Better bring your sunscreen so you don't end up as red as this beach. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

I took my niece with me to travel to Greece for three weeks. And, there was one thing on her mind – BEACH! So, I worked in tours to some of the historical sites, but the rest of the time was spent finding Greece’s top beaches. When we hit Santorini, we stayed over on the west coast near ¨the red beach.¨ It was rocky and a bit of a pain to climb down to. But, it was stunning. And, with the blue-green Mediterranean Sea lapping up in the shore, it was hard not to love this place. The contrast of color was stunning and there’s no wonder why this place is so popular. Before climbing down for a day under the parasols, I was able to shoot this week’s Suh-Weet Shot.

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How Much Do You Really Need? Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

As you’re planning your career break, you’re probably focused on how much your going to spend once you’re on the road. Well, a good way to minimize your on-the-road spend is to maximize this part of the budget. It’s not practical or desirable to buy everything now that you ¨might¨ need. After all, if you’re like me and had never backpacked before, you kind of need to get out there to see how you really will be traveling to know what you really need.

Having said that, there are a number of things that you should go ahead and buy now while you still have a job and are still drawing a salary. And, this is the time to be thinking about some of your other needs on the road like getting the right credit cards and bank accounts. Don’t forget to check out my post about the 5 most important things to do before you quit. And, there is also a good resource I recommend for helping you negotiate your career break if you want to return to your same employer.

Factors in Determining Part 1 of Your Career Break Budget

As you start creating this part of your career break budget, there are three factors you need to consider in determining how much you will need.

1. Time between quitting your job and leaving. Some people leave mere weeks after they quit. Others want a little more time. Whatever your timeframe, it’s best to set your daily budget high. Said another way, for budgeting and savings purposes, assume you need as much to live as you did while you still had a job. If you can economize a bit during this period, then you’ll have a nice windfall for your trip or for your reentry period.
2. How much gear do you need for your trip? Do you already have a backpack? Do you already have the basic gear? Or are you starting from scratch? The more you’ve traveled before, in theory, the less you need to spend. Then again, you may be tempted to replace some of your gear, just because.
3. How much spending can you stuff into this phase? Some of the items on the checklists in this phase and the next phase are interchangeable depending on your preferences. For example, are you buying a full RTW ticket or is your goal to get to your first destination and take it from there? The more you stuff into this phase means the less you need for your on-the-road travel budget. But, you may find that approach unnecessary preferring to take a wait-and-see attitude to see if you really need everything on your list.

Budget Categories For Your Pre-Takeoff Budget

This is a starter list to help you get organized. What you spend and how much you need all depends on your circumstances. My goal here is to get you started and get the brainstorming juices going.

• Clothing: pants, wool socks, hiking boots, flip flops, things you can layer. Side note: think breathable and quick drying fabrics as much as possible
• Gear: backpack, headlamp, travel towel, water bottle, sports watch (I actually stopped wearing a watch while traveling, but I know a lot of people that liked to have one still)
• Electronics: laptop/netbook, iPod, unlocked cell phone, ereader/tablet
• Travel stuff: Tickets, hostel membership,  tours, Visa fees, guides, airport lounge memberships, big trip/tour you want to plan around
• Health items: Shots, doctor and dental visits, glasses, contacts, COBRA (for US residents), travel health insurance,small first aid kit,/supplies, medicines
• Finances: Setting up/updating your will, trust, credit cards, debit cards
• Entertainment: Books, music, TV and movies
• Home: Mortgage/rent, utilities, insurance, food, etc

If I missed something, or you have questions, let me know in the comments below.

Not a bad view from which to find out your fate. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Located to the northwest of Athens, Delphi is one of the most famous historical sites that you’ll see while traveling in Greece. In a country filled with historical ruins, Delphi stands out. The grounds are set in the mountains so a pair of hiking boots wouldn’t be completely unwarranted. But, you don’t have to be a hard-core climber to get around. Once atop the mountain, you get a view of the valley below. I found myself behind the main temple and was treated to this spectacular scene. The bright sun was my enemy in shooting from here. But, I finally was able to capture this week’s Suh-Weet Shot.

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Crashing waves onto the plunging coastal cliffs of western Ireland. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

The cliffs off the west coast of Ireland are legendary, especially the Cliffs of Moher. But, further down the coast you can get even closer to them. We arrived to the west coast late in the afternoon from Dublin and just stopped along the way…as you do on a road trip.  I’m not even sure, frankly, where I took this photo. But, sometimes I don’t care that I don’t remember. Just having a great photo like this is enough. So, please enjoy this week’s Suh-Weet Shot from somewhere on the west coast of Ireland.

