The Young Professional's Guide to A Year Off

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The 5 Small Steps to Start Your Year Off Planning

Posted on October 3, 2018May 29, 2019 by nick@ypyearoff.com

Preparing for a Year Off is no easy task. It requires drastic life changes and years of saving money. You need to master the art of delayed gratification and make comfort zones a thing of your past. It requires you to leave a comfortable and stable life behind.

And it’s difficult to figure out where to start planning. So I’ve come up with a list of 5 small steps you can take today that will get you started on your path to a Year Off. Find the time today to complete one of these small steps and complete all 5 of them within the next 7 days. Once you get the ball rolling, there are 25 total steps to complete before setting out.

Small Step #1. Calculate your income and expenses and figure out how much money you need to save for a Year Off.

It’s important to have a good idea of how much money you earn and how much money you spend every year. This allows you to set a monthly budget and get your income and spending more in line with the age you want to take a Year Off. Fortunately, it’s now easier than ever to track this using a smart phone app called Personal Capital.

Personal Capital allows you to load all your bank accounts, credit card accounts, retirement accounts, and other brokerage accounts to track your total net worth. You can use this information to easily track how much money you make every year and how much money you spend.

Download this app today and load all your accounts into it. See how much you’re worth. If you’re old school, read my post Calculate Your Income and Expenses and do it yourself.

After you figure all that out, read my post How Much Money Is Needed for a Year Off then calculate how much money you need to save. This amount includes all your debt, an emergency fund, a year’s salary in retirement savings, and your Year Off fund. Once again, when you have this information figured out, you can set a monthly budget and get your income and spending in line with what age you want to start your Year Off.

Small Step #2. Start an exercise program.

Good health is essential for a successful Year Off. Long-term travel is stressful on your body and many big adventures need excellent health. You may not have access to adequate healthcare while gone so prevention is key. If you’ve neglected your health, it’s time to get your butt moving with an exercise program.

Start out small and slowly work yourself up. Make your workouts as easy and enjoyable as possible when you first start out. If you have no idea what you’re doing, ask a fit friend to help you or do research on the internet. Make it a goal to work out 4-5 days per week for at least half an hour.

And once again, make it as enjoyable as possible. Otherwise, you’ll easily burn yourself out and give up on it. Try as many exercise routines as you can. Download all your favorite music and listen to it while working out. Find a friend to join you.

Small Step #3. Find one area to cut your spending.

After downloading the Personal Capital app, look at the Budgeting section and see where you are spending all your money. Look for any monthly recurring charges, things like cable TV, Starbucks, Netflix, Amazon Prime, tobacco, etc. Then pick out one of these recurring expenses and cancel the service today or resolve to drop it from your life.

Pick something that makes you guilty and you know is a waste of your time and money and stop it. Don’t allow yourself to indulge in it anymore. Find something more useful to do with your time and start your Year Off savings fund with the money you save. Do this for just one thing today.

Small Step #4. Read a book about long-term travel.

Reading is a great way to prepare for your Year Off. Reading a book about long-term travel is an added bonus and will really help get you excited. Download the eBook through your library’s online eBook service for free or borrow it from your library. Or just contact me and I’ll lend you my copy.

Pick one of these books to read and start reading it:

  • How to Travel the World on $50 a Day by Matt Kepnes
  • Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts
  • The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
  • The Rough Guide to First-Time Around the World by Rough Guides
  • Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson
  • Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Small Step #5. Start dreaming about your Year Off.

Imagine yourself on the first day of your Year Off. You’re debt free. You saved enough money for a Year Off. You’ve been approved for a year-long leave of absence from work. Where would you go? What would you do? What dreams did you have as a child and what dreams have you developed as an adult? How would you make those dreams a reality?

Make a list of the answers to all the questions above. Think about it on your drive to and from work. Research the places. Get excited about it! And start making it a reality.

It’s not easy starting the planning process for a career break, but these 5 small steps will get you moving in the right direction.

So download Personal Capital today and start tracking your net worth. Start an exercise program and read a book about long-term travel. And let your Year Off dreams run wild!

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

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