Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

This was a great read. The book is as much about boldly creating personal change as it is about escaping our comfort zones. It's not another over-romanticized travel guide for 20-somethings. It is deeply grounded in reality, was written for everyone from business owners to parents, and provides a step-by-step plan for getting its readers on sabbatical.

Escape 101 is a book that dismantles all the roadblocks to finally taking that sabbatical, with a special emphasis on the biggest one: changing the "there is no way I could pull it off" attitude. I managed to get my life and business partner to slow down long enough to read the section on how small business owners can escape, too (and with children). It definitely opened his mind to the possibility. With any luck, I'll get him to read the other chapters and maybe we can start planning!

I purchased this book roughly 1 1/2 years ago. At the time of my purchase, I was stressed and heading for burnout in my current career. The impacts of that began to spill over into my personal life. I knew it was time for me to do something different. None of the "How to Relieve Your Stress" books, seemed to help me. I knew I needed some time of; to reflect on my life and my purpose. I knew that if I could figure out a plan to take a sabbatical, I could then use that time off to determine where my life would be headed next. This book provides a comprehensive way to achieve that. It provided hope and reasonable solutions to assist you in your goal of a sabbatical.

Nine months ago I started my sabbatical. I am now heading back to work. It has been a tremendous journey. The book refutes the notion that you must be wealthy to do this. In a tough economy, I am proof, that if you remove the obstacles that say you 'can't', you actually 'can'...

Beyond the great practical how-to advice, Escape 101 is inspirational and makes you rethink life in the rat race. The book's philosophical approach is useful, and makes you shift your current paradigm of life and career.
I recommend this book to anyone "thinking" about taking extended time off. This book will help you make an informed choice about taking time off from routine.

This is the perfect book for making your fantasy sabbatical happen, precisely because it takes everything out of the realm of pure fantasy and addresses all of the real world, grown-up questions that you'll need to tackle if you want to get away.

The authors do such a thorough and wonderful job of diving into every nook and cranny of planning, execution, and even slaying the mental demons that talk us out of doing that things that would really matter, that they seem to be mind readers.

If you want concrete, tangible, actionable information on how to make the dream come true already, definitely grab this book.

Loved this easy read that got me off of my "but" (But, I can't run the company from far away. But, my husband can't be off for 6 months. But, we can't be gone for that long).

Our son is stoked to write a book about the trip!

I found Escape 101 to be an excellent tool for encouraging me to take that leap of faith and fulfill my dreams of travel by taking a sabbatical. The author breaks it down into easy-to-manage and practical steps, and even suggests how to make your career break a win-win situation for your boss too! I can now even begin to wrap my head around making travel and sabbaticals a lifestyle and not just a one-time thing. Thanks!