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Figuring out if you have enough isn't an act of faith.

Let’s get right to it! One of the top questions people ask me is how can you afford to take a break to travel? There’s no magic, but there is budgeting.

The first step is to take a look to see if you have the funds available for a break. As I’ve written before, long-term travel budget planning and estimating are easier than you might think. And, for a deep dive into the topic of saving for your dream trip, be sure to check out Dream.Save.Do. By Warren and Betsy Talbot, which I will be reviewing soon.

Once you’ve determined if you have the money travel, it’s time to start creating your functional travel budget for your career break. And, don’t forget, this is one of the 5 most important things you need to do before you quit.

So, let’s take the mystery out of budgeting for your career break. There are 3 parts to a career break budget that I’ll tackle in 3 follow-up posts of this series so I can go into detail into each. Here’s the overview so you know what to expect!

How to Budget Your Money To Travel in 3 Parts

Part 1: Pre-Takeoff Budget

The pre-takeoff budget covers all of the things you need to buy to prepare for your trip. The timing of this budget starts from now until you get on the plane to leave.

There are 2 parts to this budget. The first contains travel stuff: tickets, gear, insurance are the most popular items in this category. If you’re still working when you start buying these items, they will be easier to pay for since you still have a salary coming in.

The other part of the budget includes home expenses you will have after you leave your job and before you get on the plane. Don’t forget to save money for these costs like utilities, internet, groceries, etc. That money has to come from somewhere and it’s better to have planned and saved for it.

Part 2: Travel Budget

This is the pot of money you need when you’re actually on the road: accommodation, food, tours, in-country transit, additional plane tickets, etc. When you hear people write about traveling for $30 or $50 a day, this is the part of the travel budget they are talking about.

This part is a little harder to budget in detail since you likely won’t know what you’ll encounter on the road. This is where your scenario planning comes in handy. Be conservative and budget as high as possible. Then, watch your budget like a hawk so you can come in under budget.

Part 3: Re-Entry Budget

How much money will you need once you return before you have an income again? Start thinking about it now. If you have a job waiting for you, you likely won’t need to budget too much. But, if you’re going to be looking for a new job, then make your best guess as to how many weeks or months are needed. And, if you’re thinking about a career change after your break, plan for even more time. There is no doubt that this can be the most difficult part of the budget estimating process since there are a lot of factors that will determine how much you need.

I hope this series helps you get you on your way. Budgeting is critical and anxiety-inducing. But, that’s only because it seems so daunting. Let me help you go through the process. And, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or email me with your questions if you desire a bit more anonymity.

Watch your feeds for parts 2-4 of the series!

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Eating BBQ in Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA

In this week’s ¨Who’s Out There Now¨ feature, we bring to you Juno, the world traveler behind the popular travel blog, RunawayJuno.com. Originally from South Korea, Juno started blogging long before her career break. When I sent her the questions, I didn’t realized her trip had ended. But, I’ve been wanting to interview her for a long time. I’m a big fan of her blog. Also, so much of my audience is in the US and Canada. It’s great to interview someone who to a career break TO North America. So, let’s get right to it.

1. So, where in the world are you answering these questions?

After three months traveling around America, I’m back in Korea, planning my next trip. I’m currently writing this from a comfy couch on Jeju Island.

2. Juno, I’ve always wanted to ask you this, are you really running away or are you running toward something?

I choose ‘Runaway Juno’ because the word runaway implicitly indicates travel. While working as a cubic farmer a big part of me always had an urge to escape, but now I know that I was running toward something. I don’t want to use travel as a method of running away from the reality. I want to make the life of travel my reality. So I’m off and running toward my goal. Everyday.

Hiking in Green Mountains, Vermont, USA

3. Your one of the few travel bloggers I know from anywhere in Asia that blogs in English. Why blog in English instead of Korean?

To be involved in a bigger circle. Like it or not, English is the most widely spoken language in the world. Because the biggest reason for opening the travel blog was sharing my stories and learning the world better, English was the perfect choice. It was not an easy decision, but I knew it was the right one. Also, there’s not a big community for backpackers or independent travelers in Korea. If I had started writing in Korean, I wouldn’t have gotten this many readers and friends.

4. You’ve been touring around North America, both the US and Canada. How was it different than you imagined and how was it exactly as you imagined?

