (as in, landing on your feet). A little too cutesy and ridiculous perhaps? Definitely… but so are we! Plus, we thought the rhyming was catchy. Even though we are passionate and knowledgeable about personal finance (came in handy when planning a trip around the world), that blog lasted just 7 posts. But the name stuck.

Overtime, the name Landing Standing came to mean how we could face any challenge and always come out ok. Our travel style is to plan just enough to survive and then to face the chaos that life throws at us. Lost in the middle of a foreign city? No worries. Money running tight with so much more to see? Not a problem. Why? Because we always end up on our two feet… landing standing!

Relaxing! Copyright LandingStanding.com

3.  Before you left, Tony wrote a post, The Silly Things That I Will Miss When We Travel (and Why It Will All Be OK). In it, you included that you thought you’d miss your job. So, be honest, how much are you really missing your careers?

The careers… maybe not so much. But the people we worked with? Definitely! There is also that nagging feeling of being “unanchored” because we had to hit the eject button on the traditional life plan… but that also feels kind of great. Life is always better when you are outside your comfort zone and we truly believe it is the key to success. We have a few projects in the works to turn this career break into a permanent lifestyle, so we’ll see how it goes!

4.  Meg, you wrote about 15 things we need to know about you. You mentioned your penchant for getting hotel and flight upgrades. How was the adjustment to budget travel and do you have any tricks for adding a bit of luxe on your trip?

As a business management consultant back home, I accumulated a ton of airline miles and hotel points and got upgraded A LOT.  However, adjusting to budget travel was a lot easier than I expected.  Tony and I are incredibly grateful to be travelling the world so our expectations and needs are very basic.  As long as a hostel or hotel has a bug-free bed for us to sleep in, we consider it a win!  As far as tricks for adding a bit of luxe to our trips, we do occasionally leverage my hotel points to stay at a nice hotel on the road when we need a break from the hostel lifestyle. Also, if you tell people you are on your honeymoon, the free stuff and upgrades come flying in!

Meg befriending a street dog in Santiago. Copyright LandingStanding.com

5.  You started your trip in Santiago, Chile. I think it’s a good choice for easing your way into long-term travel. What was your strategy to putting together your itinerary and picking where you’d go and where you’d skip?

With our penchant for planning “just enough,” we didn’t make too big a deal out of it. We knew we wanted to start in South America because neither of us had been. Meg did a few hours of research online that said Santiago was a super easy city to visit. Once we had that info, it only took us a day of looking up cheap dates for flights before pulling the trigger. We decided against an around-the-world ticket as Meg’s points helped reduce some of the more expensive flights we’ve taken. Plus, we really love the freedom of having no places to visit picked out beyond a general area. The key was we bought the first ticket. Sometimes people get so hung up on the planning that they never actually do the traveling. You can always plan more later, so once you make the decision to travel, just make it happen!

6.  Career break, nomadic adventure, backpacking, how do you characterize your trips?

People have so many different definitions of these, but probably a bit of everything. We travel on a budget, but have access to a decent amount of hotel points and airline miles to splurge on occasion. We took a break from our careers, but are looking to turn this into a lifelong nomadic adventure. We always default to calling it “vagabonding”, but that is more for the romance of the journey than any specific way we travel.

Tony trying cuy (guinea pig) in Peru. Copyright LandingStanding.com

7.  What are some of the secrets to travel that you’ve discovered that you think more people who aren’t traveling should know? 

Technology in 2012 has made missing events back home almost non-existent. We have Facebook, Twitter, and email to stay connected to our friends lives. Skype lets us see our families face-to-face every week. Missing out on your current life is no longer a reason to not travel (not that it ever was, really). Plus, technology like Facebook and Twitter lets you be open to so many new opportunities on the road  Let people know what you are doing and get ready to be surprised at how many cool people you will meet.

8.  What was your first ¨We’re not in Kansas anymore¨ moment on this trip?

It is definitely not the craziest thing we have seen on this trip, but the stray dogs in Santiago was definitely the first time where we felt “outside” of the US. Santiago was incredibly modern feeling, so the stray dogs everywhere were fairly surreal. But they were well taken care of, for the most part, by the local shop owners. As dog people though… it was really hard to not adopt a new dog everyday. Meg was having the internal battle of a lifetime just trying not to pet them!

9.  What’s been your most ¨local¨ experience so far?

While in La Paz, Bolivia, we decided to take a local bus to the city of El Alto, which is the largest city in the world built and inhabited by Native Americans.  Here we went to their famous market where we were the ONLY tourists there.  The entire experience was incredibly eye opening and we later discovered that El Alto was also famous for local kidnappings of American tourists… Yikes!

