Career Break Event News
We are getting all geared up for the upcoming 2014 Career Break Event in NYC. Here’s a few updates on the latest developments!
Oh the People You’ll Meet!
Keynote speaker, Rolf Potts
We are excited to announce that Author and long term travel expert, Rolf Potts, will be joining us for the event keynote! We sort of look at Rolf as the pioneer of introducing long-term, independent travel to the US audience as he wrote one of the first books on the subject in 2003, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel.
When he took off to travel the world in 1994, it was quite a unique adventure. He had many of the same fears we have today, “I was worried that long-term travel would be too expensive, too difficult, too dangerous. It turned out to be none of those things, and the more I did it, the better I got at it. “ he explained. However he goes on to say that his travel experiences yielded some surprise benefits, “In addition to the deep experiential education that long-term travel provides, one of the surprising benefits was its sustainability. When I took my first vagabonding journey 20 years ago I thought it would be my last chance to travel in earnest before I entered the professional world. As it turned out, I've been able to take numerous long-term journeys over the years, in tandem with (and rarely at odds with) my work as a writer and teacher.”
He has now incorporated travel into his life and his adventures have taken him across six continents, and include piloting a fishing boat 900 miles down the Laotian Mekong, hitchhiking across Eastern Europe, traversing Israel on foot, bicycling across Burma, driving a Land Rover across South America, and traveling around the world for six weeks with no luggage or bags of any kind. (How's that for a packing challenge!)
Rolf’s newest book, Marco Polo Didn't Go There: Stories and Revelations From One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer, was the first American-authored book to win Italy's prestigious Chatwin Prize for travel writing. He has lectured at venues around the world, including New York University, the University of Lugano, the University of Melbourne, Authors@Google, Yale University. Though he rarely stays in one place for more than a few weeks or months, Potts feels somewhat at home in Bangkok, Cairo, Pusan, New York, New Orleans, and north-central Kansas, where he keeps a small farmhouse on 30 acres near his family. Each July he can be found in France, where he is the summer writer-in-residence and program director at the Paris American Academy.
Rolf in Ethiopia
We are excited to have Rolf share his abundance of travel experience and advice with you September 20th!
Not only will you meet travel veterans like Rolf (see our list of other speakers here), but you’ll also get exposed to people like you – people who are contemplating their first big trips. One of our most important goals for the conference is to connect you, the attendee, with other like-minded people who share your same goal. When embarking on an endeavor of this magnitude, support from like-minded people is one of the most important things you can have.
Small group discussions occurring at past events.
So come ready to listen AND talk. This is not an event where we’ll simply be shelling out information; you can get that on the internet if that’s what you want. This is an event that will help connect you with people like yourself. And definitely be ready to be inspired to take your next steps – wherever you are in the process.
Leah on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:12 am
I really enjoyed reading your post. I am thirty-two soon and have itchy feet that are ready to try out foreign soils.
It is a fear of leaving the security of the day to day grind of paying the bills and living a safe and non-challenging way of life that has put me on hold for some time.
I hope (as it has I) your post will inspire others to go and follow their bliss – Leah 🙂
Patricia GW on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 8:54 am
Travel and experiencing a new culture really has put it into perspective, and filled that void with purpose (and joy).
In three weeks I’ll be moving to Paris myself for one month. I have the same feeling – the incredible surreal realization that I’m going to be living there…. it’s thrilling!!
Abby on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 2:11 pm
Oh, Jenny! Escargot isn’t palatable — it’s delicious! I love your writing style; it’s so fun and energetic. Can you believe how far we’ve come? Everyone, Jenny and I were in the exact same industry and have known each other online and via work emails for years and years. But we’ve only met once, many, many years ago. And one of those jobs she was sleeping next to her BlackBerry for was one I’d just left. And now she’s 33 and living abroad, just like I was last year. Kindred spirits. Jenny, you’re a true inspiration — I can’t wait to see how your adventure unfolds!
Debbie Beardsley on Mon, 6th Jun 2011 3:22 pm
Your life in Paris sounds ideal. It is nice to read about people who follow their dreams instead of wishing they had! Enjoy the rest of your journey.
Terriaw on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 1:40 pm
Wow, fabulous and well said! I love your new outlook on like. After experiencing career burnout and feeling a little lost and purposeless lately, you have encouraged me. I look forward to seeing Paris someday!
Jenny on Tue, 7th Jun 2011 6:50 pm
merci for all the sweet comments! @abby we are soooo kindred spirits! well except when it comes to our differing feelings on escargot…;) and congrats patricia on the move! thrilling indeed!
shawna on Thu, 9th Jun 2011 1:32 am
you’ve reawakened my travel bug. must. return. to. france. (someday.) eat a croissant for me!
Weekly Travel Blog Links — LandingStanding on Mon, 13th Jun 2011 6:16 am
[…] how badly I want to go to Paris… If only we could afford living there for an extended period of time during our travels! Any […]
G. Michael Schneider on Sun, 19th Jun 2011 3:36 pm
I am a firm believer in living and working overseas, just as you described. However, many of us actually like our jobs and our homes and are simply looking to renew and refresh our lives, not change it. However, you can have the same type of cultural experience without having to reach into your own wallet and without having to quit your day job–by taking what I call a “working vacation.” My wife and I have done this 15 separate times, from Australia to Zimbabwe, Turket to Tibet, Mauritius to Mongolia. I describe how to do it in my blog otherguysdime.wordpress.com and via Twitter at @otherguysdime. Learn how to have fun without having to have burn any of your bridges behind you.