While many people envision a two-week vacation or a long weekend for a work break, some are now seeking more substantial respites from daily stress and routines.
These extended career pauses, known as mini-sabbaticals, adult gap years, or micro-retirements, manifest in various forms. They can involve exploring during periods between jobs, taking employer-approved leaves, embracing a digital nomad lifestyle, or saving for multi-month adventures. The consistent goal across all these forms is to create space for a mental, physical, or spiritual reset.
According to sabbatical experts and individuals who have taken such breaks, common impediments include financial concerns, personal obligations, and the apprehension of judgment from colleagues, friends, and family members, which deter people from pausing their careers to gain new perspectives.
No longer just for academics
Kira Schrabram, an assistant professor of management at the University of Washington’s business school who researches meaningful and sustainable work, noted that American attitudes towards time off differ from those in Europe, where free time and rest are prioritized. In the European Union, workers are legally entitled to a minimum of 20 paid vacation days annually.
However, Schrabram observed that more companies are now offering weeks or months of paid or unpaid leave as a strategy to retain valuable employees. Seven years ago, she applied her research experience to the Sabbatical Project, an initiative founded by Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer DJ DiDonna, which advocates for sabbaticals as “a sacred human ritual” that should be more accessible to everyone.
Schrabram, DiDonna, and University of Notre Dame Professor Emeritus Matt Bloom interviewed 50 U.S. professionals who took extended breaks from non-academic careers. Their findings identified three categories of sabbaticals: working holidays focused on passion projects; “free dives” combining exciting adventures with personal growth; and quests undertaken by burned-out individuals who embarked on life-changing explorations once sufficiently recovered.
More than half of the interviewees self-funded their breaks. In a Harvard Business Review article, the researchers argued that sabbaticals serve as a valuable tool for recruiting, retaining, and developing talented workers. However, given the infrequency of extended paid leaves, Schrabram stated that the Sabbatical Project, which has established a network of coaches and mentors to support those interested in sabbaticals, is “really pushing back on the idea that a sabbatical needs to be sponsored by an employer.”
Leading by example
In 2018, Roshida Dowe, then a 39-year-old corporate lawyer in California, was laid off. Instead of immediately seeking new employment, she opted to spend a year traveling. Struck by the numerous inquiries about how she managed her travels, Dowe decided to pursue a career as an online career-break coach.
She and Stephanie Perry, a former pharmacy technician who also took a gap year to travel and discovered a passion for coaching, co-founded ExodUS Summit. This virtual conference provides a platform for Black women to discuss taking sabbaticals or moving abroad. Speakers at the event address practical aspects such as finances, safety, and healthcare, alongside more philosophical subjects like the value of rest and overcoming intergenerational trauma.
Dowe, who moved to Mexico City as part of her own reinvention, emphasized the power of showcasing women who travel the world, explaining that “a lot of us aren’t open to possibilities we haven’t been shown before.”
She noted, “When I coach women who are looking to take a sabbatical, the main thing they’re looking for is permission.”
For Perry, a 2014 vacation in Brazil was a turning point. She met fellow hostel guests who were traveling for months, not just days. This inspired her to research budget travel, discovering that many managed to travel on as little as $40 a day.
She admitted, “Prior to that, I thought for sure people who traveled long term were all trust fund babies.”
Funding the dream
Cost is a frequent barrier for individuals considering a break. Perry, who holds legal residency in Mexico and owns an apartment in Bogota, Colombia, stated that creative solutions exist.
She explained, “Housesitting is the reason I can work very little and travel a lot.”
Perry, who operates a channel featuring videos about traveling or becoming an expat as a Black American, also raises funds through her subscribers to sponsor Black women on sabbaticals.
When Ashley Graham took a break from her work at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., she planned a road trip that included staying for free with friends.
Graham, who later relocated to New Orleans after falling in love with the city during her sabbatical travels, commented, “It was a great way to connect with my past life.”
Taylor Anderson, a certified financial planner based in Vancouver, Washington, specializes in helping clients plan for sabbaticals. She noted that many of the same principles apply to saving for a sabbatical as they do to other financial goals, requiring both financial discipline and the ability to recognize when it’s appropriate to spend.
Anderson, who has personally experienced the benefits of a sabbatical, explained, “We talk about money breathing. Sometimes it’s inhaling, sometimes it’s exhaling. Often we find that people do have money saved, but they’re afraid to spend it.”
She added, “The question of ‘What is enough?’ is really difficult.”
While not everyone can afford to take a month or more without a paycheck, she stated that for those who have accumulated savings, “the cost is actually less than you might assume.”
Risks and rewards
In 2018, artists Eric Rewitzer and Annie Galvin left two employees in charge of their San Francisco gallery to spend the summer in France and Ireland.
Rewitzer, who described himself as a former workaholic and control freak, called the experience “terrifying” and “a huge exercise in trust.”
Upon their return to San Francisco, Rewitzer viewed the city differently. He felt his life had been out of balance — too much work and too little personal time.
This shift in perspective led the couple to purchase what they initially thought would be a weekend home in the Sierra Nevada. It became their full-time residence when they closed their gallery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rewitzer concluded, “It all comes back to that same place of being willing to take chances.”
A way of life
Gregory Du Bois’s decision to take a break from college to be a ski bum in Vail, Colorado, established a pattern of taking mini-sabbaticals throughout his corporate IT career. With each new job, he negotiated for extended time off, explaining to his managers that breaks were essential for him to perform at his best and recharge.
Du Bois, who retired from tech and now works as a life coach in Sedona, Arizona, remarked, “It’s such a way of life that I almost don’t think of it as sabbaticals. For me, it’s a spiritual regeneration.”