10.  What has been your most embarrassing moment?

Tony: I’ll take this one… as Meg has yet to top it. But about 2 weeks into our journey we were asked to partake in a full day hike in the Andes for our first sponsored tour. Beyond giddy that this little blog of ours was worthy of a sponsored tour, we set off on a day that I have still not lived down…

Extremely long and embarrassing story short: Whether due to drinking the night before or a slight stomach bug, I had a battle with my body all the way up (and down) the mountain that I did not ultimately win. I wrote about it in graphic, yet cathartic, detail here if you really to know. But the day culminated with me actually saying the words (unthinkable only a day before) “Meg, I pooped myself.” So professional.

Hiking the Andes in South America. Copyright LandingStanding.com

11. What’s your secret for getting the most out of your journey?

Plan as little as you can to survive. Overplanning can turn your journey into a chore and suck all of the adventure out of your career break. The best parts of our trip have come from the detours along the way based on advice from friends we have met on the road. You only need to book hostels online a few days ahead and buses are never sold out more than a day or two in advance. Revel in your freedom!

12. Finally, our lightning round. 

• Best dish you’ve found so far: Baklava in Turkey
• Most exotic food eaten: Cuy (Guinea Pig) in Cusco, Peru
• Most breathtaking moment: Finally reaching Machu Pichu after 4 days on the Inca Trail
• Biggest disappointment: La Paz, Bolivia… Not fans!
• Most memorable place: As cliche as it sounds, it was Paris for our two-year wedding anniversary
• Most memorable person: Our conspiracy loving, anti-semitic (with dashes of racism) cab driver in Croatia who loved to “share.” If you can’t laugh, you’ll cry.
• Best thing to have on a long bus ride: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and earplugs
• Worst thing to have on a long bus ride: Meg’s baby-sized bladder
• Best thing you packed: Tony: My Kindle, Meg: My jeggings really helped with my Italy weight gain!
• Dumbest thing you packed: Tony: An outdoor survival guide in paperback / Meg: A “stylish” fanny pack
• Funniest travel habit the other has: Tony: Meg has to nest upon getting a new place. That means clothes in drawers and bag in a closet… immediately! Meg: Tony is a complete germaphobe (although, he prefers the term “germ-aware”), which was funny to witness in many places in South America
• Place you wish you could’ve stayed longer: A friend’s home and guesthouse on the bank of Lago Maggiore in Switzerland. Heaven on earth

You can follow Meg and Tony online at LandingStanding.com on Facebook and on Twitter @LandingStanding.
Every week, Career Break Secrets profiles a different traveler or traveling couple who are embracing the ¨Because Life Is Out There TM¨ travel spirit.  These are people who have taken the plunge to embark on a career break and are currently traveling the world.

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Who’s Out There Now? Meg and Tony is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Gerard and Kieu at the Taj Mahal. Copyright GQTrippin.com

In this week’s ¨Who’s Out There Now¨ feature, we bring to you Gerard and Kieu. While the name of their travel blog, GQ trippin, may be a play on their first names, The GQ may actually reflect them being the cutest and most fashionable damn travel couple out there: Gerard is a self-described health nut and Kieu has a background in the cosmetics industry. As they travel around, they’re paying special attention to the food of the world.

1. So, where in the world are you answering these questions?

We just checked into our cozy homestay in Ubud on the beautiful island of Bali.

2. You each had different experiences leaving your jobs. Gerard was forced into a career break (even though you were already thinking about taking one) and Kieu, you left a job you say you loved. How did the difference in your employment status affect your planning, budgeting and even your attitudes towards your break.

Well, we were supposed to quit our jobs together. Gerard’s job quitting him just meant he’d be doing most of the planning and preparation – where to go, stay, do and of course eat – that sort of stuff. And because he was laid-off, his severance package added a wee bit more into our travel budget (but not much). In a way, Gerard getting laid off three months prior was actually a blessing and relief.

3. You started in New Zealand jumping right into the game by zorbing in Rotorua and you haven’t really stopped since. Is there any sort of action activity that you ultimately decided not to do? (please include a link to your zorbing video and I’ll put it in the post)

Gerard really wanted to go river boarding in New Zealand, but he’s not exactly good in the water – not unless you consider doggy paddling swimming. I was terrified myself so I made every excuse, mostly riding on the fact that he couldn’t swim, to get ourselves out of going. It worked. Gerard agreed it may not be the safest of sports. So we went bungy jumping instead!

4. This trip got personal on your trip to Vietnam where both got to visit family. How was your visits and what do they think about your world tour?

