Michael Potter, Sherry Ott, and Michael Bontempi took a break from their high powered careers to travel the world.
The Briefcase to Backpack founders
During their travels, they were amazed at the number of Brits/Australians/Canadians who were taking gap years or sabbaticals and traveling; yet they rarely met Americans doing the same.
Why?
“American corporate culture doesn’t seem to understand the value of career breaks or sabbaticals” Sherry says. “We want to change that.”
They started the site in early 2009 to offer Americans a wide-range of planning tips based on their experiences.
Planning such a career break can be quite overwhelming to Americans not used to it.
From contemplation and preparation to life on the road and returning, Briefcase to Backpack inspires and guides their readers through the career break process.
Whether you call it a sabbatical, a gap year, or a mid-life change, it’s all the same to them; you need a break from your job and Briefcase to Backpack will help you achieve it!
February 5, 2010 at 12:50 am
Thanks for featuring us – what an honor! Hopefully we’ll inspire some people to move out of their cubicle – or at the very least let them know that it’s possible!
February 5, 2010 at 2:46 pm
You’re welcome Sherry. I’m sure your blog is definitely inspiring lots of people already, keep up the great work!
February 5, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Kudos to Briefcase to Backpack for helping to spread the word about the power of time off! Let us also recognize the 100+ companies that DO INDEED understand the value of time off by offering regular sabbaticals to their employees: http://tiny.cc/TSbjX. Thanks, Starlagurl, for writing about an important topic.