I can’t speak for the whole country because I only traveled to the East Coast, mostly New England and then Quebec in Canada. Three months were not enough to explore the gigantic countries. For America, the diversity was something I certainly expected, but I was surprised by the breadth of diversity—from people to food to cars. In my home country, everything is very homogeneous. Everything can be divided into normal and abnormal. Same race, same language, same cultural background, and same lifestyle. However, in the US, I was surprised by the much broader diversity and how people are respectful of the individual’s opinions. I sensed that it was very possible to achieve the lifestyle I wanted.
Quebec felt like a whole different country, not just a province of Canada. It’s their ongoing protest, and Quebecers are proud to be different. Quebec was much more European than I thought it would be.

5. Career break, nomadic adventure, backpacking, how do you characterize your trips?

Career change. It grew out of a moment of boredom. For two and a half years of the office life, I realized this is not for me. I couldn’t see any future with the position. Something that gives me excitement and hope, that’s the kind of work that I want to do. So I changed, not only my career but also my lifestyle.

Drinking beer and working at Campground in Scarborough, Maine, USA

6. What are some of the secrets to travel that you’ve discovered that you think more people who aren’t traveling should know? 

Traveling can be the biggest textbook there is, and the wisest teacher you can ever meet. People who don’t understand why I have this desire to go out and learn about the world are always asking me back, “what could you possibly learn?” not because they are curious, but because they are judging. Partly due to the rough political, social and economic history of Korea, people think that higher education is the only way to success in life. But what they don’t know is that school alone can’t teach you how to be an independent thinker. I met so many people who had no idea how to provide themselves. People who had never been out of their comfort zone. It’s not something we are born with; its something we have to experience.

7. What was your first ¨I’m not in Kansas (Seoul) anymore¨ moment?

Recently, when I arrived at Washington Airport, I was looking for a way out. Then a big, tall African-American airport security guard approached to me and said “You can’t go this way ma’am,” in very deep voice. Okay, I was not in Seoul for sure.

8. What’s been your most ¨local¨ experience so far?

Coincidence after coincidence, I stayed with a family in Auckland, New Zealand for few weeks and we went on a road trip together. We went for a walk everyday to different parks, I attended a talent show of homeschooled kids, visited friends and family, and hung out with local kids who were extremely curious about Korea. It happened on my very first backpacking trip and the experience gave me the idea of how great ‘local’ experience could be. Luckily I had a great start and I cherish the experience. That’s why I prefer travel as living in a place rather than sightseeing. That was the foundation of all of my travels and me became a travel blogger.

Love statue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

9. What has been your most embarrassing moment?

When an English girl totally iced me out at the party because of my English skill. On my backpacking trip to New Zealand, I met this girl at Greymouth, a small town on the South Island. About five of us who met at the hostel went on a brewery tour and BBQ party after. We were talking and the girl from England got annoyed at me because I couldn’t understand her a few times. Just like that she decided to ice me out at the party. It was clearly her characteristic fault but I felt very embarrassed. But it was a good experience to get to know that there are different types of people including not so considerate.

10. What’s your secret for getting the most out of your journey?

I try to do nothing. Even though I’m on a short schedule. Not that I’m wasting time, I’m trying to just be in the place. Visiting historic ruins and museums are important, but feeling the place whilst jaunting down the street is also valuable. Listening to how people talk in their language, seeing what they are wearing, eating and buying or selling, looking at the houses they are living in, talking to street vendors… This is one of my favourite activities and the reason why I travel.

Bonjour! Cross over to Quebec Province

11. Finally, our lightening round.

• Best dish you’ve found so far: Laksa, in Malaysia
• Most exotic food eaten: dried seahorse on a stick, in Beijing, China
• Most breathtaking moment: Sunset in KK, Borneo
• Biggest disappointment: Beijing, China – bad experience with not honest people
• Most memorable place: Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
• Most memorable person: Ailing who lives in Jeju Island, originally from Malaysia
• Best thing to have on a long bus ride: Book and blanket
• Worst thing to have on a long bus ride: Small bladder – not fun!
• Best thing you packed: Sarong for efficiency and space, ice-cream for fun
• Dumbest thing you packed: laptop on a hiking trip
• Funniest travel habit you have: Weird or endearing? I travel with my stuffed animals and space icecream.
• Place you wish you could’ve stayed longer:  So many places, but Borneo and South island of New Zealand.

