How to Meet the Objectives of a Mini-Retirement

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I hope this finds you well.

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By the time you read this, I'll either be en route to my office or sitting there for the first time in ~2 months.

I arrived back in NYC from my cross-country road trip this past Sunday.

I'll be honest: I could use another day or two off before heading into the office (note to self: arrive back from traveling 2+ days before returning to work).

It's not that having the time off or traveling is not relaxing.

It is.

However, driving back over 2000+ miles, especially with the hell-on-earth that is NYC traffic, can be taxing.

Especially if you don't give yourself a little downtime before returning to the office.

I currently have a "to-do" list as long as my arm, trying to figure out where to start.

But it's my last vacation day (Monday, 9/4/23), and I will relax.

The "to-do" list will sort itself out in due time.

Last week, I published an article explaining what you need to know about mini-retirements.

One element of the definition of a mini-retirement is "relocating to a destination for 1-6 months" to meet the following objectives (according to The 4-Hour Workweek):

• Slow down

• Get lost intentionally

• Disincorporate old habits & rediscover yourself

Aside from taking a sabbatical or leave of absence from work (both of which may be unpaid), taking 1-6 months off may not be an option.

What can you do to meet the objectives of a mini-retirement if you cannot take 1-6 months off from work?

Here are 4 alternatives I take advantage of (as often as I can) you can try to help you meet the objectives:

Camping

Camping is an easy escape.

I'll go camping in any season, including winter.

I keep all my camping gear in my SUV to quickly drive to one of the many camping locations I discovered within a few hours from NYC.

I'll prep on a Thursday, drive to work on a Friday, as soon as I finish work I’ll hop into my SUV, and ride off into the sunset to a remote camping location.

When it comes to people while camping, less is more.

I'll set up camp, start a roaring fire, and sit and read.

For hours.

Or listen to the sounds of nature lost in thought.

Completely disconnected from the rest of the world.

While I have a couple of tents I use for camping, I purchased an SUV specifically because it's big enough for me to sleep in when necessary, especially when the weather is a bit too cold outside (I do have a small camping heater which helps).

Side note: I once woke up during a weekend camping trip in a blizzard! It's a good thing I slept in the SUV that night.

I'll drive back from a weekend camping trip early on a Sunday (just so I don't have to deal with the NYC traffic) and feel completely refreshed and recharged to tackle another week of my 9-5.

Remote work vacation

A friend of mine spent a month in Spain while working remotely.

She would get up early to explore, hike, and do things she wanted to do.

Then she would work in the afternoon and evenings from ~3-11 p.m.

This may not be ideal because work is probably the last thing on your mind when you're away in some foreign and exotic destination.

But, if you're working remotely full-time, you can combine your remote work responsibilities with your paid time off.

This is how you can make it work out for you:

Request your 1-, 2-, or 3-week vacation in advance.

Once approved, book flights and reserve accommodations to a destination you're interested in exploring.

Fly to this destination during a weekend, a week or two before the start of your official vacation.

Once there, depending on the time difference, if any, divide up the day so you can explore the area when you can and work when you need to.

When your official vacation starts, you'll have a lay of the land and can enjoy it to your heart's content.

A cross-country road trip

Driving for me is meditative and allows me time to simply:

• Be still

• Breathe

• Appreciate the ever-changing landscape

I previously wrote about the time I was a bit disgruntled and decided to take a solo cross-country road trip from NYC to Montana (you can read about that experience here).

That solo cross-country road trip was one of the best experiences of my life.

To give you an idea of how much I value cross-country road trips: I have taken at least one cross-country road trip every year since 2016.

The past few summers (including this summer), I traveled specifically to Wyoming and stayed in a small cabin for ~1 week.

If you prefer to avoid driving, take a bus or a train to a remote location.

A (long) weekend getaway

I'm always looking for ways to escape NYC on (long) weekends.

Long before I had an SUV, I looked for an easy escape from NYC for a 4-day weekend I had coming up.

I found a town ~4 hours north of NYC easily accessible by bus (Binghamton, NY).

The town bus stop was a short walk to 2 different, excellent hotels.

I reserved a hotel room and purchased a bus ticket.

I left immediately on a Friday after work and stayed for 3 days.

The town exceeded my expectations.

There were many bars & restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.

The best part:

The weekend was tranquil & the escape I needed.

I still travel to Binghamton on occasion.

These days, especially during the winter, I'll look for an affordable Airbnb or hotel for a long weekend getaway when I feel the need to escape NYC.

So there you have it - 4 alternatives to the mini-retirement:

• Camping

• Remote work vacation

• A cross-country road trip

• A (long) weekend getaway

I truly believe you do not need 1-6 months off from work to meet the objectives of the mini-retirement (although it is nice).

Remember: you have paid time off (at least I hope you do).

Use it.

And use it the way it was meant to be used:

To get as far away from work (and your day-to-day responsibilities) as possible.

It's shocking when I read statistics such as:

According to a Pew survey, "89 percent of all workers said it was 'extremely' or 'very important’ that their job provide paid time off for vacations."

Yet, "46 percent said they typically took less time off than was offered."

Remember: time is your most precious resource.

There is no amount of money on the face of the planet that will buy you 1 second of time.

Interesting reads:

Why Do Almost Half of Americans Leave Paid Time Off on the Table?

They quit their jobs and sold the house. Now this family of four is touring the US in an RV

Thanks for reading!

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