It’s always nice to be with family especially after being away for so long. This trip was extra special because Gerard got to meet his dad’s side of the family for the first time in Hue and found out he is a descendant of royalty.

On the topic of their thoughts on our world tour: My grandmother says I should go home and get a job. Others ask why so long? or my personally favorite, why you no marry yet? It’s an Asian thing I guess – to focus on career and marriage – but despite all this, they do think the world (pun intended) of our decision to travel long-term. Most could only dream a life of travel and world experiences, so the fact that we’re actually doing it, is a good thing. So long as we’re happy and healthy.

5. You’ve got a great list of 30 Before 30, essentially your bucket list. Is this the main way to organize your trip or are you just checking stuff off as you come across it?

Both. We didn’t organize the trip based on our bucket list, but we knew we had the opportunity to check off quite a bit so we modified our itinerary to make that happen, like making sure we were in Thailand in time for Songkran or in India for Holi. As for the rest, we check stuff off one by one, slowly as it comes to us. Honestly, that list far extends 30 before 30 and is constantly changing.

Getting ready to bungy jump in New Zealand. Copyright GQTrippin.com

6. Career break, nomadic adventure, backpacking, how do you characterize your trips?

Our current resume probably screams career breakers more than anything. I don’t think we stay in one place long enough to be considered nomads, and while we do physically carry backpacks, we’ve been living on a flashpacker’s budget. So maybe we’re a blend of all of the above.

7. What are some of the secrets to travel that you’ve discovered that you think more people who aren’t traveling should know?

Learn to be sneaky, manipulative and always stay one step ahead. That is, when you’re trying to pass your backpack as a carry-on luggage at the airport so you don’t have to ever check them in of course. I may lug around a carry-on size backpack but it by no mean meets the weight limit for most airlines in Asia (a ridiculous 7kg!). We typically hand-carry our backpacks and wear our daypacks on our back so it appears as if we’re not carrying much at all. Then when we approach the counter, we place our bags in front of us hidden by the counter.

We also found that if you spend some time and check in online beforehand, the whole counter process at the airport is much quicker. A quick passport check followed by a simple, do you have any luggage to check in? which we politely answer no and we’re on our way. And just in case they decide to weigh our backpacks, we’ve already shifted all our heavy weight items – camera, electric cords, toiletry, etc. – to our day packs beforehand.

As for accommodation: Just because you’re a backpacker doesn’t mean your only option for accommodation is a hostel. We find using Airbnb as a couple is more beneficial than hosteling especially for countries like New Zealand and Australia. The cost can be the same if not better.

Plus you get additional amenities you wouldn’t otherwise get with staying in a hostel like unlimited internet which is practically non-existent in those countries. In Australia, we stayed in an apartment complex where we had access to a gym and pool. In New Zealand, we had a private room with double bed, access to the laundry machine and a pet dog Milly for the week. But probably the greatest benefit from using Airbnb is that it feels like home.

Celebrating Songkran in Thailand. Copyright GQTrippin.com

8. What was your first ¨We’re not in Kansas anymore¨ moment on this trip?

India. On our first day, we were told there was a look of fear in our eyes. From the moment we exited the taxi, trying to maneuver through the dirt and trash filled streets, dodging beggars, tuk tuks, motorbikes, cows and cow poo – I’d say fear was an understatement.

9. What’s been your most ¨local¨ experience so far?

Attending a traditional Indian wedding in Jaisalmer, India. Gerard has never danced with so many guys in his life!

10. What has been your most embarrassing moment?

Bathing in the nude with total strangers. Or as the Japanese like to call it, a typical evening at the onsen (hot spring). I was fine, but Gerard was originally going to wear his towel around like a skirt. Haha.

11. What’s your secret for getting the most out of your journey?

Getting in with the locals. We’ve been fortunate enough to be part of the Couchsurfing community and met incredible people. Through this, we got to do things we wouldn’t otherwise on our own. The onsen experience along with the Indian wedding would’ve never happened had it not been for Couchsurfing.

We also live in the digital age whereby if I tweet a question like, where can I find the best coffee in Hanoi?, and I’ll get a recommendation or two in return. As much as our daily lives are inundated with social media, we’ve found it most helpful in getting tips from friends, family and complete strangers.

