December 29th, 2009
Scott
Source: pattyequalsawesome at flickr
In life, many folks smarter than me say that it is important to always have a goal. And I firmly believe that. The subtitle of this blog is “Six Months in a Warm Locale”, that is my goal. Everything I do every day should move me a step or a centimeter or a micrometer closer to that goal. But not every day goes like that, but that is life anyways.
I feel (down in my soul!) the roller coaster has left the station, and has begun its long slow ascent up that first big hill. As 2010 approaches this week, 2010 is looking to be an interesting year for my wife and me.
Our current plan is that we won’t be able to get back to Spain until October or November 2010. That’s kinda sad for me, since it will be the longest time without a vacation for me personally in my whole life. But you have to sacrifice to win. And so 18 months without a vacation is a sacrifice, and not a huge one at that. But of all the times to not be traveling, this week where the airports are in lock down is a good time to stay put right?
In between now and then, I have time to implement my plan. I have a lot of ideas and not a lot of time, so I have to be selective about the ones I pursue, get help when required, and focus my limited energies on things that will move me the farthest towards my goal.
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September 10th, 2009
Scott
Source: ?o??ƒx™ at flickr
Online travel really exploded in the past 10 years. Whereas it used to be quite common to use a travel agent to book vacations and trips, nowadays most people manage their own travel plans to the point where the travel agency business is feeling the financial strain. The Internet has changed up many a business model, and travel has certainly been affected in a big way.
But perhaps the pendulum has swung too far? Is it possible there will soon be demand for someone who is an expert at managing complex travel arrangements again, and people would be willing to pay a small premium for that? It’s certainly an interesting thought.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of online travel as it exists today.
Pros #1: Cheaper
It’s certainly easier than ever to get the best price. There are online travel sites that monitor a particular route and email you when the price drops (Bing Travel). There are online travel sites that compare all the major airlines to find the best price (Expedia). There are last minute sites (Travelocity Last Minute Deals). Sites that specialize in packaged vacations (TripCentral). Sites that allow airlines and others to underbid each other for your business (PriceLine). There are a lot of options for the traveller trying to save money, and they get better every year.
It’s fair to say the single largest benefit to online travel booking has been how much easier it is to get a good price. Consumers have never before had so many options when it comes to getting the best price on travel.
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Source: James Jordan at flickr
For most people, life after school begins immediately with a job, and other than a week or two of vacation per year, there is often no breaks or downtime for 45 years or so until you retire. Sure, some people take maternity or parental leave, but given the significant milestone of having and caring for a baby, that’s not really a true break from things.
So if you’ve made the decision to take 3, 6 or 12 months off work as a sabbatical, recognize it is unusual for most people. Some people call it a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I prefer not to think of it like that.
So when is the best time to take this break? Should you take it when the economy is really hot, when your employer is growing and hiring, when times are good and income is up? Or should you take it when the market is slow, people are being let go or hiring is frozen, and in general you know its going to be a tough year?
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Source: Quasimondo at flickr
When I think back to European or Asian vacations past, my biggest problem has consistently been with electricity. Laptops need to be recharged, as do digital cameras, MP3 players, toothbrushes and cell phones. For the fairer sex, there are hair dryers and straightening irons that need to work. For many of us, these electrical devices have been treading on the border between need-to-have and want-to-have.
You can’t simply ignore the problem either. Being caught without a working camera, or hair dryer, is the kind of thing that can put a damper on the first few days of your trip. And you can end up spending more than you planned on new devices, or expensive electrical solutions bought in desperation.
There are two main problems you may face :
- different voltages / frequency
- different plug sizes
If your electrical device can handle the higher voltage (and devices such as laptops do generally handle 120V-220V – check the label) , then all you need is an adapter. An adapter changes the plug type from the North American A and B types, to the European C and F sizes. Or the United Kingdom G type.
To solve the voltage problem, you generally need either a transformer, or to purchase a power cable (brick) compatible with your device.
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Source: (nutmeg) at flickr
It is sometimes said that the difference between someone who has a goal but doesn’t achieve it, and someone who has a goal and achieves it, is focus. Being consciously aware of everything you do, everything you spend your time and money on, and not just letting it slip through your fingers like sand.
Even a goal like mine – spending 6 months a year in a warm locale – requires daily focus to make sure what I am doing is allowing me to stay on track to the goal.
When I find myself with the opportunity to buy a new sexy gadget, before I pull my wallet out I ask myself how is buying this going to help me achieve my goal? If not, will not buying this help me achieve my goal? More often than not, not buying something is more likely to help me achieve my goal in the form of saving money.
Does this mean I don’t buy anything? No. Today I bought a soft drink and potato chips from the variety store that cost me $4. But I did that consciously. Is it going to help me achieve my goal? No. Is it going to hurt me in achieving my goal? No. It’s not about removing all personal pleasures from your life, although some people do that.
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Source: hjl from flickr
Imagine that everything is planned for your trip. You have some money saved, you’ve picked a nice sunny spot, plane tickets are booked, a villa on the Mediterranean is rented, and you are all ready to go. One of the easiest thing to overlook is rules around visitor visas. You may want to go to Europe for six months, but what will happen when you show up at the border?
In an ideal world, you can just travel anywhere and everywhere without preapproval or restrictions. But in the real world, there are borders, passport controls, and there are visa requirements. It turns out that countries are actually pretty particular about who crosses their borders (who knew!).
For the EU, the rule is that you can visit for a maximum of 90 days in any 6 month period on a regular visitor visa.
What this means that if show up at the border expecting to go there for 6 consecutive months, you will only be allowed in for 3 (or might just be turned around on the next flight back home). Also, you cannot just leave Europe for a day and expect the 3 month clock to restart.
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Source: misat0 from flickr
Taking a sabbatical and getting married share a lot in common.
- You start by deciding to do it.
- At the time you make a decision, you might not even know all the details, but that’s ok because everyone who does it doesn’t know all the details on Day 1.
- You decide on a budget, and it can be as small or as big as you like as long as your dreams match the budget.
- Whatever you initially budget, you’ll probably need a little more.
- You set a date far enough in the future to plan and pay for it, but not too far. Usually 1 year in advance is sufficient.
- Certain things need to be decided early on, and many more things are not finalized til the month before you leave.
OK, maybe the list of similarities is not that long. But marriage and a sabbatical are often similar in the amount of money they cost, and the amount of planning required to pull them off. Yet it seems like at least half the population has no trouble envisioning a $30,000 wedding but only a small number can envision a 6-month or 1-year sabbatical for the same budget.
Here’s how my wife and I decided we needed to change our life to include a sabbtical.
It was a “dam breaking” type moment. One day, a friend of hers from work passed away – at work. A couple of weeks later, another friend passed away on the commuter train to work. A short time after that, a close friend died from a long illness. Within the span of 2 months, a number of people “our age” were gone.
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