Sabbatical Inspiration
If you’re looking for some sabbatical inspiration you’re in the right place!
On this page, you’ll find ideas for your sabbatical, inspiring stories from fellow sabbatical-takers and links to other inspiring sabbatical resources.
Quick Links:
Sabbatical Ideas
Round-Ups
1 Month Sabbatical Ideas
3 Month Sabbatical Ideas
6 Month Sabbatical Ideas
Types of Sabbatical
Which Personal Sabbatical Most Suits You?
Experience, achievement, spending time with a loved one and recharging. These are the four main types of sabbatical as I see it. Find out which one is for you and how much an average sabbatical costs.
Taking a Family Sabbatical
Taking a family sabbatical with kids is a popular use of extended time off of work. In this post, I spend time interviewing a couple who’ve taken their kids on sabbatical twice and share with you the big lessons they’ve learned.
Taking a Year Off Work To Travel
Covering the cases for and against taking a year off to travel, some alternatives, how much it costs and the impact on your career (amongst other things!), it’s fair to say this 5,500-word post is a pretty comprehensive guide to taking a year off.
Sabbatical Stories
I love interviewing people about their sabbatical experiences and learn lots from doing so. These interviews inform
Have a read through the profiles below and if you see one that relates click through to find loads of actionable tips.
Matt Kepnes (Nomadic Matt)
The biggest travel blogger in the world shares with us his tips on long-term travel, how to choose the best destinations and, his specialist subject, how to make your budget stretch.
An Interview with Nomadic Matt: Long-Term Travel Tips
Amy Jenner
Amy is a retailer who’s taken two sabbaticals to travel around Asia and Australasia. She recommends turning off tech, staying present and not living your whole sabbatical ‘through a lens’.
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Susan Trunk
Susan took a
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Tim Tunnicliff
Tim used the British Fire Brigade’s responsibility to provide work/life balance to book in a
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Maire Bonheim
Maire managed to convince her employer to allow her to work remotely and do
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Peter Barbas
Peter describes his sabbatical epiphany as realising he spent ‘too much time doing things he had to do, rather than things he enjoyed doing’. He organised someone to housesit and travelled for 3 months with his wife and kids to get some perspective. On his
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Darja
Darja had spent many years dreaming of travel and eventually decided to leave her IT job and travel with her boyfriend. This decision proved huge impactful, with a
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Bridget
Taking a Sabbatical: 10 Practical Lessons From A 3x Veteran
Bridget is a bit of a sabbatical expert having taken three of them to different parts of the world. In this article, she shares 10 practical lessons ranging from planning a sabbatical and speaking to work to the reality of coming home.
Jennifer
How To Negotiate A Sabbatical: If She Did It So Can You!
Jennifer took a sabbatical through South America to expand her skills as a Spanish teacher. She managed to negotiate a sabbatical despite her employer not having a policy. Here’s how she did it.
Bella
Bella is a filmmaker from West London who took 3 months out to volunteer at a children’s charity in Uganda before travelling the country for a month. We chat about her favourite piece of travelling gear, some of the incredible wildlife experiences she had whilst in Uganda and how taking a sabbatical has actually helped her career.
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Lotte
Lotte has a really unique way of planning the countries to visit based on the finances she has available. She first took a five-month sabbatical with her husband and they now regularly travel with their little boy.
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Elizabeth
In the 8th of my sabbatical interviews, Elizabeth tells us about living and teaching in Moscow, how to settle anywhere quickly and how she uses Pinterest to plan her trips.
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Cj
How a 6 Month Sabbatical in South America Changed My Life
This post is packed full of inspiring words and stories. Cj covers her motivations for taking a sabbatical, what she learned from 6 months away and how she quickly took action when she returned to change her life forever.
Jo
From Restaurant Manager to Divemaster: How a Sabbatical Can Change Your Life
Jo describes herself as a 37-year-old mermaid, who took a sabbatical from a high-pressured restaurant job in London to go diving. She never went back, took her full divemaster course and now helps to run a diving school in Zanzibar.
Inspiring Sabbatical Reading
Articles
- Scientists Say That Traveling Makes Us Much Happier Than Any Material Wealth
- The Religion Of Workism Is Making Americans Miserable
- Sabbaticals: What The People Say
- A Gap Year Isn’t Just For College Kids Anymore
Books
- Griffith, Susan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 416 Pages - 08/16/2011 (Publication Date) - UNKNO (Publisher)
- Planet, Lonely (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 352 Pages - 04/19/2019 (Publication Date) - Lonely Planet (Publisher)
- Maslin Jamie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 03/24/2023 (Publication Date) - Buckleby Press (Publisher)
- Jusino, Beth (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 272 Pages - 09/04/2018 (Publication Date) - Mountaineers Books (Publisher)
- Newman, Kristin (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 304 Pages - 05/20/2014 (Publication Date) - Crown (Publisher)
- Theroux, Paul (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 400 Pages - 03/24/2023 (Publication Date) - Penguin Classics (Publisher)
What To Read Next…
This site is designed to flow from the point you hear about a sabbatical right through to coming home, below is a suggested order to make your way through the sections.
Sabbatical 101
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Sabbatical Inspiration
(You Are Here)
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Financing a Sabbatical
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Sabbaticals & Your Career
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Planning a Sabbatical
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Travel Guides
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Returning From Sabbatical
