Let’s get a formal definition of Year Off in the books…..
A Year Off is a finite period when a young professional steps away from his/her normal working life and career to live life as he/she pleases and to pursue whatever dreams he/she may have.
You might wonder why I capitalize Year Off.
I capitalize it because it’s yours and it’s important to you. It’s whatever you want it to be and whatever you make of it. And it’s a chapter in the story of the bigger book of Your Life.
I want you to take ownership of your Year Off; to make it a main purpose of your life; to think about it, plan for it, make it happen, then tell people about it.
So what exactly is it?
A gap year? Retirement? Sabbatical? Career break?
Maybe, kind of, sort of, sure…..
It is different from a gap year. Gap years are typically taken immediately before or after college, by young adults who have saved up some money to do some extended traveling. A Year Off is taken by young professionals who have worked for some years and are established in their careers.
It is not retirement, but is more of what Timothy Ferriss in “The 4 Hour Work Week” describes as a “mini-retirement”. It is a temporary break from normal life and from a career, not a permanent break. A young professional will need to go back to work afterwards.
It is similar to, but not exactly, a sabbatical. A sabbatical has the connotation of still obtaining some experience or knowledge that will improve your career. A Year Off does not have that direct goal of improving your career, although career improvement and development are often big side effects.
A Year Off is not a quarter-life crisis. The young professionals who take a Year Off have their life together. They are established in their careers, they are financially responsible, and are well on their way to being financially independent for the rest of their lives. They will not become a burden to society, and they will still retire from their career later in life.
Someone taking a Year Off is not running away from anything or trying to “find themselves”.
They know who they are, what their personality is, and what they enjoy doing. They are simply creating the time to pursue dreams of theirs.
A Year Off is free from the need to make money during the time away because you have put in the hard work ahead of time to save up the money needed. You have enough money to last your whole Year Off, and you have a cushion of money to return home to.
It is not a continuous cycle of working for a short time to finance long-term travel, then traveling, then back to work for a few months to fund more long-term travel. It is one continuous stretch of time away from work and life, not multiple stretches away.
A Year Off often involves extended travel, either nationally or internationally or both. It is a combination of backpacking and vagabonding but without the need to travel as cheaply as possible. Enough money has been saved beforehand to finance the basic necessities of life (food, water, and shelter) and the necessities of long-term travel (transportation, travel insurance, vaccines). Plenty of money is left over for life experiences (your dreams) and the occasional nice accommodations and splurge.
It’s all about living your dreams, whatever those dreams may be.
You have saved up enough money to pay for whatever it is that you want to do. Traveling to an exotic country, learning how to ski or rock climb, or extra time with family and friends are all examples. Whatever you’ve been wanting to accomplish since you were a kid or young adult is what you do.
It is a finite period that does not necessarily have to be a full year. Some people’s Year Offs will be less than a year; maybe it’s only 6 months or 9 months, but whatever length of time it ends up being is irrelevant. What is relevant is that you make it happen and you make it yours. Make sure you do what you want to do during your Year Off, not what anyone else says you should do.
A Year Off is extended time to step out of the rat race of life and take a deep, deep breath. It is the time to become who you always dreamed of becoming, and it is the time to create your own life story.
Ready to start planning? Start here.
Please contact me with any questions, comments, or Year Off stories!