Living the Digital Nomad Dream. Copyright GQTrippin.com

12. Finally, our lightening round.

• Best dish you’ve found so far: Shanghai dumplings
• Most exotic food eaten: Balut (duck embryo)
• Most breathtaking moment: Bungy jumping in New Zealand
• Biggest disappointment: China
• Most memorable place: Pushkar, India
• Most memorable person: Jay, our first Couchsurfing host in Queenstown, NZ
• Best thing to have on a long bus ride: headphones
• Worst thing to have on a long bus ride: a loud snorer next to you
• Best thing you packed: Gerard’s Android smartphone.
• Dumbest thing you packed: Gerard’s hat and my extra swim suit
• Funniest travel habit the other one has:
  G: Kieu says cheese and smiles even when I’m taking a picture of her from behind. Q: Gerard throws up the peace sign every time I try and take a photo of him
• Place you wish you could’ve stayed longer: Japan

You can follow Gerard & Kieu online at GQtrippin.com, on Facebook and on Twitter @GQtrippin

Every week, Career Break Secrets profiles a different traveler or traveling couple who are embracing the ¨Because Life Is Out There ^TM¨ travel spirit.  These are people who have taken the plunge to embark on a career break and are currently traveling the world.  

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Who’s Out There Now: GQ Trippin 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

Career Break Secrets announces signing Letter of Intent with ConvergTV for The Career Break Travel Show to be an anchor series on its new travel network The Venture Channel, launching this September.

The Career Break Travel show will inspire you to make your “someday” dream, a reality today. Follow host Jeff Jung around the world on adventures to reignite, reconnect, and rediscover your passion for life through travel.

“It is our mission to inspire more people to consider this type of travel and provide the advice to help them plan their trip.” says Jung. “These are resources I did not have when I took my career break, which is what inspired me to create them.”

Known as the “Career Break Travel Guy”, Jeff is an experienced world traveler and career breaker who provides advice on planning, taking and returning from a career break or long-term travel adventure. Each episode will take you to a different locale to learn something new, give back through volunteering or take a path less traveled to really experience “the road”.

“Now, for the first time, there will be a travel show to inspire career break travel,” continues Jung, “and The Venture Channel will make it available on a global-scale.”

The Venture Channel is ConvergTV’s initial network, with travel shows and related programming, being launched this Fall to cable, IPTV, OTT and mobile companies around the world.

“The Venture Channel is not intended for just the armchair adventures, but those compelled to discover the world,” says Kevin Curl, CEO of ConvergTV. “The Career Break Travel Show has a balance of travel adventure and information that makes it both entertaining and inspiring. We want the programming to inspire the audience – and The Career Break Travel Show will do that.”

Later this year, ConvergTV will be adding over 20 more channels to its line-up, including SportsXTREME, Hard GAN (Global Animation Network), and music channels.

About Career Break Secrets

Career Break Secrets provides inspirational travel stories, tips and advice for career break and around the world travel adventures. Using the power of new media publishing, TV and social media, Career Break Secrets shows people around the globe how to get the most out of a career break trip. The company was co-founded by Jeff Jung and Cheryl Habbe in 2009. Jeff, inspired by his experiences on his own career break in 2007-2008, wanted to help make it possible for more people to have the chance to take their own break and reconnect with their personal passions.

About ConvergTV

ConvergTV, Inc. is an incubator, developer, and distributor of compelling niche and special purpose “channels” for global, multiple platforms – building cable networks and consider IP-based delivery, first.

Career Break Secrets brings travel show to TV! 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

It's the end of the career break road. Time to go back. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

You haven’t even left and now I’m asking you to think and plan for reentry? Yup. In some ways, this is the easiest part of the budget. Similar to any budget, the formula is simply:

Average daily spend X Days before earning a salary = Re-Entry Budget

See! Easy peasy!

I know, I know. That’s not the whole story, is it? There’s a lot that will go into figuring out how much your spend will be. To be conservative, you could use the same number you calculated from your current daily spend in estimating your travel budget. Essentially, whatever you spend today, plan for that.

That only leaves one tiny little detail. How much time will you be looking for a job before you are drawing a salary again? I can’t tell  you how much time to budget for. But, I can give you some factors to think about as you set your budget. I would love to know how long reentry takes on average. As soon as I know, I will let you know. But, in the meantime, setting this part of the budget is more art than science.

Factors For Setting Your Re-Entry Career Break Budget 

• Do you have a job waiting for you? Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who works for an understanding, progressive company
• What are the general economic conditions? Hard to tell, right? Especially ever since 2008-2009.
• Start up living costs needed. Do you have any extraordinary costs that you need to incur to get started again?
• Moving expenses. Are you returning to the same city/town or are you going to be starting fresh somewhere else? For most people, you are naturally going back to the same city. But, if the career break comes during a transition period of your life, you may be heading somewhere new to start fresh. Plan accordingly.
• Changing your career or same career? Generally speaking, I would tell you that if you are going to be staying in the same career or profession, your search time for a new job will be less. Why? All of your contacts, expertise, know-how is in that industry. If you are looking to change careers, you should plan for it to take a bit longer. How much? No idea. But, you are restarting without a support structure and industry colleagues to help guide your way. This might be shortened if you used part of your career break to build some skills or knowledge in this new area. Either way, it will impact your search time.

