Thank You To Travel Sabbatical Fans!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of our Travel Sabbatical fans for following our trip around the world.  It wouldn't have been the same without all of your encouragement.  A blessed and happy new year in  2013.  Stay tuned for more travel adventures in the future.  Until then, be safe and keep on travelin'!

Travel Sabbatical: Our Favorites 2012

Until we returned to the States, we had no idea how many people were actually following us on our adventures around the world!  We are utterly amazed and grateful from the bottom of our hearts that so many people took the time to read our blog.  We are truly honored.

Having had a few weeks to meet back up with our family and friends, the number one question has been, "Where was your favorite place?"  The difficulty in answering this question may come as a surprise...we had so many favorites!  We definitely enjoyed experiencing all the famous sites, but in general, the most memorable times have been anytime we were able to get to know the locals.  As we wrap-up 2012, this list of Travel Sabbatical favorites may help answer the question, "What was your favorite ___(fill in the blank)___?

Travel Sabbatical Insights, A Poem

The Holstee Manifesto.

As our transition back into "real life" approaches, it's natural for any extended traveler to begin having a personal philosophical debate about their experiences, trying to somehow articulate it into some deep meaningful expression before it all gets drowned out by the rat race of life all over again.   After all, doesn't it seem somewhat shallow if we didn't at least entertain the idea that we learned some life lessons from our travels rather than treating it as just one big vacation?

The following is an interesting excerpt from Notebooks by Albert Camus, a French writer and philosopher that spent his life addressing this conundrum between human need to seek inherent value and meaning in everything and the reality that we sometimes don't.  His philosophy of absurdism (no joke, look it up), may have made him cynical, but I appreciate this less romanticized explanation of the value of travel.

"What gives value to travel is fear.  It is a fact that, at a certain moment, when we are so far from our own country...we are seized by a vague fear, and an instinctive desire to go back to the protection of old habits.  This is the most obvious benefit of travel...This is why we should not say that we travel for pleasure.  There is no pleasure in traveling, and I look upon it more as an occasion for spiritual testing.  Pleasure takes us away from ourselves in the same way as distraction...Travel, brings us back to ourselves."

However, towards the end of our trip, my mind - under pressure - did begin racing with the inevitable (and usually unanswerable) heavy-hitting questions: what does this all mean, did I learn anything, did it change my life, etc.  Ironically, writing down any thoughts in complete sentences and paragraphs didn't always capture the correct sentiment without losing the simple meaning in all of the rambling.  I really didn't intend for a poem to develop (especially since I'm ignorant of any guidelines on how to write a proper one), but it seemed the most organic way to jot down my Travel Sabbatical insights. 

Certainly, I will cringe at my own sentimentality when I re-read this in the future.  Oh well, it's how I saw it at the moment.

Happy New Year everyone.

Travel Sabbatical Insights, A Poem

I want time to stand still,

To stay in perpetual freedom.

I want time to pass quickly,

To escape from this vagabond life. 

Responsibilities, 

Schedule, 

Routine, I can't recall.

Discipline, I left it all behind.

How ignorant I am.

How naive I've been.

In my world view.

My cocoon.

Ecuador.  You surprised me.

Jerusalem.  You enlightened me.

Buenos Aires.  You nourished me.

Chiang Mai.  You cast a spell on me.

Cambodia.  Your resilience inspired me.

Vietnam. Your beauty stunned me.

Istanbul.  Your grandeur seduced me.

Tangier. Your impenetrable facade mystified me.

The Balkans.  Your ongoing struggles challenged me.

Witness to history unfolding.

Sometimes repeating.

"Those who cannot remember the past

are condemned to repeat it."

Repeating. 

Personal Freedoms.
Due Process.

No longer just words to me.

I've seen a lot.

Not seen enough.

Done a lot.

More to do. 

Met many.

But only a few.

Learned daily.

Experienced much.

Took less for granted.

Left with more appreciation.

How alive I feel.
For my mom who couldn't.
For my friend who didn't.

This was no vacation.

A career break.

A gap year.

A trip around the world.

Was it a life changer?  
Or a life staller? 

Only time will tell, but right now, 

I want time to stand still,
To feed my curiosity.

I want time to pass quickly,

To acknowledge that new perspective.

Only time will tell.

The insights from our

Travel Sabbatical.

