Young tech professionals in their twenties decided to take a break from their careers to embark on a sailing expedition across the Pacific Ocean.

Young tech professionals in their twenties decided to take a break from their careers to embark on a sailing expedition across the Pacific Ocean.

A group of friends, all in their mid-20s, are currently sailing a 50-foot sailboat from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. The friends, Lauren Sanders, Jack Elliott, and Ted Lewitt, are former colleagues in California's tech industry who bonded over surfing and expanded their adventures to sailing.

The voyage is part of a concept called "mini retirement," a break from employment with the intent of returning to the working world later. This extended break, typically lasting from 6 months to 2 years, allows professionals to step away from their career to rest, travel, engage in personal projects, or explore new life directions.

The friends had been saving money for this adventure, with Sanders saving since she was 10 years old. The objective of the voyage is to make the most of their youth and good fortune while they're healthy and able. Sanders had been working for a startup that went under in July, so she was fully committed to the trip earlier.

The friends left their jobs in December to prepare for the trip full-time. They approached planning for the trip like it was another job, using task management software and PowerPoint presentations. They invited another friend, Pat Rabin, to join them for the adventure, and another friend, Andrew Huang, joined at the last minute for the crossing between Mexico and the Marquesas.

The term "mini retirement" was inspired by the book "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss. The friends sought advice from experienced sailors they met through sailing clubs and strangers they contacted through Instagram.

The sailboat they are using is a 50-foot-long monohull named SV Open Range. They chose to buy a more expensive boat than was necessary because they wanted a very capable sailboat upgraded for safety. The sailboat was purchased and updated specifically for this voyage.

The voyage took 23 days and covered over 2,600 nautical miles. The friends encountered long days pushing through the doldrums under the hot equatorial sun before finding the southern trade winds. They celebrated crossing the equator with a steak taco meal they'd been rationing since leaving Mexico and leapt off the stern for a swim in crystal clear water some three miles deep.

During their journey, the friends enjoyed fresh pomelos and mangoes, feasted with a local family who served them goat, snorkeled on colorful reefs, and hiked in the otherworldly landscapes of the Marquesas. They also rationed Oreos (two cookies per person, after dinner each day), hooked massive yellowfin tuna to turn into sashimi and tacos, and had mandolin singalongs under the stars.

For comparison, before discretionary expenditures, Elliott's monthly expenses for rent, food, car payments, and utilities in Santa Cruz were $1,700 a month. The monthly expenses for the friends while sailing, including food, diesel, and other costs, were around $650 per person.

The friends obtained interim health insurance through Covered California plans and DAN Travel Insurance for the trip. They hope to sell the vessel later for more or less what they paid for it, noting that their future solvency is closely tied to selling the boat.

Mini retirements offer several benefits for young professionals in the tech industry. These include profound personal transformation and self-discovery, clarification of career and life goals, renewed creativity and reduced burnout, opportunity to pursue ambitious side projects, and lasting impact on quality of life. However, potential downsides include financial strain without steady income and challenges reentering fast-moving fields like tech, where skills may become outdated during long absences. Careful planning and maintaining connections or remote projects could mitigate these risks.

References:

[1] Ferriss, T. (2007). The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. Crown Business.

[2] McMahon, S. (2018, June 27). How to Take a Sabbatical and Return to Work. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/06/how-to-take-a-sabbatical-and-return-to-work

[3] Van Den Bosch, K. (2013, May 15). The Advantages of a Sabbatical. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/05/15/the-advantages-of-a-sabbatical/?sh=728618a076b4

[4] The Balance Careers. (2021, April 20). What Is a Career Break? Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-a-career-break-2061588

[5] Vogel, P. (2016, October 21). Why Taking a Break From Your Career Can Be Good for You. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/upshot/why-taking-a-break-from-your-career-can-be-good-for-you.html

1. The friends' adventure-travel from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to the Marquesas Islands is part of a lifestyle choice they call "mini retirement," which involves leaving employment to travel, engage in personal projects, or explore new life directions.
2. The friends' extended travel and sailing journey, inspired by Timothy Ferriss's book "The 4-Hour Workweek," serves as an opportunity for adventure-travel and personal transformation, allowing them to clarify career and life goals, pursue ambitious side projects, and experience renewed creativity.

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