Albany Aqua Duck Tour in Albany, New York, USA

You can follow Juno online at RunawayJuno, on Facebook, and on Twitter @RunawayJuno

Every week, Career Break Secrets profiles a different traveler or traveling couple who are embracing the ¨Because Life Is Out There TM¨ travel spirit.  These are people who have taken the plunge to embark on a career break and are currently traveling the world.
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Where are the people? Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Last week I flew between Bogota and Houston on my way to London on United flight 1008. It’s a flight I’ve been on many times shuttling between Colombia and the US. It’s an easy 4.5 hour flight, mostly free of turbulence, few frills and little drama.

About midway through the flight, I got up to go the bathroom from my seat in 12C. As I turned around, I was shocked at what I saw. The two emergency exit rows were virtually empty, save for 21A and 21F. Row 20, completely empty. Out of the 6 seats, 2 were occupied. Really? Some of the most coveted seats due to their expanded leg room, empty?

OK, calm down, maybe these people are just in the bathroom. 

When I came back, I gave the seats another look. Nope. Still empty.

No sign that anyone was seated here. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

As I took my seat, the question that came to mind was, “Is this even safe for the rest of us?” Who would open these doors if there was an emergency? And, if we were to go down, pandemonium would surely set in, leaving our lives in the hands of our collective ability to not beat each other to the door or try to squeeze through the row behind it to get out.

If memory serves, the additional fee for those seats at the time of check-in was $89. Clearly no one, not even the business passengers on the plane, wanted to pay that fee.

I sat on these thoughts over the weekend. And, when the terrible cruise accident happened this weekend in Italy, I felt I had to write about this. I mean if it’s unsafe to have kids in the exit rows, surely it’s even more unsafe to have no one seated in them.

So, I have some questions.

1. How often does it happen that safety exit rows go unseated?
2. If no one selects to pay the exit row fee, do the airlines have rules in place to ask for volunteers to sit there?
3. Do regulating authorities like the FAA have rules in place to compel the airlines to solicit passengers for those seats?
4. What are the safety procedures in case of an accident if no one is seated in the emergency row seats? And, is that part of the standard training for flight crews?
5. Finally, is the desire of airlines to charge for any seat it deems “desirable” making us less safe?

These are questions I would certainly like to be answered.

Note: The photos in this post were taken by me on the flight with my iPhone.

Somewhere in western Ireland along the coast. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

I found the castles while traveling in Ireland curious. Small, tall, not terribly imposing but interesting. Most that I saw seemed completely abandoned. Yet many, like this one on the west coast, maintained its regal dignity and made for great landscape shots. I honestly can’t remember the name of this castle. I took this photo as we were leaving the Cliffs of Moher area on our way back to Dublin through Tipperary. With the rolling green grasslands and the blue north Atlantic to the west, I thought it made a great selection for this week’s Suh-Weet Shot!

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On my recent trip back to the US, I was determined to read the book. It’s been 4 years since its release. And, since then, the world economy has been on quite a roller coaster. When Dan and I took our career breaks, people were still leaving voluntarily. The economy was good and no one gave much thought about the possibility or likelihood of significant economic chaos that would hit in 2008.

In 2009, I met a lot of people on forced career breaks. By and large, these were people that had decided to wait out the downturn and take the trip that they always wanted to take. Some had been planning a sabbatical. Others had not.

Now at the end of 2011, I was curious to see if what Dan had to say was still relevant. Would his words still be inspirational? Would the advice still be relevant? Could Dan still speak to working professionals credibly?  I was rooting for him. But, I was skeptical.

The answers are Yes, Yes and Yes.

Review of Escape 101

¨Leaving was actually easy. It was thinking about leaving that was hard.¨ This point still rings true. And, as Dan points out, there are a couple of meanings behind it. First, while many of us dream of taking time off to travel and see the world, we get stuck in our day-to-day lives. It traps us and mentally, it’s hard to make the decision to go. But, this statement also recognizes that there is work and effort involved in the planning so you can do it right. It’s worth taking the time to think through all the issues.

Dan states that taking a career break is about ¨living deliberately.¨ And, I couldn’t agree more. We only get one life on this merry go round. So, take the time to live it as you want to. Escape 101 is about taking the break without losing the parts of your current life that you enjoy. As he says, it’s about ¨taking the break you need, without losing ground.¨

The first part of the book explores why you should get away and focusing on your commitment to live deliberately. He then tackles all the big things that scares people about leaving: money, your job, your business, and kids. Finally, he goes through to talk about how to get the most out of your experience and how to re-enter.

