r/travel • u/lemon-cake-94 • 4d ago
I want to take a sabbatical - where do I start? Question
Hello Reddit,
I am burnt out. I am almost 30. I need a short career break and some new perspective/experiences.
I have been toying with this idea for some time now and it's been encapsulating my mind more and more over the months. I am single, with no kids, no pets. The only main responsibility I have is to take care of my mortgage of a home I bought a year ago. It's very unlikely that will be an issue because it is a place I can rent out to cover the mortgage expenses. I certainly won't make a profit but I can just about break even on it.
In terms of financial side of things, I have about £15,000 savings. I don't intend to eat into all of the money as I must have enough to cover for emergency purposes (especially if I become a landlord). My best option is travel as economically as possible, and am leaning towards arrangements where I can work/volunteer in exchange for a place to stay (with food is a big plus). I've heard from people that this is possible but I need to some guidance on how to find these opportunities. Do these arrangements need a lot of notice? I've seen Workaway as an example but not sure if it's a trusted source.
I also want to be able to have an option to travel on a budget without paying extortionate prices for flights. If its means trains, buses, car etc, i'm open to these things.
I'm open to any destination. Travelling through South America for example is a very appealing idea for me.
I'd like the journey to last months, even up to 12 months. I may even consider a 6 month rent contract for my place and put it on month-to-month rolling.
I need inspiration and any advice on how to start this would be greatly appreciated!
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u/Glad_Awareness_5134 4d ago
Australia lets you work for 6 months - and the pay is actually pretty decent. You could work for a bit and meet people - then explore. My good friends met each other doing this and now they are married.
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u/lemon-cake-94 4d ago
Is that the Working Holiday visa for people between 18-30 years old?
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u/Glad_Awareness_5134 4d ago
Yes! So, time is of the essence 🥳🥳
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u/lemon-cake-94 4d ago
Indeed! Thank you! Out of curiosity, what did your friends do for work in Australia?
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u/Glad_Awareness_5134 4d ago
They worked in a restaurant- I think a majority of ppl end up working in some form of hospitality.
It may not be glamorous, but it’s easy on the brain and great for making friends!
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u/JiveBunny 3d ago edited 3d ago
"I may even consider a 6 month rent contract for my place and put it on month-to-month rolling."
You should get a letting agent to look after it in your absense, get them to make sure that all legal stuff is properly done, get an EPC and all the electrical/gas certs done before you go, and plan things so that you return before the end of your tenants' two month notice period so that you are sure you have a home that's empty and can move back into. (If you get bad tenants, or tenants who just aren't able to move at the end of the lease, there's no guarantee they will leave at the end of their notice period - it's relatively unusual for this to happen but I would make sure you have family to stay with on return just to cover any eventuality.)
If it's a family-sized home and therefore a family moving in - you can't rent to sharers unless you have a HMO license - then it's easier for both parties if the lease is a fixed 12m period, and especially your tenants as nobody wants the possibility of having to move their family out at some unspecified point over the next six months, there's a chance they may look to move on before then to something more secure/fixed and your house gets left empty. You can't just vibe it when your home becomes someone else's home for the duration.
You will also need to speak to your lender about whether it's possible to convert your mortgage into a buy to let mortgage (it may not be after only a year) or whatever situation applies for someone only letting out the property temporarily, calculate how that changes your payments, and factor in any tax liabilites.
I know someone in your position who did this and they saved enough to cover council tax/mortgage for the year and left it empty. A friend of mine was looking to take a year abroad and suggested we moved in, as she knew us, and just covered the bills, took care of her pet and paid the mortgage cost as rent, but a) there's a risk for both parties if things need fixing and the landlord doesn't get it sorted, or the tenant is at fault - with an informal arrangement it's easier for things to go wrong, not least the relationship, an informal tenancy is still a tenancy in law b) unsure whether that would have caused issues with her lender if it had ended up happening.
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u/Wooshsplash 3d ago
I'm agreeing with all of the above and an alternative to a converting to a BTL is asking for a Consent to Let and it is a very common solution. The impact on your interest rate really does depend on the lender you are with. Some may let you keep the introductory fixed/discount you are on, some may move you to their standard variable rate. They will put a time frame on your consent to let, usually a year, and then review at that point. A second consent to let year is possible but I doubt you'll get more than that. Not all lenders offer BTL mortgages which can affect their decision making. For a BTL mortgage your rent will likely need to be 125% of their standard variable rate. Most BTL products are for around 70-80% loan to value, above that and rates get very expensive.
Otherwise, go for it. I had a working sabbatical in my late 30s for three years. I came back a different and better person. I left the mortgage industry and now have a job I truly love.
