“My Midlife Gap Year Was Cheaper Than Living at Home”

March 25, 2024

Taking a gap year in midlife used to be the kind of topic you might hear at an expensive restaurant. But things have changed. More people are working part-time remotely, many inexpensive places (especially in Latin America and Asia) have become modernized, and a growing number of folks in their 40s and 50s are seeing a "midlife atrium" as a necessary career pitstop in a career that will likely continue into their 70s.

I enjoyed reading this UK Telegraph article on this topic— about a childless couple in their 40s who decided to do a round-the-world cycling trip. They were able to do this on a daily budget of around $60 per day. They balanced the more expensive New Zealand with the super-cheap Laos, and they camped part of the time. Coming home was a major adjustment after encountering so many friendly faces abroad. They found themselves wondering, ‘Why is everyone in a bad mood here?’ compared to the people they met during their travels. This stark contrast even prompted one of them to make a dramatic career shift from being an engineer to becoming a lifeguard and swim instructor.

I’m a big fan of MEA alums Debbie and Michael Campbell, the Senior Nomads, who’ve been traveling on Airbnb for a decade and keeping the cost down to what their living cost was in Seattle. They’ve been written up in the New York Times multiple times.

‍If you could curate a sabbatical or gap year in your life, when would you take it, and what are the key things you’d like to do…or, more importantly, be?

-Chip