Are you fed up of working a 9-5? Feeling like you need a break to fresh and take time out for yourself? A career break can provide a really life changing experience where you take a sabbatical from working a full time job, visit new places, learn new things and take part in amazing activities.
When looking at all the options it can seem a little daunting when researching what to do on a career break so we have written this article to help you take a really incredible trip.
View our definitive guide to taking with ideas, advice and everything you need to know about planning and taking a career break.
What is a Career Break?
If you are totally new to the idea of taking a career break, or just want more information as to what it is and anyone can take a career break, this is generally described as an extended period of leave or time out from a job. Some people get permission to take career breaks from a employer, whilst some companies aren’t so flexible, so people choose to quit a job to take a purposeful break.
On a career break there are so many things you could do, from developing yourself professional, taking time out to relax, volunteering, studying, travelling or just focusing on other aspects of your life. There is no set time frame on a career break, this really depends on any interest or plans you have or how much time you want to take out.
Reasons to Take a Career Break
There are so many benefits of taking time out, including:
• Take time for yourself to refresh and unwind, whether you are 25, 30, 35, 40, its never too late to go
• Have to consider if your current career is really what you want to continue to do
• Meet new people from all over the world
• Do amazing things
• Improve your learning or experience
• Challenge yourself to do new things, improve your learning and take part in new activities
Questions to Ask Before Taking a Career Break
- Where do you want to go?
Are there any countries you have always wanted to visit? Do you feel more comfortable going to an English speaking country? Would you like to visit one country, a specific region or are you keen to travel to multiple destinations around the world? - What do you want to do?
What experiences do you want to have? Would you like to just explore, or learn new skills, take part in activities and adventures? View more ideas for what to do on a career break below. - When do you want to go?
You will need to let your company know when you plan to leave, and also plan ahead to book flights, trips and accommodation. - How long do you want to go for?
Does your company allow sabbatical breaks? Or are you planning to quit? How much time do you want to spend on a career break? There is no definitive time period, could could spend weeks, months or a longer duration. - What’s your budget?
Knowing how much money you have available will really help determine an itinerary, level of accommodation comfort and what you do. If you don’t have much money saved you could consider going to cheaper destinations. For example you can travel in south east Asia or check out the best places in Central America for a fraction of the price of Europe and Australia for example. Another option is to consider working abroad or volunteering to help fund more travels. - Structured or Independent
Would you like to arrange and do everything independently by yourself, or would you prefer to book with a travel operator who can put together an itinerary.
Top Tips for Taking a Career Break
• Save as much money as possible in advance
• If you don’t have many savings, consider working whilst travelling
• Think about how you can use your time productively if you want to get a new job after a career break
• Choose where you go and what to do carefully, this can really have a huge impact on the type of experience you have
• Check our website, online forums and travel guides for destination inspiration
Best Things to Do on a Career Break
If you are researching a career break, you might have noticed there are literally hundreds of companies offering experiences worldwide. From round the world trips, to volunteering abroad in places like Africa, to working or studying abroad – there is a lot of choice.
Travel
Here are some of the most amazing trips you could do:
• You could plan a break to go backpacking in south-east Asia taking in beautiful beaches, islands, cities and culture
• A safari in Africa really is a dream experience and something you must do once in your life
• Travel to Thailand to experience amazing tourist attractions, elephants sanctuaries and some of the tastiest food in the world. Thailand is one of the most popular backpacking destinations and somewhere you really need to visit
• City hopping around Europe, sightseeing and taking in the best locations
• Go in search of ancient civilisations and ruins in South America – Machu Picchu in Peru is a must
• Travel overland in the USA
• Rent a campervan and discover Australia
• Buy a round the world plane ticket taking in lots of different destinations
Volunteering
International volunteering programs offers participants the opportunity to explore a new country in a sustainable way by giving back to the communities. Projects can be the perfect balance between service and fun! By applying you can make a lasting impact with the environment, communities, and wildlife. You can find programs in so many countries around the world. Helping animals and working hands on with rescued animals in places like South Africa, Costa Rica and Thailand is very popular.
Working Abroad
From working holidays, to short term seasonal jobs, to teaching, there are so many options to earn money overseas. A popular option is to take a TEFL certification and teach English abroad as there are jobs available online and all over the world. Some gap year companies offer work and travel packages to popular destinations like Australia, Thailand, South Africa, USA and Spain.
Study
If you fancy a career change you could use your break to take a course or re-train in a different industry.
Learning a new language is always recommended, you could book a classroom language course, there are schools worldwide offering beginners courses. Popular options can include Spanish in Spain or Latin America, French in France, Japanese in Japan, Greek in Greece, Portuguese in Portugal or Brazil, Korean in South Korea and many more.
Popular Career Break Destinations
There are so many places you could go and this really depends on your personal interest, what you want to do and also how much money you have available. Every country is different and offers a unique experiences.
If you are open minded and keen to explore multiple countries you could do a round the world trip taking in places like Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the USA – just to name a few.
Some countries like Australia and the USA are very expensive and if you don’t have a big budget your money won’t go very far unless you apply to work in these destinations. Cheaper career break destinations include south-east Asia and Central America.
We hope our guide how to take and plan a career break will help and inspire you to take time out and enjoy the best time possible. Everyone can use time out on a career break productively, just make sure to plan as much as possible and go with an open mind. There are so many destinations and things to do, find something that is right for you and don’t look back.
