While most workers dream of a two-week vacation or long weekend escape, a growing number of Americans are thinking much bigger – taking extended time away from their careers to refresh and reset.
These lengthy career pauses come in various forms and go by different names: mini-sabbaticals, adult gap years, micro-retirement, or simply extended career breaks. People use transition periods between jobs for exploration, negotiate employer-approved leaves of absence, embrace digital nomad lifestyles, or save money for multi-month adventures. The unifying goal is creating space for renewal – whether mental, physical, or spiritual.
However, financial constraints, personal obligations, and concerns about judgment from colleagues, friends, and family often stop people from pressing pause on their professional lives to seek fresh perspectives, according to sabbatical researchers and those who’ve taken the plunge.
Kira Schrabram, an assistant professor of management at the University of Washington’s business school who studies meaningful and sustainable work, notes that American perspectives on time off differ significantly from European attitudes, where leisure and rest receive higher priority. European Union law guarantees workers a minimum of 20 paid vacation days annually.
Nevertheless, increasing numbers of companies now offer weeks or months of paid or unpaid leave as an employee retention strategy, Schrabram explains. Seven years ago, she contributed her burnout research expertise to the Sabbatical Project, an initiative launched by Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer DJ DiDonna that champions sabbaticals as “a sacred human ritual” that should be accessible to more people.
Schrabram, DiDonna, and University of Notre Dame Professor Emeritus Matt Bloom conducted interviews with 50 U.S. professionals who took extended breaks from non-academic careers. Their research revealed three sabbatical categories: working holidays focused on passion projects; “free dives” combining adventure with rest periods; and quests by burned-out individuals who pursued life-changing exploration after sufficient recovery.
More than half of those interviewed funded their own time away. Writing for Harvard Business Review, the research team argued that sabbaticals could serve as recruitment, retention, and development tools for employers. However, since extended paid leaves remain uncommon, “we’re really pushing back on the idea that a sabbatical needs to be sponsored by an employer,” Schrabram said, referring to the Sabbatical Project’s network of coaches and mentors supporting those curious about taking breaks.
Roshida Dowe was working as a corporate attorney in California at age 39 when she lost her job in 2018. Rather than immediately job hunting, she chose to spend a year traveling. The frequent questions about how she managed this lifestyle shift inspired Dowe to become an online career-break coach.
Together with Stephanie Perry, a former pharmacy technician who also took a travel gap year and discovered coaching, Dowe co-founded ExodUS Summit, a virtual conference where Black women discuss sabbaticals and international moves. Conference speakers address practical matters like finances, safety, and healthcare, alongside philosophical topics including rest’s value and breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma.
Highlighting women who venture out to explore the world carries special impact because “a lot of us aren’t open to possibilities we haven’t been shown before,” said Dowe, who relocated to Mexico City during her own transformation.
“When I coach women who are looking to take a sabbatical, the main thing they’re looking for is permission,” she explained.
Perry’s turning point came during a 2014 Brazil vacation when she encountered hostel guests traveling for months rather than days. She investigated budget travel and discovered people managing on $40 daily.
Before that experience, “I thought for sure people who traveled long term were all trust fund babies,” she recalled.
Financial concerns commonly deter people from considering breaks. Creative solutions exist, said Perry, who holds legal residency in Mexico and maintains an apartment in Bogota, Colombia.
“Housesitting is the reason I can work very little and travel a lot,” she noted.
Perry operates a YouTube channel featuring videos about travel and expatriate life as a Black American, and raises subscriber funds to sponsor Black women’s sabbaticals.
Ashley Graham strategically planned her break from nonprofit work in Washington, D.C., by mapping a road trip that included staying with friends at no cost.
“It was a great way to connect with my past life,” said Graham, who eventually moved to New Orleans after falling in love with the city during her sabbatical journey.
Taylor Anderson, a certified financial planner based in Vancouver, Washington, specializes in helping clients prepare financially for sabbaticals. She explains that similar principles apply to saving for extended breaks and retirement planning. Both require financial discipline and recognizing when spending is appropriate.
“We talk about money breathing. Sometimes it’s inhaling, sometimes it’s exhaling,” said Anderson, who has personally experienced sabbatical benefits. “Often we find that people do have money saved, but they’re afraid to spend it.”
“The question of ‘What is enough?’ is really difficult,” she added.
While not everyone can afford weeks or months without income, those who have accumulated savings will find “the cost is actually less than you might assume,” she said.
Artists Eric Rewitzer and Annie Galvin entrusted two employees with running their San Francisco gallery in 2018 while they spent summer months in France and Ireland.
“It was terrifying,” said Rewitzer, describing himself as formerly being a workaholic and control freak. “It was a huge exercise in trust.”
Upon returning to San Francisco, Rewitzer viewed the city through new eyes. He realized his life lacked balance – too much work, insufficient time in nature.
This perspective shift prompted the couple to purchase what they initially planned as a Sierra Nevada weekend retreat. It became their permanent residence when they closed their gallery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It all comes back to that same place of being willing to take chances,” Rewitzer reflected.
Gregory Du Bois’s college break to work as a ski bum in Vail, Colorado, established a pattern of incorporating mini-sabbaticals throughout his corporate IT career. With each new position, he negotiated extended time off, explaining to managers that peak performance required recharging breaks.
“It’s such a way of life that I almost don’t think of it as sabbaticals,” said Du Bois, who left technology to become a life coach in Sedona, Arizona. “For me, it’s a spiritual regeneration.”
