Comments on: Vagabonding on a career break

By: Sherry Ott

Sherry Ott — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:10:38 +0000

Thanks for highlighting Briefcase to Backpack – American’s Career Break Headquarters! We started it because we are passionate about adding ‘career break’ to American’s vocabulary. I’ve been vagabonding for 3 years now and I always think it is so disappointing that I see very few Americans traveling long term. If you are laid off it’s the perfect time to go on a career break, you can actually enhance your resume by doing so! Ted – you can do a short trip for $6000 is you are will to rough it and travel through cheap countries. Heck, I lived for 6 months in Vietnam on $6000! Happy Travels!

By: Anil

Anil — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:16:50 +0000

It’s a great site with valuable information looking to take their show on the road as it were. I think in the US it’s especially difficult to break out of this mentality since there is a very limited amount of vacation for most jobs and people feel they have to work all the time.

By: Hugh

Hugh — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:04:10 +0000

Thanks for the great resource. I’ll pass along to some of my friends who have gotten laid off recently. It’s great to know that some people look at it as an opportunity for a new experience, rather than just losing a job.

By: Ted Beatie

Ted Beatie — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:46:13 +0000

I got laid off a few weeks ago, and taking off for six months was our first thought. Unfortunately, it quickly became an issue of how to afford it. I was given six weeks of severance yes, but $6k isn’t quite enough to make such a trip possible. Then there’s the issue of needing to wait for my wife to finish her first year of grad school. Then there’s the question of what to do with our cats for six months, and how to sublet our place such that rent is taken care of and we have someplace to come home to.

We still want to make a vagabonding trip across Latin America, northern Africa, eastern Europe, and southeast Asia, but it seems like it would need to hinge on me landing a six month contract in January to make it work.

By: brian | No Debt World Travel

brian | No Debt World Travel — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:43:23 +0000

That is exactly what happened to me. I got laid off and decided that instead of picking up the want ads, I would pick up my plane tickets. I don’t regret my decision at all and it became the basis for my blog.

Life is funny. Sometimes you just need go with your gut, no matter how counterintuitive it is.

By: Travel-Writers-Exchange.com

Travel-Writers-Exchange.com — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:32:11 +0000

Vagabonding on a career break is a great idea and would make for a great travel writing blog. Since people are getting laid off or permanently laid off, they may as well take advantage of the time on their hands (if they can). They could travel as a group or solo. Excellent idea!

By: Gregory Hubbs

Gregory Hubbs — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:38:09 +0000

Thanks for the find… This has long been a core mission of ours as well.