He challenges you to think about why you want to go. I often find with many career breakers that there is a catalytic event that finally spurs someone into action. Dan calls these triggers. And, he argues that it’s important to know why you want to go: work, health, a desire to volunteer, a good old-fashioned desire to travel? Or something else?
From there, Dan provides concrete advice on how to start planning your time and away. But, most importantly, he stresses the need to figure out how to get the most out of your time off.

Are you traveling with kids? So did Dan and his wife. So, if a family trip is in the card for you, Dan has some great advice for setting out with them.

If you are looking for a great read on how to plan for your career break that goes beyond a tactical approach and gives you the philosophical underpinnings of why you should go, then check out Escape 101.

Disclosure: I was provided with a review copy of Escape 101. All comments and opinions are my own.

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Benny Out in the World. Copyright FluentinThreeMonths.com

In this week’s ¨Who’s Out There Now¨ feature, we bring to you Benny, the man traveling around the world to learn as many languages as he can so he can share his language hacking tips on FluentIn3Months.com.  After 9 years on the road, Benny proudly declares that he is fluent in 8 languages which include English, Irish, all the romance languages except Romanian (Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian) and German. He recently delved into Quechua, the language of the Incas. And, on other interviews, I’ve heard him mention that he dabbles in Turkish, American Sign and Klingon!

Ditching the Books! Copyright FluentinThreeMonths.com

1. So, where in the world are you answering these questions?
Right now in Cuzco, Peru! Hanging out here for a couple of weeks working on my Quechua (the Incan language) before going through the Sacred Valley and up to Machu Pichu.

2. Learning the local language can add so much to your travels and help you really get to know the local people and culture better. Is there a time when knowing a local language helped get you out of a tight spot?
It usually saves me tonnes of cash to be able to haggle in the local language, but actually it gets me INTO more tight spots Since I veer off the tourist trail quite a lot I end up having quite a lot of adventures, and misadventures! It’s all good fun though.

In Brazil. Copyright FluentinThreeMonths.com

3. When you say you can become fluent in 3 months, what does that really mean? As someone who has been in South America for the better part of 5 years now and speaks Spanish fluently, I’ve learned that there are increasing levels of fluency.
That’s not what my message is about. The title of my blog refers to the fact that you should aim for a specific target and a specific deadline. New Year’s resolutions of “Speak Spanish” are terrible ideas. Say “basic conversational Spanish within a month” or “be able to talk on the phone by January 15th or whatever it may be. My title is an example of such a thing.
I aimed for fluency in Czech in 3 months when I registered the blog, and was definitely on the path, but had to stop after two months due to financial difficulties. By this stage I had reached “conversational” level. Since then I’ve aimed for other things, but always been very specific in what I mean by my definitions. In January I will be aiming for fluency however (you’ll find out about the language on the blog or earlier in my email list when the time comes!)
In that case I define fluency as being able to do absolutely everything that I can in English, in the target language. Speaking it with ease in such a way that it “flows” and my hesitations are non-existant or natural, and the other person can use slang and speak quickly with me, and I can follow groups of people speaking fine. In social situations nobody ever has to make adjustments for my benefit, and I can read and write fine, focusing more on natural use than formal.
I will still have an accent and make an occasional mistake, but I’d be working to reduce them. More technically, my idea of fluency is what we define in Europe as C2 level, a diploma exam I have sat in various languages, and a level of fluency they call “mastery”.
What’s important is not how I or you define fluency, but in the fact that you have a very specific definition, and something solid to aim for. For most people “fluent” is some high pedestal that is equivalent to bilingual or otherwise unreachable, so of course it seems impossible.
The 3 months target is a convenient time for me as that’s usually the tourist visa limit and the amount of time I like to stay in a country, so that’s my deadline, plain and simple. No magic formula to fluency in 3 months, just trying your damnedest.

