Mini-retirements at any age
What would happen if you were to question the status quo of working hard for 40+ years and then taking a long break at the end of it all?
What if you were to take mini-retirements throughout your life rather than placing all your eggs in the ‘one big holiday when I retire’ basket?
Would these mini-retirements add value to your life as well as give you increased inspiration and energy for your career, business or life in general?
There have been a few articles floating around on this topic, mainly inspired by or in response to the concepts found in Tim Ferriss’ book ‘The Four Hour Work Week’.
Check out Tim’s ideas and the related articles below:
Mini-retirement related posts from The Four Hour Work Week Blog
Freeing Yourself from the Daily Grind on Yahoo Travel
Using Mini-Retirements to Get More out of Life from Get Rich Slowly
A large part of the Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget philosophy is the concept that travelling with style whilst on a budget means thinking differently than the average tourist, getting away from packaged tours, living like the locals and not missing the opportunities that often lie right under your nose.
These concepts line up with much of what Tim talks about in ‘Four Hour Work Week’, with Tim even explaining how taking mini-retirements actually saves him money.
I had the pleasure of meeting Tim at the Sydney launch of ‘The Four Hour Work Week’ last month and the guy definitely lives what he talks about.
So, the question remains…. are mini-retirements for you? Why not leave your thoughts in the comments?
June 17th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I love that book
September 16th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Well, it works for me, but I don’t think it would work for everyone. I figure I’ll have to work later in life, to make up for all the time off, but because I made the initial break several years ago and now earn my income doing something I really want to do, and always wanted to do (write), I don’t mind working past 65.
My first “mini-retirement” came when, after ten years in the corporate world, I decided I didn’t belong, and I took off for six months to wander Australia (covered about 20,000 miles — great trip — I wrote about it in my book Waltzing Australia, which you might enjoy if you like a bit of adventure or need inspiration for your next destination). I then took off a year to start my career over. I’m now a sufficiently successful writer that I’m able to support my travel habit (usually at least three trips a year, at least one outside the U.S., generally for anywhere from two to four weeks at a time).
Sure, I’ll never make the kind of money I’d have made if I’d stayed in the corporate world. But then, I don’t need a psychiatrist, and I think I might have if I’d stayed. It just didn’t suit my personality. I save some money (don’t want to work forever), but spend a fair bit on “living now.” (I’ve been to nearly 40 countries on six continents, some of those countries several times.) I do, however, avoid spending any money I don’t have — keep those credit cards clean — don’t want debt to cut into my lifestyle. I am careful with my money so it’s there for what matters.
So if you don’t need much structure, and you have enough discipline to stay focused on the real goal, regular mini-retirements are possible. But not everyone can cope with the uncertainty (will there be work after this outing?) and lack of structure. But so far, it has worked for me — and I’ve been doing it for close to twenty years.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
What an inspiring comment Cynthia.. thanks for sharing your experiences and philosophy.
I loved:
‘Sure, I’ll never make the kind of money I’d have made if I’d stayed in the corporate world. But then, I don’t need a psychiatrist, and I think I might have if I’d stayed’.
Good on your for knowing who you are and being brave enough to be that person and live the life you want.
Cheers!