Why Take a Sabbatical? (A Personal Reflection)

Why do you travel? Why take a sabbatical? In my own early days of planning a year-long round-the-world trip, this was my answer:

I thrive in a world of possibility.

I often joke that I’m allergic to making the same recipe twice. When I cook or bake, I’m often trying something new and it’s only my absolute favorite dishes that get a reprise.

When I was still in the dating world, I looked less for a long-term partner and more for a string of interesting conversations.

I typically find myself in jobs where I juggle a wide range of responsibilities. Stressful as it is, I would probably get bored with a position where I didn’t have a variety of tasks I could complete. A little bookkeeping here, a few minutes of digital marketing there, an event to plan once in a while.

But even with that widely varied job description, walking into the same building at the same time and answering the same questions every day didn’t feel like a world of possibility to me.

In my best Carrie Bradshaw voice: I couldn’t help but wonder, do we maintain the status quo because it’s really a better lifestyle, or is it just an easier choice to make?

Different people will have different answers to all these questions, and that’s okay. I just think there should be an actual reason behind the choices we make, whether they’re “normal” or not.

My decision to take a sabbatical was a pretty complex one, and I often have trouble articulating all of the reasoning behind it. But I think it lies at the core of who I am.

As much as I love structure and organization, I would wither in a world of endless routine. More than anything, I need new opportunities to look forward to. Taking a sabbatical is more than a vacation and much, much more than the daily grind. It’s a chapter that can open up infinite possibility.

If you’ve got a decent job and a place to live, you might feel very torn by your desire to travel. Why take a sabbatical if life at home is good? If you’re like me, there’s something deeper in you calling for that transformative travel experience. You can be happy at home and want more. And you can pursue a sabbatical that doesn’t require abandoning all the things you like about your life.