We recently had the opportunity to talk with Dan Clements about his terrific new book, “Escape 101: Sabbaticals Made Simple
Family Hack: Some jobs seem easier to “escape” from than others. What jobs would you choose to put in your Top 10 for easy escapism?
Dan Clements: I honestly don’t believe that it’s about the job – it’s about the mindset of the person doing the job that determines how easy it is to get away.
That being said, there are some jobs that lend themselves to portability, or to periodic downtimes:
Jobs with structured extended leave programs
Teachers
Career jobs at a companies with established sabbatical programs
Jobs with global demand
Doctors
Nurses
Portable work
Writing
Design
Programming
Any other web-based freelancing
Jobs with a defined end
Temp work
Contract work
There are many others, but these are the ones that always strike me as the easiest. A lot of these are easy because they let you take your work with you. Many people will prefer the idea of taking a complete break from work, but the trend towards mobile work lifestyles is definitely worth considering as an alternative way to escape.
FH: Are there jobs you think are unsuited to a sabbatical?
DC: No, but there are many people who believe their jobs are unsuitable.
I do think small business owners are the toughest to convince. They tend to work extraordinarily long hours, and are often in a place of, “No one can do this but me.” Once they do get away, though, they appreciate just how much taking time away can do for their business.
The real beauty of all of this, though, is that the more challenging your life is to leave, the greater the benefit of leaving. It’s an elegant equation.
FH: You believe that fear is one of the things that stops people from taking extended time off. What helped you break through this fear and take your first sabbatical?
DC: We’re planning our next escape and those same fears still tend to appear, despite having done it several times. In the end, what helps us the most is:
A belief that we can do it. I always think, “Okay - lots of other people have done this with less cash, more kids, tougher jobs and more debt. So why can’t we?”
A belief in the value of the time away. We truly feel that the benefits of living deliberately like this offset any costs of being away.
Two worry-busting questions. Anytime we’re worried or stressed, we ask “What’s the worst that can happen?” Normally, the worry is some sort of financial/business/career type setback. Then we ask, “Can we live with that?” Once we accept that worst-case scenario, moving ahead becomes far easier.
Lots of envisioning. You need to find a way to make things real. For example, I just picked up a travel guide to the South Pacific for a short sabbatical we’re planning. As soon as I opened it, I started getting really excited about going. Once I’m able to imagine what the time away could be, it helps motivate me to put things in motion. It’s the little steps like those that eventually get you there.
FH: You say “if you can afford to buy this book, you can take a year off.” Since money is a common excuse, will you expand on that a little?
DC: We’ve gone to a lot of effort in the book to try to boil the financial side of escaping down to something manageable for virtually anyone. Our last sabbatical cost roughly $200 a month for food and accommodation, and it was spectacular in every respect. The secret was in choosing the right opportunity (and there are many).
You can spend more than that or you can spend less, but the point is that in our culture, the amount we spend on television, books and coffee is enough to fund a sabbatical. It doesn’t have to be as expensive as it seems. The savings to finance our last relocation worked out to about the price of a book each, per month. Once we got where we were going, it was so inexpensive that we could do it by credit card if we had to.
Part of the shift in mindset needs to be toward just starting. It might seem impossible to get together the money you need, but the trick is just to start. Even setting aside the price of a book each month starts the ball rolling.
You don’t have to see the whole solution – in fact, most of the time you can’t – you just need to take those first steps and get some momentum. That’s particularly important on the financial side. Just start, and things will come together.
FH: What are the best and worst things to come out of taking a sabbatical?
DC: The perspective that you gain on your “normal” life is certainly the highlight for me. It’s like climbing a tall tree, and seeing life as a grand panorama spread out before you. It’s very challenging to get that sort of big-picture view of things when you’re neck-deep in it, but it’s that big picture is what helps you improve your life when you come back to it.
Ironically, that perspective might be the “worst” part in some ways. It has a way of bringing the parts of your lifestyle that you’re unhappy with into stark relief, and making them difficult to tolerate. Fortunately, that tends to work as a catalyst for change, and that initial discomfort always seems to bring you to something better.
I had a tough time after we returned from Paraguay last year – I had this sense that we were somehow “worse off” in our First World existence, and that we’d done our daughter a disservice by coming back. In many ways, I still think we were happier and healthier there, but we’ve also settled nicely back into our life, and have made even more positive change as a result of being away.
FH: What effects have these sabbaticals had on family/children?
