We’ve all fantasized about jetting to far off places, tasting new foods, seeing new sights, lying on exotic beaches “someday”, but when should “someday” be?
If you aren’t blessed by small children or a significant other who is afraid to fly, your 30’s are the best time in your life to travel. Here are the top 5 reasons why.
1. Youth – You’re young enough so that your body isn’t falling apart as much as it might in your golden years. Why wait until you’re dealing with arthritis and high blood pressure before you strap on a backpack and finally attempt hiking the Andes like you always dreamed? There are so many more things you can easily do when you still have your health! Why waste your current capacity to survive food poisoning and wild tuk tuk rides?
2. Wisdom – You’re old enough not to do stupid shit. Your teenage years and 20’s were all about finding out where your limits were – whether it was how long you could go without sleep and not crack, or the types of people you need to avoid at parties to make it home in one piece. You usually found those limits by going beyond them and destroying yourself. Now that your 20’s clearly defined how far your mind and body can bend before they break, your 30’s can be the time when you push yourself to just below that fine line. It’s one more way you’re fully optimized for doing awesome things in your 30’s. You’re less susceptible to peer pressure, too, at this time… so that’s a thing. “No, really, I know myself — I’m good with just the 3 shots of tequila off your hard beach body.”
3. Money – You’re well along enough in your career that you probably don’t have to save up for as long as when you were a young one before making the leap. Plus, you can financially rebound easier if you want to rejoin the workforce when you’re done traveling as compared with your more senior years. Just recently, a lot of great, new companies popped up to help with refinancing things in a way where you don’t get screwed, too. These options didn’t exist when you were graduating college, and you probably weren’t making enough salary then to qualify. If you need to refinance your student loans, I can refer you HERE to 2 great companies that saved me $1,000’s in interest.
4. Experience – You’re a seasoned pro by now in your career with examples of shit you did under your belt. It’s safer to leave the workforce and come back during your 30’s than it was during your early 20’s. If you get laid-off in your 20’s (I did, twice), it’s hard as hell with less than 5 years of experience to climb out of that hole! By your 30’s, you likely have a solid foundation and your degree, and the story about those widgets you expertly 6-sigma’d aren’t going away, either. Yeah, there may be some companies in the future that frown upon you taking time out for re-energizing, self-improvement, learning, and experimenting… but are those really the companies you want to work for?
5. Potential — Travel can benefit you in your career later if you do it now. If you do it at the end of your career, you only get jollies out of it. By taking a sabbatical in your 30’s, you re-energize your mind and motivation with fresh perspectives, rediscovered curiosity and new ideas on commerce and products. It’s impossible not to come back to your previous duties without seeing them all in a new light! Interacting with the contrast of other cultures allows you to see and understand your own culture better. This, in turn, allows for the possibility of expanded creativity. You can study large systems – entire cities or countries – from the outside and draw insights on what makes them work (Singapore) or not work (the Philippines). You can learn how to haggle in Thailand. You can better understand how to work with your future employer’s suppliers when you learn firsthand about the cultures in China, in Germany, in Mexico… Simply seeing everyday things from new angles and done in new ways sparks your potential for innovation. In so many ways, travel can supercharge your career potential. Why not increase that potential mid-career, when you’re most likely to benefit from it for many years to come?
If you agree and now is the time for you to take a break in your career and see the world, I can help. For a limited time, my 6 Months to Sabbatical Workshop is available for registration where I can work with you to form your escape plan. I know it can work for you, because it worked for me! With some meager savings and student loans I still pay every month, I managed to quit my job and embark on the adventure of a lifetime. I know how to save painlessly before quitting, travel for $1,000’s less than typical vacationers do, and even how to stay for free in beautiful accommodations around the world. You know what else? I have never been happier. CLICK HERE to find out more and register for the workshop! Hurry, early-bird pricing ends February 17th, 2016 and registration closes for good February 23rd, 2016.
