Escape 101: The Four Secrets to Taking a Sabbatical or Career Break Without Losing Your Money or Your Mind [Paperback]

Dan Clements (Author), Tara Gignac (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2007

What's your dream escape? Relaxing on a palm-studded beach? A year off to write your novel? Missionary work with the needy? Exploring ancient ruins or saving the rainforest? Whether you're an adventurer, a poet, a volunteer or you just need a break, Escape 101 provides you with a step-by-step system to take as much time as you need from your job, career or business, without losing ground.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a treatise on life-affirming escape...well worth reading..."
-TIMOTHY FERRISS, author of the New York Times bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek

"...even if your company doesn't pay a cent, author Dan Clements assures you still can make a sabbatical happen."
-The Miami Herald

“Reading Escape 101 is a pure delight...so fluid, so intelligent, so sly and at the same time so authentic and full of heart. Clements and Gignac are not armchair speculators, either: they’ve walked their talk..."
-JOHN DAVID MANN, co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Go-Giver

“If you’ve ever dreamed of getting away but couldn’t imagine how, then your to-do list just got a lot shorter: Read this, then start packing.”
-Sabbatical Guide

"How-to at its finest...inspirational."
-V.Purdie

"Love the book. I am planning on implementing some of your strategies in the coming year."
-Corey D. Allan, Ph.D., Licensed Family Therapist and Professional Life Coach, Founder of Marriage Fully Alive®

“...a real world, life tested, and practical road map to unplugging from your career...the nudge you need to recharge, work less, and live more.”
-Rana Singh, ND

"...this is exactly what I needed to read. I've already planned a long vacation with my wife and two young boys this winter and the plan is to take off to Central America next summer. Thanks for writing the book - I found it VERY inspiring!"
- Andy Rosenfarb, L.Ac., MTOM

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: The Brain Ranch (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0973978228
• ISBN-13: 978-0973978223
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dealing with all the roadblocks of taking a sabbatical, March 21, 2011

By 

Michael Froehls (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Escape 101: The Four Secrets to Taking a Sabbatical or Career Break Without Losing Your Money or Your Mind (Paperback)

There are a few authors who have done an excellent job in putting "time off" into a step-by-step action plan. Clements and Gignac fall into this category. While their way of detailed planning might not be for everyone, if you like some hand-holding, this book is for you. Escape 101 deals with mental roadblocks you face, be it financial or family/children, and how to overcome them. The book also talks at length about the benefits of taking time off and what it takes to make this period of your life successful. I like that the book is conservative when it comes to planning, both financial and otherwise. The book deals with arguments for sabbaticals and identifies them correctly as an investment in your future. It explains the many benefits of them, and gives advice on how to handle fears and anxiety. The authors, Clements and Gignac, provide good thoughts on the time after your time off as well. Overall, Escape 101 is a solid book that makes preparation for your potential time off much easier.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good, if you need to motivate yourself to go, else..., February 17, 2009

By 

W. Snyder (MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Escape 101: The Four Secrets to Taking a Sabbatical or Career Break Without Losing Your Money or Your Mind (Paperback)

This book is mostly about convincing yourself that you CAN get over your fears of time, money and safety to take a sabbatical. If you need that, this is a good book. However it's almost completely void of practical tips and as such rates near the bottom of sabbatical books. I'd suggest instead "Bring your Own Children South America," or almost any other book on long term trip planning.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book can make you REALLY unhappy - or change your life., October 4, 2009

By 

Burton Kent "lifehacker" (Naperville, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Escape 101: The Four Secrets to Taking a Sabbatical or Career Break Without Losing Your Money or Your Mind (Paperback)

First of all, this is NOT a book on where to go and what to do after you've made your break for freedom. If you want to know what to do with your free time, and where to go, this is not the book. You can also find hundreds of travel guides, websites, etc. to help you plan what you'll do with your freedom.

This book is more important than that. Next to "The Four Hour Workweek", it's the ONLY book I know of that shows how you can actually grab your freedom this year. Not in 2 years, 10 years, or when you retire.

You can start today. Now.

Most of us work 30+ years during the prime of our lives, just so we can someday retire, and do what we want. That's a huge, huge waste of life. Don't wait.

I got my hands on this book at a REALLY good time. I'm starting a new job after doing web development for 2 years. My girlfriend is a medical transcriptionist and hasn't had a vacation in over 5 years. (As the book says, she doesn't have a business, she owns a job. She needs to change this if she wants more freedom)

The biggest thing stopping most people from taking a sabbatical or time off from work is mindset. The second thing stopping most people is logistics. How to arrange things (especially finances) so your life doesn't fall apart while you're away.

If you're like most people, you're probably wrong. Wrong about how hard it is to take time off. Wrong about how much it costs. Wrong about whether you'll be able to get the time you need from work. Wrong about how much it will disrupt your life. Most of us have been in the rat race for so long, that it's hard to imagine another way. Even when we hear stories about someone else that did it, it's hard to imagine it for ourselves.

This book will help you not only imagine it, but DO it. Escape 101 shows you the common misconceptions and helps you correct them. It tears down every excuse you have to go. My guess is #1 excuse is that "I don't have enough money." Not true.

If you're like me, you'll be unhappy until you get your chance to go. That's why I said "This book can make you REALLY unhappy - or change your life."

If you let it, this book can change your life. You'll never be the same.

That being said, I would add a few things to the second edition:
The author's blog/website is a GREAT resource and not mentioned anywhere in the book that I could find. My guess is it was created after the book was written. You can find many great ideas there of what to with your freedom at [...]. I loved the post on house-sitting - free room and board in exotic areas, usually in exchange for taking care of animals.

Author Tara Gignac is apparently a naturopathic doctor ([...]). Dan Clements seems to be a writer ([...]). They both have done what's in this book, but the only real story from their life is how the book was inspired by a trip they were making to the Tikal Mayan temple in Mexico. A whole family arrived at the same place at sunrise and inspired the book.

I think Tara and Dan have interesting stories to tell, and I'm a little disappointed that it's not in their book. It's a minor complaint, and doesn't detract from the book. But it sure could add to it.