DC: Our last career break was our first since our daughter Eve came on the scene. It was a profoundly rewarding and connecting experience for our family.
Eve was five when we went – she learned to speak Spanish, and went to a small local school. It was incredibly brave of her, I think, and that confidence has stayed with her. She makes friends easily, seems far more socially adept, and seems keen to try just about anything.
That trip was a gift for all of us. We’re quite a team, and I think we’ve developed this “we can do it” mindset that’s really made a permanent difference for our family. I can’t think of anything more important that we could do for our daughter or ourselves.
FH: Are there any resources that you’ve discovered since the release of the book that you are excited about?
DC: There’s a great surge in lifestyle related books and websites right now – it’s quite exciting. Since the release of the book, we’ve been in contact with so many great folks. It’s wonderful to see so many people taking control of their lives.
Some favorites:
Escape & Lifestyle Design
www.MyTropicalEscape.com
www.FourHourWorkWeek.com
www.EscapeFromCubicleNation.com
www.TheSabbaticalCoach.com
www.ThinkSimpleNow.com
Work Anywhere & Entrepreneurship
www.Anywired.com
www.LocationIndependent.com
www.SelfMadeChick.com
Family Sabbatical/Travel
www.FamilyHack.com (naturally)
www.TheWideWideWorld.com
www.Vagabondish.com
The best thing about these resources is the confidence they give you to make changes in your own life. It’s very inspiring to see people grabbing hold of their lives and living the way they choose to. Sometimes all you need to take the first step is a good example.
Start Your Escape Plan:
Get your copy of “Escape 101: Sabbaticals Made Simple
Great job with the interview Family Hack!
I am always glad to discover a new site [WARNING: you’ve been added to the RSS reader] and to see Dan spreading the idea/message that you can travel and pursue personal freedom, you just have to get your priorities straight.
Oh yeah - thanks for the link. It’s probably the first and last time I will ever see my site listed above the Four Hour Work Week
Great interview - I remember Dan’s excerpt when it appeared on the 4HWW site, and I was curious to hear more about his story.
Oh, and Mark - nice job with the Seth Godin/Tim Ferriss post you put up.
Michael - thanks for having me on FH, and for the great questions.
@Adam & Mark - thanks for the support!
Hey Adam - THANKS! Ah, I wasn’t sure how that one was going to go over…
Hi Mark,
I was glad Dan’s interview turned us on to your site too. It’s always good to add a fellow cubicle escapist to my RSS feed.
Best,
Michael
Adam,
Obviously, I’d recommend Dan’s book. Like Tim, he inspires with practical advice. It’s tightly written, not full of filler. A quick read that could change a lot of people’s lives.
Best,
Michael
Great interview!
I am totally excited about the idea of a sabbatical — it is such a good way to reinvigorate the mind, body and soul, and a stopping point to figuring out a great life.
Thanks for the link to my blog too!
-Pam
We spent 6 months in Costa Rica in 2005/2006 and are currently planning to live overseas for 10 months from August to June. We’ve found that the “trick” for us is to get our house rented out. In one swell foop, you take care of your mortgage, and you’re locked in to being “somewhere else”.
This may show a lack of imagination, but one of the difficult things for us is figuring out where to go! When you can go anywhere in the world — how do you decide “where”? (Any suggestions for tools? I’d love a search engine where you can type in: Waldorf school, safe for kids, great weather, interesting food, and primary mode of transportation = bicycle.)
Thanks for the great interview!
I couldn’t agree more with your “trick”. Dan mentions something similar in his book. He says to begin telling friends and family what you want to do…no matter how loose the plan. For instance, “we’re going to live overseas for a year” is very vague, but the simple act of making it public knowledge makes you much more likely to do it.
As far as picking a place, Dan also covers this problem in his book. He has a great little 5 step system that helps you not only nail down what it is you want, but also how to get other people involved in helping you find the perfect situation for you and your family.
I’d highly recommend the book and good luck on your travels.
As someone about to hit the road on a one-year sabbatical with the family, I can assure you the fear never really goes away. And that’s OK.
There’s nothing wrong with being aware of the challenges ahead and understanding how fragile it all is. But you can’t let that paralyze you. The trick, I think, is to acknowledge your fear and concerns (I find verbalizing them helps) - and then move forward anyway.
And as a practical matter: Telling a few key people that you plan to take a sabbatical definitely puts some starch in your shorts!
I’ve talked to a lot of different people who’ve done this, and I’ve yet to find a single person who regretted it.