Anyone re-entered and have any thoughts or care to share your experience? Let me know in the comments below.

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Career Break Budgeting Part 4: Reentry Budget is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Where will your travel take you? Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Travel the world for $30 a day, $50 a day, $20 a day. It’s so hard to know how much you really need until you get out there. But, that’s little consolation while you’re still at home, at work, trying to make sure you have enough put aside.

My goal in this post isn’t to tell you how much you need. For all I know, you ¨need¨ a 4-star hotel every night and you will refuse to take a local bus. So, I will attempt to give you a laundry list of the things you might spend money on while you travel. Also, don’t forget that I wrote a review about Budget Your Trip and their budgeting tool can give you some real traveler data. Also, my friends Warren and Betsy from Married With Luggage have been tracking and reporting on what they’ve actually spent from their worldwide travels. Also soon I’ll be reviewing the new e-book, Dream. Save. Do.

In creating this part of your budget, you need two expense categories: the first captures on-the-road expenses and the second captures your at-home expenses. At home expenses? Yup! Are you keeping your house/apartment? Are you going to be storing your stuff while you’re away? While your goal should be to minimize your financial responsibilities back home, you will likely still have a few. So, plan and budget accordingly.

Factors Influencing Your Career Break Travel Budget

As you try to figure out how much to budget per day while you’re on the road, here are a few factors to take into consideration.

• How much of a budget traveler are you, really? Everyone is on a budget when they travel. And, most people I’ve met think they are a budget traveler. But, there’s budget travel and then there’s real budget travel. For some, staying at a 2 start hotel is what they are willing to do while others are going to couchsurf the whole way. Whatever kind of traveler you are, be honest and budget accordingly.
• How much financial responsibility at home can you leave behind? Your goal is to minimize as much of your responsibility back home as possible. It will minimize your worry and what you have to budget for. Don’t leave a lot of financial obligations behind.
• Your dining habits: You’ll no doubt be eating out while you’re traveling. It’s unavoidable and one of the great pleasures of travel. But, if you can cook a few meals for yourself, you’ll save on the road.
• What type of accommodation will you be using? As a good friend of mine who had taken a career break told me before I left, ¨Jeff, sometimes you’re going to want a hotel.¨ But, for the vast majority of the time, will you be in a hostel, renting an apartment, couchsurfing, camping?
• Once you get on the road, how will you get from place to place? Will you tend to rely on overland transportation or flying? Tip: the more overland transport you can take, the cheaper it will be. The biggest problem here is that bus and train prices can be harder to research ahead of time than flights. A couple of tips about foreign airlines
• Not all foreign airlines have pricing structures that cause the price to go up closer to the departure date. You can sometimes still get a good deal at the last minute.
• Beware budget airlines. The cheapest ticket isn’t always the cheapest flight if there are a lot of ancillary fees. I flew RyanAir once. It cost me a fortune when it was all said and done.
• What kind of bank fees will you incur? Have you selected a bank that will minimize your ATM fees? What about foreign transaction fees? These will add up over time. So, choose wisely.
• How will you plan to get around in the cities and towns you’re in? Maximizing the use of local transportation and minimizing taxi use will stretch your budget. And, walking, when possible, costs nothing.

Travel Budget While You’re Traveling

Here is your tickler list of budget items that you should be thinking about. What did I leave out?

One-the-Road Budget Items

• Accommodation
• Meals
• Tips
• Tours
• In-country/cross-country transport
• Daily transport
• Medicine, Dr visits
• Internet cafes
• SIM cards: Phone and/or internet
• Visa fees (yes some countries still charge)
• Baggage fees
• ATM fees
• Money exchange fees
• Credit card foreign transaction fees
• Books, magazines, newspapers
• Gifts
• Market Shopping
• Splurges
• Travel guides
• Music, movies
• Replacement clothes
• Emergency finds
• Monthly banking fees
• Health Insurance – if not already accounted for in your Pre-Takeoff Budget.

Back At-Home Travel Budget Items

• Storage
• Mortgage
• Insurance: home, car
• Debt, loans
• Utilities
• Credit card and other banking fees

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Career Break Budgeting Part 3: Travel Budget is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures