Tobi's sabbatical - my experience and advice



Countries I've been to     What to plan & think about     My journey with pictures     Your comments


What to plan & think about

1. Who am I?

I am Tobi from Germany, 40 years old, traveled to almost 100 countries, live in Switzerland and Austria with my wonderful girlfriend Ramona.
My work before / after my sabbatical: project manager in consulting for banks / risk manager for a life insurance.
Hobbies: rock & ice climbing, ski touring and scuba diving.
I took previous time outs of max. 6 months in my life. I lived in different countries, but always returned to my most loved home.

What is special about this sabbatical?
I not only traveled but focused on what matters most in my life: my girlfriend, family and best friends plus my passion for alpinism and Spanish.
It was one year planned plus half a year not foreseen long (returning into a crisis in the Swiss labor market for banks).


2. The purpose and structure of this website?

I would like to present you in a personal way:
A) What you should think about, in case you or a friend plans a sabbatical.
B) A summary of what I experienced during my sabbatical. You find it on my journey with pictures
C) Your comments and questions, please post it here


3. Which key questions should you ask yourself for your sabbatical?
This is not a complete list. Do your own planning and research at least 5-6 months before your sabbatical.

  • What matters most in your life?
  • What are your 5+ years' future plans in life?
  • What do you want to "accomplish" with this sabbatical - physically AND mentally?
    Believe me, traveling can be mentally and physically (often no sports) challenging.
  • What do you want to do after your sabbatical?
    Stay in your country, job and industry or completely change your life.
    PLAN THE COMING BACK OR POTENTIAL LIFE CHANGE BEFORE!!
  • Which "travel type" are you: slow vs. fast, backpacker vs. luxury, sportsman, charity worker (then you might do volunteering work)?
  • What are your favorite countries and continents?
    Which countries do you not visit during normal vacation, because you need more time?
  • What hobbies do you love and do not have enough time for?
    Maybe you have plans like a sailing or scuba diving license or mountaineering. Or want to learn something new like playing an instrument. Now is your time!    
  • What is your risk aversion level in traveling and life? Choose your countries and activities accordingly.
  • What is your financial situation now? What are your financial plans (e.g. buy a car or house)?
  • What are the costs of a sabbatical?
    This depends a lot on the countries you visit and activities you do, your travel style and situation at home (like flat, family, insurance, etc.).
    Calculate yourself carefully (e.g. in Excel) and do research online plus ask friends & colleagues.
    Plan a good buffer for your planned sabbatical time PLUS what might happen afterwards, e.g. unemployment. DO NOT RETURN WITH EMPTY POCKETS!

4. Checklist of what to plan before your sabbatical

This is not a complete checklist.
Do your own planning and research at least 5-6 months before your sabbatical.
Create a list. You find a lot of good (and bad - be careful) information online.
Ask your friends and colleagues who have experience with this.
Discuss your ideas with your most loved ones (girlfriend and family) before.

  • Travel documents and visas!
    Passports should still be valid for at least 2 years! Request an international driver's license.
  • Health checkups and doctor appointments
  • Vaccinations - depends on the countries you travel to
  • Medicine you normally need plus for travelling
  • Insurances. Health, travel and rescue insurance world-wide
  • What to do with your house / flat and car
  • Job: can you / do you want to stay with your employer? Or quit your job?
  • Tax declaration
  • Financials, bank accounts and investments - online and mobile banking abroad
  • In case you are not a national in the country you live:
    check with the migration department (I wrote them an email to have something written)
  • What to do with your subscriptions: mobile phone, internet, sport clubs, etc.
  • PLAN!! Where do you want to travel to? Language school abroad? Charity project?
    Book early enough! Write down your plan (e.g. in Excel)!!
  • Calculate the costs plus a good buffer!!
  • Pension insurance - what to do during your time out. In Switzerland this particularly matters.
  • Adress changes. Inform everybody about it.
  • What to do with your post? A trusted person regularly checks for you and informs you.
    Or use a scanning service.
  • "Shopping": there are various good packing lists depending on countries online!
    In general, I recommend only pack as much as required - you can usually wash your clothes during traveling or send something home - and use merino clothes.

5. What to do after your sabbatical?
These are just some ideas. I am curious about your comments!

  • Reflect...see the positive although it might be challenging finding "back to normal life"...
  • After an absolute high in your life, you might (but hopefully will not) fall into a (life) crisis.
    That's OK to face this situation due to various circumstances in life, such as unemployment, and there is a lot of psychological help available if it's more serious.
    I am convinced, if you plan your sabbatical well, including potential issues afterwards, in the long term you will say: this was a perfect life experience!
  • Create picture albums ... print / digital ... a website ... or blog.
  • Presentations to friends or even at events
  • Don't forget to focus on your partner, family and friends plus your physical and mental health. Sports and healthy nutrition.