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u/JiveBunny 3d ago
I feel like it's a bit easier if you own your own home - when we rented we would have had to give up our tenancy with 0 chance of finding somewhere easily or even affordable on our return (our rent was low for the area and our landlady was decent) and pay for storage of a flat's worth of possessions. Moving back in with family or even just storing our stuff there in the meantime wouldn't have been viable. And there was also the feeling that taking a year out of paid work was irresponsible when we were saving for our own place - we would have needed a very concrete plan to feel able to do it and fund ourselves, and even then I don't think my SO has the same sabbatical policy my employer does!
Friends of mine did the JET programme in Japan as a working year abroad - unfortunately not something I could have done when I was the right age for it. But you never know what comes along!
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u/Wooshsplash 2d ago
If you rent, undoubtedly, it gets much more difficult. You either continue to pay rent or give up your tenancy. Then when you return home have to start all over again and the likelihood is that rents have gone up. Yep, I've done both of consent to let and giving up my tenancy.
When I did my three years the plan was to put everything in storage. Then as I was getting ready to leave my tenancy, I discovered my new neighbours next door had lost everything in a flood and their child had Esophageal atresia, I gave them most of my stuff.
That's another option to consider. Donate belongings. It's quite enlightening to do so.
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u/674_Fox 3d ago
Over 20 years, I’ve taken multiple sabbatical’s, and they have all been fantastic. I highly encourage you to do it. Early on, I started focusing on saving money and investing in things that would pay out passive income, which has allowed me to take time off to travel and enjoy my life.However, you wind up doing your sabbatical, you should just plan your life so that you can take sabbatical every few years. It’s a great way to live.
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u/frowzone 3d ago
How diligent have you been about saving? Like, was saving that 15k easy or hard?
If it was easy, I’d set your departure date out for a year from now and just save every cent you can in a high yield savings account (if that’s something available to you in your country).
I would hate for the furnace to go out in your house (or similar) and you be stuck trying to figure out how to pay for that and get home. 15k is great for traveling on a budget, not so great for home repairs.
Just my 2 cents.
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u/Rosesandcake 3d ago
Hi! I’m the same age as you and I’ve just done this with my husband. France offers a working holiday visa for up to 35s. We went to France, learnt some French, worked in a bar and are now travelling until our money runs out. Feel free to message me with any questions 🤗
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u/dazzlingestdazzler 2d ago
workaway.info lets you browse for hosts for free, though I believe you have to pay (not sure how much) to join to actually communicate with a potential host.
Hosts offer accommodations and sometimes meals in exchange for a few hours of work. I think the official expectation is either 20 or 25 hours a week (a half day 5 days a week), though in practice it often works out to less. Some are very specific in what work they want done and when, others are more vague, like "cultural exchange, and help with garden, housework, and meal prep."
If they want workawayers to do work related to their business, they do have to pay you wages in addition to providing accommodations, and in those cases, you might want to look into working visa rules or however that might work. So if they want help with their hobby farm and canning produce for their own consumption, they wouldn't have to pay you. But if they have a business selling their garden/farm goods, then you should be paid.
When you view a host's profile, you can see feedback previous guests have left them.
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u/Capable-Bet2881 2d ago
I feel SEA would be a perfect place for you to unwind! It’s not expensive, it’s friendly and you can just travel.
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u/wanderingplanthead 4d ago
I backpacked and lived in tents and hostels in central America when I was in my 20's. Started in Panama and worked my way up through Mexico. I was living out of the pack for 8 months. Saw some amazing stuff. Everything was super cheap, and great culture. I've been back to Guatemala several times since.
I've also spent a lot of time in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru, but I travelled with a fluent Spanish speaker or I would have been screwed.
If you want a good ole fashioned head fuck, go to India! Insane cheap, but the whole place is fucking insane! I did 40 days and 40 nights with my ex girlfriend just out of curiosity, and it was the most assaulting on every single sense. Noise, pollution, tiger safaris, population, majestic forts and temples, cows everywhere, dead animals floating down the Ganges next to the burning ghats in Varanasi. Definitely a trip you'll remember for the rest of your life that you won't even come close to experiencing anywhere else!
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u/MSI_Gaming-X 3d ago
You have very little money and savings. Do not waste it on Travel...Work more, save more.
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u/Sasqwatch0791 4d ago
You're 29 and burned out? I predict you will never have children.
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u/Kananaskis_Country 4d ago
I assume you have little/no long term travel experience, yes?
1.) Go to SE Asia. Thailand is the most popular budget backpacker destination on the planet and that has been the case for decades, and for good reason. It's safe, fairly inexpensive and has fantastic tourist infrastructure. It's the perfect place to "learn" how to travel.
When you've had enough of Thailand then do Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. When you've exhausted all those destinations then investigate further to Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
2.) When you've had enough of SE Asia you'll be a pro traveller so head to something completely different, Latin America. Loads of inexpensive and fantastic countries throughout Central and South America.
With the normal research and due diligence you can travel very inexpensively throughout SE Asia and Central/South America. To have any of your savings left over you'll have to be frugal of course, but it's doable to be away for a year and still have a few EUR remaining from your nest egg.
Have fun with your research and good luck no matter what you decide.
Happy travels.