-Akiko Kubo

Last Day in Baños: Random Thoughts and Observations

Reluctantly, we are leaving this lovely town of Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador.  We could easily grow roots here, but the remaining 6-7 months beckons us to pack up and continue on to new adventures.  Here's a few random thoughts and observations from two career-breaking gringos:  
1.  We'll definitely be back to do all the things we didn't get around to doing/seeing.  We would love to come back here with friends for a 1-2 week vacation.  The biggest expense would be the flight into Quito or Guayaquil, but after that...it's cheap cheap everything!
2.  To have an even better experience, learn conversational Spanish so that we could get beyond superficial communication of basic needs and really get to know the friendly locals.  For next time, there's a couple of language schools in town.
3. ...however, English and our broken Spanish is getting us pretty far. :)
4.  Baños is an electic mix of locals, ex-patriats, adventure travelers, backpackers, and Ecuadorian vacationers.  
5.  Baños is very inexpensive, but also has luxury accommodations.  Both of us can easily live off of $60/day (or less if renting an apartment/room and cooking for yourself). 25-50 cents for bottled water; $1-2 for a large bottle of beer; less than $5 for a full meal; $20 gets you decent lodging for 2; $1/kg for laundry service; $1/hour bus ride; $5 haircut and shave; $5-10 to rent a bike for the day.  
6.  Ecuador is on the US $, eliminating the need to do any currency conversions. We've been paying mostly by cash. Example, there is a 10-15% up charge when paying the hostels with a credit card.  ATMs are easily accessible with a bank fee of $5 plus 10% of the total withdrawals.  Best not to hit the ATM everyday.
7. Women of all ages love to wear their ultra-tight pants and spandex.  Contrast that with the backpackers in their ultra-baggy tie-dye clothes...
8.  Stray dogs that look nourished, happy, relaxed, and BALANCED - as Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer, likes to say.   Ogi (our dog) needs to come here and let the strays school her on how to be a more balanced dog.
9.  Young kids hang out at their parents' businesses, but they are well-behaved, don't interrupt, and keep themselves entertained. 
10.  Jack Daniel's is almost as ubiquitous as Coca-Cola.  Very strong brand presence in most countries.  Did you know, Coca-Cola is in every country except 2?  Guess where?  Cuba and North Korea.  I'll take a Jack and Coke.
11.  We haven't missed or even thought about TV since we left.  I have all these books on my Kindle, too, but haven't even had time to read.   What the heck are we doing?  Nothing really, except walking around, people watching, enjoying nature, soaking in hot springs, researching our next destination.  It's tiring 'work', but someone's gotta do it.
12.  Everyone seems to have their own little mom-and-pop business selling food, beverages, souvenirs, services, providing lodging, etc.  They don't have 'staff' either.  The same person who takes your order cooks your food.  The same person checking you in also cleans, cooks, and manages the lodging.  
13.  The weather is PERFECT (to Akiko's standards) and there are no mosquitos.  Sunny and in the 70s during the day; misty and in the 50s at night.  
14.  We could tell that everyone knows everyone in this small town; yet, unlike a regular small town, the influx of travelers keeps the vibe fresh and exciting.  
15.  For a small mountain town, there are excellent restaurants from traditional Ecuadorian cuisine to American, a brewpub, international fare, French, Japanese, Swiss, Chinese, Italian, vegetarian, vegan.
16.  We appreciate that Baños is SAFE.  There is no fear of getting robbed on the streets, people are friendly, and we feel safe walking anywhere - even at night.  
17.  Baños is an excellent place to commune with nature.  There are plenty of outdoor activities, even for the less adventurous.
18.  Hyundai is huge in Ecuador! Being a Hyundai owner myself, I've noticed that half the cars and SUVs are Hyundais.  My "Sadie", the Santa Fe, will feel right at home here.

So, what's our "We can live here" factor on a scale of 1-10?  Perhaps a whopping 8.  We love it here.

-A

We're not getting a paid sabbatical, but an interesting article, nevertheless.

Everyone Deserves a Paid Sabbatical

I've learned so much from my own wanderlust that I decided to pass it on to my employees: Everyone gets a free one-month trip every five years. Here's why.

Plain and simple: Sabbaticals make business sense.

Bolivia, Morocco, Vietnam, and many other exotic locations worldwide, have taught me valuable business lessons. That's because I would throw most of my income from my first business into yearly treks that would flood my head with business ideas. These annual, three-month trips never failed to rekindle the fire in my belly needed to lead a fast-growing company.

My biggest light-bulb moment—the one that spurred the idea for my company—happened on Red Frog Beach in Panama. I was thinking that marathons and 5Ks had become, well, boring. It was time to inject military-style obstacles, mud, and beer. We created an event called Warrior Dash, which did just that. In three years it became the world's largest running series.

I gained so much from my wanderlust that it only made sense to offer this benefit to my employees, my Frogs. Every five years they (and a guest of their choice) get a fully paid one-month trip to the destination of their choice. One catch: North America and Australia are off limits (most Frogs already go to Australia for our events there). This isn't a cocktail-umbrella-on-the-beach sort of trip. It's a push-yourself-outside-of-your-comfort-zone, culture-drenched, that-just-changed-my-life trip. Those trips bring home game-changing ideas. Those are sabbaticals.

My leadership philosophy has always been that when you treat your employees well, they'll perform well (see Give Your Employees Unlimited Vacation Days and Why Your Employees Need a Treehouse). Start a sabbatical benefit for your employees because:

Everyone needs to recharge. Frogs can disconnect for a full month every five years. A month away allows enough time to come back hungry to tackle the next big project.

Appreciation goes a long way. I give tremendous latitude, sabbaticals included, and it's appreciated. People who love their job perform better.

They gain worldly perspectives. Learning new cultures only helps bring fresh thoughts to the table on your next project.

Valuable family or friend time. Red Froggers flat-out work hard. A month away every five years allows time to reconnect with a loved one.

Going outside of your comfort zone elicits unconventional ideas. Being away for a month breeds creativity. My best ideas come during extended time away.

Africa is calling. My wife and I are headed there next winter and I guarantee I'll come home with plenty more than pictures of giraffes.

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Original Page: http://www.inc.com/joe-reynolds/let-your-employees-unplug-and-take-sabbaticals.html

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