So, you've searched your heart and soul and decided that you need more than just a week's vacation — you need a radical sabbatical. Your dream might be to swim with the dolphins in Central America, help at a medical clinic in Asia or write a novel in England's Lake District. But whatever your goal, you'll have to do a lot of planning and preparation far in advance of your hoped-for departure date.
ONE YEAR OUT...
1. Talk to your boss or co-workers — If you're thinking of a couple of weeks, you may be able to cover the time with vacation days. If you plan to stay away longer, you'll need to plan a leave of absence, and may have to train your temporary replacement.
2. Talk to your family members and friends — Find out who will be available to help out while you're gone. If you'll be leaving children with relatives or relying on friends to help with the house or pets, you'll have to have these conversations early on in your planning.
3. Talk to a financial planner — What are the projected costs of your stay overseas? Do you have money set aside, or do you need to start aggressively saving? A professional can help you find these answers.
Financial Planners
4. Contact a Volunteer Organization — If your goal is to offer assistance with a charitable project or mission, check for organizations offering pre-planned trips.
Mission Adventure
5. Research your destination — What can you expect to find when you arrive? What are the living conditions like? Read travel guides and websites to learn as much as you can about where you'll be staying, or talk to people in your area who have traveled there before.
Lonely Planet
Fodor's
6. Consider language — If you're not fluent in the language of your destination country, start learning important words and phrases now. Minimizing the language barrier will likely be an essential key to your success.
Berlitz
7. Research housing options — Depending on your length of stay, you may have many options for accommodations. These include:
Staying at a hotel or motel. Get the Most Out of a Hotel
Staying at a hostel. Hostels.com
Renting an apartment or home. International Rentals
Staying in the home of a host family. Home Stay Club
Exchanging your own home. Home Exchange 101
SIX MONTHS OUT...
1. Investigate health and safety concerns — Tell your doctor where you will be staying and what you will be doing during your sabbatical. Be sure to ask about any shots you might need for the journey.
Traveling Overseas
Further information: CDC website
Traveler's advisories and other relevant information: U.S. State Department website
2. Make a plan for paying the bills while you're away — This could involve handling it via the Web, hiring an accountant or handing the responsibility over to a trusted relative.
Online Banking Benefits
3. Get or renew your passport — Overseas, your passport is all-important, so make sure there are no problems with it.
How to Get a Passport Quickly
4. Nail down accommodations — Whether you're making reservations, renting, or exchanging your home, you need to get it all squared away by now. If possible, get all agreements in writing, and find out exactly what will be expected of you.
5. Arrange for transportation — Make sure you have a plan for every mile between your home and your ultimate destination, including local flights, boat trips, train, buses, etc.
Buy your plane tickets. Cheap Tickets Online
Arrange for rental cars. Car Rental Deals
Research destination transporation. Find out about your destination's public transport systems and rules of the road.
TWO MONTHS OUT...
1. Start gathering supplies — Don't wait until the last minute to learn that sunscreen, bug spray or down jackets are necessities where you'll be staying.
Check travel books and websites for help building lists of all the supplies you'll need. Ask the people you've made accommodations with for ideas about what to pack.
Be sure you have plenty of your prescription medicines and doubles of certain essentials, like eyeglasses.
Packing For Your Trip
2. Confirm everything — Make phone calls and send e-mails to make sure that all your plans are still in place and all your reservations are on record. Confirming your plans is often just as important as making them in the first place, as you don't want any surprises when you arrive.
3. Make arrangements for your home — If nobody is staying in your home, arrange for someone to get the mail, water the plants, and visit the pets. If you're exchanging or renting out your home, start making detailed lists of what you expect of the tenants.
Holiday House Care
Things to Think About Before the Trip
ONE MONTH OUT...
1. Start packing — Packing early will give you time to run out and buy anything you may have forgotten.
Packing a Suitcase 101
Luggage Basics
2. Throw a party — Gather together friends and relatives who have helped you plan your trip or who are going to help take care of things on the home front. While celebrating the start of your new adventure, take the opportunity to make sure everyone knows his or her responsibilities.
Consummate Host
