Meet Plan Go Hosts
We highlight many inspirational career break stories on Briefcase to Backpack. And now you have a chance to meet some of these people in person at Meet, Plan, Go! events across the country on September 14. Visit the site to see our 13 locations, but here are a few of our hosts with their own inspiring stories.
Lisa Lubin - Chicago
Wow. You have guts.
That is probably the phrase I heard the most after I made the decision to break up with my boyfriend, quit my cushy television producing job at ABC after 10 years, and sell off most of my stuff to travel around the world solo. Most people think I am so courageous. But after 3 ½ years of circumnavigating the globe, I just feel like…me.
Honestly, doing it was not hard or scary at all. It was exhilarating and liberating. You don’t do it all at once, it happens in tiny steps. Perhaps it was guts or courage or confidence, but honestly I gained even more of that after I left. The hardest part was making the actual decision, but in hindsight, it wasn’t that hard! Now that I am back, life is still here…people are still running on their ‘gerbil wheels’ toward ‘something’ and making trips to Target to buy big bags of important ‘stuff.’ Not only did I not really miss ‘life’ while I was gone, I was instead in the thick of real ‘life’ seeing the world.
Over the last few years, I took Spanish and surfing lessons in Costa Rica, rode through the narrow fjords and icy glaciers of the Chilean Patagonia, swam with dolphins off the coast of New Zealand, sand-boarded the dunes of Dubai, and climbed like Moses to the top of Mt. Sinai. I have also found work in many places—I served up coffee and sandwiches in a café in Melbourne, taught private business English lessons in Istanbul, worked as a research assistant at the University of Cologne, and did some English voice recording for a publishing company in Berlin. All the while documenting my on my blog.
If you are thinking of making a life change, a career break, or a major trip, then good for you! Don’t put it off for tomorrow, because something will always come up to get in your way. And there are very few excuses that really fly. I have met many people traveling who had lots of possible ‘reasons’ that would stop them: pets, spouses, children, careers, homes, cars, lack of funds, on and on. Where there’s a will…there’s a way.
Jeff Jung - Austin
Brave and crazy.
That's what people said to me and about me when I told them I was leaving my corporate job, packing up, selling off and heading out to travel the world. That was in 2006. Four years later, I don't regret the decision one bit; here's why.
On my career break, I learned to speak Spanish fluently. I learned how to ski for the first time. I woke up to the sunrise and sipped wine while watching the sun set in the Galapagos Islands. I went sailing on a felucca for 3 days on the Nile in Egypt. But most of all, I got my life back.
We put so much of our time and energy into our careers, we become inextricably defined by that one aspect. We forget all of the other things we are (or were) before we joined the rat race. For me, there was no other way to reclaim myself than to stop, get away and follow my passions.
As the founder of Career Break Secrets, I am so proud to be part of this nationwide movement letting people know it's OK to live your life for you, to follow that dream or passion you have.
Tara Russell - San Francisco
Do you feel like the flimsy walls of your beige cubicle are closing in on you? Are you spending your corporate lunch breaks sneaking off to the closest bookstore just to wander wistfully through the travel guidebook section? If so, ENOUGH ALREADY! It's time to stop dreaming and start packing.
As a Life Sabbatical & Long-term Travel Coach, I am passionate about empowering my clients to break out of their routines and escape their cubicles so they can strike out and discover their own on-the-road adventures. Given that my profession is getting my clients off the couch and onto the plane, I am thrilled to be working with Meet, Plan, Go! to spread the word about extended career breaks and long-term travel experiences.
But do you want to know why I'm really passionate about what I do? Because if the wistful would-be wanderer I described above sounds familiar, know this...
I used to BE you.
Long before I became a Life Sabbatical Coach I was longing for the open road and dreaming of faraway lands while at the same time staring down the barrel of so many perceived obstacles and self-imposed limitations. And as a woman who earned ten months of freedom off on nine dollars an hour, (no, that wasn't a typo,) I'm here to tell you...anything is possible.
Leah on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:12 am
I really enjoyed reading your post. I am thirty-two soon and have itchy feet that are ready to try out foreign soils.
It is a fear of leaving the security of the day to day grind of paying the bills and living a safe and non-challenging way of life that has put me on hold for some time.
I hope (as it has I) your post will inspire others to go and follow their bliss – Leah 🙂
Patricia GW on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:54 am
Travel and experiencing a new culture really has put it into perspective, and filled that void with purpose (and joy).
In three weeks I’ll be moving to Paris myself for one month. I have the same feeling – the incredible surreal realization that I’m going to be living there…. it’s thrilling!!
Abby on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 2:11 pm
Oh, Jenny! Escargot isn’t palatable — it’s delicious! I love your writing style; it’s so fun and energetic. Can you believe how far we’ve come? Everyone, Jenny and I were in the exact same industry and have known each other online and via work emails for years and years. But we’ve only met once, many, many years ago. And one of those jobs she was sleeping next to her BlackBerry for was one I’d just left. And now she’s 33 and living abroad, just like I was last year. Kindred spirits. Jenny, you’re a true inspiration — I can’t wait to see how your adventure unfolds!
Debbie Beardsley on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 3:22 pm
Your life in Paris sounds ideal. It is nice to read about people who follow their dreams instead of wishing they had! Enjoy the rest of your journey.
Terriaw on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 1:40 pm
Wow, fabulous and well said! I love your new outlook on like. After experiencing career burnout and feeling a little lost and purposeless lately, you have encouraged me. I look forward to seeing Paris someday!
Jenny on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 6:50 pm
merci for all the sweet comments! @abby we are soooo kindred spirits! well except when it comes to our differing feelings on escargot…;) and congrats patricia on the move! thrilling indeed!
shawna on Thu, 9th Jun 2011 1:32 am
you’ve reawakened my travel bug. must. return. to. france. (someday.) eat a croissant for me!
Weekly Travel Blog Links — LandingStanding on Mon, 13th Jun 2011 6:16 am
[…] how badly I want to go to Paris… If only we could afford living there for an extended period of time during our travels! Any […]
G. Michael Schneider on Sun, 19th Jun 2011 3:36 pm
I am a firm believer in living and working overseas, just as you described. However, many of us actually like our jobs and our homes and are simply looking to renew and refresh our lives, not change it. However, you can have the same type of cultural experience without having to reach into your own wallet and without having to quit your day job–by taking what I call a “working vacation.” My wife and I have done this 15 separate times, from Australia to Zimbabwe, Turket to Tibet, Mauritius to Mongolia. I describe how to do it in my blog otherguysdime.wordpress.com and via Twitter at @otherguysdime. Learn how to have fun without having to have burn any of your bridges behind you.