4. What are 3 tips for someone who wants to learn a new language while traveling, even if they don’t have 3 months to achieve fluency?
Tip number one: Stop “learning” (i.e. studying) the language. All your studying while in the country is wasting time – study and prepare before you hit the road. While there it’s time to…
Tip number two: SPEAK IT. All the time, at every opportunity, with everyone. No matter how bad your level is, use it all the time. This will force you to improve quickly and when you see your faults and the vocabulary you are missing, THEN your studying will be a lot more specific and useful. Studying grammar or random vocab lists that are not so relevant to you now is a waste of time. Use it with people and you’ll see what you need to work on.
The main reason I’ll learn quicker than most travellers is because I avoid English. I don’t hang out with other expats, and I relax in bars with locals, not other backpackers. When you speak English the majority of your day, why should it be surprising that you don’t learn quickly?
Tip number three: Be confident as hell. Speak wrong, make mistakes, and continue on regardless. Stop second guessing yourself, stop making up excuses that you are too old or not naturally talented – all of these are nothing more than self fulfilling prophecies.

5. How do you choose what languages you are going to tackle next?
For me a language is a means to an end. I don’t pick languages, I pick interesting cultures. Learning the language is a natural part of integrating into that culture for me.

B-B-B-Benny and the Jets? Copyright FluentinThreeMonths.com

6. Career break, nomadic adventure, backpacking, how do you characterize your travels?
I’ve been travelling for almost a decade so you could hardly call that a “career break”. And I don’t backpack, as I prefer to stay for several months. I like the word “technomad” or “location independent professional”. My personal style, as well as attempting local integration, would be “language hacker”.

7. What are some of the secrets to travel that you’ve discovered that you think more people who aren’t traveling should know?
That it’s ridiculously cheap if you do it in the local language. Search Google or Lonely Planet in English for prices and you will get the tourist prices. No reservations are needed, just arrive with one night paid for at a hotel/hostel and you will sort out your work and accommodation very easily if you are confident enough and don’t walk in yelling loudly with an SLR camera around your neck.
My lifestyle is way cheaper than almost all settled people I know, even when I stay in nice accommodation. Buying a car, paying a mortgage, fuelling an Apple-product addiction – those are things that you can let go of, embrace some minimalism and get a lot more out of life.

8. What was your first ¨I’m not in Kansas anymore¨ moment?
The first time I was ever abroad was in New York City. My head hurt from looking up at the skyscrapers in fascination.

In Budapest. Copyright FluentinThreeMonths.com

9. What’s been your most ¨local¨ experience so far?
After the big earthquake in Italy, my travel plans were changed dramatically as I was supposed to go to the epicentre. So I had to think quick and ended up in Rome around Easter – the most chaotic time for Europe’s most chaotic city. Luckily a friend came to my rescue and invited me to spend Easter with his family. I ate a traditional Italian dinner with 4 generations around a table and had some fascinating conversations.
There’s no way you can get this experience when in tourist mode, and especially not if you rely only on English to get around.
That dinner has been one of the highlights of my travels.

10. What has been your most embarrassing moment?
Getting handcuffed and locked up by the Federal Police in Brazil for stupidly yelling insults at a federal officer.

11. What’s your secret for getting the most out of your journey?
Local friends. I still go to expat meet-ups on occasion, but spending the majority of my social time with people from the place means I see things from a different perspective, and go to places no guidebook can do justice to recommend, and have incredible experiences.
For me it’s all about the people I meet.

With university students. Copyright FluentinThreeMonths.com

12. Finally, our lightening round.

• Best dish you’ve found so far: Aloo Gobi in India.
• Most exotic food eaten: I’m vegetarian so I don’t go too exotic with food, or prioritize food as I travel. My favourite dishes can also be found back home if you look hard enough.
• Most breathtaking moment: Having a full 360º view from the peak of Mount Teide – seeing other Canary Islands in the distance.
• Biggest disappointment: Can’t think of one.
• Most memorable place: Florianópolis, Brazil
• Most memorable person: I got to dance with the president of Ireland, and had a great chat with her.
• Best thing to have on a long bus ride: A fully charged 3G keyboard Kindle with dozens of books installed and a reading light.
• Worst thing to have on a long bus ride: An illness.
• Best thing you packed: Clever conversation-encouraging t-shirts.
• Dumbest thing you packed: Big books that weigh too much that I never used.
• Funniest travel habit you have: I keep my SIM cards after living in a country. I have dozens of them.
• Place you wish you could’ve stayed longer: Cali, Colombia.

You can follow Benny online at FluentIn3Months, LanguageHacking.com on Facebook, and on Twitter @Irishpolyglot

Every week, Career Break Secrets profiles a different traveler or traveling couple who are embracing the ¨Because Life Is Out There TM¨ travel spirit.  These are people who have taken the plunge to embark on a career break and are currently traveling the world.

If you like this post, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up with Career Break Secrets’ career break and travel advice.